Grade 6 Social Sciences is the final year of the Intermediate Phase and covers the most complex content yet. The History component traces the history of the slave trade, resistance movements and the early 19th century in southern Africa. The Geography component examines world geography — continents and oceans, world biomes, global environmental challenges and the geography of southern Africa in a world context. Learners practise higher-order source analysis and develop the ability to write structured historical and geographical responses.
- Origins of the transatlantic slave trade — why and how it began
- The Middle Passage — conditions and human suffering
- Slavery at the Cape: who was enslaved, where they came from
- Life of enslaved people at the Cape — daily conditions, culture, resistance
- The Slave Lodge in Cape Town as historical evidence
- Forms of resistance: running away, work slowdowns, revolts
- Abolition of slavery: causes and key figures
- Impact of the end of slavery on the Cape Colony
- Continents and oceans of the world — location and characteristics
- Latitude and longitude — using coordinates to locate places
- Time zones: how and why they exist
- World biomes: tropical rainforest, desert, grassland, temperate, tundra, polar
- Global climate patterns: factors affecting world climate
- World population distribution — reasons for dense and sparse settlement
- Thematic maps: population maps, climate maps, vegetation maps
- GIS — introduction to digital mapping
- The Mfecane/Difaqane — causes, key events and consequences
- Shaka kaSenzangakhona and the rise of the Zulu kingdom
- The Voortrekkers: reasons for the Great Trek
- Conflicts between Voortrekkers and African kingdoms
- The Battle of Blood River (1838) — different perspectives
- African kingdoms resisting colonial expansion: Xhosa, Sotho, Zulu
- Moshoeshoe I and the formation of the Basotho nation
- Sources and perspectives: the importance of hearing different voices
- Global environmental challenges: deforestation, desertification, ocean pollution
- Climate change: causes, evidence, global impacts
- South Africa's environmental agreements: international context
- Sustainable development goals (SDGs) — relevant examples
- Energy choices: fossil fuels vs renewable energy globally
- Water as a scarce global resource — conflicts over water
- Comparing environmental management in different countries
- Writing a structured geographical response using evidence
Learn the map elements by heart. Every map test will ask about the key, compass rose, scale and title. These are easy marks — always know all four and apply them first.
Use specific names and dates in history answers. Good history answers include specific people, places and dates. Instead of 'a long time ago' write '1652'. Specific details earn more marks.
Draw maps to practise geography. Draw South Africa's biomes, major rivers and provinces from memory once a week. This is the most effective geography revision technique.
Link history and geography together. The best Social Sciences students understand how geography shaped history — why settlements were built near rivers, why trade routes followed coastlines, why certain areas had conflict.
When analysing sources, always ask: who wrote this, when and why? The source's origin, date and purpose determine whether it is reliable and what perspective it represents. Always reference the source in your answer.