Grade 6 English Home Language is the final year of the Intermediate Phase and consolidates skills before the transition to the Senior Phase. The CAPS curriculum extends all four skills — listening and speaking, reading and viewing, writing and presenting, and language structures and conventions — to a level that prepares learners for the demands of Grade 7. Texts become longer and more complex, comprehension questions require higher-order thinking, and extended writing tasks require planning, drafting and editing. Learners are expected to have a secure understanding of grammar and to apply it accurately in their own writing.
- Reading longer narrative and transactional texts
- Relative pronouns: who, whose, which, that — in complex sentences
- Complex sentences: main clause and subordinate clause
- Conjunctions: subordinating (because, although, while, unless, if)
- Paragraph writing: planning, drafting and revising
- Apostrophes: possession and contraction — revision and extension
- Oral: group discussion, oral presentation
- Read formal and informal texts — letters, emails, articles
- Modal verbs: can, could, may, might, must, should, would
- Conditional sentences: first and second conditional
- Figures of speech: simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia
- Formal letter writing: layout and register
- Word formation: roots, prefixes and suffixes
- Oral: prepared speech, debate introduction
- Read informational, argumentative and visual texts
- Active and passive voice — extended practice and rewriting
- Reported speech: direct to indirect and back
- Tense revision: perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect)
- Summary writing: identify main points, paraphrase, write own version
- Transactional writing: advertisement, notice, diary
- Oral: listen and take notes; formal response
- Poetry analysis: imagery, mood, tone, theme, structure
- Paragraph and essay writing: introduction, body, conclusion
- Revision of all grammar: parts of speech, tenses, speech, voice
- Comprehension skills: literal, inferential, evaluative questions
- Punctuation revision: all marks covered across Grades 4–6
- Oral: prepared reading, poem recitation or short drama
- Examination preparation: time management and answer strategies
Read the questions before reading the passage. In comprehension tests, knowing what you are looking for helps you find evidence faster. Underline key words in each question first, then read the text with those questions in mind.
Use the mark allocation as a guide. A (2)-mark question needs two distinct points. A (4)-mark question needs four. Never write a single sentence for a multi-mark question — you will lose marks.
Quote from the text when asked for evidence. Write: 'The text says '…'' or 'According to the passage…' to show exactly where your evidence comes from. Examiners reward this.
Learn your grammar by making your own examples. Don't just copy definitions — write your own sentences that demonstrate the rule. This forces you to understand, not just memorise.
Check your tenses and voice after writing. Two of the most common errors in Grades 5 and 6 are mixing tenses and accidentally switching between active and passive voice mid-paragraph. Read every verb and ask: is this consistent?
Build vocabulary by reading widely. Every text type you encounter — novels, newspapers, websites, cereal boxes — builds your vocabulary. Strong vocabulary is the single biggest advantage in English exams.