Physics asks nature a precise question. Chemistry counts exactly what it answers.The GOAT Notes™
Grade 10 Physical Sciences is two papers of 100 marks, 2 hours each: Paper 1 Physics, Paper 2 Chemistry. There is no national Grade 10 paper: your province or school sets both papers to the CAPS structure, so check the marks and the time on your own paper's cover. Every question is compulsory; start each on a new page. The marks below are means over the 13 end-of-year papers we analysed, 2022 to 2025.
| Paper | Area | Topics | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechanics | Vectors, motion, energy | 45 |
| 1 | Waves, sound and light | Pulses, sound, EM radiation | 27 |
| 1 | Electricity and magnetism | Electrostatics, circuits | 28 |
| 2 | Matter and materials | Classification, states, atom, periodic table, bonding | 50 |
| 2 | Chemical change | Change, equations, the mole | 50 |
Magnetism, aqueous reactions and the hydrosphere are in CAPS but carried next to no marks in the papers we analysed. Revise them last.
| Paper | What the questions put in front of you |
|---|---|
| 1 | About two circuits, one and a half velocity-time graphs, charged spheres, a wave diagram, a ramp or pendulum |
| 2 | A classification table, a heating or cooling curve, isotope and configuration data, Lewis diagrams, equations to balance, two or three long mole calculations |
| Level | Paper 1 | Paper 2 | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Recall | 15 | 15 | Define, state, write down |
| 2 · Comprehension | 35 | 40 | Read a graph, classify, balance |
| 3 · Application and analysis | 40 | 35 | A multi-step calculation, an unfamiliar setting |
| 4 · Evaluation and synthesis | 10 | 10 | Predict or justify |
Levels 1 and 2 are 50 marks in Paper 1 and 55 in Paper 2.
Each paper comes with its own data sheets. Every cached Paper 1 sheet prints g, c, h, e and me with the motion, energy, wave, electrostatics and circuit formulae. Every cached Paper 2 sheet prints pθ, Vm, Tθ, NA, the mole formulae and the periodic table with electronegativity and relative atomic mass; the GP and EC Paper 2 sheets also print the charge on the electron, the KZN ones do not. The Reference Sheet in this guide shows what they hold.
Not in this guide: Grade 11 and 12 work (charging by induction turned up once in a June paper we read; Newton's laws, 2D vectors and momentum are later grades) and the school practical task.
Asked as multiple choice or a short table: name the property that suits the use (strength, conductivity, brittle, malleable, ductile, magnetic, density, melting or boiling point). Class tests behind it: label reading, sorting, chromatography, conductivity, thermal and magnetic checks.
Count the kinds of particle. One kind: a pure substance, an element if its atoms are alike (Cu, O2), a compound if they differ (H2O). Two or more: a mixture.
A reason earns its mark only when it names the particles.
Cation first. Cross the charges over, then reduce: Mg2+ and O2− give MgO. -ide: one element; -ate and -ite: oxygen present, -ate one more (sulphate, sulphite). Di- and tri- count atoms. The data sheets analysed print no ion list: learn them.
Brackets earn the formula mark: AlOH3 loses it.
Use the data-sheet table: metals left of the staircase, non-metals right and hydrogen, metalloids (B, Si, Ge, As) on it. A metalloid is mostly non-metallic, but its conductivity rises with temperature.
Test with a bulb circuit, a heated rod and a magnet. Electrical: metals and graphite conduct, plastic and rubber insulate, silicon and germanium are semiconductors. Thermal: metals conduct (pot bases); wood, polystyrene and air insulate (handles).
Thin copper wire for an extension cord is made by pulling a copper rod through a small hole in a die. Which property of copper makes this possible?
Aluminium is rolled into very thin sheets that are sold as kitchen foil. Which property of aluminium allows this?
A glass jar falls on a stone floor and breaks into many sharp pieces without bending first. Which property of glass does this show?
The handle of a frying pan is made of wood so that a cook can lift the pan while it is hot. Which property of wood is being used?
Aircraft bodies are made from an aluminium alloy because it is strong but has little mass for the space it takes up. Which property is described by 'little mass for the space it takes up'?
Container T holds many identical molecules, each made of two hydrogen atoms joined to one sulphur atom (H₂S). Nothing else is in the container. How is the content of T classified?
Container U holds separate neon atoms and separate argon atoms, scattered evenly through the space. None of the atoms is joined to another. Neon and argon are both elements. How is the content of U classified?
Container V holds only separate helium atoms. None of the atoms is joined to another. How is the content of V classified?
Four containers are described below. Which container holds a compound?
Container W shows two kinds of particle: joined groups of one nitrogen atom and one oxygen atom (NO), and separate argon atoms. How is the content of W classified?
Which substance is a homogeneous mixture?
Iron filings are stirred into a cup of sand. The learner can see dark specks among the pale grains, and a magnet pulls the filings out. Which statement classifies the contents and gives the correct reason?
Thandi dissolves 20 g of sugar in 200 mL of water. Sam dissolves 50 g of sugar in 200 mL of water. Both solutions are clear. Which statement is correct?
A builder looks closely at a sample of concrete and sees grey cement, sand grains and small stones. Which reason justifies calling concrete a heterogeneous mixture?
Which pair of examples contains only homogeneous mixtures?
A pure compound melts at 122 °C. Four samples of it are heated and their melting ranges are recorded: W 109–116 °C, X 117–122 °C, Y 121,6–122 °C and Z 118–119,5 °C. Which sample is the purest?
A green sweet colouring is run on chromatography paper. After the run there is one yellow spot and one blue spot at different heights on the paper. Which conclusion is justified?
A pure compound X melts at exactly 90 °C. A sample of X is contaminated with a small amount of another substance. Which melting behaviour is most likely?
A learner says: 'This colourless liquid is pure because it is clear.' Which result would show that the learner is wrong?
Which set of results gives the strongest evidence that a white solid is a pure substance?
Sodium and sulphur combine to make the compound Na₂S. Which name is correct for it?
Two non-metals, nitrogen and oxygen, form a compound with the formula N₂O₃. What is its name?
Aluminium forms Al³⁺ ions and the sulphate ion is SO₄²⁻. Which is the correct formula for aluminium sulphate?
Barium forms Ba²⁺ ions and the sulphate ion is SO₄²⁻. Which is the correct formula for barium sulphate?
The nitrate ion is NO₃⁻. A bottle in the laboratory is labelled NaNO₂. What is the correct name of this compound?
Aluminium (Al) lies directly next to silicon, which is on the staircase of the periodic table. Aluminium is shiny and malleable, and it conducts electricity well even when it is cold. How should aluminium be classified?
Hydrogen sits at the top of group 1 on the periodic table, above the metals lithium and sodium. At room temperature hydrogen is a colourless gas that does not conduct electricity. How should hydrogen be classified?
A learner sorts four metal objects with a magnet. The iron nail and the steel paperclip stick to it, but the copper coin and the aluminium foil do not. She claims: 'The coin and the foil are not attracted, so they must be non-metals.' Which response is best justified?
A learner writes: 'Germanium is a metalloid, so it conducts electricity as well as copper does at every temperature.' Which correction is best justified?
A learner has a brittle yellow solid, sulphur, and wants to show that it is a non-metal and not a metalloid. Which observation is the best evidence?
(a) Define the term element. (2) (b) Explain why water, H₂O, is not an element. (1)
An element is a pure substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means. Water is not an element because it is made of two different elements, hydrogen and oxygen, bonded together, so it can be split into simpler substances.
Two containers each hold a gas. Container A holds only molecules, each made of one hydrogen atom joined to one chlorine atom (HCl). Container B holds separate neon atoms and joined pairs of nitrogen atoms (N₂), and none of these particles is joined to a different kind of particle. Classify the content of (a) container A and (b) container B as an element, a compound or a mixture, and give a reason for each that refers to the particles. (4)
(a) Container A is a compound, because it holds one kind of particle, a molecule made of different atoms, hydrogen and chlorine, joined together. (b) Container B is a mixture, because it holds two kinds of particle, separate neon atoms and nitrogen pairs, that are not joined to each other.
Silicon (Si) is a shiny solid that is used to make computer chips. A learner says: 'Silicon is shiny, so it is a metal.' (a) Classify silicon correctly and state where it is found on the periodic table. (2) (b) Give one property of silicon that shows it is mostly non-metallic, and describe how its electrical conductivity changes when it is heated. (2)
Silicon is a metalloid, found on the staircase between the metals and the non-metals on the periodic table. It is mostly non-metallic: it is brittle and conducts poorly when it is cold, but its electrical conductivity increases as it is heated.
Explain to a Grade 8 learner how to tell, by looking at a particle diagram, whether a container holds an element, a compound or a mixture.
Explain to a Grade 8 learner how to write the formula of magnesium oxide from the charges on the ions, and why the answer is MgO and not Mg₂O₂.
Explain to a Grade 8 learner why a magnet picks up an iron nail but not a copper coin, even though both are metals.
This is a free preview of Topic 1. The full guide has every topic, the self-marking quizzes, mock exams, planner, journal and wellbeing tools.
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Exam stress is completely normal. Here are a few things that actually work. None of this replaces a doctor or a trusted adult.
Box breathing: 4 counts in, 4 hold, 4 out, 4 hold. Do it four times.
Look at the worked example below first, then make your own. Tick off each topic as you finish it.
Example (already filled in)
| Date | Subject | Topic | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 8 Jul | Life Sciences | Your weakest topic, notes + summary | ✓ |
| Tue 9 Jul | Life Sciences | Next topic + 10 practice questions | ✓ |
| Wed 10 Jul | Life Sciences | A full past paper under time | – |
| Thu 11 Jul | Life Sciences | Mark the paper, revise weak spots | – |
Your plan
| Date | Subject | Topic | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
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Every formula you substitute correctly and every unit you write is a mark already banked. Go and collect them.