Life Sciences Grade 11
This is every topic in the CAPS Life Sciences curriculum for Grade 11, 10 in total, organised by term, the way the Department sequences the year. It is the same curriculum your school teaches from, and the same one the NSC examines.
Term 1
3 topics- Biodiversity and classification of micro-organisms
- Biodiversity in plants and reproduction
- Biodiversity of animals
Term 2
3 topics- Energy transformations to sustain life: photosynthesis
- Animal nutrition
- Energy transformation: respiration
Term 3
3 topics- Gas exchange
- Excretion in humans
- Population ecology
Term 4
1 topic- Human impact on the environment: current crises
How it is examined
Papers, durations and mark allocations, as CAPS sets them out.
Paper 1
150 marks · 2.5 hours- Energy transformations to sustain life: photosynthesis27
- Animal nutrition27
- Energy transformation: respiration15
- Gas exchange22
- Excretion in humans23
- Population ecology36
Paper 2
150 marks · 2.5 hours- Biodiversity and classification of micro-organisms30
- Biodiversity in plants and reproduction30
- Biodiversity of animals20
- Human impact on the environment: current crises70
Knowing the topics is the easy part
The list above is public. It is what your teacher works from. What it does not do is explain a topic you are stuck on, show you a worked example, or tell you which mistakes cost marks in the exam. That is what an Elite Scholars account is for: study notes written against these exact topics, past papers, and tools that show their working.
See how we helpSource: CAPS FET Life Sciences, Grades 10-12, Department of Basic Education, checked on 2026-08-05. Schools sequence topics differently within a year, so treat this as what is examined rather than the order your class will meet it in.
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