Practice paper 4 — Grade 10 Economics (Easified, CAPS-aligned)
Notes
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150 min · 64 Marks · 20 questions
Learn the paper in the app: notes, a marks breakdown, the formula you need, and the board working. You do not need to download it.
Economics Grade 10. Use this case. QwaQwa plot. A household in QwaQwa has one small plot. They can plant mielies or put a room on the plot and let it for R500 a month. They plant mielies. If letting the room was the next best use, the opportunity cost is the rent they do not earn. A dream of a spaza on the same land does not get added unless that spaza was truly the next choice, and scarcity is the single plot, which cannot be a field and a rental room at once. In sentences, say what Basic economic concepts is doing here, from the situation to the result.
Basic economic concepts
Notes: At a Tembisa school gate a data voucher and a past-paper book both cost R50, and the pocket holds only one of those amounts.
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: Economics Grade 10. Use this case. QwaQwa plot. A household in QwaQwa has one small plot. They can plant mielies or put a room on the plot and let it for R500 a month. They plant mielies. If letting the room was the next best use, the opportunity cost is the rent they do not earn. A dream of a spaza on the same land does not get added unless that spaza was truly the next choice, and scarcity is the single plot, which cannot be a field and a rental room at once. In sentences, say what Basic economic concepts is doing here, from the situation to the result.
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
Basic economic concepts. Money, time and goods are limited, so taking one use means not taking another. The opportunity cost is not every alternative on a long list, but the single next best thing that was actually given up. A third option that was never really in the running is not the opportunity cost. Without scarcity both options could be taken, and that particular opportunity cost would disappear.
2. What do we already know?
At a Tembisa school gate a data voucher and a past-paper book both cost R50, and the pocket holds only one of those amounts.
3. Which method — and why this one?
Basic economic concepts. Money, time and goods are limited, so taking one use means not taking another. The opportunity cost is not every alternative on a long list, but the single next best thing that was actually given up. A third option that was never really in the running is not the opportunity cost. Without scarcity both options could be taken, and that particular opportunity cost would disappear.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
What it is
Scarcity means wants are greater than resources, so every choice has an opportunity cost, which is the next best alternative given up.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
02 / 07
How it works
Money, time and goods are limited, so taking one use means not taking another. The opportunity cost is not every alternative on a long list, but the single next best thing that was actually given up. A third option that was never really in the running is not the opportunity cost. Without scarcity both options could be taken, and that particular opportunity cost would disappear.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
03 / 07
Worked theory
Worked theory. A learner in Tembisa has R50 on a Thursday. A weekend data bundle costs R50, and a past-paper book at the school gate also costs R50. She buys the data. The opportunity cost is the past-paper book, the next best thing she gave up, not every other item in a shop. Scarcity is the R50 that cannot cover both. If she had R100, both could be bought and this opportunity cost would not exist.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
04 / 07
Say it back
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
6. Check it like a marker
The answer names the situation, what changed, and the result. It does not stop at a heading.
7. A trap first-timers fall into
A common mix-up is calling the price the opportunity cost, when the price is what you pay and the opportunity cost is the other thing you can no longer have.
2 · 4 Marks · Circular flow
Economics Grade 10. Use this case. Mangaung bread loop. A baker in Mangaung pays a neighbour R3 000 to work in the bakery. The neighbour spends about R300 of that wage on the bakery's own bread and the rest at other local shops. Those shops also pay households. In the two-sector model, factor income and consumer spending keep chasing each other. The loaf is the real flow and the rand is the money flow. In sentences, say what Circular flow is doing here, from the situation to the result.
Circular flow
Notes: A Cape Town factory gate on payday, and a clothing rail where part of that wage comes back as a purchase.
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: Economics Grade 10. Use this case. Mangaung bread loop. A baker in Mangaung pays a neighbour R3 000 to work in the bakery. The neighbour spends about R300 of that wage on the bakery's own bread and the rest at other local shops. Those shops also pay households. In the two-sector model, factor income and consumer spending keep chasing each other. The loaf is the real flow and the rand is the money flow. In sentences, say what Circular flow is doing here, from the situation to the result.
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
Circular flow. The real flow is factors one way and goods the other way, and the money flow is income one way and spending the other way. Households own labour, land, capital and entrepreneurship, and firms pay wages, rent, interest and profit for them. In this simple picture there is no government, no financial sector and no foreign trade, so nothing is drawn leaking out. One person's wage becomes another firm's sales.
2. What do we already know?
A Cape Town factory gate on payday, and a clothing rail where part of that wage comes back as a purchase.
3. Which method — and why this one?
Circular flow. The real flow is factors one way and goods the other way, and the money flow is income one way and spending the other way. Households own labour, land, capital and entrepreneurship, and firms pay wages, rent, interest and profit for them. In this simple picture there is no government, no financial sector and no foreign trade, so nothing is drawn leaking out. One person's wage becomes another firm's sales.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
What it is
In a two-sector circular flow, households supply factors to firms, firms pay incomes, and households spend those incomes on the firms' goods and services.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
02 / 07
How it works
The real flow is factors one way and goods the other way, and the money flow is income one way and spending the other way. Households own labour, land, capital and entrepreneurship, and firms pay wages, rent, interest and profit for them. In this simple picture there is no government, no financial sector and no foreign trade, so nothing is drawn leaking out. One person's wage becomes another firm's sales.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
03 / 07
Worked theory
Worked theory. Naledi, a textile worker in Cape Town, works a month in a jeans factory and earns R6 000 in wages. That payment is income flowing from the firm to the household, in return for her labour. On payday she buys two pairs of jeans at R400 each from a shop supplied by factories like hers. That R800 is spending flowing back to firms, and the jeans are goods flowing to the household. In a two-sector picture the rest of the wage is also spent on goods, with no tax and no imports drawn on the diagram.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
04 / 07
Say it back
Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
6. Check it like a marker
The answer names the situation, what changed, and the result. It does not stop at a heading.
7. A trap first-timers fall into
A common mix-up is drawing tax or imports on a two-sector diagram, when those appear only after government and the foreign sector are added.
3 · 4 Marks · Business cycles
Economics Grade 10. Use this case. East London cement. During the 2020 lockdown many building jobs stopped, and a hardware store in East London watched contractors disappear. That sudden quiet matches a downswing, and for many firms those months felt like a trough. When building picks up and the same contractors return for cement, the store is in a new upswing. One store does not prove the national phase. Its direction is still the language of the cycle. In sentences, say what Business cycles is doing here, from the situation to the result.
Business cycles
Notes: A Johannesburg used-car lot that had weekend crowds in 2008 is quiet for long stretches in 2009.
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: Economics Grade 10. Use this case. East London cement. During the 2020 lockdown many building jobs stopped, and a hardware store in East London watched contractors disappear. That sudden quiet matches a downswing, and for many firms those months felt like a trough. When building picks up and the same contractors return for cement, the store is in a new upswing. One store does not prove the national phase. Its direction is still the language of the cycle. In sentences, say what Business cycles is doing here, from the situation to the result.
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
Business cycles. In an upswing, spending, production and jobs grow. The peak is the high point, where activity is stretched and the rise stops. The downswing is the fall: orders drop, shops quieten, and some people lose hours or jobs. The trough is the low point before a recovery begins, and these phases describe the economy's general direction, not one shop's bad Saturday.
2. What do we already know?
A Johannesburg used-car lot that had weekend crowds in 2008 is quiet for long stretches in 2009.
3. Which method — and why this one?
Business cycles. In an upswing, spending, production and jobs grow. The peak is the high point, where activity is stretched and the rise stops. The downswing is the fall: orders drop, shops quieten, and some people lose hours or jobs. The trough is the low point before a recovery begins, and these phases describe the economy's general direction, not one shop's bad Saturday.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
What it is
The business cycle moves through an upswing, a peak, a downswing and a trough as overall activity rises and falls.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
02 / 07
How it works
In an upswing, spending, production and jobs grow. The peak is the high point, where activity is stretched and the rise stops. The downswing is the fall: orders drop, shops quieten, and some people lose hours or jobs. The trough is the low point before a recovery begins, and these phases describe the economy's general direction, not one shop's bad Saturday.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
03 / 07
Worked theory
Worked theory. A used-car lot in Johannesburg is busy through 2008, with buyers taking cars off the front row most weekends, which fits an upswing near a peak. Through 2009 the same lot is quiet, cars sit for weeks, and the owner drops one car from R40 000 to R32 000 to find a buyer. That quiet stretch is the downswing heading toward a trough. The 2008-09 downturn was a real fall in activity. The lot illustrates the phases, and it is not a GDP figure.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
04 / 07
Say it back
Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
6. Check it like a marker
The answer names the situation, what changed, and the result. It does not stop at a heading.
7. A trap first-timers fall into
A common mix-up is calling any quiet month a trough, when a trough is the low point of the whole economy's cycle, not one slow Saturday.
4 · 4 Marks · Dynamics of markets
Economics Grade 10. Use this case. Tzaneen mango bags. A heavy season dumps extra mangoes on a Tzaneen roadside. Sellers ask R15 a bag and by afternoon the bags are still piled up. That pile is a surplus, because quantity supplied is above quantity demanded at R15. They drop the bag to R8 and the fruit clears. The lower price is how a surplus moves back toward equilibrium. In sentences, say what Dynamics of markets is doing here, from the situation to the result.
Dynamics of markets
Notes: On the Johannesburg market floor one morning, the usual Limpopo tomato crates are missing.
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: Economics Grade 10. Use this case. Tzaneen mango bags. A heavy season dumps extra mangoes on a Tzaneen roadside. Sellers ask R15 a bag and by afternoon the bags are still piled up. That pile is a surplus, because quantity supplied is above quantity demanded at R15. They drop the bag to R8 and the fruit clears. The lower price is how a surplus moves back toward equilibrium. In sentences, say what Dynamics of markets is doing here, from the situation to the result.
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
Dynamics of markets. Demand is how much buyers want at each price, and supply is how much sellers offer at each price. Equilibrium is where quantity demanded equals quantity supplied. Below that price, buyers want more than is offered and the shortage bids the price up. Above that price, unsold stock is a surplus and sellers cut the price to clear it, while a shock that cuts supply moves equilibrium to a higher price and a smaller quantity.
2. What do we already know?
On the Johannesburg market floor one morning, the usual Limpopo tomato crates are missing.
3. Which method — and why this one?
Dynamics of markets. Demand is how much buyers want at each price, and supply is how much sellers offer at each price. Equilibrium is where quantity demanded equals quantity supplied. Below that price, buyers want more than is offered and the shortage bids the price up. Above that price, unsold stock is a surplus and sellers cut the price to clear it, while a shock that cuts supply moves equilibrium to a higher price and a smaller quantity.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
What it is
Demand and supply meet at an equilibrium price and quantity, a shortage pushes price up, and a surplus pushes price down.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
02 / 07
How it works
Demand is how much buyers want at each price, and supply is how much sellers offer at each price. Equilibrium is where quantity demanded equals quantity supplied. Below that price, buyers want more than is offered and the shortage bids the price up. Above that price, unsold stock is a surplus and sellers cut the price to clear it, while a shock that cuts supply moves equilibrium to a higher price and a smaller quantity.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
03 / 07
Worked theory
Worked theory. Tomatoes usually sell at the Johannesburg fresh produce market for about R10 a kilogram, where crates arriving match what buyers take. A hailstorm in Limpopo destroys a large part of the crop, so fewer crates arrive. At R10 a kilogram buyers still want the old amount and there is a shortage. The price on the floor rises to about R18 a kilogram until the smaller supply matches what buyers will still take. That higher price is the new equilibrium after supply fell. The hail did not create a surplus.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
04 / 07
Say it back
A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
6. Check it like a marker
The answer names the situation, what changed, and the result. It does not stop at a heading.
7. A trap first-timers fall into
A common mix-up is saying a higher price causes a shortage, when a shortage is what appears if price stays too low after supply has fallen.
5 · 4 Marks · Basic economic concepts
Economics Grade 10. Use this case. Simon's Town patrol. A naval patrol off Simon's Town protects ships in the area whether or not a particular trawler paid an extra fee that week. One more fishing boat does not use the patrol up. People who pay little tax are still covered, which is why defence is treated as a public good. A sandwich at a school tuckshop is the opposite: refuse to pay and you do not get it, and once it is eaten nobody else can have it. The difference is excludability and rivalry, not whether the thing is useful. In sentences, say what Public sector is doing here, from the situation to the result.
Basic economic concepts
Notes: A lit corner in Khayelitsha stays bright for every walker, whether or not that walker paid rates.
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: Economics Grade 10. Use this case. Simon's Town patrol. A naval patrol off Simon's Town protects ships in the area whether or not a particular trawler paid an extra fee that week. One more fishing boat does not use the patrol up. People who pay little tax are still covered, which is why defence is treated as a public good. A sandwich at a school tuckshop is the opposite: refuse to pay and you do not get it, and once it is eaten nobody else can have it. The difference is excludability and rivalry, not whether the thing is useful. In sentences, say what Public sector is doing here, from the situation to the result.
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
Public sector. A public good is non-excludable and non-rival: non-payers cannot easily be shut out, and one extra user does not use it up. Street lighting is the usual case, so a private shop struggles to send each passer-by a bill. A merit good, such as schooling or basic health care, can be sold, and a seat or a bed can fill up, but government still supports it because the wider benefit is larger than what a poor household would pay. Tax is how the revenue is raised, while private goods, such as a loaf, stay excludable because the seller can refuse a non-payer.
2. What do we already know?
A lit corner in Khayelitsha stays bright for every walker, whether or not that walker paid rates.
3. Which method — and why this one?
Public sector. A public good is non-excludable and non-rival: non-payers cannot easily be shut out, and one extra user does not use it up. Street lighting is the usual case, so a private shop struggles to send each passer-by a bill. A merit good, such as schooling or basic health care, can be sold, and a seat or a bed can fill up, but government still supports it because the wider benefit is larger than what a poor household would pay. Tax is how the revenue is raised, while private goods, such as a loaf, stay excludable because the seller can refuse a non-payer.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
What it is
The public sector raises tax to fund government activity, including public goods that private sellers cannot easily charge for, and merit goods that society wants people to have.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
02 / 07
How it works
A public good is non-excludable and non-rival: non-payers cannot easily be shut out, and one extra user does not use it up. Street lighting is the usual case, so a private shop struggles to send each passer-by a bill. A merit good, such as schooling or basic health care, can be sold, and a seat or a bed can fill up, but government still supports it because the wider benefit is larger than what a poor household would pay. Tax is how the revenue is raised, while private goods, such as a loaf, stay excludable because the seller can refuse a non-payer.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
03 / 07
Worked theory
Worked theory. On a corner in Khayelitsha a streetlight stays on after dark. Everyone who walks there can see, including a person who paid no rates, because the municipality cannot switch the lamp off for non-payers only. One extra walker does not dim it for the others. A private shop will not erect the pole, because it cannot collect a fee from each person who passes. Tax revenue pays for the pole and the bulb. The light is a public good. A loaf at the spaza on the same corner is not, because the shop can refuse anyone who does not pay.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
04 / 07
Say it back
A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
6. Check it like a marker
The answer names the situation, what changed, and the result. It does not stop at a heading.
7. A trap first-timers fall into
A common mix-up is calling any government service a public good, when a hospital bed can be full, so it is rival and is better described as a merit good.
6 · 8 Marks · Basic economic concepts
Economics Grade 10. Use this case. Pietermaritzburg Saturday choice. A Grade 11 boy in Pietermaritzburg can work a Saturday shop shift for R200 or attend a soccer trial the same morning. He cannot do both, and he chooses the trial. The opportunity cost is the R200 shift, the next best use of that morning. Scarcity here is time, not only rands. The bus fare to the trial is a money cost of going, and it is not the opportunity cost. In sentences, say what Basic economic concepts is doing here, from the situation to the result.
Basic economic concepts
Notes: At a Tembisa school gate a data voucher and a past-paper book both cost R50, and the pocket holds only one of those amounts.
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: Economics Grade 10. Use this case. Pietermaritzburg Saturday choice. A Grade 11 boy in Pietermaritzburg can work a Saturday shop shift for R200 or attend a soccer trial the same morning. He cannot do both, and he chooses the trial. The opportunity cost is the R200 shift, the next best use of that morning. Scarcity here is time, not only rands. The bus fare to the trial is a money cost of going, and it is not the opportunity cost. In sentences, say what Basic economic concepts is doing here, from the situation to the result.
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
Basic economic concepts. Money, time and goods are limited, so taking one use means not taking another. The opportunity cost is not every alternative on a long list, but the single next best thing that was actually given up. A third option that was never really in the running is not the opportunity cost. Without scarcity both options could be taken, and that particular opportunity cost would disappear.
2. What do we already know?
At a Tembisa school gate a data voucher and a past-paper book both cost R50, and the pocket holds only one of those amounts.
3. Which method — and why this one?
Basic economic concepts. Money, time and goods are limited, so taking one use means not taking another. The opportunity cost is not every alternative on a long list, but the single next best thing that was actually given up. A third option that was never really in the running is not the opportunity cost. Without scarcity both options could be taken, and that particular opportunity cost would disappear.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
What it is
Scarcity means wants are greater than resources, so every choice has an opportunity cost, which is the next best alternative given up.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
02 / 07
How it works
Money, time and goods are limited, so taking one use means not taking another. The opportunity cost is not every alternative on a long list, but the single next best thing that was actually given up. A third option that was never really in the running is not the opportunity cost. Without scarcity both options could be taken, and that particular opportunity cost would disappear.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
03 / 07
Worked theory
Worked theory. A learner in Tembisa has R50 on a Thursday. A weekend data bundle costs R50, and a past-paper book at the school gate also costs R50. She buys the data. The opportunity cost is the past-paper book, the next best thing she gave up, not every other item in a shop. Scarcity is the R50 that cannot cover both. If she had R100, both could be bought and this opportunity cost would not exist.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
04 / 07
Say it back
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
6. Check it like a marker
The answer names the situation, what changed, and the result. It does not stop at a heading.
7. A trap first-timers fall into
A common mix-up is calling the price the opportunity cost, when the price is what you pay and the opportunity cost is the other thing you can no longer have.
7 · 4 Marks · Circular flow
Economics Grade 10. Use this case. Dobsonville Saturday wash. Teenagers in Dobsonville wash cars on a Saturday and drivers pay R80 a wash. The drivers are households spending income they earned in their own jobs. The wash team supplies labour to a tiny firm, even a street firm, and the R80 is consumer spending. When the team then buys cold drink at a spaza, the spending flows on. No tax office and no import are required to see this simple circle. In sentences, say what Circular flow is doing here, from the situation to the result.
Circular flow
Notes: A Cape Town factory gate on payday, and a clothing rail where part of that wage comes back as a purchase.
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: Economics Grade 10. Use this case. Dobsonville Saturday wash. Teenagers in Dobsonville wash cars on a Saturday and drivers pay R80 a wash. The drivers are households spending income they earned in their own jobs. The wash team supplies labour to a tiny firm, even a street firm, and the R80 is consumer spending. When the team then buys cold drink at a spaza, the spending flows on. No tax office and no import are required to see this simple circle. In sentences, say what Circular flow is doing here, from the situation to the result.
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
Circular flow. The real flow is factors one way and goods the other way, and the money flow is income one way and spending the other way. Households own labour, land, capital and entrepreneurship, and firms pay wages, rent, interest and profit for them. In this simple picture there is no government, no financial sector and no foreign trade, so nothing is drawn leaking out. One person's wage becomes another firm's sales.
2. What do we already know?
A Cape Town factory gate on payday, and a clothing rail where part of that wage comes back as a purchase.
3. Which method — and why this one?
Circular flow. The real flow is factors one way and goods the other way, and the money flow is income one way and spending the other way. Households own labour, land, capital and entrepreneurship, and firms pay wages, rent, interest and profit for them. In this simple picture there is no government, no financial sector and no foreign trade, so nothing is drawn leaking out. One person's wage becomes another firm's sales.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
What it is
In a two-sector circular flow, households supply factors to firms, firms pay incomes, and households spend those incomes on the firms' goods and services.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
02 / 07
How it works
The real flow is factors one way and goods the other way, and the money flow is income one way and spending the other way. Households own labour, land, capital and entrepreneurship, and firms pay wages, rent, interest and profit for them. In this simple picture there is no government, no financial sector and no foreign trade, so nothing is drawn leaking out. One person's wage becomes another firm's sales.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
03 / 07
Worked theory
Worked theory. Naledi, a textile worker in Cape Town, works a month in a jeans factory and earns R6 000 in wages. That payment is income flowing from the firm to the household, in return for her labour. On payday she buys two pairs of jeans at R400 each from a shop supplied by factories like hers. That R800 is spending flowing back to firms, and the jeans are goods flowing to the household. In a two-sector picture the rest of the wage is also spent on goods, with no tax and no imports drawn on the diagram.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
04 / 07
Say it back
Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
6. Check it like a marker
The answer names the situation, what changed, and the result. It does not stop at a heading.
7. A trap first-timers fall into
A common mix-up is drawing tax or imports on a two-sector diagram, when those appear only after government and the foreign sector are added.
8 · 4 Marks · Business cycles
Economics Grade 10. Use this case. Cape Town bookings. A bed and breakfast in Cape Town has full weekends for two years, then bookings thin month after month and the owner stops hiring a weekend cleaner. The full years illustrate an upswing moving toward a peak. The long thinning is a downswing. The trough is the point at which bookings stop falling, not the first quiet weekend. A later return of weekend guests would be the next upswing. In sentences, say what Business cycles is doing here, from the situation to the result.
Business cycles
Notes: A Johannesburg used-car lot that had weekend crowds in 2008 is quiet for long stretches in 2009.
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: Economics Grade 10. Use this case. Cape Town bookings. A bed and breakfast in Cape Town has full weekends for two years, then bookings thin month after month and the owner stops hiring a weekend cleaner. The full years illustrate an upswing moving toward a peak. The long thinning is a downswing. The trough is the point at which bookings stop falling, not the first quiet weekend. A later return of weekend guests would be the next upswing. In sentences, say what Business cycles is doing here, from the situation to the result.
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
Business cycles. In an upswing, spending, production and jobs grow. The peak is the high point, where activity is stretched and the rise stops. The downswing is the fall: orders drop, shops quieten, and some people lose hours or jobs. The trough is the low point before a recovery begins, and these phases describe the economy's general direction, not one shop's bad Saturday.
2. What do we already know?
A Johannesburg used-car lot that had weekend crowds in 2008 is quiet for long stretches in 2009.
3. Which method — and why this one?
Business cycles. In an upswing, spending, production and jobs grow. The peak is the high point, where activity is stretched and the rise stops. The downswing is the fall: orders drop, shops quieten, and some people lose hours or jobs. The trough is the low point before a recovery begins, and these phases describe the economy's general direction, not one shop's bad Saturday.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
What it is
The business cycle moves through an upswing, a peak, a downswing and a trough as overall activity rises and falls.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
02 / 07
How it works
In an upswing, spending, production and jobs grow. The peak is the high point, where activity is stretched and the rise stops. The downswing is the fall: orders drop, shops quieten, and some people lose hours or jobs. The trough is the low point before a recovery begins, and these phases describe the economy's general direction, not one shop's bad Saturday.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
03 / 07
Worked theory
Worked theory. A used-car lot in Johannesburg is busy through 2008, with buyers taking cars off the front row most weekends, which fits an upswing near a peak. Through 2009 the same lot is quiet, cars sit for weeks, and the owner drops one car from R40 000 to R32 000 to find a buyer. That quiet stretch is the downswing heading toward a trough. The 2008-09 downturn was a real fall in activity. The lot illustrates the phases, and it is not a GDP figure.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
04 / 07
Say it back
Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
6. Check it like a marker
The answer names the situation, what changed, and the result. It does not stop at a heading.
7. A trap first-timers fall into
A common mix-up is calling any quiet month a trough, when a trough is the low point of the whole economy's cycle, not one slow Saturday.
9 · 4 Marks · Dynamics of markets
Economics Grade 10. Use this case. Diepsloot potato week. A spaza in Diepsloot usually receives 30 bags of potatoes and sells them at R40. One week only 10 bags arrive. At R40 they are gone by Tuesday and people are still asking, which is a shortage. The price moves to about R70 and fewer households still take a bag. The higher price rations the smaller supply and does not bring the missing bags back onto the shelf. In sentences, say what Dynamics of markets is doing here, from the situation to the result.
Dynamics of markets
Notes: On the Johannesburg market floor one morning, the usual Limpopo tomato crates are missing.
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: Economics Grade 10. Use this case. Diepsloot potato week. A spaza in Diepsloot usually receives 30 bags of potatoes and sells them at R40. One week only 10 bags arrive. At R40 they are gone by Tuesday and people are still asking, which is a shortage. The price moves to about R70 and fewer households still take a bag. The higher price rations the smaller supply and does not bring the missing bags back onto the shelf. In sentences, say what Dynamics of markets is doing here, from the situation to the result.
Before any working — hunt first
Given
Numbers and units already in the sentence: 10 · 30 bags · R40 · 10 bags · R40 they · R70 and. Copy each one into a column. A name without a number is not given.
Missing
After you copy the given, the letter that still has no number is missing. The paper is pointing at: which is a shortage. Circle that word — that is the missing variable.
Find
We are required to find: which is a shortage. Write that as a symbol on the left, with a question mark, before you touch a formula.
Calculate
What we need to calculate: Dynamics of markets. Then substitute the given, one line at a time, to get which is a shortage.
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
Dynamics of markets. Demand is how much buyers want at each price, and supply is how much sellers offer at each price. Equilibrium is where quantity demanded equals quantity supplied. Below that price, buyers want more than is offered and the shortage bids the price up. Above that price, unsold stock is a surplus and sellers cut the price to clear it, while a shock that cuts supply moves equilibrium to a higher price and a smaller quantity.
2. What do we already know?
On the Johannesburg market floor one morning, the usual Limpopo tomato crates are missing.
3. Which method — and why this one?
Dynamics of markets. Demand is how much buyers want at each price, and supply is how much sellers offer at each price. Equilibrium is where quantity demanded equals quantity supplied. Below that price, buyers want more than is offered and the shortage bids the price up. Above that price, unsold stock is a surplus and sellers cut the price to clear it, while a shock that cuts supply moves equilibrium to a higher price and a smaller quantity.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
What it is
Demand and supply meet at an equilibrium price and quantity, a shortage pushes price up, and a surplus pushes price down.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
02 / 07
How it works
Demand is how much buyers want at each price, and supply is how much sellers offer at each price. Equilibrium is where quantity demanded equals quantity supplied. Below that price, buyers want more than is offered and the shortage bids the price up. Above that price, unsold stock is a surplus and sellers cut the price to clear it, while a shock that cuts supply moves equilibrium to a higher price and a smaller quantity.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
03 / 07
Worked theory
Worked theory. Tomatoes usually sell at the Johannesburg fresh produce market for about R10 a kilogram, where crates arriving match what buyers take. A hailstorm in Limpopo destroys a large part of the crop, so fewer crates arrive. At R10 a kilogram buyers still want the old amount and there is a shortage. The price on the floor rises to about R18 a kilogram until the smaller supply matches what buyers will still take. That higher price is the new equilibrium after supply fell. The hail did not create a surplus.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
04 / 07
Say it back
A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
6. Check it like a marker
The answer names the situation, what changed, and the result. It does not stop at a heading.
7. A trap first-timers fall into
A common mix-up is saying a higher price causes a shortage, when a shortage is what appears if price stays too low after supply has fallen.
10 · 4 Marks · Basic economic concepts
Economics Grade 10. Use this case. Lusikisiki classroom. A no-fee school in Lusikisiki teaches children whose households could not pay full fees. Education can be sold by a private school, so it is not a pure public good, and a classroom seat can also fill up. Government still funds it as a merit good because the benefit to the child and the town is larger than the fee a poor household would manage. Tax is what keeps the teachers paid. The school is public support, not the same idea as a streetlight. In sentences, say what Public sector is doing here, from the situation to the result.
Basic economic concepts
Notes: A lit corner in Khayelitsha stays bright for every walker, whether or not that walker paid rates.
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: Economics Grade 10. Use this case. Lusikisiki classroom. A no-fee school in Lusikisiki teaches children whose households could not pay full fees. Education can be sold by a private school, so it is not a pure public good, and a classroom seat can also fill up. Government still funds it as a merit good because the benefit to the child and the town is larger than the fee a poor household would manage. Tax is what keeps the teachers paid. The school is public support, not the same idea as a streetlight. In sentences, say what Public sector is doing here, from the situation to the result.
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
Public sector. A public good is non-excludable and non-rival: non-payers cannot easily be shut out, and one extra user does not use it up. Street lighting is the usual case, so a private shop struggles to send each passer-by a bill. A merit good, such as schooling or basic health care, can be sold, and a seat or a bed can fill up, but government still supports it because the wider benefit is larger than what a poor household would pay. Tax is how the revenue is raised, while private goods, such as a loaf, stay excludable because the seller can refuse a non-payer.
2. What do we already know?
A lit corner in Khayelitsha stays bright for every walker, whether or not that walker paid rates.
3. Which method — and why this one?
Public sector. A public good is non-excludable and non-rival: non-payers cannot easily be shut out, and one extra user does not use it up. Street lighting is the usual case, so a private shop struggles to send each passer-by a bill. A merit good, such as schooling or basic health care, can be sold, and a seat or a bed can fill up, but government still supports it because the wider benefit is larger than what a poor household would pay. Tax is how the revenue is raised, while private goods, such as a loaf, stay excludable because the seller can refuse a non-payer.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
What it is
The public sector raises tax to fund government activity, including public goods that private sellers cannot easily charge for, and merit goods that society wants people to have.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
02 / 07
How it works
A public good is non-excludable and non-rival: non-payers cannot easily be shut out, and one extra user does not use it up. Street lighting is the usual case, so a private shop struggles to send each passer-by a bill. A merit good, such as schooling or basic health care, can be sold, and a seat or a bed can fill up, but government still supports it because the wider benefit is larger than what a poor household would pay. Tax is how the revenue is raised, while private goods, such as a loaf, stay excludable because the seller can refuse a non-payer.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
03 / 07
Worked theory
Worked theory. On a corner in Khayelitsha a streetlight stays on after dark. Everyone who walks there can see, including a person who paid no rates, because the municipality cannot switch the lamp off for non-payers only. One extra walker does not dim it for the others. A private shop will not erect the pole, because it cannot collect a fee from each person who passes. Tax revenue pays for the pole and the bulb. The light is a public good. A loaf at the spaza on the same corner is not, because the shop can refuse anyone who does not pay.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
04 / 07
Say it back
A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
6. Check it like a marker
The answer names the situation, what changed, and the result. It does not stop at a heading.
7. A trap first-timers fall into
A common mix-up is calling any government service a public good, when a hospital bed can be full, so it is rival and is better described as a merit good.
11 · 2 Marks · Circular flow
Worked theory. Naledi, a textile worker in Cape Town, works a month in a jeans factory and earns R6 000 in wages. That payment is income flowing from the firm to the household, in return for her labour. On payday she buys two pairs of jeans at R400 each from a shop supplied by factories like hers. That R800 is spending flowing back to firms, and the jeans are goods flowing to the household. In a two-sector picture the rest of the wage is also spent on goods, with no tax and no imports drawn on the diagram. What does this case show about Circular flow?
Circular flow
Notes: In a two-sector circular flow, households supply factors to firms, firms pay incomes, and households spend those incomes on the firms' goods and services.
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: Worked theory. Naledi, a textile worker in Cape Town, works a month in a jeans factory and earns R6 000 in wages. That payment is income flowing from the firm to the household, in return for her labour. On payday she buys two pairs of jeans at R400 each from a shop supplied by factories like hers. That R800 is spending flowing back to firms, and the jeans are goods flowing to the household. In a two-sector picture the rest of the wage is also spent on goods, with no tax and no imports drawn on the diagram. What does this case show about Circular flow?
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
2. What do we already know?
In a two-sector circular flow, households supply factors to firms, firms pay incomes, and households spend those incomes on the firms' goods and services.
3. Which method — and why this one?
Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
Step A — Read the question twice
Slow down. Circle the word that names the unknown. Underline every number and its unit. Do not grab a formula yet — first decide what the paper is actually asking.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
02 / 07
Step B — Write the given in a column
In a two-sector circular flow, households supply factors to firms, firms pay incomes, and households spend those incomes on the firms' goods and services.
Why this step: A column with units stops you mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds. Markers can also see you started correctly.
03 / 07
Step C — Name the method in words
Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
04 / 07
Working
The real flow is factors one way and goods the other way, and the money flow is income one way and spending the other way. Households own labour, land, capital and entrepreneurship, and firms pay wages, rent, interest and profit for them. In this simple picture there is no government, no financial sector and no foreign trade, so nothing is drawn leaking out. One person's wage becomes another firm's sales.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
6. Check it like a marker
Does your answer appear as one of the options? Do the units match what was asked (m, N, J, °)? If you put the number back into the original equation, does it still hold? Estimate: is the size sensible?
7. A trap first-timers fall into
First-timers often grab the first formula they remember, mix units (cm with m, minutes with seconds), or drop a minus sign. Write the formula in words first: “this equals that, because…”
12 · 2 Marks · Public sector
Worked theory. On a corner in Khayelitsha a streetlight stays on after dark. Everyone who walks there can see, including a person who paid no rates, because the municipality cannot switch the lamp off for non-payers only. One extra walker does not dim it for the others. A private shop will not erect the pole, because it cannot collect a fee from each person who passes. Tax revenue pays for the pole and the bulb. The light is a public good. A loaf at the spaza on the same corner is not, because the shop can refuse anyone who does not pay. What does this case show about Public sector?
Public sector
Notes: The public sector raises tax to fund government activity, including public goods that private sellers cannot easily charge for, and merit goods that society wants people to have.
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: Worked theory. On a corner in Khayelitsha a streetlight stays on after dark. Everyone who walks there can see, including a person who paid no rates, because the municipality cannot switch the lamp off for non-payers only. One extra walker does not dim it for the others. A private shop will not erect the pole, because it cannot collect a fee from each person who passes. Tax revenue pays for the pole and the bulb. The light is a public good. A loaf at the spaza on the same corner is not, because the shop can refuse anyone who does not pay. What does this case show about Public sector?
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
2. What do we already know?
The public sector raises tax to fund government activity, including public goods that private sellers cannot easily charge for, and merit goods that society wants people to have.
3. Which method — and why this one?
A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
Step A — Read the question twice
Slow down. Circle the word that names the unknown. Underline every number and its unit. Do not grab a formula yet — first decide what the paper is actually asking.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
02 / 07
Step B — Write the given in a column
The public sector raises tax to fund government activity, including public goods that private sellers cannot easily charge for, and merit goods that society wants people to have.
Why this step: A column with units stops you mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds. Markers can also see you started correctly.
03 / 07
Step C — Name the method in words
A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
04 / 07
Working
A public good is non-excludable and non-rival: non-payers cannot easily be shut out, and one extra user does not use it up. Street lighting is the usual case, so a private shop struggles to send each passer-by a bill. A merit good, such as schooling or basic health care, can be sold, and a seat or a bed can fill up, but government still supports it because the wider benefit is larger than what a poor household would pay. Tax is how the revenue is raised, while private goods, such as a loaf, stay excludable because the seller can refuse a non-payer.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
6. Check it like a marker
Does your answer appear as one of the options? Do the units match what was asked (m, N, J, °)? If you put the number back into the original equation, does it still hold? Estimate: is the size sensible?
7. A trap first-timers fall into
First-timers often grab the first formula they remember, mix units (cm with m, minutes with seconds), or drop a minus sign. Write the formula in words first: “this equals that, because…”
13 · 2 Marks · Basic economic concepts
Worked theory. A learner in Tembisa has R50 on a Thursday. A weekend data bundle costs R50, and a past-paper book at the school gate also costs R50. She buys the data. The opportunity cost is the past-paper book, the next best thing she gave up, not every other item in a shop. Scarcity is the R50 that cannot cover both. If she had R100, both could be bought and this opportunity cost would not exist. What does this case show about Basic economic concepts?
Basic economic concepts
Notes: Scarcity means wants are greater than resources, so every choice has an opportunity cost, which is the next best alternative given up.
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: Worked theory. A learner in Tembisa has R50 on a Thursday. A weekend data bundle costs R50, and a past-paper book at the school gate also costs R50. She buys the data. The opportunity cost is the past-paper book, the next best thing she gave up, not every other item in a shop. Scarcity is the R50 that cannot cover both. If she had R100, both could be bought and this opportunity cost would not exist. What does this case show about Basic economic concepts?
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
2. What do we already know?
Scarcity means wants are greater than resources, so every choice has an opportunity cost, which is the next best alternative given up.
3. Which method — and why this one?
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
Step A — Read the question twice
Slow down. Circle the word that names the unknown. Underline every number and its unit. Do not grab a formula yet — first decide what the paper is actually asking.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
02 / 07
Step B — Write the given in a column
Scarcity means wants are greater than resources, so every choice has an opportunity cost, which is the next best alternative given up.
Why this step: A column with units stops you mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds. Markers can also see you started correctly.
03 / 07
Step C — Name the method in words
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
04 / 07
Working
Money, time and goods are limited, so taking one use means not taking another. The opportunity cost is not every alternative on a long list, but the single next best thing that was actually given up. A third option that was never really in the running is not the opportunity cost. Without scarcity both options could be taken, and that particular opportunity cost would disappear.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
6. Check it like a marker
Does your answer appear as one of the options? Do the units match what was asked (m, N, J, °)? If you put the number back into the original equation, does it still hold? Estimate: is the size sensible?
7. A trap first-timers fall into
First-timers often grab the first formula they remember, mix units (cm with m, minutes with seconds), or drop a minus sign. Write the formula in words first: “this equals that, because…”
14 · 2 Marks · Dynamics of markets
Worked theory. Tomatoes usually sell at the Johannesburg fresh produce market for about R10 a kilogram, where crates arriving match what buyers take. A hailstorm in Limpopo destroys a large part of the crop, so fewer crates arrive. At R10 a kilogram buyers still want the old amount and there is a shortage. The price on the floor rises to about R18 a kilogram until the smaller supply matches what buyers will still take. That higher price is the new equilibrium after supply fell. The hail did not create a surplus. What does this case show about Dynamics of markets?
Dynamics of markets
Notes: Demand and supply meet at an equilibrium price and quantity, a shortage pushes price up, and a surplus pushes price down.
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: Worked theory. Tomatoes usually sell at the Johannesburg fresh produce market for about R10 a kilogram, where crates arriving match what buyers take. A hailstorm in Limpopo destroys a large part of the crop, so fewer crates arrive. At R10 a kilogram buyers still want the old amount and there is a shortage. The price on the floor rises to about R18 a kilogram until the smaller supply matches what buyers will still take. That higher price is the new equilibrium after supply fell. The hail did not create a surplus. What does this case show about Dynamics of markets?
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
2. What do we already know?
Demand and supply meet at an equilibrium price and quantity, a shortage pushes price up, and a surplus pushes price down.
3. Which method — and why this one?
A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
Step A — Read the question twice
Slow down. Circle the word that names the unknown. Underline every number and its unit. Do not grab a formula yet — first decide what the paper is actually asking.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
02 / 07
Step B — Write the given in a column
Demand and supply meet at an equilibrium price and quantity, a shortage pushes price up, and a surplus pushes price down.
Why this step: A column with units stops you mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds. Markers can also see you started correctly.
03 / 07
Step C — Name the method in words
A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
04 / 07
Working
Demand is how much buyers want at each price, and supply is how much sellers offer at each price. Equilibrium is where quantity demanded equals quantity supplied. Below that price, buyers want more than is offered and the shortage bids the price up. Above that price, unsold stock is a surplus and sellers cut the price to clear it, while a shock that cuts supply moves equilibrium to a higher price and a smaller quantity.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
6. Check it like a marker
Does your answer appear as one of the options? Do the units match what was asked (m, N, J, °)? If you put the number back into the original equation, does it still hold? Estimate: is the size sensible?
7. A trap first-timers fall into
First-timers often grab the first formula they remember, mix units (cm with m, minutes with seconds), or drop a minus sign. Write the formula in words first: “this equals that, because…”
15 · 2 Marks · Circular flow
What is the answer to keep for Circular flow?
Circular flow
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: What is the answer to keep for Circular flow?
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
2. What do we already know?
Copy these onto the left of your page, one per line, with units: every number and its unit in the sentence. Mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds, loses a method mark.
3. Which method — and why this one?
Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
Step A — Read the question twice
Slow down. Circle the word that names the unknown. Underline every number and its unit. Do not grab a formula yet — first decide what the paper is actually asking.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
02 / 07
Step B — Write the given in a column
Copy these onto the left of your page, one per line, with units: every number and its unit in the sentence. Mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds, loses a method mark.
Why this step: A column with units stops you mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds. Markers can also see you started correctly.
03 / 07
Step C — Name the method in words
Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
04 / 07
Working
Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: Households give factors and receive income, and firms give goods and receive spending.
6. Check it like a marker
Does your answer appear as one of the options? Do the units match what was asked (m, N, J, °)? If you put the number back into the original equation, does it still hold? Estimate: is the size sensible?
7. A trap first-timers fall into
First-timers often grab the first formula they remember, mix units (cm with m, minutes with seconds), or drop a minus sign. Write the formula in words first: “this equals that, because…”
16 · 2 Marks · Dynamics of markets
What is the answer to keep for Dynamics of markets?
Dynamics of markets
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: What is the answer to keep for Dynamics of markets?
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
2. What do we already know?
Copy these onto the left of your page, one per line, with units: every number and its unit in the sentence. Mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds, loses a method mark.
3. Which method — and why this one?
A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
Step A — Read the question twice
Slow down. Circle the word that names the unknown. Underline every number and its unit. Do not grab a formula yet — first decide what the paper is actually asking.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
02 / 07
Step B — Write the given in a column
Copy these onto the left of your page, one per line, with units: every number and its unit in the sentence. Mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds, loses a method mark.
Why this step: A column with units stops you mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds. Markers can also see you started correctly.
03 / 07
Step C — Name the method in words
A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
04 / 07
Working
A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: A shortage means buyers want more than is offered, so price rises, and a surplus does the opposite.
6. Check it like a marker
Does your answer appear as one of the options? Do the units match what was asked (m, N, J, °)? If you put the number back into the original equation, does it still hold? Estimate: is the size sensible?
7. A trap first-timers fall into
First-timers often grab the first formula they remember, mix units (cm with m, minutes with seconds), or drop a minus sign. Write the formula in words first: “this equals that, because…”
17 · 2 Marks · Basic economic concepts
What is the answer to keep for Basic economic concepts?
Basic economic concepts
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: What is the answer to keep for Basic economic concepts?
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
2. What do we already know?
Copy these onto the left of your page, one per line, with units: every number and its unit in the sentence. Mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds, loses a method mark.
3. Which method — and why this one?
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
Step A — Read the question twice
Slow down. Circle the word that names the unknown. Underline every number and its unit. Do not grab a formula yet — first decide what the paper is actually asking.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
02 / 07
Step B — Write the given in a column
Copy these onto the left of your page, one per line, with units: every number and its unit in the sentence. Mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds, loses a method mark.
Why this step: A column with units stops you mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds. Markers can also see you started correctly.
03 / 07
Step C — Name the method in words
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
04 / 07
Working
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: Opportunity cost is the next best alternative you give up, not the price on the tag.
6. Check it like a marker
Does your answer appear as one of the options? Do the units match what was asked (m, N, J, °)? If you put the number back into the original equation, does it still hold? Estimate: is the size sensible?
7. A trap first-timers fall into
First-timers often grab the first formula they remember, mix units (cm with m, minutes with seconds), or drop a minus sign. Write the formula in words first: “this equals that, because…”
18 · 2 Marks · Business cycles
What is the answer to keep for Business cycles?
Business cycles
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: What is the answer to keep for Business cycles?
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
2. What do we already know?
Copy these onto the left of your page, one per line, with units: every number and its unit in the sentence. Mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds, loses a method mark.
3. Which method — and why this one?
Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
Step A — Read the question twice
Slow down. Circle the word that names the unknown. Underline every number and its unit. Do not grab a formula yet — first decide what the paper is actually asking.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
02 / 07
Step B — Write the given in a column
Copy these onto the left of your page, one per line, with units: every number and its unit in the sentence. Mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds, loses a method mark.
Why this step: A column with units stops you mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds. Markers can also see you started correctly.
03 / 07
Step C — Name the method in words
Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
04 / 07
Working
Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
6. Check it like a marker
Does your answer appear as one of the options? Do the units match what was asked (m, N, J, °)? If you put the number back into the original equation, does it still hold? Estimate: is the size sensible?
7. A trap first-timers fall into
First-timers often grab the first formula they remember, mix units (cm with m, minutes with seconds), or drop a minus sign. Write the formula in words first: “this equals that, because…”
19 · 2 Marks · Business cycles
Worked theory. A used-car lot in Johannesburg is busy through 2008, with buyers taking cars off the front row most weekends, which fits an upswing near a peak. Through 2009 the same lot is quiet, cars sit for weeks, and the owner drops one car from R40 000 to R32 000 to find a buyer. That quiet stretch is the downswing heading toward a trough. The 2008-09 downturn was a real fall in activity. The lot illustrates the phases, and it is not a GDP figure. What does this case show about Business cycles?
Business cycles
Notes: The business cycle moves through an upswing, a peak, a downswing and a trough as overall activity rises and falls.
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: Worked theory. A used-car lot in Johannesburg is busy through 2008, with buyers taking cars off the front row most weekends, which fits an upswing near a peak. Through 2009 the same lot is quiet, cars sit for weeks, and the owner drops one car from R40 000 to R32 000 to find a buyer. That quiet stretch is the downswing heading toward a trough. The 2008-09 downturn was a real fall in activity. The lot illustrates the phases, and it is not a GDP figure. What does this case show about Business cycles?
Before any working — hunt first
Given
Numbers and units already in the sentence: 2008 · 2009 the · R40 · 000 to · R32 · 000 to · 2008 · 09 downturn. Copy each one into a column. A name without a number is not given.
Missing
After you copy the given, the letter that still has no number is missing. The paper is pointing at: a buyer. Circle that word — that is the missing variable.
Find
We are required to find: a buyer. Write that as a symbol on the left, with a question mark, before you touch a formula.
Calculate
What we need to calculate: Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms. Then substitute the given, one line at a time, to get a buyer.
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
2. What do we already know?
The business cycle moves through an upswing, a peak, a downswing and a trough as overall activity rises and falls.
3. Which method — and why this one?
Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 08
Step A — Read the question twice
Slow down. Circle the word that names the unknown. Underline every number and its unit. Do not grab a formula yet — first decide what the paper is actually asking.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
02 / 08
Step A2 — Hunt: Given, Missing, Find, Calculate
Given: Numbers and units already in the sentence: 2008 · 2009 the · R40 · 000 to · R32 · 000 to · 2008 · 09 downturn. Copy each one into a column. A name without a number is not given.
Missing: After you copy the given, the letter that still has no number is missing. The paper is pointing at: a buyer. Circle that word — that is the missing variable.
Find: We are required to find: a buyer. Write that as a symbol on the left, with a question mark, before you touch a formula.
Calculate: What we need to calculate: Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms. Then substitute the given, one line at a time, to get a buyer.
Why this step: Do not name the letters yet. First hunt: what already has a number (Given), what has no number (Missing), the word the paper wants (Find), and which formula still contains the missing letter (Calculate).
03 / 08
Step B — Write the given in a column
The business cycle moves through an upswing, a peak, a downswing and a trough as overall activity rises and falls.
Why this step: A column with units stops you mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds. Markers can also see you started correctly.
04 / 08
Step C — Name the method in words
Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
05 / 08
Working
In an upswing, spending, production and jobs grow. The peak is the high point, where activity is stretched and the rise stops. The downswing is the fall: orders drop, shops quieten, and some people lose hours or jobs. The trough is the low point before a recovery begins, and these phases describe the economy's general direction, not one shop's bad Saturday.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
06 / 08
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
07 / 08
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
08 / 08
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: Upswing, peak, downswing, trough: activity rises, tops out, falls, then bottoms.
6. Check it like a marker
Does your answer appear as one of the options? Do the units match what was asked (m, N, J, °)? If you put the number back into the original equation, does it still hold? Estimate: is the size sensible?
7. A trap first-timers fall into
First-timers often grab the first formula they remember, mix units (cm with m, minutes with seconds), or drop a minus sign. Write the formula in words first: “this equals that, because…”
20 · 2 Marks · Public sector
What is the answer to keep for Public sector?
Public sector
How we got there
Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.
Explain in another language · 11
1. What is the question asking?
Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: What is the answer to keep for Public sector?
In other words — as if you have never seen this before
A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
2. What do we already know?
Copy these onto the left of your page, one per line, with units: every number and its unit in the sentence. Mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds, loses a method mark.
3. Which method — and why this one?
A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
4. Step-by-step working
01 / 07
Step A — Read the question twice
Slow down. Circle the word that names the unknown. Underline every number and its unit. Do not grab a formula yet — first decide what the paper is actually asking.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
02 / 07
Step B — Write the given in a column
Copy these onto the left of your page, one per line, with units: every number and its unit in the sentence. Mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds, loses a method mark.
Why this step: A column with units stops you mixing cm with m, or minutes with seconds. Markers can also see you started correctly.
03 / 07
Step C — Name the method in words
A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
Why this step: If you can say the method in a sentence, you will pick the right formula. First-timers skip this and grab the first equation they remember.
04 / 07
Working
A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
05 / 07
Step G — Sense-check the size
Ask: is this the kind of number a Grade 10–12 paper would want? A speed of 3 000 ms for a learner walking, or a probability bigger than 1, means a unit or algebra slip. Estimate first: round the numbers and do the sum in your head.
Why this step: Markers write ‘unrealistic’ in the margin when the method is right but the size is wild. A 10-second head check often finds a missing 10² or a unit that never changed.
06 / 07
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
07 / 07
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.
5. The answer
A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
Copy onto your answer sheet — in this order
Answer: A public good cannot be kept from non-payers and is not used up by one extra user.
6. Check it like a marker
Does your answer appear as one of the options? Do the units match what was asked (m, N, J, °)? If you put the number back into the original equation, does it still hold? Estimate: is the size sensible?
7. A trap first-timers fall into
First-timers often grab the first formula they remember, mix units (cm with m, minutes with seconds), or drop a minus sign. Write the formula in words first: “this equals that, because…”