External assessment at Grade 9 in South Africa continues to be viewed by high-performing independent schools as an imposition on their teaching programmes and unnecessary in that it adds nothing to their current internal assessment programmes. It is difficult to argue against their position.

The IEB is exploring an alternate external assessment model whereby the focus is not on subject-based assessment but rather on a Core Skills Test and International Benchmarking Tests in English and Mathematics. The motivation for such a model will be discussed together with the results from a pilot project run in 2008.

The paper will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the model. These include providing high performing schools with an international comparison of their standards at the Grade 9 level in 2 key learning areas. It also provides an insight into learner performance in questions that assess skills that may have been developed within a subject area but the questions are asked in a context that in not curriculum-based.

This path also poses some political questions. The route the IEB is following in pursuit of implementation of this model will be discussed.