Grade 9 subject choices for Grade 10

Seven. Four are compulsory: a Home Language, a First Additional Language, either Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy, and Life Orientation. You then choose three more subjects, called electives.

Start from what you want to do after school, not from which subjects look easiest. Check the careers or courses you are interested in and see which subjects they ask for, because some require Mathematics or Physical Sciences and you cannot add those later. Then pick the package your school offers that comes closest, and choose subjects you are willing to work at for three years. The quiz on this page matches your interests to real packages as a starting point.

No. An aptitude test tries to measure how good you are at something. This quiz asks what kind of work you enjoy and matches that to subject packages, so it tells you what might suit your interests, not what you will be good at or what marks you will get. Many schools run their own aptitude or career assessments, and this is meant to sit alongside those, not replace them.

There is no subject that is easy for everyone, and picking what sounds easy is how learners get stuck. A subject feels easier when you enjoy it and keep up with the work. What matters more is that your subjects keep the doors open to what you want to study: dropping Mathematics or Physical Sciences closes off engineering, health science and most science degrees, and you cannot pick them up again in Grade 12.

Usually not. Most South African schools group the three electives into packages, often along science, commerce and humanities lines, and you pick one package. Ask your school for its own subject choice booklet, because two schools in the same town can offer different packages.

It depends on what you want to study and how you are coping with maths now. Mathematics is required for most engineering, science, health and accounting degrees. Maths Literacy is accepted for many diplomas and for a lot of humanities and business qualifications. Look at the packages on this page: with commerce subjects, students taking Mathematics lined up with more courses, while with humanities subjects the picture is different. Talk to your maths teacher before deciding. We compare the two in detail, with real numbers, on our Maths Literacy page.

No. The designated subject list was scrapped in 2018. All credit-bearing NSC subjects now count equally towards a Bachelor's pass, with Life Orientation excluded. Some older advice online still repeats the old list, so check the date on anything you read.

Sometimes, but it gets harder each year and schools set their own deadlines. Changing in Grade 10 is usually possible if the school has space in the class. By Grade 12 it is very difficult, because you would have to catch up two years of work. Choose carefully now.