But at Wynberg Boys High School bright post-matric pupils from various schools have elected to spend an extra year doing Cambridge University A-levels, and appear to be loving it.

Lisa Womersly, 18, who got six As in matric at Herschel School last year, says: "I could have gone into any course at university but at the end of matric I was really clueless. I wanted a gap year to figure out my career."

She decided to pursue her interests in English Literature, maths and fine arts through A-levels.

She finds A-level subjects are studied at a much more intense level than in matric, with a fascinating approach that has "really opened my mind".

" In matric they spoonfeed you. It’s so different with A-levels, it’s so refreshing. Nobody is breathing down your neck. You just get on with it and research your subjects in depth."

Lisa says for financial reasons studying overseas is not really an option for her, but concedes A-levels would enable her to apply for overseas scholarships.

A requirement for entry into British and other international universities, A-levels are seen by some South African parents as an insurance policy for children who wish to study abroad or emigrate.

However, teachers at the handful of public and private Cape Town schools offering A-levels maintain most pupils take the post-matric qualification because they want to study subjects in greater depth. Some pupils believe it will give them the clout to qualify for highly sought-after courses like medicine, at local universities.

Passing A-levels is not required as an entry qualification by a single South African technikon or university.

Yet proponents of A-levels claim they are an international benchmark of academic excellence and give pupils the skills to succeed at tertiary level and in the working world. This is in contrast to matric which relies heavily on rote learning and regurgitation of facts.

British passport holder William Lindsay, 18, is one of the few post-matric pupils at Wynberg doing A-levels to study abroad. He needs the qualification to join the Royal Air Force in Britain.

"I went to the university of Cape Town with friends of mine to have a look and got pretty put off. There were masses of people in lectures. I enjoy the smaller classroom situation in A-levels where you get more personal attention than at university."

The after-hours A-levels at Wynberg can be taken by Grade 11 and 12 pupils after their normal school day. Some students are doing the course post-martic.

Bianca Fermi, 17, a Grade 11 pupil at Springfield Convent is doing two A-levels at Wynberg simultaneously with her martic subjects this year.

"I wanted something to help me get into university and to give me more perspective on what I want to do." An Italian passport holder, she says: "At the end of next year I will be able to choose whether I want to go to university here or overseas." She finds A-levels "a lot of extra work, but it is so enjoyable. It expands your knowledge of things and opens you to a new world."

Lynne Martin, A-level administrator for Wynberg Boys and Girls High Schools, concedes: "A-levels are considered to be this white elitist thing and we’ve got to get past that. Next year we need to get some serious scholarships for A-level pupils from outside this community. If we want South Africa to do well, the bright kids have to be encouraged to get A-levels. I think there is a feeling that people who do A-levels will leave the country. I’m not in favour of that. I’m incredibly pro-South Africa and I think we are the most amazing country in the world."

Martin says if people want to immigrate they will leave anyway. Of the 24 pupils doing A-levels at Wynberg, "about six are toying with the idea of leaving the country."

"But most parents are quite realistic and say ‘Even if we could send our children to British universities the cost is prohibitive."

Martin says most Wynberg pupils are doing A-levels as "a rearguard action to make sure they can get into UCT" or for enrichment. Higher grade matric pupils can crack the system if they have a really good memory."

In contrast, A-levels gave pupils the ability to apply knowledge, think on their feet, and it equipped them for careers.

Will Stout, headmaster of the International School of Cape Town, which will offer A-levels from 2000, says A-levels were originally designed for "the top 10% in the ability range of pupils in Britain."

She contends A-levels are far more intellectual, academic and rigorous than matriic and give the pupils an intensity of experience they would not otherwise get. "it steeps intelligent children in thinking."