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Study guides → NC(V) Mathematical Literacy Level 3
NC(V) Mathematical Literacy Level 3: where the marks actually are
The second year of NC(V) Mathematical Literacy. Same five topics, same equal weighting, more demanding contexts.
What the exam is worth, module by module
These are DHET's own weight values. The syllabus states that a module's weight value gives the time to be spent teaching it and its share of the marks in the final exam — so this table is, in effect, the mark allocation of your paper. It totals 100.
| Module | Weight | Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers | 20 | 20 | |
| Space, Shape and Orientation | 20 | 25 | |
| Finance | 20 | 30 | |
| Patterns, Relationships and Representations | 20 | 15 | |
| Data Handling | 20 | 20 |
How to spend your time
- Still five topics at 20 marks each — the weighting does not change between Level 2 and Level 3, so your study split should not either.
- Finance rises from 25 to 30 taught hours, the biggest shift of the year. The contexts get harder even though the marks do not move.
- Patterns, Relationships and Representations gets the fewest hours (15) for a full 20 marks. It is the topic most worth your own time outside class.
How you are assessed
Two things have to go right, and students lose the year on the first one more often than the second.
1. Your college (ICASS) mark
Your college work is assessed continuously through the year. Your final mark is 25% college mark plus 75% exam, so what you do before the exam is 25% of the subject.
2. The final examination
You pass at 30%. It is written in October or November.
A pass is condoned at 25% if it is the only subject preventing you from progressing to Level 4. That is a safety net, not a target — it only applies to one subject.
- The 30% is a SUB-MINIMUM you must reach in BOTH components — your internal (ICASS) mark and the external exam — not just an average across the two. A strong exam does not rescue an ICASS mark below 30%.
- Your internal (ICASS) mark is a year mark out of 100 built from continuous assessment, and it is subject to internal and external moderation.
- Both components must be completed in the same academic year. Your ICASS mark is only valid up to the first supplementary examination after the November sitting — if you fail, you redo every ICASS task for that subject. Nothing carries over to the next year.
- The external examination is national, set and moderated externally, and written once a year.
Also doing Level 3 this trimester?
These are the other Level 3 subjects we have syllabus breakdowns for.
Source: DHET — NC(V) Mathematical Literacy Level 3 Subject Guidelines. Module names, weight values, admission requirements and assessment rules on this page are transcribed from that document. The study advice is ours.