- 15 Sep, 2026
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Last Minute Physical Sciences Revision Tips for CAPS and IEB Students
Exam preparation
Last Minute Physical Sciences Revision Tips for CAPS and IEB Students
Physical Sciences Paper 1 is written on Friday 30 October and Paper 2 on Monday 2 November. The Department of Basic Education publishes exactly how those two papers are built, and how a marker awards each mark. Revise to that, not to the textbook.
For matriculants and parentsWhere should last minute Physical Sciences revision go?
Into the topics that carry the marks, and into how the marks are awarded. In Paper 1, Mechanics is 65 marks and Electricity and magnetism 55, so 120 of the 150 sit in two topics. In Paper 2, Chemical change is 92 of 150. Then learn the marking rules, because in Physical Sciences a correct answer with the wrong unit forfeits the mark, and a formula earns nothing unless a calculation was attempted.
Everything below is from the Department of Basic Education’s Physical Sciences Examination Guidelines for Grade 12 and the national timetable. A note for IEB learners: the content is the same CAPS curriculum, but the IEB sets and marks its own papers to its own conventions, so use the topic priorities here and check the marking rules against your own body’s guidance. If one of the two papers is the worry, book a verified Physical Sciences tutor on MyAPEX.
When are the Physical Sciences papers, and how are they built?
Paper 1, Physics, is on Friday 30 October 2026 at 09:00 and Paper 2, Chemistry, on Monday 2 November 2026 at 09:00, each three hours and 150 marks. Both papers are built the same way: ten multiple-choice questions worth 20 marks, then structured questions worth 130. An information sheet is provided for each. Three days separate the papers, and that weekend is your only Chemistry window.
| Paper | Date | Structure | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1, Physics | Friday 30 October 2026, 09:00 | 10 multiple-choice (20 marks) + structured (130) | 150 | 3 hours |
| Paper 2, Chemistry | Monday 2 November 2026, 09:00 | 10 multiple-choice (20 marks) + structured (130) | 150 | 3 hours |
Question 1 is the multiple-choice section, subquestions 1.1 to 1.10 at two marks each. Twenty marks in ten questions is the best value in the paper and the section most often rushed. Confirm your own dates and venue on your examination permit; the full list of papers is in our matric exam timetable 2026.
What does each paper weight by topic?
Paper 1, Physics: Mechanics 65 marks, Electricity and magnetism 55, Waves, sound and light 15, Matter and materials 15. Paper 2, Chemistry: Chemical change 92 marks and Matter and materials 58. Those are the Department of Basic Education’s own prescribed-content weightings. A learner weak in Mechanics cannot compensate elsewhere in Paper 1, and Chemical change alone is nearly two thirds of Paper 2.
| Paper 1: Physics | Marks | Paper 2: Chemistry | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanics | 65 | Chemical change | 92 |
| Electricity and magnetism | 55 | Matter and materials | 58 |
| Waves, sound and light | 15 | ||
| Matter and materials | 15 | ||
| Total | 150 | Total | 150 |
The practical reading with a fortnight to go: do not spend an evening on waves because it is comfortable. Fifteen marks is fifteen marks. Mechanics and electricity are where a day of work changes a symbol.
Cognitive levels, from the same guidelines. In both papers, remembering is 15 percent and evaluating and creating 10 percent. The middle, understanding and applying, is 75 percent of every paper. That is past-paper territory: questions you have seen the shape of before.
Which marking rules cost learners the most marks?
Four, and all are in the official marking guidelines. Marks are awarded for the correct formula, the correct substitution and the correct answer with a unit. No marks at all are given if an inappropriate formula is used, however good the substitutions look. A formula earns nothing unless a calculation was attempted. And units are required in the final answer: a correct answer with a wrong unit, or with no unit, forfeits the answer mark.
Quoting the Department’s guidelines directly, because the wording matters:
- “Marks will be awarded for: correct formula, correct substitution, correct answer with unit.”
- “No marks will be awarded if an incorrect or inappropriate formula is used, even though there may be relevant symbols and applicable substitutions.”
- “Marks are only awarded for a formula if a calculation has been attempted, i.e. substitutions have been made or a numerical answer given.”
- “Marks can only be allocated for substitutions when values are substituted into formulae and not when listed before a calculation starts.”
- “If no formula is given, but all substitutions are correct, the candidate will forfeit one mark.”
- “All calculations, when not specified in the question, must be rounded off to a minimum of TWO decimal places.”
- “If a final answer to a calculation is correct, full marks will not automatically be awarded.”
Read together, those say something simple and very useful: write the formula, substitute into it, and finish with a unit, every time, even when you are unsure of the answer. A part-written calculation earns part marks. A blank earns none.
What should the last two weeks look like?
Two full past papers per paper, timed at three hours, marked against the official memorandum, with the gaps fixed in between. Weight the fixing towards Mechanics and electricity for Paper 1 and Chemical change for Paper 2. Drill definitions and the prescribed practical work separately, because they are cheap marks. Keep the Saturday and Sunday between 30 October and 2 November for Chemistry only.
- Write the multiple-choice section under time. Twenty marks in ten questions, and it is where a rushed start costs most.
- Practise with the information sheet beside you. One is provided for each paper. Know what is on it, so you are not memorising what you will be given, and know what is not.
- Draw the diagram every time. Free-body diagrams and circuit diagrams earn marks in their own right and prevent sign errors.
- Say the definitions out loud. Definitions are recall marks and they are the first thing to go under pressure.
- Round to two decimals unless the question says otherwise, and put the unit on.
The wider week-by-week structure is our four week study plan, and how to run and mark a past paper is in how matric past papers improve your exam performance.
How should IEB learners use this?
Take the topic priorities and the study method, and check the marking conventions against your own body. Both routes assess the same CAPS content, so Mechanics, electricity and chemical change carry the weight either way, but the IEB sets and marks its own papers. Use IEB past papers from your school rather than Department papers for rehearsal, and mark them to the IEB memorandum.
What differs between the two routes more generally, and what stays the same, is set out in our guide to CAPS vs IEB exam preparation. The one thing not to do is rehearse on the wrong body’s papers and assume the memorandum will treat your working the same way.
Where does Apex Academic Centre fit in?
Apex matches learners with tutors whose qualifications have been verified for the subject and level they teach, which for Physical Sciences matters more than usual: the subject is two disciplines, Physics in Paper 1 and Chemistry in Paper 2, and a tutor strong in one is not automatically strong in the other. Ask which. Physical Sciences is also one of the eight NSC subjects in Apex’s live online matric group classes.
How to choose between them, and what to check on a profile, is in choosing a Mathematics and Physical Sciences tutor before matric. Lessons on Apex’s Custom LMS are recorded, so a worked example on electric circuits can be replayed the night before Paper 1. Book on MyAPEX. Apex is a tutoring provider, not an examination centre, and no tutoring service can promise a mark.
Frequently asked questions
When are the 2026 Physical Sciences exams?
Paper 1, Physics, is written on Friday 30 October 2026 at 09:00 and Paper 2, Chemistry, on Monday 2 November 2026 at 09:00, on the national Department of Basic Education timetable. Each paper is three hours and 150 marks. Confirm your dates and venue on your examination permit.
What topics carry the most marks in Physical Sciences?
In Paper 1, Mechanics is 65 marks and Electricity and magnetism 55, so those two are 120 of the 150. Waves, sound and light and Matter and materials are 15 each. In Paper 2, Chemical change is 92 marks and Matter and materials 58, per the Department of Basic Education’s examination guidelines.
How is Physical Sciences marked?
The Department’s guidelines award marks for the correct formula, the correct substitution and the correct answer with a unit. An inappropriate formula scores nothing even with sensible-looking substitutions, a formula earns nothing unless a calculation was attempted, and a correct answer with a wrong unit or no unit forfeits the answer mark.
Do I get an information sheet in the Physical Sciences exam?
Yes. The examination guidelines include information sheets for both Paper 1, Physics, and Paper 2, Chemistry. Practise with it beside you so you know what is provided and, more importantly, what is not. The sheet does not tell you which formula a question needs or how to rearrange it.
Are the Physical Sciences papers the same for CAPS and IEB?
Both assess the same CAPS content, so the topics that carry the marks are broadly the same, but the Independent Examinations Board sets and marks its own papers to its own conventions. IEB learners should rehearse on IEB past papers from their school and check marking rules against their own body’s guidance.
30 October and 2 November
Revise where the marks are. Write the formula every time.
Mechanics and electricity are 120 of Paper 1. Chemical change is 92 of Paper 2. A verified Apex Physical Sciences tutor can work those with you, online or in person.