Grade 12 · CAPS

Grade 12 Study skills

Life Orientation practice questions and a worked example

Grade 12 Life Orientation questions on study skills come from the written Common Assessment Task. The questions here ask you to choose effective study strategies, understand what action verbs such as “discuss” and “critically discuss” expect, read questions carefully, keep to examination ethics, and write a reflection on a task. They come from the Department of Basic Education’s Grade 12 Life Orientation Common Assessment Task for September 2023, September 2024 and September 2025, each with the answer from the marking guideline.

Worked example

SECTION A QUESTION 1 1.3.3 Discuss ONE benefit of scanning as a reading skill.

Answer & explanation

TWO marks for a well-explained response It may help you to … • quickly find specific information which may save time when searching for particular data. • (one of the following statements) … - reduce your reading time - swiftly identify specific data/figures - speedily determine which parts of notes/content should be used …(with the following qualifier) …so that you may have more/enough time to complete a task. • easily find key words within a text which may assist in understanding a specific idea. It could… • improve your reading skills which may ensure that your reading processes may be more efficient. Any ONE of the above responses for TWO marks
Scanning is a reading skill that allows you to quickly locate specific information in a text. This is beneficial because it saves time when you are searching for particular data or details. Instead of reading everything in detail, you can focus on finding the exact information you need, which makes your study process more efficient.

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Study skills

Question 1 of 3

SECTION A QUESTION 1 1.1.1 A study strategy that could help you to study effectively could include …
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More practice questions

Explore additional Grade 12 Study skills questions.

  • 2
    SECTION A QUESTION 1 1.1.5 When a question instructs you to 'illustrate your answer with a case study', you are then expected to …
  • 3
    SECTION B QUESTION 3 Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow. STUDY SKILLS DISHONESTY IN EXAMINATIONS ON THE INCREASE The penalties for being dishonest during matriculation examinations could include results being invalid and a postponement of the examinations that are to follow. If learners are discovered to have had access to or circulated leaked question papers, they could also face criminal charges. It is, therefore, very important that learners understand that examination ethics, just like work ethics, means to follow the rules, guidelines and moral principles. These give direction on how assessments are conducted or the manner in which it impacts on your professional life in future. As a learner, failure to adhere to these moral principles could impact admission to higher education institutions. Over a thousand Grade 12 learners were banned from sitting for examinations after being found guilty of cheating during the 2022 National Senior Certificate (NSC) Examinations. These learners will only be permitted to sit for the NSC examinations after the disciplinary hearings. Grade 12 learners are obligated to sign an NSC Examination Pledge before the commencement of the final examinations as a formal commitment to upholding the values and rules of this pledge, which may motivate learners to commit to academic integrity. [Adapted from www.iol.co.za. Accessed on 16 July 2024.]
    3.1 State TWO actions that you may unintentionally commit in the examination room that may be considered to be dishonest.
  • 4
    SECTION B QUESTION 3 Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow. STUDY SKILLS DISHONESTY IN EXAMINATIONS ON THE INCREASE The penalties for being dishonest during matriculation examinations could include results being invalid and a postponement of the examinations that are to follow. If learners are discovered to have had access to or circulated leaked question papers, they could also face criminal charges. It is, therefore, very important that learners understand that examination ethics, just like work ethics, means to follow the rules, guidelines and moral principles. These give direction on how assessments are conducted or the manner in which it impacts on your professional life in future. As a learner, failure to adhere to these moral principles could impact admission to higher education institutions. Over a thousand Grade 12 learners were banned from sitting for examinations after being found guilty of cheating during the 2022 National Senior Certificate (NSC) Examinations. These learners will only be permitted to sit for the NSC examinations after the disciplinary hearings. Grade 12 learners are obligated to sign an NSC Examination Pledge before the commencement of the final examinations as a formal commitment to upholding the values and rules of this pledge, which may motivate learners to commit to academic integrity. [Adapted from www.iol.co.za. Accessed on 16 July 2024.]
    3.2 Why do you think some learners may feel pressurised to perform well in the NSC examinations?
  • 5
    SECTION B QUESTION 3 Read the extract below and answer the questions that follow. STUDY SKILLS DISHONESTY IN EXAMINATIONS ON THE INCREASE The penalties for being dishonest during matriculation examinations could include results being invalid and a postponement of the examinations that are to follow. If learners are discovered to have had access to or circulated leaked question papers, they could also face criminal charges. It is, therefore, very important that learners understand that examination ethics, just like work ethics, means to follow the rules, guidelines and moral principles. These give direction on how assessments are conducted or the manner in which it impacts on your professional life in future. As a learner, failure to adhere to these moral principles could impact admission to higher education institutions. Over a thousand Grade 12 learners were banned from sitting for examinations after being found guilty of cheating during the 2022 National Senior Certificate (NSC) Examinations. These learners will only be permitted to sit for the NSC examinations after the disciplinary hearings. Grade 12 learners are obligated to sign an NSC Examination Pledge before the commencement of the final examinations as a formal commitment to upholding the values and rules of this pledge, which may motivate learners to commit to academic integrity. [Adapted from www.iol.co.za. Accessed on 16 July 2024.]
    3.3 Explain how dishonesty during the NSC examinations could impact on a learner's admission to higher education institutions.

Common mistakes

  • Treating “discuss” as “define”. In the marking guideline, to discuss means to demonstrate your reasoning.
  • Counting bringing notes or a phone into the examination room as an unintentional act. The marking guideline gives no mark for it: the question is about actions during the sitting.
  • Describing the task in a reflection. A reflection should focus on how the task enhanced your knowledge of the topic.

More Grade 12 Life Orientation topics

Aligned to CAPS Grade 12 Life Orientation — Study skills. Curriculum source: CAPS for the FET Phase, Department of Basic Education.

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