Grade 11 is the year that matters most before Matric. Many universities make early or provisional offers based on Grade 11 final results, and Grade 12 maths builds directly on what you learn this year: the quadratic formula, functions with horizontal shifts, circle geometry and the sine and cosine rules.
How Grade 11 maths is examined
The November exam has two papers of 150 marks each, and each paper is 3 hours long, the same format as Matric. According to the CAPS examination guidelines, the marks are spread roughly like this:
- Paper 1: algebra, equations and inequalities (about 45), number patterns (25), functions and graphs (45), finance, growth and decay (15) and probability (20)
- Paper 2: statistics (about 20), analytical geometry (30), trigonometry (50), and Euclidean geometry and measurement (50)
The topics to prioritise
- Quadratic equations and inequalities, including the quadratic formula and the nature of roots
- Functions: the parabola in turning-point form, the hyperbola and the exponential graph with horizontal shifts
- Trigonometry: reduction formulae, identities, general solutions and the sine, cosine and area rules
- Circle geometry: the theorems with their exact reasons, and the proofs you need to know
A six-week preparation plan
Weeks 1–2: algebra and functions. Do ten quadratic and inequality questions a day, and sketch one graph a day from its equation. Weeks 3–4: trigonometry and circle geometry. Learn the identities and reduction formulae by heart, and write out the circle theorems with their reasons until you can do it from memory. Week 5: patterns, finance, probability and statistics. Week 6: two full papers under exam conditions, then targeted revision of your weakest topics.
Mark every practice paper with the memo, and keep a list of the questions you got wrong. Redo that list two or three days later; those are the marks you're most likely to win back.
Use official and practice papers
Official November common papers set by the Department of Basic Education are still useful because the CAPS Grade 11 syllabus hasn't changed. Snap&Learn's Grade 11 papers page links them, plus practice papers with a worked answer to every question.
When you get stuck
Set your grade to Grade 11 in Snap&Learn and snap the question: you'll get a step-by-step solution with Grade 11 methods and the marks a memo would award for each step.