OPSA

Term 3 Foundation Phase Resources

This page contains your OPSA Term 3 Foundation Phase assessment support documents for Grades 1–3. These resources are CAPS-aligned and are designed to help parents and tutor centres understand the assessment programme and prepare learners in a calm, structured way.

OPSA principle: We assess to learn; we do not learn to assess.

What you will find on this page

Term 3 Series A Assessment Programme (per grade): an overview of the assessment tasks, subtasks, mark allocation and assessment format for each subject. The programme indicates which activities are written question papers and which are practical assessments such as oral work, reading, writing, Creative Arts and Physical Education.
Term 3 CAPS Scope of Work / Revision Guide (per grade): a CAPS-based guide showing the Term 3 knowledge and skills that learners should revise for Home Language, First Additional Language, Mathematics and Life Skills.

About the Term 3 Series A Assessment

OPSA does not conduct formal assessment throughout the term. Series A is therefore a structured end-of-Term 3 summative assessment that provides a representative assessment of the knowledge and skills covered during Term 3.

Foundation Phase learners are assessed in:

Home Language – 100 marks
First Additional Language – 100 marks
Mathematics – 100 marks
Life Skills – 100 marks

The complete Term 3 Series A assessment therefore totals 400 marks per learner.

How to use these resources

Download the Term 3 Series A Assessment Programme for your learner's grade and read it first. It explains the assessment structure, subtasks, mark allocation and whether each activity is a written or practical assessment.
Download the Term 3 CAPS Scope of Work / Revision Guide and use it to identify the knowledge and skills that should be revised before the assessment period.
Use the learner's OPSA Term 3 activities as the main revision resource. Revise the work already completed during the term rather than trying to teach large amounts of new work immediately before assessment.
Practise practical skills as well as written work. Foundation Phase assessment includes oral activities, reading, handwriting, writing, Creative Arts and Physical Education in addition to written question papers.
Complete the Series A assessments during the assessment window and upload the required activities to the OPSA LMS where indicated. These assessments are marked and form the basis of the learner's Term 3 report.

Practical tips for parents and tutors

Work in short, consistent revision sessions rather than long study sessions.
Encourage your learner to read aloud every day and ask simple questions about what was read.
Practise speaking, reading, handwriting and writing as practical skills and not only as written exercises.
For Mathematics, revise using practical examples, mental work, written calculations and problem-solving.
Use the Life Skills themes to encourage discussion, practical activities, movement and creative work.
If your learner struggles with a section, return to the basic skill first and then work back towards the Grade-level activity.
Do not try to memorise comprehension passages or assessment questions. Learners should be able to apply the skills they have learned to new texts and examples.

Remember

The purpose of the assessment is to determine what your learner has mastered during Term 3 and where additional support may still be required. Prepare carefully, but keep the process calm and age-appropriate.

We assess to learn; we do not learn to assess.

Need help?

If you need support, please log a ticket via the OPSA Support system so your query can be routed to the correct team member and tracked to completion: https://opsa-education.com/support