How to help your child study smarter for the June matric exams
Grade 12 learners who treat the June exams like the finals will walk into the second half of the year with momentum instead of playing catch-up.
In just a few short weeks, thousands of Grade 12 pupils will be sitting for their June matric exams.
The mid-year exams, which cover the bulk of term 1 and term 2 work, will contribute to the school-based assessment portion of the final National Senior Certificate results.
Education expert Dr Alucia Mabunda says they are also an important checkpoint for students to gauge their progress and tweak preparations for the second half of the year.
Mabunda, who is the Campus Head at IIE Rosebank College, says the June exams decide whether learners walk into the second half of the year with momentum or playing catch-up.
Achieving good results in the June exam will also give their university applications a boost.
"Nail them and your APS [admission point score] starts looking strong, your confidence skyrockets, and your university options strengthen," Mabunda says.
"Slack now and you’ll spend July to November firefighting instead of flying. These next few months are your non-negotiable window to build an unbeatable foundation."
🚨 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗡𝗦𝗖/𝗦𝗖 𝗠𝗮𝘆/𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲🚨
— Gauteng Department of Education (@EducationGP1) April 10, 2026
Here’s the official 2026 May/June Exam Timetable for National Senior Certificate (NSC) and Senior Certificate (SC) candidates.
Plan ahead, stay prepared, and make every study session count.… pic.twitter.com/OnHPOKJsjw
Mabunda has shared study tips for the June exams that will help them perform better.
"Performing well at this stage helps create a pattern of steady effort that supports the overall year mark and prepares learners for the final exams. Starting strong now builds habits, confidence and collateral that will pay off in the final NSC outcome, and if students lock in for these next three months, the second half of Matric becomes a victory lap instead of a rescue mission.”
Parents can help learners succeed by ensuring they do these three things.
1. Build an exam-simulation timetable that treats June exams like the finals
Stop “studying when I feel like it.” Aim to block 3 focused hours every single weekday (and more during weekends) using the exact DBE/IEB or Cambridge weighting of each subject.
Put your phone in another room, use the Pomodoro 50/10 method, and schedule full-time mock papers. The students who smash June are the ones who already train like it’s October. This habit alone will make the actual finals feel familiar instead of terrifying.
2. Master core concepts in every subject before doing past papers
June papers expose who actually understands the work versus who crammed. For Maths and Physical Sciences, solve every single example in the textbook until you can explain it out loud without notes. For Languages and History, build your own 1-page mind maps of key themes, quotes, and sources. If you don’t fix your foundational gaps now, every single paper will punish you. In the coming months, aim to close all remaining gaps.
3. Turn weak subjects into performance drivers
Be brutally honest and identify the two subjects that are currently dragging down your average. From this moment until the June exams, give those subjects serious, non-negotiable daily priority. Book extra lessons with a teacher or tutor, make full use of reliable free online resources, or form a small, focused study group with only two or three equally committed students.
Turning even one weak subject around can dramatically lift one’s overall percentage, and significantly improve the chances of securing access to your preferred course or bursary. While it is important to polish your strengths, attacking weaknesses head-on, with urgency and discipline, can be a game-changer.
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