Life Sciences Grade 11 Exam Guidlines 2024
Life Sciences Grade 11 Exam Guidlines 2024
Life Sciences Grade 11 Exam Guidlines 2024
EXAMINATION GUIDELINES
GRADE 11 (RATP)
2024
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 11 (CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION 2024
1. 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 11 from 2024.
The purpose of these examination guidelines is to:
• Provide depth and scope of the life sciences content to be assessed in grade 11 examination
paper/s.
• Assist teachers to adequately prepare learners for the examination.
There are three broad subject-specific aims in Life Sciences which relate to the purposes of learning science
as shown below:
Specific Aim Elaboration
Specific Aim 1 Relates to the knowing of the subject content
Specific Aim 2 Relates to doing science or practical work and investigations
Specific Aim 3 Relates to understanding the applications of Life Sciences in everyday life, as well
as understanding the history of scientific discoveries and the relationship between
indigenous knowledge and science
These specific aims are described in greater detail in the CAPS Policy document (Pages 13-18).
It is important that these specific aims are addressed in both teaching and assessing
The following weightings apply for assessment tasks set for Grade 11.
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 11 (CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION 2024
The following sequence of topics is recommended for Grade 11 based on the progressive development of
concepts through the different topics:
The paper that assesses each topic and the weighting of each topic in the relevant paper is addressed in the
CAPS Policy document (Page 72).
• Some changes have been made to the Program of Assessment for Grade 11 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 11 (CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION 2024
PAPER 1 TOPICS
Excretion in humans 32 21
PAPER 2 TOPICS
T3&4:Population ecology 37 25
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.
10. Please note: Scientific investigations appear at the end of each topic. Educators must refer to the suggested
investigations as they conduct their learning and teaching per sub topic.
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 11 (CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION 2024
❑ Scientific Skills
● Review the Scientific method
o Aim
o Planning steps
o Identification of variables
o Ensuring validity and reliability
o Analysis and interpretation of data
o Drawing conclusions
● Calculations
o Average
o Percentage
o Percentage increase and percentage decrease
● Graphs
o Line graph
o Bar graph
o Histogram
o Pie Chart
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 11 (CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION 2024
CONTENT ELABORATION
Introduction ❑ Revise the structure of cell with emphasis on the nucleus
❑ Immunity
• Definition of immunity
• Types of immunity
o Natural immunity
o Acquired immunity
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 11 (CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION 2024
❑ Biotechnology
• Definition of vaccinations
• Importance of vaccinations (briefly)
• Use of drugs - antibiotics and their effect on micro-organisms
• Use of microorganisms to produce medicines - insulin and antibiotics
❑ Traditional technology
• Production of:
o beer
o wine
o cheese
❑ Investigations
• Growing cultures on agar plates
OR
• Bread mould on bread
CONTENT ELABORATION
Introduction ❑ Review the geological timescale
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 11 (CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION 2024
• Types of pollination
o Self-pollination
o Cross pollination
CONTENT ELABORATION
Introduction ❑ Definition of the Phylum.
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 11 (CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION 2024
❑ Use the evolutionary tree to outline the history and relationship of the six
animal phyla in respect of the key features
Paper 1: 32 marks
CONTENT ELABORATION
Introduction ❑ Review autotrophs and heterotrophs
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 11 (CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION 2024
❑ Greenhouse Systems
• Definition of the greenhouse
• Improve crop yields in greenhouse system:
o Carbon dioxide enrichment
o Optimum light
o Optimum temperature
❑ Investigation
• Light is essential for photosynthesis
CONTENT ELABORATION
Introduction ❑ Review the biological importance of photosynthesis
• Glycolysis
o Occurs in the cytosol pyruvic acid
o Glucose is broken down
o to form pyruvic acid
o releasing energized hydrogen and ATP
• Krebs Cycle
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 11 (CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION 2024
• Oxidative Phosphorylation
❑ Investigations
• Oxygen is used by living organisms during aerobic respiration
• Carbon dioxide is released by living organisms
CONTENT ELABORATION
Introduction ❑ Review of the biological importance of organic and inorganic compounds
Nutrition in Animals ❑ Definition of dentition
• Differences in dentition in terms of nutritional requirements of the following:
o Herbivores
o Carnivores
o Omnivores
Human Nutrition ❑ Structure and functions of the alimentary canal and associated organs
• Parts of the alimentary canal:
o Mouth (tongue and teeth)
o Pharynx
o Oesophagus
o Stomach
o Small intestines and large intestine
o Rectum and
o Anus
• Associated organs:
o Salivary glands
o Liver
o Gall bladder and
o Pancreas
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 11 (CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION 2024
❑ Process of digestion
• Definitions:
o Ingestion
o Digestion (mechanical/physical and chemical digestion)
o Absorption
o Assimilation
o Egestion
• Mechanical digestion
o Role of different type of teeth and tongue
o Chewing process/ mastication
o Bolus formation- role of saliva and swallowing of food
o Peristalsis – definition and its significance along the alimentary canal
• Chemical digestion
o Role of the following groups of enzymes - site of production, substrate,
pH and end products (specific names of enzymes need not be
mentioned)
➢ Carbohydrates
➢ Proteases
➢ Lipases
❑ Process of absorption
• Description of absorption
• Structural adaptations in facilitating absorption:
o Small intestines
o Villi
❑ Importance of hepatic portal system in transport of absorbed food
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 11 (CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION 2024
CONTENT ELABORATION
Introduction ❑ Distinguish between the following processes:
• Cellular respiration
• Breathing
• Gas exchange
Human Gaseous
Exchange ❑ The structure of the human ventilation system
• Trachea,epiglottis,bronchi,bronchioles,lungs,ribs,intercostal
muscles,diaphragm and alveoli
• Functions and structural adaptations of each part of the ventilation system
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 11 (CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION 2024
CONTENT ELABORATION
Introduction ❑ Differentiate between excretion and secretion
Urinary system ❑ Structure of the urinary system (kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra)
❑ Structure and functions of the kidney
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 11 (CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION 2024
• Specialisation
o competitive exclusion
o resource partitioning
• Mutualism
• Commensalism
• Parasitism
❑ Human population
• Age and gender distribution for different countries
• South Africa’s population growth over the next twenty years and possible
consequences for the environment
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 11 (CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION 2024
❑ Water availability
• Influence of the following factors on the availability of water:
o Construction of dams
o Destruction of wetlands
o Exotic plantations and depletion of the water table
o Water wastage
o Cost of water
o Poor farming practices
o Droughts and floods
o Boreholes and its effects on aquifers
❑ Water quality
• Factors that reduce water quality:
o Eutrophication and algal bloom
o Domestic, industrial and agricultural use – leading to pollution and
disease
o Mining
o Alien plants, e.g. Eichhornia
o Thermal pollution
❑ Need for water purification and recycling
❑ Food security
• Definition of food security
• Factors that influence food security:
o Human exponential population growth
o Droughts and floods (climate change)
o Alien plants and the reduction of agricultural land
o The loss of wild varieties: impact on gene pools
o Wastage
o Genetically engineered foods
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 11 (CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION 2024
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LIFE SCIENCES – GRADE 11 (CAPS) EXAMINATION GUIDELINE DOCUMENT IMPLEMENTATION 2024
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