Cognia-accredited online school
Registered with SACAI and the IEB, approved Pearson Edexcel centre
CambriLearn teaches Grade 8 to Grade 12 online. Subject specialists teach weekly live lessons and mark the work, and students finish with matric through SACAI or the IEB, International GCSEs and A Levels, or an American diploma.
This guide covers the six pathways, how matric works online, subject choices from Grade 9, registration for Grade 8 and 9, and fees.
Each pathway leads to a different qualification, so the right one depends on where your teenager is heading after school. A consultant confirms the starting grade.
| Pathway | Grades | Examined by | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAPS (South African, in English) | Grade 8 to Grade 12 | SACAI | National Senior Certificate |
| KABV (CAPS in Afrikaans) | Graad 8 to Graad 11, with Graad 12 from 2027 | SACAI | National Senior Certificate |
| IEB | Grade 10, with Grade 11 from 2027 and Grade 12 from 2028 | Independent Examinations Board | National Senior Certificate |
| International British Curriculum | Lower Secondary to A Level | Cambridge International Education or Pearson Edexcel, as a private candidate | International GCSE, AS and A Level |
| Pearson Edexcel | International GCSE to A Level | Pearson Edexcel | International GCSE, AS and A Level |
| US K-12 | Grade 8 to Grade 12 | Score Academy Online, a Cognia-accredited sister school | American High School Diploma |
The IEB pathway has entry requirements, and its first CambriLearn matric class writes in 2028, so there are no IEB results to report yet. International exams are sat at a registered exam centre near you. The US K-12 courses are NCAA approved, which supports sports eligibility for American colleges but doesn't guarantee a scholarship.
The National Senior Certificate covers Grades 10 to 12. Online students do the same work and write the same exams as students at a campus school.
How exams workTwo official languages, one at Home Language level, plus Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy, Life Orientation and three more subjects.
School-based assessment through the year counts for 25% of the final mark, and the final exam for 75%.
At least 40% in three subjects, one of them the Home Language, and at least 30% in three more. One subject may be failed, as long as its school-based assessment is complete.
CambriLearn registers Grade 12 students with SACAI for their exams. The SACAI exam fee is charged per subject and paid upfront by 31 January.
Final exams are written in person at an approved exam venue, not online.
SACAI releases results about two months after the exams, and Umalusi issues the certificate, usually by July of the following year.
Subjects for Grades 10 to 12 are chosen in Grade 9, and they shape which degrees stay open. SACAI allows a limited number of changes after that.
| Year | Subject changes SACAI allows |
|---|---|
| Grade 10 | Up to two changes, before 30 June |
| Grade 11 | Up to two changes, before 31 March |
| Grade 12 | Only in exceptional cases: one change by 31 January, with the approval of SACAI's chief executive |
Universities work out admission points from NSC subjects, usually leaving out Life Orientation, and many degrees need Mathematics rather than Mathematical Literacy. If your teenager may need exam accommodations such as extra time, apply in Grade 10, because SACAI accepts no new applications in Grade 12. An optional subject and career choice assessment can help with the decision.
For Grade 8 and 9, yes. School is compulsory until the end of the year a child turns 15 or finishes Grade 9, and the Schools Act doesn't yet provide for fully online schools.
How home education registration worksA child who isn't at a public or registered independent school needs home education registration, which parents apply for with their provincial education department.
School is no longer compulsory, and students register for matric through SACAI or the IEB. If your teenager has been registered for home education, check the NSC rules for home-educated candidates before Grade 10 starts.
In May 2026 the Minister of Basic Education told Parliament that work to amend the Schools Act to recognise and regulate online schools is under way.
SACAI's website publishes the current list of registered distance education providers, and CambriLearn is on it. For international pathways, ask whether exams are sat as a private candidate and where.
