The syllabi of all three levels (Secondary Education Certificate, Intermediate Matriculation and Advanced Matriculation) are available here. The year indicated on the syllabus is the year when the final examination will be held.
The timetable is available on the MATSEC website. The timetable is published in October, several months before the examination session, to facilitate the candidate’s planning. Once published, the timetable is final and does not change.
Past examination papers can be downloaded from the MATSEC homepage.
No, MATSEC does not supply model answers.
The MATSEC Examinations Board’s examinations are recognised through the European Qualification Framework and therefore are internationally recognisable.
The MATSEC is located next to University’s old gate. You may also use Google Maps for location purposes.
All information regarding our application for MATSEC Examinations can be found here.
Submit separate registrations for each set of subjects. In one registration form, select the school where you are currently studying your school subjects and the subjects you wish to register for. In a separate registration, select Private Candidate and the subjects which you studied privately. MATSEC will request a mark for any school based assessments from the school.
You may add subjects to your registration by submitting a new registration form. Only the new subjects need to be marked on this form.
Cancellations for MATSEC examinations may be accepted in the normal registration period only and on MATSEC's approval. Please contact MATSEC on registrations.matsec@um.edu.mt if the subject you want to add clashes with your previous registration or if you want to remove a subject. You need to send this email from your registered email address, stating your name, surname, ID Card No, and the changes you need to make.
The Index Number and detailed timetable (which also includes information about oral/aural components) are sent to the candidate by post approximately ten days before the start of examinations at the address provided by the candidate.
You must physically come to our offices with a filled in Amendment of Personal Details Form so that you can amend your details. A new timetable will then be issued. A fee will apply.
Apply normally for both examinations and contact MATSEC on registrations.matsec@um.edu.mt.
Clashes with foreign or other examination boards will not be considered.
MATSEC does its best to accommodate requests to sit for examinations overseas; however, cases of Maltese candidates residing abroad, undergoing medical treatment and other humanitarian cases are eligible. Candidates must make such requests on the form found here as early as possible. MATSEC will try to accommodate candidates, although no successful arrangement can be guaranteed. If you are representing Malta for a sporting event, you are guided to contact SportMalta about this as soon as possible.
School based assessment, coursework and projects done at and presented by the school are to be submitted to the school by the deadline given by the school administration. Private candidates are to present coursework/projects on the date stipulated on the timetable at the MATSEC. Gozitan candidates can present their coursework at the Exams Department, Victoria.
All work submitted in connection with the examination, including written work and coursework, is the property of the MATSEC Examinations Board. Coursework may be returned to the candidates at the Board’s discretion. In such cases, candidates will be informed how and when to collect their coursework.
As all SEC syllabi have been changed considerably in 2025, no past coursework can be accepted. For Advanced and Intermediate level examinations only, coursework over five years older than the year of examination or in subjects whose syllabus has changed cannot be carried forward, and only if the syllabus did not change. If you wish to carry forward a coursework mark, you must inform MATSEC in writing (matsec@um.edu.mt), quoting your name, ID Number, and the session (year and month) you sat for the subject for the first time.
You need to bring your personalised physical timetable (the one that was sent to you by post), your physical ID Card or Passport (as mentioned on your timetable). If you had applied for Examinations Access Arrangements (EAAs) you are to also bring the physical EAA Letter. Moreover, you should also bring with you all the necessary stationery, including pens, pencils, rulers and any other required equipment. You should bring these in a transparent container or loose on the table. You cannot borrow someone else's stationery during the exams. Mobile phones should be switched off at all times in the examination venue.
Candidates are eligible for 5 minute reading and noting time in all assessments (SEC, IM and AM) that are (i) written and (ii) of a duration exceeding 1 hour and 40 minutes whereby candidates are allowed an extra five minutes to read the paper and take notes before examination starts.
Questions must be answered in the language in which they are set. Most MATSEC examinations are set in English. Language examinations are generally assessed fully or in part in the particular language being assessed. Some MATSEC examinations enable candidates to answer in Maltese. In such cases, the syllabus and examination paper state clearly that candidates have this option. All the MATSEC syllabi are available on the MATSEC website.
Invigilation is managed by the Department of Examinations of the Ministry of Education. Please write to us via email (matsec@um.edu.mt) stating the complaint, the exam you were sitting for at the time, the date on which it took place, the venue and possibly the room number where the situation took place. MATSEC together with the Examinations Department will investigate the matter and take action where needed.
Cheating is a very serious matter. Candidates caught cheating, attempting to cheat or in any way caught taking or attempting to take advantage over other candidates, shall be subject to disciplinary procedures as laid down in the statutes, regulations and bye-laws of the examination. Such candidates may have the results of that or all of their examinations cancelled and may also be precluded from sitting for any other examinations offered by the MATSEC Examinations Board.
No, Paper I for private candidates is to be sat for in the Supplementary session.
The Supplementary Session applies only for SEC and is held in September for candidates who registered for the Main/First session of the current year and did not obtain Level 3 in the compulsory subjects (Mathematics, English Language, Maltese and one science subject (Biology, Chemistry or Physics). The subjects shall only be offered at Level 2-3 in the Supplementary Session.
The Supplementary Session offers English Language, Maltese, Mathematics, and one Science subject (Biology, Chemistry or Physics) provided that the candidate would not have already obtained Level 3 in these subjects. Candidates may sit for one science subject only if they did not obtain Level 3 in any of Chemistry, Biology and Physics. All examinations in this supplementary SEC session are offered at Level 2-3 only.
Marks obtained in an examination's oral and aural components during the Main/First session are retained during the following Supplementary Session. Candidates who are sick for the oral/aural session in May and who submit a medical certificate on the day of the exam may be eligible to sit for the oral/aural component in September.
During the same examination session, candidates may not sit for the same subject at both SEC and Matriculation levels.
To qualify for Level 3, school candidates must meet specific criteria in both the School-based Assessment [SBA] (Paper I) and the controlled assessment (Paper II). Achieving at least 10 out of 30 marks in the SBA (Level 1-2-3) will be sufficient to fulfil the requirements for the SBA. However, this score alone does not secure a Level 3 in the qualification, as the overall qualification also depends on performance in the controlled assessment.
Higher attainment in the SBA increases its contribution towards the possibility of achieving a Level 3. Candidates scoring below 10 in the SBA may still qualify for a Level 2, but this also depends on their performance in the controlled assessment.
MATSEC will not moderate SBA marks submitted by schools for SEC subjects.
MATSEC will moderate coursework marks submitted by schools for SEC vocational subjects and for AM/IM subjects (as applicable).
Any questions regarding the marking of SBA for particular subjects should be addressed to the assessing school.
For SEC examinations both the School Based Assessment mark and the grade obtained in the Paper II shall be shown on your certificate. If you are a private candidate, “PC” shall be written instead of this mark. Apart from these, the level obtained in the subject shall also be shown on the certificate.
Yes, you can, even if you did not register for these examinations in May. The Matriculation Second session is separate from the First session. However, the Second session is restricted in that candidates can only sit for one Advanced level examination, Systems of Knowledge, and one Intermediate level examination from each of the groups outlined in the regulations.
In order to sit for an Intermediate or Advanced level examination that has a coursework component/project during the Second Session, you need to submit the coursework/project as outlined in the Second/Supplementary session timetable.
For Matriculation Certificate levels you will be collect a certificate listing all your Advanced Level pass marks, another listing all your Intermediate Level pass marks, and a Matriculation Certificate if applicable.
The results are sent by post in mid-July (regarding the Main/First session) and towards the end of September (regarding the Second/Supplementary session). Candidates will only receive the results via SMS if they register for this option during the application stage. The Data Protection Act protects the use of mobile numbers and MATSEC cannot send results by SMS unless specifically authorised by the candidate.
An official certificate is sent to the candidate’s respective school (if a school candidate) or at MATSEC (if a private candidate) in February to be collected by the candidate.
When you ask for a Revision of Paper of a particular subject, MATSEC appoints a Reviser not part of the original marking panel to go through your examination script/s once again. The Reviser checks for clerical and/or assessment errors and writes a report. If any errors lead to an upgrade, this will be stated in the report which will be sent to you by post. The report is sent even if there is no change in grade. The Revision of Paper fee is reimbursed when there is a change in grade. Current regulations do not allow for a downgrade of the original result following a Revision of Paper.
You can apply for a Revision of Paper during the period as listed in our key dates found here: https://www.um.edu.mt/matsec/current-session/timetables. Furthermore, these dates are communicated to you by post upon receipt of the result slip. Revision of Paper reports are sent subject by subject and the MATSEC cannot guarantee that these will be received by the start of the following session.
No, you cannot. If you feel that the grade you have been awarded is not fair, you need to apply for a Revision of Paper which will provide you with a report justifying or changing your grade. When a candidate has sufficient reason to suspect that the marks given to them do not belong to them, it is at the discretion of the Director of MATSEC to make arrangements for the candidate to see their paper for the sole purpose of identifying it.
Yes, MATSEC offers examination access arrangements (EAA) to those deemed fit to receive them. MATSEC and the ADSU within the University of Malta deal with such matters. Candidates who require access arrangements are to apply for them when applying to sit for their examination/s. More information is found on the registrations page on our website.
If the examination is an oral exam, and according to the MATSEC timetable, another session for the same component at the same level is to be held on a future date, you are invited to inform the MATSEC about the matter. We will try to accommodate you on a future date only on the presentation of a medical certificate at the MATSEC on the day of the missed exam, University of Malta or, in the case of Gozitan candidates, the Exams Department, Victoria, Gozo. If the examination is a listening comprehension or a written paper, it will be missed.
You must apply to have the certificate re-issued and pay the respective fee. You will then be informed when to collect the certificate.
Queries related to MATSEC examinations that are not addressed in the FAQs above can be sent in writing via email (matsec@um.edu.mt) and these will be addressed as quickly as possible. In such emails, one should state his/her index or ID card number whenever possible. If you have already registered with us via our portal, kindly use the same email address so that we can identify you and help you better.
Queries related to the Examinations Department can be sent via email using the following address: https://exams.gov.mt, and issues related to the University of Malta entry requirements can be dealt with by referring to the course-specific bye-laws or by contacting the Admissions Office at the University of Malta.
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