CAPS Ultimate Guide for Teachers — CAPS, NCS, ATP and What to Open First

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CAPS stands for Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement. It is the official subject policy that tells you what to teach and how that subject is assessed in Grades R to 12.

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 guide shows how the pieces fit. It is not an official DBE publication.

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How the pieces fit: CAPS, NCS, ATP, lesson plan

On the DBE site, a National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement is a single policy document for an approved school subject. CAPS subject documents replaced the older Subject and Learning Area Statements, Learning Programme Guidelines (LPGs) and Subject Assessment Guidelines (SAGs). Those older papers are historical. Do not plan from LPGs or SAGs as if they are current.

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 Subject policy: content, skills and assessment for one approved subject
NCS Grades R–12 Full policy that includes CAPS, promotion requirements and assessment protocol
ATP Year’s teaching sequence for a subject and grade — not a second CAPS document
Lesson plan Your plan for a lesson, day or week, built from CAPS and the ATP

CAPS subject documents replaced the older NCS subject statements, with phased implementation from around 2012 (Foundation Phase earlier in the roll-out). Prefer the official file for your subject and phase over any summary page.

Which CAPS document do you need?

Use the phase and the subject. The official CAPS index groups documents like this:

  • Foundation Phase: Grades R–3
  • Intermediate Phase: Grades 4–6
  • Senior Phase: Grades 7–9
  • FET Phase: Grades 10–12

There is not one “Foundation Phase CAPS” that covers every subject. Languages, Mathematics, Life Skills and the other approved subjects each have their own files. Open the official phase list, then the subject you teach.

What is inside a subject CAPS document?

A typical subject CAPS file 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.

Assessment in CAPS (high level)

CAPS assessment includes:

  • Informal or daily assessment — to see how learning is going
  • Formal assessment — recorded for progression and certification

Informal daily results are not used for promotion and certification. Section 4 of your subject CAPS sets the formal programme for that subject. The National Protocol for Assessment Grades R–12 sits alongside CAPS for recording and reporting rules.

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 historical terms, and principles of CAPS for the NCS principles in Section 1.

What to open first 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.
  5. Pair with approved LTSM and, where useful, DBE workbooks.

CAPS is the policy. It does not, by itself, give you every worksheet, reader or lesson.

Official DBE documents

Related CAPS123 pages

Check the live official page for the current file or circular. This page does not replace a subject CAPS document, ATP or promotion policy.