Edited 2024 LFSC GR 10 Exam Guidelines Final Jan 2024 - 240114 - 124022
Edited 2024 LFSC GR 10 Exam Guidelines Final Jan 2024 - 240114 - 124022
Edited 2024 LFSC GR 10 Exam Guidelines Final Jan 2024 - 240114 - 124022
EXAMINATION GUIDELINES
GRADE 10 (RATP)
2024
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 10(CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT Implementation 2024
● Introduction
This Examination Guideline for implementation in January 2024 is designed to provide clarity
on the content to be taught, learned, and assessed in Grade 10 from 2024.
The purpose of these Examination Guidelines is to;
● Provide clarity on the depth and scope of the content to be assessed in the Grade 10
Examination in Life Sciences.
● Assist teachers to adequately prepare learners for the Examinations.
There are three broad subject-specific aims in Life Sciences which relate to the purposes of
learning science as shown below:
These specific aims are described in greater detail in the CAPS Policy document (Pages 13-
18) and Orientation Manual. It is important that these specific aims are addressed in both
teaching and assessing.
The following weightings apply for assessment tasks set for Grade 10.
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 10(CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT Implementation 2024
The framework for thinking about question/item difficulty comprises the following four general
categories of difficulty:
• Content (Topic/concept) difficulty
• Stimulus (question and sources material) difficulty
• Task (process) difficulty and
• Expected response
Refer to the Grade 10 Abridged CAPS Amendments: Section 4 for the framework for thinking about
question difficulty.
The following sequence of topics is recommended for Grade 10 based on the progressive
development of concepts through the different topics:
1. Chemistry of Life
2. Cells: Basic Units of Life
3. Cell Division: Mitosis
4. Plant Tissues
5. Plant Organs (Leaf)
6. Support and Transport Systems: Plants
7. Animal Tissues
8. Support Systems: Animals
9. Transport Systems in mammals
10. History of Life on Earth
11. Biosphere and Ecosystems
12. Biodiversity and Classification
The paper that assesses each topic and the weighting of each topic in the relevant paper is
addressed in the CAPS Policy document (Page 71).
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 10(CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT Implementation 2024
● Some changes have been made to the Program of Assessment for Grade 10 from
that which is specified on Page 68 of the CAPS Policy document. Please refer to the
FET CAPS Amendments 2019: Abridged Section 4: grade 10-11(pages 113-120)
The examination will consist of 2 examination papers of 2 ½ hours and 150 marks each.
Each paper will have the following format:
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 10(CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT Implementation 2024
A topic-wise elaboration follows. It merely outlines the basic content that needs to be
covered, but this content can be assessed at all 4 cognitive levels.
❑ Scientific Skills
● Graphs
o Line graph
o Bar graph
o Histogram
o Pie Chart
● Calculations
o Average
o Percentage
o Percentage increase/ decrease
❑ Scientific method
o Planning steps
o Identification of variables
o Ensuring validity and reliability
❑ Microscopic skills
● Brief overview of the history of microscopy
● Scientific diagrams Calculations
o Actual size
o Magnification
CONTENT ELABORATION
Introduction ❑ Define the following:
● atoms
● elements
● molecules
● compounds
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 10(CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT Implementation 2024
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 10(CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT Implementation 2024
CONTENT ELABORATION
Introduction ❑ Review levels of organization:
● Cells
● tissues
● organs
● systems
Microscope ❑ Briefly describe the history of the development of the microscope and the
discovery of cells
❑ Identify the different parts of the light microscope and state their functions
❑ Calculate the magnification of drawings (by measuring the field of view under a
microscope)
❑ Describe the location, structure, and state the function of each of the following
organelles/structures in plant and animal cells:
● cell wall - support structure in plant cells only
● cell membrane - fluid-mosaic model, boundaries, and transport, movement
across the membrane: diffusion, osmosis and active transport
● nucleus - chromatin material, nuclear material, nucleopores, nucleolus: the
control centre, heredity
● cytoplasm - storage and circulation of materials
● mitochondria - release energy during cell respiration
● ribosomes - protein synthesis
● endoplasmic reticulum - rough and smooth, transport systems
● Golgi body - secretions
● Plastids - production and storage of food and pigments
● vacuole, lysosomes, vesicles - storage, digestion and osmoregulation
❑ State that different cells are specialized for different functions based on theirsize,
shape and structure
Diffusion and ❑ Define the terms:
osmosis ● diffusion
● osmosis
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 10(CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT Implementation 2024
CONTENT ELABORATION
Introduction ● Revise the structure of the nucleus
The process of ❑ Define mitosis
Mitosis
❑ Describe the cell cycle as including interphase, mitosis, cytokinesis and growth
❑ Briefly describe the causes of and treatment of cancer e.g radiotherapy and
chemotherapy (no details required)
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 10(CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT Implementation 2024
CONTENT ELABORATION
Introduction ❑ Definition of a tissue
Plant tissues ❑ Structure and functions of plant tissues - Use diagrams to show the
relationship between structure and function
● Meristematic tissues
● Permanent tissues
o Epidermis: root hair and guard cells
o Parenchyma
o Collenchyma
o Sclerenchyma
o Xylem
❑ Phloem
CONTENT ELABORATION
Introduction ❑ Definition of an organ
❑ Location of the different plant organs i.e. roots, stems and leaves
Temperature
Light intensity
Wind
Humidity
Animal tissues ❑ The location, structure, and functions – use diagrams to show the relationship
between structure and functions:
Epithelial tissue
o Squamous
o Columnar
o Ciliated
o Cuboidal (glandular)
Muscle tissue
o Skeletal
o Smooth
o Cardiac
Nerve tissue
o Sensory neurons
o Motor neurons
o Interneurons
Connective tissue
o Areolar
o White fibrous (tendons)
o Yellow fibrous (ligaments)
o Cartilage
o Bone
o Blood (white blood corpuscles, red blood corpuscles and platelets)
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 10(CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT Implementation 2024
CONTENT ELABORATION
Introduction ❑ Types of skeletons
Hydrostatic skeleton
Exoskeleton
Endoskeleton
Human Skeleton ❑ The two main parts of the skeleton
Axial Skeleton
o The skull:
Facial bones
Cranium
Foramen magnum
Palate
Jaws
Appendicular Skeleton
o The pectoral girdle and upper limbs
o The pelvic girdle and lower limbs
❑ The cardiac cycle of the heart (flow of blood through the heart)
Atrial systole
Ventricular systole
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 10(CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT Implementation 2024
General diastole
CONTENT ELABORATION
Introduction ❑ Definition of evolution and biological evolution
Changes throughout the ❑ Composition of the atmosphere - increases in the levels of oxygen
history of life on earth
❑ Climate change - ice ages
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 10(CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT Implementation 2024
CONTENT ELABORATION
Introduction ❑ Definition of ecology
Biosphere and ❑ Biosphere
ecosystem Definition of biosphere
Components of biosphere
Hydrosphere
Lithosphere
❑ Atmosphere
❑ Biomes
Types of biomes in Southern Africa - terrestrial and aquatic
Influence of the following factors on organisms in the biomes above:
o Climate
o Soils
o Vegetation
Location of different biomes in South Africa
o Savanna
o Nama karoo
o Succulent karoo
o Grassland
o Fynbos
o Forest
o Thicket
o Freshwater
❑ Marine biomes
❑ Environment
Human activities in the natural environment
❑ Human interactions with the natural environment
❑ Ecosystems
Definition of ecosystem
Structure and functioning of ecosystem
Definition of biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem
o Abiotic factors
Physiographic factors: (aspect, slope, and altitude)
Soil (pH, humus content, texture, water retaining capacity and
aircontent)
Light (day length and seasonal changes)
Temperature (effect of day/night and seasons)
Water (water cycle and importance of wetlands)
Atmospheric gases
Wind
o Biotic factors
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
❑ Effects of biotic and abiotic factors on the community
❑ Energy flow through ecosystems
Definition of a food chain and food web
Food pyramids with examples of organisms at each trophic level
o Producers
o Consumers (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores) and
o Decomposers
Flow of energy through a food chain and food web
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 10(CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT Implementation 2024
CONTENT ELABORATION
Biodiversity and ❑ Definition of biodiversity
Classification Definition of classification- using practical examples from everyday life
Need for classification as a way of organising biodiversity
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