Grade 11 Exam Revision organised by the two papers, 200 raw marks and 3 hours each: Paper 1 CIVIL in first angle and Paper 2 MECHANICAL in third angle, four compulsory questions per paper at CAPS weights of about 15, 20, 25 and 40 percent, with a reference sheet and an exam-day strategy.
EXAM REVISION · TOPIC 1EXAM FORMAT & MARK ALLOCATION
You already know how to construct and read every drawing type. This page is about turning that skill into marks: how the two papers are shaped, where the heavy marks sit, and the habits that quietly lose or save marks before your pencil even touches the page.
📖 KEY DEFINITION
Grade 11 Engineering Graphics and Design is examined in TWO separate papers. Paper 1 is Civil and is drawn in first-angle projection. Paper 2 is Mechanical and is drawn in third-angle projection. Each paper is written over 3 hours for 200 raw marks, which are then converted to a final mark of 100. Every question is answered on the answer sheets provided, and those answer sheets are the numbered pages of the question paper itself, each carrying a name block. There is no separate answer book and no data disk.
⭐ EXAM FAVOURITE
Every paper is built from the same FOUR compulsory numbered questions, in a fixed order, with no choice between questions (a question may letter its parts, such as Question 1A). Knowing that shape lets you plan the three hours before you read a single question. The working drawing band is the largest single slice on each paper, so it is the block you protect first, never the one you squeeze in at the end.
The four questions on every paper
Question
Paper 1 CIVIL, first angle
Paper 2 MECHANICAL, third angle
CAPS weight
Q1
Civil analytical
Mechanical analytical
about 15%, about 30 of 200
Q2
Interpenetration and development and/or solid geometry with a section and true shape
Loci of a cam (the helix is Grade 12 in the 2023/24 plan)
about 20%, about 40 of 200
Q3
Two-point perspective drawing
Isometric drawing
about 25%, about 50 of 200
Q4
Civil working drawing: floor plan, named elevation and detailed sectional elevation
Mechanical assembly
about 40%, about 80 of 200
Both papers carry the same four weights in the same order. Only the subject matter changes: Paper 1 dresses each slot in civil work and first angle, Paper 2 in mechanical work and third angle.
⚠️ COMMON MISTAKE
Treating Q3 as a choice between isometric or perspective. It is not a choice: both are examined, one in each paper. Paper 1 Question 3 is always two-point perspective and Paper 2 Question 3 is always isometric, so preparing only one of them walks you into a quarter of a paper with nothing to draw.
What those weights are worth in real marks
Question
Paper 1, typical mark
Paper 2, typical mark
Q1 analytical (civil on P1, mechanical on P2)
36
32
Q2 solid geometry and development (P1) / loci (P2)
40
38
Q3 pictorial (P1 perspective / P2 isometric)
39
46
Q4 working drawing (P1 civil / P2 assembly)
85
84
Paper total, raw
200
200
⭐ EXAM FAVOURITE
Question 4 is more than two fifths of the paper on its own, on both papers, every year. It is never "roughly a third". Whatever else you sacrifice, do not sacrifice Q4: an unfinished working drawing costs more marks than the whole analytical question is worth.
Turning the weighting into a time budget
A simple, defensible plan: give each band the same share of the 180 minutes as its share of the marks. That protects the working drawing automatically.
Instrument and technique checklist
⚡ MUST MEMORISE
Walk in with a working set: two set squares (45° and 30°/60°), a compass and spare lead, a protractor, a 300 mm ruler, a sharp 2H for construction lines, an HB for outlines, a good eraser and an erasing shield. Because you draw on the question paper itself, a clean eraser and a sharp pencil are worth marks: smudged, over-erased work loses neatness and accuracy credit.
Tool
Job in the exam
45° and 30°/60° set squares
Verticals, isometric axes at 30°, and any multiple of 15° by combining the two
Compass
Arcs and circles, and every "construct" question where the arcs earn the marks
Protractor
Angles the set squares cannot give directly, such as 35° or a roof pitch
2H pencil
Light construction, projection and mitre lines that must stay visible as evidence
HB pencil
Darkening the final visible outline once the construction is confirmed
Standing rules printed on every paper
🔥 FREQUENTLY TESTED
A short set of instructions applies to every question, and each carries real marks that have nothing to do with drafting talent:
Work at a scale of 1:1 unless a different scale is stated for that question.
Show all construction: leave arcs, projection lines and the mitre line visible, they are the method marks.
Where a size or a detail has been left out, use your own discretion and keep drawing rather than leaving a blank.
Complete the title block and draw the correct projection symbol on every orthographic sheet.
⚠️ COMMON MISTAKE
The most expensive habit is drawing Paper 1 civil views with a third-angle layout, or Paper 2 mechanical views with a first-angle layout, out of practice habit. Confirm the paper and its projection angle first, every time. The second most expensive habit is splitting time evenly across the bands and then rushing the working drawing, the single biggest block of marks.
How the exam fits your final promotion mark
Component
Weight toward the year mark
Tests
7.5%
Course drawings
7.5%
Mid-year Paper 1 & Paper 2
10%
Practical Assessment Task (PAT)
25%
November final Paper 1 & Paper 2
50%
💡 EASY MARK
Defaulting to 1:1 when no scale is given, completing the title block, drawing the projection symbol, and sensibly finishing an omitted dimension are all marks for following instructions. They cost no drafting skill, so bank them on every single sheet before you leave it.
ONE-MINUTE SUMMARY
Two papers, each 3 hours and 200 raw marks converted to 100: Paper 1 is civil in first-angle projection, Paper 2 is mechanical in third-angle projection, and you answer on the numbered answer sheets of the paper itself. Both papers carry the same four compulsory questions at the same weights: Q1 analytical about 15%, Q2 solid geometry or loci about 20%, Q3 the pictorial about 25%, and Q4 the working drawing about 40%, which is really 84 or 85 marks. Perspective is Paper 1 Question 3 and isometric is Paper 2 Question 3, so both are examined, not one or the other. Match your 180 minutes to that shape and protect the working drawing. Bring a full instrument set, keep 2H construction lines visible and darken only the final HB outline. Follow the standing rules, scale 1:1 unless stated, show construction, complete the title block and projection symbol, and use your own discretion for omissions. Toward the year mark: tests 7.5%, drawings 7.5%, mid-year 10%, PAT 25%, final papers 50%.
IN THE EXAM
Confirm the paper and its projection angle before anything else, then read the scale for the specific question.
Budget time to the four questions and ring-fence Question 4, it is worth about two fifths of the paper on its own.
Leave every arc, projection line and mitre line showing, the method marks live in the construction, not only the final shape.
Finish each sheet with a completed title block and the correct projection symbol before you move on.
⭐ EXAM FAVOURITE
These are the marks handed to the disciplined learner. Name a line by its pattern and thickness, letter neatly between guide lines, complete a title block, dimension each feature once, and get a scale ratio the right way round. None of it needs talent, all of it is checkable, and it feeds the analytical band on both papers plus the neatness marks on every drawing you hand in.
Think of the standard as the spelling and grammar of engineering. Brilliant construction still loses marks if the lines, letters and dimensions break the rules, because the person building from the drawing then has to guess. The whole point is to remove guessing.
What you must be able to do
Name each line in the drawing alphabet and state what it is used for
Draw thick continuous outlines, evenly dashed hidden edges and chain centre lines correctly
Complete a title block with the title, the scale, the projection symbol, the drawer and the date
Dimension a drawing with extension lines, arrowheads and figures placed to the standard
Convert between drawn size and real size on a stated scale such as 1:50 or 1:20
Hold one overall scale across a whole drawing, because a wrong scale is a subtractive penalty
The alphabet of lines
⚡ MUST MEMORISE
Two facts name any line: its appearance (continuous, dashed or chain) and its thickness (thick or thin). The rule of thumb: thick means "you can see it", so only the visible outline is thick. Everything that helps you read the drawing, hidden, centre, dimension, extension and hatching lines, is thin.
Line
Appearance
Thickness
Job
Visible outline
Continuous
Thick
Edges you can actually see
Hidden detail
Short dashes
Thin
Edges hidden behind material
Centre line
Long dash, short dash (chain)
Thin
Centres of holes and symmetry
Dimension & extension
Continuous
Thin
Showing sizes
Cutting plane
Chain, thick at ends
Thin body, thick ends
Where a section is taken
Hatching
Continuous at 45°
Thin
Solid material a plane cut
⚠️ COMMON MISTAKE
Drawing a centre line as an ordinary dashed hidden line, or making hidden detail as thick as the outline, changes the meaning of the drawing and loses marks. A chain line (long, short, long) is a centre line; evenly spaced short dashes are hidden detail. They are never interchangeable.
Lettering, title block and dimensioning
Lettering that scores neatness
Single-stroke, upright capitals of even weight
Rule two feint guide lines first, at your letter height
Even spacing by eye, no serifs, no shading
Title block must carry
Title, scale (as a ratio), drawn-by and date
Projection symbol (first-angle or third-angle)
Drawing number and units (usually millimetres)
⚡ MUST MEMORISE
Dimension and extension lines are thin; leave a small gap between the outline and the start of an extension line; arrowheads are narrow and filled; and every feature is dimensioned once only, on the view that shows it most clearly. A diameter is prefixed with ∅ and a radius with a capital R. In the aligned system figures sit parallel to their line; in the unidirectional system every figure is written horizontally.
Scales: the ratio that never lies about size
📖 KEY DEFINITION
A scale is the fixed relationship drawing length : real length, written as a representative fraction (RF) with matching units. An RF below 1 (say 1:50) is a reduction for large things like buildings; exactly 1 (1:1) is full size; above 1 (say 2:1) is an enlargement for tiny parts. The dimension figure written on the drawing always states the true size, whatever the scale.
⚡ MUST MEMORISE
Two sums do every scale question: drawing length = real length × RF and real length = drawing length ÷ RF. Decide first whether the answer should be smaller (reduction) or larger (enlargement), then pick multiply or divide to match. For 1:50, a real 3 000 mm becomes 3 000 ÷ 50 = 60 mm on paper.
🔥 FREQUENTLY TESTED
Constructing a scale is a repeat earner. A plain scale reads two units (a main unit and its tenths); a diagonal scale reads three (adds hundredths using similar triangles). For both, calculate the baseline from the longest real distance and the RF, divide it, and place zero at the end of the first main division, with whole units to the right and tenths to the left.
Worked check: a plain scale at 1:50 up to 4 m (invented for practice)
Baseline = longest real length × RF = 4 000 × 1/50 = 80 mm.
Divide into 4 equal parts, each 20 mm = 1 real metre.
Split the first 20 mm part into 10 sub-divisions, each 2 mm = 0,1 m.
Zero sits at the end of the first part; to lay off 2,6 m, span from the "2" on the right to the "6 tenths" on the left.
⚠️ COMMON MISTAKE
Flipping the ratio is the most expensive slip in the topic. A scale is always drawing : real, so 1:20 means the real object is twenty times bigger than the drawing, not the other way round. And zero never sits at the far left end of a constructed scale, it sits at the end of the first divided division, or every reading is out by a whole unit.
SANS by number, and the colour convention
⚡ MUST MEMORISE
Both papers cite the standard by number in their own note block. SANS 10111 (formerly SABS 0111) is the engineering drawing standard quoted on Paper 2; SANS 10143 (formerly SABS 0143) is the building drawing standard quoted on Paper 1. Tie them down as 0143 the house, 0111 the machine. Naming the standard is a straight written mark in the analytical band.
Feature on a coloured building drawing
SANS 10143 colour
All EXISTING materials, whatever the material
Grey
New masonry
Red
New concrete
Green
New wood
Yellow
New glass
Black
New drainage and sewerage
Brown
⚠️ COMMON MISTAKE
Colouring an existing brick wall red because it is brickwork. Ask "is it existing?" first: everything existing is grey regardless of material, and only new work is coloured by what it is made of. This has been set as a plain six-mark list, which makes it the cheapest recall block on the civil paper.
🧠 ACTIVE RECALL
Which line is the only THICK continuous line on a drawing?(2)
How many times should a single feature be dimensioned on a set of views?(2)
A wall is 2 400 mm long and drawn at 1:20. How long is it on the drawing?(2)
Which scale is an enlargement?(2)
Where is zero placed on a correctly constructed plain scale?(2)
Which principle lets a diagonal scale read accurate hundredths?(2)
List FIVE separate pieces of information a completed title block must contain, and state in one sentence why the title block matters.(5)
Construct, by full calculation and description, a plain scale of 1:50 that reads up to 4 metres in metres and tenths. State the baseline length, the size of each main division and each sub-division, where zero is placed, and how you would lay off 2,6 m. Show all workings.(8)
Explain it to a Grade 8: what is a scale, and how does it let you show a whole building on one small sheet of paper?
ONE-MINUTE SUMMARY
The standard has a number: SANS 10111 (formerly SABS 0111) for engineering drawing on Paper 2, SANS 10143 (formerly SABS 0143) for building drawing on Paper 1, whose colour convention is grey for all existing materials, red new masonry, green new concrete, yellow new wood, black new glass and brown new drainage. Name every line by pattern and thickness: only the visible outline is thick, everything else is thin. Letter in single-stroke upright capitals between guide lines, complete the title block (title, scale, drawn-by, date, projection symbol, number, units), and dimension each feature once with thin lines. A scale is drawing : real, written as an RF: below 1 reduces, 1 is full size, above 1 enlarges, but the figure written stays the true size. Convert with real times RF for drawing length and drawing divided by RF for real length, always checking direction. Build a plain scale for two units and a diagonal for three, calculating the baseline from the longest real distance and placing zero at the end of the first division.
IN THE EXAM
Answer a "name the line" question with both its pattern and its thickness; one without the other rarely scores full marks.
Before any scale sum, match the units and say out loud whether the answer should be smaller or larger, then choose multiply or divide.
For a scale construction, calculate the baseline first, then divide, then put zero at the end of the first division, never the far left end.
Rule guide lines before lettering and complete the title block on every sheet, they are the easiest marks on the paper.
🔒 3 · P2: LOCI, CAM & HELIX
🔒 4 · PROJECTION & SECTIONS
🔒 5 · P1: CIVIL DRAWINGS
🔒 6 · P2: THIRD-ANGLE ORTHO
🔒 7 · P2: ISOMETRIC
🔒 SOLID GEOMETRY
🔒
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Feeling the pressure? Take a breath.
Exam stress is completely normal. Here are a few things that actually work. None of this replaces a doctor or a trusted adult.
Breathe in
Box breathing: 4 counts in, 4 hold, 4 out, 4 hold. Do it four times.
Anxiety
Grounding: name 5 things you see, 4 you hear, 3 you can touch.
Reframe "I am going to fail" into "I have prepared, I will do my best".
Concentration
Work in 25-minute blocks, then a 5-minute break (Pomodoro).
Put the phone in another room while you study.
One task at a time. Multitasking costs more than it saves.
Sleep
Cramming all night backfires: sleep is when the brain locks in memory.
No screens for 30 minutes before bed.
The same bedtime every night keeps the brain sharp.
Study habits
Active recall (testing yourself) beats passive re-reading by far.
Space your study across days; do not cram it all into one.
Practise past papers under time. That is exactly how these notes are built.
If it gets too much, talk to a parent, teacher or a trusted adult. You do not have to carry it alone. SADAG (free, 24 hours): 0800 567 567, or SMS 31393.