CAPS stands for Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement. It is the official subject policy that tells South African teachers what to teach and how that subject is assessed in Grades R to 12.
If you are a parent, the CAPS document is the national policy file for each school subject. It is not a textbook, a Rainbow workbook or a daily lesson plan.
There is not one CAPS file for the whole school. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) publishes a CAPS document for each approved subject, grouped by phase. This CAPS123 page is the short definition. It is not an official Department of Basic Education publication. For how CAPS, the NCS and ATPs fit together, see the ultimate CAPS guide.
If you need this now
- Open the official subject file for your phase: DBE CAPS documents
- Look up a short term such as ATP, SBA or FAL: CAPS Terms Glossary
- Find the year’s teaching sequence: What are Annual Teaching Plans
- Find free learner workbooks: DBE workbooks teacher guide
CAPS and the NCS are not two different curricula
On the Department of Basic Education site, a National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement is a single policy document for an approved school subject. It replaced the older Subject and Learning Area Statements, Learning Programme Guidelines and Subject Assessment Guidelines.
The National Curriculum Statement (NCS) Grades R–12 is the broader policy for learning and teaching. It comprises:
- the CAPS document for each approved subject
- the policy on programme and promotion requirements
- the National Protocol for Assessment Grades R–12, which standardises recording and reporting
When teachers say “the CAPS document”, they usually mean the subject file they plan from. When they say “the NCS”, they mean that wider policy, including CAPS.
| Name | What it is |
|---|---|
| CAPS | The subject policy: content, skills and assessment for one approved subject |
| NCS Grades R–12 | The full policy statement that includes CAPS, promotion requirements and assessment protocol |
| ATP | The year’s teaching sequence for a subject and grade, not a replacement CAPS document |
| Lesson plan | The teacher’s plan for a lesson, day or week, built from CAPS and the ATP |
Which CAPS document do you need?
Use the phase and the subject. Start on the DBE CAPS hub, open your phase list, then the subject you teach.
| Phase | Grades | Official files | CAPS123 help |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation Phase | R–3 | Foundation Phase on the DBE hub | CAPS in Grade R · How to use Foundation Phase ATPs |
| Intermediate Phase | 4–6 | Intermediate Phase on the DBE hub | Intermediate Phase CAPS documents |
| Senior Phase | 7–9 | Senior Phase on the DBE hub | Use the official Senior Phase list on the hub |
| FET Phase | 10–12 | FET Phase on the DBE hub | Use the official FET Phase list on the hub |
There is not one “Foundation Phase CAPS document” that covers every subject. Mathematics, Life Skills and each language have their own files.
Grade 7 is the first year of the Senior Phase. It is often taught in primary school, but you plan from Senior Phase CAPS files for Grade 7, not Intermediate Phase files.
What is inside a subject CAPS document?
A typical subject CAPS document has four parts:
- 1. Section 1 introduces the NCS and the aims and principles of the curriculum.
- 2. Section 2 explains the subject: time allocation, skills and how the subject is organised.
- 3. Section 3 sets out the content or topics by term or grade.
- 4. Section 4 sets out assessment for that subject, including formal assessment.
Exact tasks, weightings and the number of formal pieces differ by subject and grade. Use the Section 4 table in the file you are teaching from. Do not copy another subject’s programme of assessment. For the purpose behind Section 1, see What is the aim of CAPS?.
How to use CAPS this week
- 1. Open the official CAPS file for your subject and phase.
- 2. Check Section 3 for the topic and Section 4 for the formal assessment that sits in this term.
- 3. Use the current Annual Teaching Plan for the week-by-week sequence. The official ATP index still sits under the 2023/24 plans. Circular S19 of 2025 retains those ATPs with exclusions. Check the current official file for your subject.
- 4. Write the lesson plan for your class. CAPS and the ATP do not replace local school policy, language choices or learner support.
CAPS is the policy. It does not, by itself, give you every worksheet, reader or lesson. Pair it with the ATP, approved LTSM and the learners in front of you. Weekly walk-through: How the CAPS document helps teachers. Cross-phase ATP how-to: How to use the DBE’s Annual Teaching Plans.
Assessment in CAPS
CAPS assessment is both informal or daily assessment, used to see how learning is going, and formal assessment, which is recorded for progression and certification. Informal daily results are not used for promotion and certification. Section 4 of the subject CAPS sets the formal programme for that subject.
Older RNCS documents used learning outcomes and assessment standards. Those are not the main planning headings in a current CAPS subject file. See the glossary for those historical terms, and principles of CAPS for the NCS principles.
Official DBE documents
- Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS)
- National Curriculum Statements Grades R–12
- Annual Teaching Plans
- DBE Workbooks
Related CAPS123 pages
- CAPS ultimate guide
- How the CAPS document helps teachers
- What is the aim of CAPS?
- What are Annual Teaching Plans
- CAPS Terms Glossary
- A guide to the DBE workbooks
- CAPS document for the Intermediate Phase
- What are the principles of CAPS?
Check the live official page for the current file or circular. This page does not replace a subject CAPS document, ATP or promotion policy.