Dispelling the myths and misunderstandings about when to write your IGCSE and AS level exams
Explanation of USAF’s Two-Sitting Rule
The two-sitting rule dictates that you must meet the minimum qualifying requirements over two exam sittings.
It applies to those IGCSE subject exams required for matric exemption and your AS level subjects.
What qualifies as a ‘sitting’?
A sitting is a 12-month period in which exams are taken: i.e. June and the following November or November and the following June.
Examples
Example 1: Student began IGCSE studies in January 2022 in 6 IGCSE subjects, and began AS studies in July 2023.
| Exam sitting | Subjects and level | Grade achieved |
| Sitting 1: November 2022 | IGCSE Afrikaans | C |
| Sitting 1: June 2023 | IGCSE Mathematics
IGCSE English Language IGCSE Geography IGCSE Biology IGCSE Business |
C
B A B C |
| Sitting 2: June 2024 | AS English Language
AS Geography AS Biology AS Business |
C
B C B |
This student meets the two-sitting rule, the subject requirements and the grade requirements.
Example 2: Student began IGCSE studies in January 2021 in 5 IGCSE subjects, and AS studies in January 2023.
| Exam sitting | Subjects and level | Grade achieved |
| Sitting 1: June 2022 | IGCSE English Language
IGCSE Business IGCSE Mathematics |
B
B B |
| Sitting 1: November 2022 | IGCSE Afrikaans
IGCSE Physics |
C
B |
| Sitting 2: November 2023 | AS English Language
AS Mathematics AS Physics AS Business |
C
B C B |
This student meets the two-sitting rule, the subject requirements and the grade requirements for matric exemption but may not be competitive in some faculties of some universities.*
FAQs
If I continue to A levels, does the two-sitting rule still apply? No, it does not.
Why should I take six subjects as a minimum number at IGCSE level when I can achieve a matric exemption with only 5? *Some South African universities will count six subjects when calculating the Admissions Points Score. The student should have taken a sixth subject at IGCSE level, therefore, in order to be competitive.
