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NC(V) Mathematics Level 4: where the marks actually are
The final year of NC(V) Mathematics. Passing it completes the mathematics requirement for your Level 4 certificate.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functions and Algebra | 40 | 40 | |
| Space, Shape and Measurement | 25 | 35 | |
| Data Handling and Probability Models | 15 | 18 | |
| Complex Numbers | 10 | 10 | |
| Finance | 10 | 7 |
How to spend your time
- Functions and Algebra is 40 marks — the single heaviest topic across all three NC(V) Mathematics years. Two fifths of your final certificate mark sits in one topic.
- Algebra rises 25 → 35 → 40 across Levels 2, 3 and 4. If it has been your weak point, it gets worse every year until you fix it.
- Finance gets only 7 taught hours for 10 marks, the best marks-per-hour ratio on the paper. Do not skip it just because it is taught briefly.
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 obtaining a Level 4 certificate. 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.
Source: DHET — NC(V) Mathematics Level 4 Subject Guidelines. Module names, weight values, admission requirements and assessment rules on this page are transcribed from that document. The study advice is ours.