This is the Setswana Home Language CAPS Document (Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement) for the Senior Phase, Grades 7-9, issued by the South African Department of Basic Education. It sets out what must be taught, learnt and assessed in Setswana Home Language across Grades 7, 8 and 9, and is relevant for the 2026 and 2027 school years. The subject is structured around four core language skill areas: Listening and Speaking, Reading and Viewing, Writing and Presenting, and Language Structures and Conventions.
The following document, Setswana Home Language CAPS Document Grades 7-9.pdf, is the full document.
CAPS Document Brief
Setswana Home Language CAPS Document Grades 7-9 kavo-178
The document defines the Home Language curriculum around four core skill areas: Listening and Speaking, Reading and Viewing, Writing and Presenting, and Language Structures and Conventions. It also distinguishes Home Language from First and Second Additional Language levels, explaining that these terms describe the proficiency level at which a language is offered rather than a learner’s actual mother tongue.
The document runs to approximately 152 pages and is organised into four sections. Section 1 introduces the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement and its background, overview and time allocation. Section 2 introduces the language in the Senior Phase, covering language levels, time allocation and approaches to language teaching. Section 3 covers the content and teaching plans for language skills, broken down into Listening and Speaking, Reading and Viewing, Writing and Presenting, and Language Structures and Conventions, together with text-distribution and teaching-plan tables for each grade. Section 4 deals with assessment, including informal and formal assessment, the assessment programme, recording and reporting, and moderation, and the document closes with a glossary of terms.
The document’s specific aims are to develop learners’ listening, speaking, reading, viewing, writing and presenting skills to a high level of proficiency in their Home Language, and to build sound knowledge of language structures and conventions. It aims to develop learners as confident, critical and creative users of language who can communicate effectively, think critically, and appreciate literary and other texts. It also supports the broader aims of the South African curriculum, including equipping learners with the knowledge, skills and values for lifelong learning and meaningful participation in society.
Grade
7-9
Subject
Setswana Home Language
Phase
Senior Phase
Curriculum
South African (CAPS)
School Years
2026 and 2027