Life Sciences mock exam papers, marked mark by mark
A full Life Sciences exam paper, written at home under exam conditions and marked question by question. The report names every lost mark, sorts it into one of five reasons, and shows which of those marks were already within reach. Grades 10 to 12, CAPS and IEB.
Last updated 13 September 2026
Price
R299 a paper; Mark Recovery, the whole subject, R749
Grades
Grade 10, Grade 11 and Grade 12
Curricula
CAPS and IEB
Papers
Paper 1 or Paper 2
Written
At home, 3 timed hours, whenever suits you
Back to you
Marks in 1 hour, the full report in 24
Delivered
By email and WhatsApp
Guarantee
Fewer than 10 recoverable marks, and the paper is refunded
What a Life Sciences diagnostic tells you
Exam Diagnostics ZA is a South African service that marks a full Grade 10–12 mock exam paper mark by mark and reports every lost mark, with a strategy report and a video walkthrough, within 24 hours. For Life Sciences that means a mark, and beside it the mark your child would have had without the mistakes that had nothing to do with knowing the work. It is listed as Biology on the order form, which is the name the exam catalogue uses.
Your child says the work is known and the mark disagrees. Life Sciences rewards precise wording and a complete line of reasoning, and both are easy to lose under time pressure.
What Life Sciences Paper 1 and Paper 2 cover
Life Sciences is examined in two papers. Paper 1 covers life processes: reproduction, responding to the environment and homeostasis. Paper 2 covers genetics, evolution and the environment. You choose which one your child writes when you order, so you can diagnose the paper that is actually costing marks.
The CAPS Grade 12 split. Grades 10 and 11 follow the same shape with less content.
Paper
Focus
Main topics
Paper 1
Life processes: reproduction, responding to the environment and homeostasis.
Meiosis; Reproduction in vertebrates; Human reproduction; Responding to the environment: the nervous system, the eye and the ear; The endocrine system and homeostasis; Plant responses
Paper 2
Genetics, evolution and the environment.
DNA, RNA and protein synthesis; Inheritance and genetic crosses; Genetics and genetic engineering; Evolution and natural selection; Human evolution; Human impact on the environment
Grade 12 paper length: 150 marks in 2 hours 30 minutes per paper.
IEB: The IEB places more weight on interpreting data and unfamiliar sources than on recall alone.
Where Life Sciences marks are usually lost
Marks leave a paper for five reasons, and only two of them mean your child did not know the work. In Life Sciences the most common are didn’t remember and not written down — both of which come from how the paper was written, not from what was studied.
Didn’t remember. A term with one accepted definition is described in the pupil’s own words, which the marking guideline cannot accept.
Not written down. An explanation stops one step short of the link the question asked for, so half the marks go unclaimed.
Misread. The command word is missed: "explain" answered as "describe", or a two-mark question answered with one point.
Every lost mark is sorted into one of five reasons.
Reason
What it means
Recoverable?
Wrong method
The route chosen could not reach the answer.
No — this is a gap to teach
Accuracy
The method was right; the arithmetic slipped.
Yes — the method was right
Not written down
The working stopped before the mark was earned.
Yes — the method was right
Misread
A value or instruction was taken off the paper wrongly.
No — this is a gap to teach
Didn’t remember
A formula or definition was not recalled in the moment.
No — this is a gap to teach
What you get back
Marks come back within 1 hour and the full report within 24, by email and WhatsApp. It runs to eight pages: the mark, the mark in reach, every lost mark with its reason, the recoverable marks question by question, and the concepts behind them.
Cover
The mark, and the mark in reach
Why the marks were lost
26% recoverable
Recoverable marks by question
Recoverable marks, continued
Concepts behind the losses
Concepts, continued
You can read a full report before you order anything — see the sample report .
Choose the grade
The paper is set for the grade your child is in, so a Grade 10 diagnostic is a Grade 10 paper. Pick the grade below to see what that year's Life Sciences paper asks for and when in the year a diagnostic is worth writing.
Questions parents ask
Which Life Sciences paper should my child write?
The one the marks are going missing in. Paper 1 covers life processes: reproduction, responding to the environment and homeostasis. Paper 2 covers genetics, evolution and the environment. If you are not sure, a school report or a returned test usually shows which paper is the weaker one.
Is the paper CAPS or IEB?
Both are available. You choose the curriculum when you order, once per order, because a family is normally at one school. The IEB places more weight on interpreting data and unfamiliar sources than on recall alone.
What does a Life Sciences diagnostic cost?
A single paper is R299. Mark Recovery, both papers of a subject and a follow-up paper, is R749. Finals Ready, three subjects, is R1,990. A printed copy couriered to you is R250 for the order. A follow-up paper on its own is R250; in Mark Recovery it is included.
What if the report finds nothing worth fixing?
Then you do not pay for it. If a paper turns up fewer than 10 recoverable marks, that paper is refunded.