November 2021 NSC Exam's Marking Guidelines

DBE has recently published the marking guidelines of the above-mentioned examination papers. Hence, it is also available on this website, or on the DBE website where other subjects are also available.

Physical Sciences P2 Gr 12 July 2021: Additions/Corrections/Clarifications to the marking guideline

Free State teachers - the YouTube video with the memo discussion is still available. Use the same link as for the live broadcast. You can still access it.

The following notes may help further. These are aspects for which enquiries were received after the memo discussion or where we want to give a bit more info to you.

Look at this post frequently for the next day or two until your marking is finished. New information will appear at the top.

Q5.2.6(c)

The corrected diagram is:

Physical Sciences P1 Gr 12 July 2021: Additions/Corrections/Clarifications to the marking guideline

Free State teachers - the YouTube video with the memo discussion is still available. Use the same link as for the live broadcast. You can still access it.

The following notes may help further. These are aspects for which enquiries were received after the memo discussion or where we want to give a bit more info to you.

Look at this post frequently for the next day or two until your marking is finished. New information will appear at the top.

****** New Info******

Click here for further info on questions:

2.2.2

4.1.4

4.1.5

6.2.2

7.2.3

7.2.4

******oOo******

Q3.1.1

Some learners write down "9,8" or "-9,8" (unit is optional) without saying upward or downward. Apply the following rule in this case:

• If a learner indicates that he/she is taking down as negative, "-9,8" is worth two marks.
• If a learner indicates that he/she is taking down as positive, "9,8" is worth two marks.
• Without indicating what is taken as negative or positive, "-9,8" or "9,8" is only one mark; referring to the value. The direction mark is then lost.

It is so good this question was asked. It highlights the following important aspects. 

• Learners must know that a positive or negative is meaningless without an indication of what is chosen as the positive or negative direction. 
• Gravitational acceleration (g) is ALWAYS directed to the centre of the earth (we normally say downwards). 
• So, if downwards is chosen as negative, g = -9,8 m.s^-2. On its own, the negative is meaningless.
• The same is valid for choosing positive downward. Then one can say g = +9,8 m.s^-2. Once again, on its own the positive is meaningless.
•  Be careful of textbooks that say, for example, the 9,8 is negative for an object moving upwards, and positive for an object moving downwards, or vice versa. That is simply incorrect and unscientific. It could only be correct if the accompanying choice for direction is also given.

I hope this helps to emphasise a very important aspect.

Q6.1.1

You may accept "move away" as an answer. The question does not require an answer in terms of wavelength specifically.

Physical Sciences Grade 12 P2 Memo Discussion September 2020: Additions/Alternatives

New info

Q7.2.1: Apply positive marking from Q7.2.1 to Q7.2.2.

Physical Sciences Grade 12 P1 Memo Discussion September 2020: Additions/Alternatives

Memo PhySci Grade 12 June Examination P2

** New info ***

Question 6.2
In the introduction, there is "cm3" and in the table heading "dm3". For this, the following:

Memo PhySci Grade 12 June Examination P1

** New information ***

Question 5.1.6:
Accept it when learners use Wnc=deltaK+deltaU

Here is information for this paper's memo for questions 2.2.2, 3.2 and 4.3.

Memo TecSci Grade 11 June Examination

Memo PhySci Grade 10 June Examination

Here is additional information, clarification, etc. for the marking of the above-mentioned paper.

*** New info ***

Two ticks in brackets mean zero or two marks.

Question 4.2.4
Each underlined part gets one mark. 

Question 4.7.1 & 4.7.2

Question 5.4

Question 5.5.3

Question 7.2.4

Question 10.3 & 10.4

*** End of new info ***

Question 6.1.3
Mark as follows: If reagents are correct, first mark. If products are correct, second mark. Now look at balancing; if both coefficients for reagents are correct (whole numbers), third mark. If both coefficients for products are correct, fourth mark. The two marks for balancing are forfeited if either the reagents or the products are incorrect.

Question 8.2.1
The question could be confusing. Award "transverse" and "longitudinal". In other words, if anyone of the two terms is used, the mark is awarded.

Question 10.2 and 10.4
Stay on the memo. No "positive marking" from 10.2 to 10.4.

June dates for examinations and IBP memo discussions.

All the dates are available, including IBP memo discussions.

• Please make timeous arrangements with your principals to attend the IBP memo discussions.  
• To see the dates, click the item that refers to "Dates..." under "Pages". You can choose how you want the calendar to display the information for you; month, week, agenda, etc.

Please note:

• Technical sciences write on the same dates as physical sciences in grades 10 and 11. In the case of grade 12, technical sciences write on the same date as physical sciences paper 1.
• The fine detail about the duration for practical papers/experiments are not given in the circular, but it is given in the above-mentioned calendar, which is in line with the Free State Assessment Guidelines, Appendix B6. Please stay with these times.

Memo discussion for technical sciences grade 12: A face-to-face memo discussion will be held during the week of 18-22 June when the CAPS training takes place. Teachers should take along their learners' scripts for this purpose.

Memo PhySci Grade 12 March Control Test

Question 5.3
The question is invalid and will be excluded from marking. The frictional force cannot stay 20 N when F is removed. Apologies! Total of Q5 will become 11 and the four marks will be distributed as follows:

Q3.6: The last criteria of the graph (B above/below A) becomes a package of two marks; award 2 or 0. Total of Q3.6=6

Q4.1: Three marks for the law as follows:
When a resultant/net force acts on an object, the object will accelerate in the direction of the force (tick) at an acceleration directly proportional to the force (tick) and inversely proportional to the mass of the object. (tick)
OR
The resultant/net force acting on an object is equal to the rate (tick) of change of momentum of the object (tick) in the direction of the resultant/net force (tick).
Total of Q4.1=3

Q4.4: The relationship between a and m becomes 2 or 0. Total of Q4.4=2

Q6.2.2: The name counts three marks as follows:
Identify hexane (tick)
Identify the fluoro and dimethyl (tick)
Correct numbers(positions) and sequence. (tick)
Total of Q6.2.2=3

Memo PhySci Grade 10 March Practical Task

Questions 1.4 and 1.5
Apply positive marking from the graph to questions 1.4 and 1.5. Penalise learners as prescribed for mistakes in drawing the graph, but if their answers, based on their graphs, are correct for 1.4 and 1.5 they can be rewarded. 

Memo PhySci Grade 11 March Control Test

Question 3.3
Changes in the penalties as follows:

Question 7.1.5
The mark can be awarded if a learner says "covalent"; the "polar" is optional.

Questions 1.9 and 3.7
Apologies for the following corrections; marks will be moved to different questions so that it is not necessary to convert totals.

Question 1.9
Bonding angles are not clearly prescribed in the curriculum (sad!). Hence, cancel question 1.9 (two marks). 
*   One of the marks goes to Q7.1.3.
*   The other mark goes to Q7.1.6.
*   New total for Q1 = 18.
*   New total for Q7 = 18.

Question 3.7
Some of the information that should have been in the question went missing. Hence, cancel question 3.7 (two marks). 
*   One of the marks goes to Q2.3 (see red tick below).
*   The other mark goes to Q2.4 (see red tick below).
*   New total for Q3 = 15
*   New total for Q2 = 14

Memo PhySci Grade 11 March Practical Task

Question 1.5

The mathematical relationship was asked with "acceleration directly proportional to net force" in mind. However, the inverse of mass is represented by die gradient. I believe there is a difference between the two concepts, but accept it if a learner gives an answer referring to the "inverse of mass" in words or correct symbols.

Question papers of 2017

All the question papers that were used in the Free State in 2017 are now available. Go to the "Pages" link on this website and click on "Question papers". That will take you to a page with another link from where you can download the question papers and memoranda.

The process to upload some of the 2015 and 2016 papers are still in progress.

Memo PhySci Grade 10 November Paper 2

Q7.4.1
Remember that a hypothesis does not need to state the correct relationship (as in the memo) between the dependent and independent variables to earn the mark(s). An answer such as the following may earn the two marks: "The conductivity of the silver nitrate solution decreases with an increase in the concentration of the silver nitrate solution at a constant temperature." The two marks may be awarded because of:

• The correct dependent and independent variables are given.
• The correct controlled variable is given.
• A relationship (not necessarily correct) is given.

Q6.3
Typing error in option two of memorandum.

Q6.2.4

Memo PhySci Grade 10 November Paper 1

Total of paper
Questions 4.2.1 and 4.2.2 count four marks each according to the memorandum, instead of the three marks each reflected in the question paper. Free State will not mark question 11.4 (three marks). Due to this, the total of the paper must be marked out of 149. 

Physical sciences June examination P2: Gr 12 Additions/Corrections/Clarification to memorandum

Q8.3
Additional correct option.

Q2.4.1
In the Afrikaans translation the word "massa" must become "formule": "Organiese verbindings met dieselfde molekulêre formule, maar ..."

Q8.2.3(b)
Correct alternative

Physical sciences June examination P1: Gr 12 Additions/Corrections/Clarification to memorandum

Q3.3
Some learners might use an equation of motion plus Newton's second law of motion to solve this question. That is fine and can be accepted as follows:

Q5.2.2
Additional acceptable explanations are:

• Friction is present.
• A non-conservative force is present.
• Force F is present.
• The non-conservative for F is present.
• An applied force is present.

Q5.2.4

Two alternatives are shown in the memo for the calculation of work done by weight to be used in option 1. Here is a third alternative. It uses cos of 120 degrees being the angle between the vertical weight and the displacement along the inclined plane.

Q7.2 

The two charges differ in magnitude and the density of the field lines should be slightly different for the two charges. Please ignore this and accept a field pattern as in the memo, as well as one where the density of the field lines are different. If the general pattern is correct, award the first mark of the marking criteria and carry on marking the direction and the 90degrees.

Q4.1.1 and Q4.1.2
Keep in mind that the displacement is given by die area between the graph and the time axis, which in this case can be calculated with the help of either a trapezium or the combination of a triangle and rectangle. Q4.1.2 must be marked by taking into consideration what was done in Q4.1.1; i.e. there is positive marking from the graph to the calculation of area.

Here is an example of a graph with incorrect plotting.

All but one of the points are plotted incorrectly, and the mark for the best-fit line is given. Hence, 2/5.

Let us zoom in to the area that represents the displacement.

Here are three examples of the marking based on the above-mentioned.

Q8.3 and further
Typical of some electric circuit questions, there are sometimes various options to solve the questions. Click here to download a pdf file with extra solutions.

Q5.1.4
Another correct option.

Technical sciences June Exam: Gr 11 Additions/Corrections/Clarification to memorandum

Cover page of memo
The cover page of the memo unfortunately shows 150 as total, which is incorrect. The total is 200 as displayed at the end of the memo.

Q9.1
Correction