Term 3 Senior Phase Resources

This page contains your OPSA Term 3 Senior Phase assessment support documents for Grades 7–9. 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 whether an assessment is a written question paper, oral or reading activity, project, practical investigation, Mini-PAT, performance task or other practical assessment.
  • Term 3 CAPS Scope of Work / Revision Guide (per grade): a CAPS-based guide showing the Term 3 knowledge and skills learners should revise for each subject before the assessment period.

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 designed to provide a representative assessment of the knowledge and skills covered during Term 3.

Senior Phase learners are assessed in:

  • Home Language – 100 marks
  • First Additional Language – 100 marks
  • Mathematics – 100 marks
  • Natural Sciences – 100 marks
  • Social Sciences – 100 marks
  • Technology – 100 marks
  • Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) – 100 marks
  • Creative Arts – 100 marks
  • Life Orientation – 100 marks

The complete Term 3 Series A assessment therefore represents 900 standardised marks per learner.

How to use these resources

  1. 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 the format of each assessment.
  2. Download the Term 3 CAPS Scope of Work / Revision Guide and use it to identify the specific Term 3 knowledge, concepts and skills that should be revised.
  3. Use the learner's OPSA Term 3 activities as the main revision resource. Focus on the work completed during Term 3 rather than attempting to revise the entire year's curriculum.
  4. Prepare for both written and practical assessment. Senior Phase assessment includes written papers as well as oral work, reading, writing, projects, investigations, practical tasks, Creative Arts performances and Technology Mini-PAT activities.
  5. Complete and upload the required Series A assessment activities on the OPSA LMS when the assessment window opens. These assessments are marked and form the basis of the learner's Term 3 report.

Important assessment information

  • Mathematics is assessed through one integrated Term 3 question paper. Learners should show all calculations and working.
  • Natural Sciences includes a written theory component and a practical investigation or practical task.
  • Social Sciences includes both History and Geography. Depending on the grade, one component may be completed as a project.
  • Technology includes a Mini-PAT consisting of practical work and design/documentation, as well as a theory component.
  • EMS includes a project or case study, depending on the grade, together with a controlled written assessment.
  • Creative Arts: learners complete only the two art forms they follow from Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts. Learners do not need to complete all four disciplines.
  • Life Orientation includes a project and a practical Physical Education Task (PET).
  • Language comprehension texts may be new or unseen texts. Learners should revise reading, comprehension and language skills rather than memorising specific passages or answers.

Practical tips for parents and tutors

  • Work in short, consistent revision sessions and focus on one subject or topic at a time.
  • For language subjects, encourage learners to read regularly, practise oral work and revise the prescribed Term 3 writing formats.
  • For Mathematics, practise both calculations and higher-level problem-solving and reasoning, and require learners to show their full method.
  • For Natural Sciences, revise key concepts, diagrams, scientific terminology and investigation skills.
  • For Social Sciences, practise working with maps, graphs, photographs, source material and written explanations.
  • For Technology, allow enough time for the learner to understand the design process, practical construction and documentation required for the Mini-PAT.
  • For EMS, revise both theory and practical application, including calculations, accounting work and case-study interpretation where applicable.
  • For projects and practical assessments, focus on independent work, understanding, process, accurate documentation and clear presentation.
  • If your learner struggles with a section, return to the underlying concept first, revise it and then attempt the Grade-level work again.

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. The assessment should confirm learning—not become the purpose of learning.

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

Senior phase Term 2 / Seniorfase Kwartaal 2