The complete guide to ICASS for NC(V) students
Everything you need to understand Internal Continuous Assessment how it is built, the marks you need, your Portfolio of Evidence, and how to protect your place in the final exam.
If you are studying towards a National Certificate (Vocational), or NC(V), at a TVET college in South Africa, your final result is not decided by one exam at the end of the year. A large part of it is built up over the whole year through a process called Internal Continuous Assessment, usually shortened to ICASS. Understanding how ICASS works is one of the most important things you can do as a student, because it directly controls whether you are even allowed to write the final national exam.
What ICASS actually is
ICASS is the collection of marked tasks you complete during the academic year in each subject. These tasks include written tests, assignments, projects and practical work, and they finish with an internal "trial" examination. Instead of judging you on a single day, ICASS measures your progress steadily, in the normal teaching and learning environment. Your lecturer uses it to see where you are struggling and where you are doing well, so that help can be given before the final exam.
Only the official tasks listed in your subject assessment plan count towards your ICASS mark. Class quizzes, short observations and informal classroom activities are useful for learning, but they do not add to your ICASS score.
Why ICASS is compulsory
ICASS is one of the compulsory components of your result. For fundamental subjects your languages, Life Skills and Mathematics your result is made up of ICASS plus the external examination. For vocational subjects, there is a third compulsory piece called the ISAT (Integrated Summative Assessment Task), so the result is built from ICASS, the ISAT and the examination.
The key point is this: if any one of these compulsory parts is missing, you receive an incomplete result for that subject. You cannot skip ICASS and hope to make it up in the exam.
The marks you need: sub-minimums
To qualify, you must reach a minimum ICASS mark known as a sub-minimum. You also have to reach the same minimum in the external exam, and both components must be completed in the same academic year. The required percentages are:
| Subject type | Minimum required |
|---|---|
| All vocational subjects | 50% |
| Life Skills, Computer Literacy & First Additional Languages | 40% |
| Mathematics & Mathematical Literacy | 30% |
If your ICASS mark falls below the sub-minimum for a subject, you can be blocked from writing the final national exam in that subject. That is why keeping track of your ICASS percentage throughout the year matters so much and why a quick calculator check before results are finalised can save you from a nasty surprise.
How many tasks you complete
The number of tasks is set by the DHET and spread across the year so that the workload is manageable:
- Fundamental subjects (First Additional Language, Life Skills and Computer Literacy, Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy): 7 formal tasks across the year. These subjects have more tasks because they do not include an ISAT.
- Vocational subjects: 5 formal tasks, and importantly two of those five are practical. The two practical tasks together make up half of the vocational ICASS mark, which is a quarter of your final subject mark.
The Portfolio of Evidence (PoE)
Every task you complete must be kept in a folder called a Portfolio of Evidence. This is checked and moderated by your college and by the DHET, so it has to be complete and well organised. A student PoE must contain:
- A table of contents
- Your full name and ID number
- A signed and dated declaration of authenticity (your promise that the work is your own)
- Your subject assessment schedule
- All your marked ICASS task responses (scripts, sheets, printouts, rubrics)
- A record of your scores and a consolidated record of performance
A missing PoE, or one with gaps, can put your marks in doubt during moderation. Treat it as one of the most important documents of your year.
No carry-over between years
Your ICASS mark is only valid up to the first supplementary examination immediately after the November exams. If you fail a subject and have to repeat it, you cannot transfer the previous year's ICASS marks you must redo all the ICASS tasks for that subject. This is different from the ISAT, which can stay valid for up to three years.
If you miss a task
Life happens. If you miss an assessment because of illness or a death in the immediate family, you may be given a chance to complete it later. To request this you must provide a valid medical certificate or other proof, and the decision is made at the discretion of your college's academic head. Important: a re-assessment is not given simply to let you improve a poor mark. So if you are absent for a genuine reason, contact your lecturer the same day and bring your proof immediately.
Checking your progress with ICASSLab
ICASSLab gives you simple calculators for the general structure as well as for Maths, Life Skills and Languages. Enter your task marks out of 100, and the calculator weights everything for you and shows whether you have reached your subject's sub-minimum. It is a quick way to see where you stand before official results are released. Remember that ICASSLab is an independent helper tool your college system is always the authoritative source, so confirm anything that looks different with your lecturer.
Source: Department of Higher Education and Training 2026 NC(V) ICASS Guidelines. Always confirm the exact requirements for your subject with your lecturer.