Term 4 2026: When South African learners return to school and key matric exam dates

Public school pupils across South Africa will return to classrooms for the fourth term of the 2026 academic year on Tuesday, 6 October, according to the Department of Basic Education’s official 2026 school calendar. Term 4 is scheduled to run for 10 weeks and the school year will close on Wednesday, 9 December.

Holiday and term timing

The third school term ended on Wednesday, 23 September, followed by the September school holiday from Thursday, 24 September to Monday, 5 October. Learners return to school on Tuesday, 6 October to begin the final term. The DBE calendar notes that Term 4 contains 47 calendar days, all of which are counted as school days because there are no public holidays during the term.

Public holidays after the school year

The next public holiday after schools close for the year is the Day of Reconciliation on 16 December, followed by Christmas Day on 25 December and the Day of Goodwill on 26 December.

Matric NSC final examinations: key October and November dates

South Africa’s matric class of 2026 will begin writing their National Senior Certificate final examinations on Tuesday, 13 October, as set out in the official NSC timetable.

First week of exams (13–16 October)

• Tuesday, 13 October Computer Applications Technology (CAT) Paper 1 practical examinations (three hours) and several language papers including Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Hebrew and German.
• Wednesday, 14 October Information Technology Paper 1 practical examinations (three hours) alongside additional language papers.
• Thursday, 15 October English Paper 3: three hours for English Home Language; two and a half hours for English First Additional Language and English Second Additional Language.
• Friday, 16 October Economics Paper 1, Mechanical Technology and Design Paper 1.

Final full week of the timetable (23–26 November)

• Monday, 23 November Agricultural Technology and Music Paper 1 Theory.
• Tuesday, 24 November Agricultural Management Practices, Marine Sciences Paper 2 and Dance Studies.
• Wednesday, 25 November Music Paper 2 Comprehension.
• Thursday, 26 November CAT Paper 1 Rewrite Practical and IT Paper 1 Rewrite Practical, each allocated three hours.

What this means for learners and schools

The DBE calendar fixes the start and end of Term 4 and sets the official dates for the NSC examinations. Learners and schools will follow the timetable set by the Department for both classroom instruction and examination sessions.