Grade 9 is the last year of the Senior Phase, and it ends with one of the biggest choices of high school: Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy for Grades 10 to 12. Your Grade 9 results and your confidence with algebra play a big part in that decision, so this year is worth taking seriously.
The good news is that Grade 9 maths rewards steady work. The topics build on Grade 8, and the exam questions are predictable if you've practised each topic.
The topics that carry the most weight
Most schools write two papers in November. Paper 1 covers numbers, exponents, algebra, equations, patterns, graphs and financial maths. Paper 2 covers geometry, transformations, measurement, the Theorem of Pythagoras, data handling and probability. Algebra appears everywhere, so make it your priority.
- Expanding and factorising: products of binomials, common factors, difference of two squares and trinomials
- Solving equations, including equations with fractions and word problems
- Linear graphs: gradient, intercepts and y = mx + c
- Geometry with reasons: parallel lines, triangles, congruence and similarity
- Simple and compound interest and hire purchase
How to prepare for the November exam
Start six weeks before the exam. Spend the first four weeks revising one or two topics at a time: read the topic guide, redo your class examples without looking, and then try new questions. In the last two weeks, write full practice papers under timed conditions, mark them honestly with the worked answers, and redo every question you got wrong a few days later.
For geometry, practise writing a reason next to every statement. In Grade 9 tests, and every year after, most geometry marks are for the reasons.
Mathematics or Maths Literacy?
Mathematics is needed for many university courses, including engineering, medicine, actuarial science, computer science, accounting and most science degrees. Maths Literacy focuses on using maths in everyday contexts such as budgets, maps and measurements, and keeps many other study paths open, but not those that require Mathematics.
If you're coping with Grade 9 algebra with regular practice, Mathematics is usually the better choice because it keeps more doors open. If you're unsure, talk to your maths teacher and look up the subject requirements for the courses you might want to study.
Get unstuck quickly
Set your grade to Grade 9 in Snap&Learn and snap any question you can't do. You'll get a step-by-step explanation in plain language that uses only Grade 9 methods, so it matches what your teacher expects.