Elite Scholars

Mathematics Grade 12

This is every topic in the CAPS Mathematics curriculum for Grade 12, 16 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

5 topics
  • Number patterns, sequences and series · Patterns and Sequences
  • Functions: formal definition, inverses · Functions and Graphs
  • Functions: exponential and logarithmic · Functions and Graphs
  • Finance, growth and decay · Finance, growth and decay
  • Trigonometry · Trigonometry

Term 2

4 topics
  • Trigonometry · Trigonometry
  • Functions: polynomials · Functions and Graphs
  • Differential Calculus · Differential Calculus
  • Analytical Geometry · Analytical Geometry

Term 3

5 topics
  • Geometry · Euclidean Geometry and Measurement
  • Statistics · Statistics
  • Counting and Probability · Probability
  • Revision
  • Trial examination

Term 4

2 topics
  • Revision
  • Final examination

How it is examined

Papers, durations and mark allocations, as CAPS sets them out.

Paper 1

150 marks · 3 hours

Bookwork: maximum 6 marks.

  • Algebra and Equations (and inequalities)25 ± 3
  • Patterns and Sequences25 ± 3
  • Finance, growth and decay15 ± 3
  • Functions and Graphs35 ± 3
  • Differential Calculus35 ± 3
  • Probability15 ± 3

Paper 2

150 marks · 3 hours

Theorems and/or trigonometric proofs: maximum 12 marks.

  • Statistics20 ± 3
  • Analytical Geometry40 ± 3
  • Trigonometry40 ± 3
  • Euclidean Geometry and Measurement50 ± 3

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 help

Source: CAPS FET Mathematics, 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.

You might also like

All CAPS curricula

Every subject and grade we have mapped, in one place.

Learn more about All CAPS curricula

APS calculator

Work out your admission score for South African universities.

Learn more about APS calculator

Grade 12 exam preparation

How we prepare learners for the NSC examinations.

Learn more about Grade 12 exam preparation