Grade 5 English First Additional Language builds on the basic vocabulary and structures of Grade 4. The CAPS curriculum develops functional English literacy — reading slightly longer texts with understanding, writing short structured paragraphs, and using a wider range of grammatical structures. Learners extend their core English vocabulary, develop reading strategies and begin to write more independently. By the end of Grade 5, learners should be able to write a structured paragraph, answer inferential comprehension questions, and use past and future tense with confidence.
- Read short narrative texts and answer literal and simple inferential questions
- Revision of nouns, verbs and adjectives from Grade 4
- Introduction of adverbs of manner and time
- Present and past tense — revision and extension with irregular verbs
- Write a short structured paragraph about a personal experience
- Oral: short prepared talk on a familiar topic
- Read descriptive texts — identify key details and main idea
- Degrees of comparison: positive, comparative, superlative
- Plural forms of nouns — including irregular plurals
- Punctuation: inverted commas for direct speech
- Write a short descriptive paragraph about a person or place
- Oral: describe a picture using comparative adjectives
- Read simple informational texts — notices, reports
- Future tense — will + infinitive and going to
- Simple conditional sentences — if ... then ...
- Synonyms and antonyms — vocabulary development
- Write a short report or recount
- Oral: retell a past event using correct tense
- Simple persuasive and poetic texts — identify main idea and purpose
- Rhyme and rhythm in simple poems
- Revision of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and tenses
- Prefixes and suffixes — how they change meaning
- Write a simple poem or descriptive paragraph
- Oral: recite a memorised poem
Build vocabulary every day. Learn 5 new English words every day. Write them with their meaning and use each in a sentence.
Read the question before the passage. In comprehension tests, knowing what you are looking for makes it much easier to find the evidence.
For comprehension — find the answer in the text. Most literal answers are directly in the given text. Scan for keywords from the question.
Practise English out loud. The best way to improve is to speak English, even if it is not perfect. Read sentences aloud to improve fluency and pronunciation.
Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Every mistake is a learning opportunity. English grammar follows clear patterns — once you understand the rules, they apply consistently.