Mathematics Topics
Grade 10 – 12
Every Mathematics topic from Grade 10 to Grade 12: what it covers, what you must be able to do, and the formulas that go with it.
About the Mathematics Curriculum
Mathematics in South Africa is examined in two papers in every formal examination. Paper 1 covers algebra, number patterns and sequences, functions, finance and probability, and adds differential calculus in Grade 12. Paper 2 covers statistics, analytical geometry, trigonometry, Euclidean geometry and measurement. The split is clean, which makes it worth knowing which paper a topic belongs to while you revise. It is on every card below.
The curriculum follows the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), which sets out exactly what learners must know and be able to do in each grade. The Annual Teaching Plan (ATP) sequences these topics across the four school terms.
Paper 1: Algebra and Functions
Algebra, number patterns and sequences, functions and graphs, finance, probability, and — in Grade 12 — differential calculus.
Paper 2: Geometry and Data
Statistics, analytical geometry, trigonometry, Euclidean geometry and measurement.
Non-Negotiables
Paper 1 asks for work "without using a calculator" and marks the method. In Euclidean geometry a statement without an accepted reason does not earn the mark.
Cognitive Levels
Questions range from knowledge (level 1) through routine and complex procedures (levels 2–3) to problem solving (level 4). Roughly a fifth of every paper is level 4.