Washback effect on language teaching and learning is a key component that needs to be continually researched in the field of education for the purpose of achieving the noble goals of assessment practices in the language classroom, in this case the English language. Washback refers to the influence that assessments have on teaching and learning, which could either be positive or negative. This study explored the washback effects of visual literacy component in five English Home Language National Senior Certificate (NSC) Paper 1 examinations from 2018 to 2022, and adopted a qualitative approach to gather data. The NSC is the main school-leaving examination administered to learners in their final year in secondary school (Grade 12) in South Africa. Barret’s Taxonomy of Reading Comprehension framework was used to analyse the questions in the visual literacy section to determine whether they allowed National Senior Certificate candidates to expand their thinking beyond literal comprehension. The findings in the 2021 and 2022 examination papers illustrated that questions that assessed high-order thinking skills were not enough to suit the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements’ (CAPS) prerequisite assessment standards. Consequently, the study posits that questions asked in the visual literacy component impede high-order thinking. In addition, the study proposes that the curriculum development personnel review the current assessment policies and employ policies that promote critical thinking in summative assessments.

Keywords: Washback, visual literacy, English Home Language, assessment.