CAPS Practicals by Grade

Every CAPS practical, written up for the classroom. The method, what you should see, what to do when it does not work, and how the marks are split. Most come with a free learner worksheet and marking memorandum, no sign up.

Jump to Grade 12 · Grade 11 · Grade 10 · Grade 9

Physical Sciences, Grade 12

Term	Practical	What the class does
1	Preparation of Esters CAPS prescribed	Make three esters and identify each one by smell
1	Conservation of Linear Momentum CAPS prescribed	Two trolleys, one spring, and momentum before against momentum after
1	Vertical Projectile Motion	Position, velocity and acceleration graphs for something thrown straight up
2	Titration of Oxalic Acid against Sodium Hydroxide CAPS prescribed	Standardise a sodium hydroxide solution, and read an endpoint before you overshoot it
2	Preparing a Standard Solution CAPS formal assessment	Weigh, dissolve and make up to the mark in a volumetric flask
2	Rate of Reaction	The four factors that change reaction rate, with an experiment for each
2	Chemical Equilibrium and Le Chatelier's Principle	Shift an equilibrium four different ways and watch the colour follow every time
2	Work, Energy and Power	The work-energy theorem, and where the joules actually go
2	The Doppler Effect	Sound, light and red shift, and why an ambulance changes pitch as it passes
3	Internal Resistance of a Battery CAPS prescribed	Why terminal voltage drops the moment you draw current, measured properly
3	Electrochemical Cells	Galvanic and electrolytic side by side, and which way the electrons go in each
3	The Photoelectric Effect	Why brighter light does not help, and what that says about photons

Physical Sciences, Grade 11

Term	Practical	What the class does
1	Intermolecular Forces CAPS formal assessment	Race four liquids to evaporate, then explain the order from the forces between their molecules
1	Newton's Second Law CAPS prescribed	Pull a trolley with a measured force and get F = ma out of the gradient
1	Static and Kinetic Friction	Drag a block and tilt a ramp to get both coefficients, on five different surfaces
2	Snell's Law and Refraction CAPS formal assessment	Trace a ray through a glass block and measure how far it bends
2	Boyle's Law	Squeeze a fixed mass of gas, and find out why the two graphs look nothing like each other
2	Percentage Yield and Limiting Reagent	Why the flask never gives you as much as the equation promised
2	Stoichiometry	The mole, molar mass, empirical formula and every calculation that follows
3	Endothermic and Exothermic Reactions CAPS formal assessment	Measure the temperature change and decide which way the energy travelled
3	Ohm's Law	A nichrome wire that obeys the law and a light bulb that does not, in the same circuit
3	Natural Indicators for Acids and Bases	Build a working pH scale out of a red cabbage, then check it against bought litmus
4	Redox Reactions and Oxidation Numbers	Assign oxidation numbers and find what was oxidised and what was reduced

Physical Sciences, Grade 10

Term	Practical	What the class does
1	Heating and Cooling Curves of Water CAPS prescribed	Heat ice through to boiling, read the thermometer every ten seconds, then explain the two flat sections
1	Separating Mixtures and Chromatography CAPS prescribed	Filter, evaporate, and pull three separate colours out of a single black dot
1	Relative Density	Layer liquids that will not mix, then drop solids through them and let density decide the order
1	Flame Tests	Identify a metal cation by the colour it turns a flame
2	Physical and Chemical Change	Four changes, and the sealed against open comparison that proves mass is conserved
2	Transverse Pulses and Waves	Five experiments on one spring: pulse, wavelength, amplitude and what happens when two pulses meet
2	Solubility and Dissolving	Four white powders, four different temperature changes, and why how much is not the same question as how fast
2	Precipitation Reactions and Testing for Ions	Mix two clear solutions, get a solid, then work out which ions made it
2	Types of Reaction in Aqueous Solution	Four pairs of solutions and four reaction types, sorted by what actually drives each one
2	The Law of Reflection	Measure the angle going in and the angle coming out, and find they match
3	Series and Parallel Circuits CAPS prescribed	What current and voltage do in each, measured with an ammeter and a voltmeter, plus where each meter goes
3	Acceleration, Ticker Tape and Motion Graphs CAPS prescribed	Turn a paper tape into a velocity graph and read the acceleration off the gradient
3	Acceleration on an Inclined Plane	The same measurement on a slope, with gravity doing the accelerating
3	Magnetism and Magnetic Fields	Iron filings show the shape of a field, a compass shows its direction, and the two are different questions
3	Electrostatics	Two strips of sticky tape, like and unlike charge, and why the whole thing fails on a humid day
3 and 4	Purification and Quality of Water Formal project	A full treatment sequence, then tests to show what you have actually removed
4	Percentage Composition and Molar Gas Volume CAPS prescribed	Predict a mass and a gas volume from a formula, then collect and weigh them to check
4	Conservation of Energy with a Simple Pendulum	Swing a pendulum and account for the energy that looks like it has gone missing

Natural Sciences, Grade 9

Term	Practical	What the class does
2	The pH Scale and Indicators CAPS prescribed	Test household substances against two indicators and place each one on the pH scale
2	Reactions of Acids with Bases, Carbonates and Metals	The three things an acid reacts with, and the gas test that tells the products apart

Apparatus for these practicals

Every practical page lists what it needs and links straight to the item. Nothing here is a sealed kit you cannot refill. If a beaker breaks, you replace the beaker.

For	Shop
Beakers, flasks, cylinders, funnels	Laboratory glassware
Ammeters, voltmeters, bulbs, leads, switches	Electricity
Trolleys, ticker timers, spring balances, masses	Force, motion and dynamics
Thermometers of every range	Thermometers
Litmus, pH strips, filter and chromatography paper	pH and litmus test papers
Ray boxes, prisms, lenses, mirrors	Light and optics
Magnets, compasses, iron filings	Magnetism
Balances from 0,1 g down to 0,001 g	Balances and scales
Goggles, gloves, lab coats	Safety gear

Setting up a laboratory from scratch, or replacing a whole class set? Send us the list and we will quote it.