Physical Sciences mock exam papers, marked mark by mark
A full Physical 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 Physical 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 Physical 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.
One paper comes back far worse than the other. Physical Sciences is two subjects sharing a mark, and a pupil can be steady in Chemistry and adrift in Physics without either of you knowing which.
What Physical Sciences Paper 1 and Paper 2 cover
Physical Sciences is examined in two papers. Paper 1 covers physics. Paper 2 covers chemistry. 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
Physics.
Mechanics: motion, Newton’s laws, momentum, work, energy and power; Waves, sound and light; Electrostatics and electric circuits; Electrodynamics; Matter and materials: the photoelectric effect and emission spectra
Paper 2
Chemistry.
Matter and materials: organic molecules and their reactions; Chemical change: rate, equilibrium, acids and bases; Electrochemical reactions; Chemical systems: the fertiliser industry; Stoichiometry and quantitative chemistry
Grade 12 paper length: 150 marks in 3 hours per paper.
IEB: The IEB sets the same two-paper split and leans harder on applying a principle to an unfamiliar experiment or scenario.
Where Physical 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 Physical Sciences the most common are not written down and accuracy — both of which come from how the paper was written, not from what was studied.
Not written down. The formula is quoted and the answer written, but the substitution the marking guideline wants to see is missing.
Accuracy. Units are dropped, a direction sign is reversed, or a value is left in the wrong power of ten.
Didn’t remember. A definition that has to be given word for word is paraphrased, and the mark goes with it.
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 Physical Sciences paper asks for and when in the year a diagnostic is worth writing.
Questions parents ask
Which Physical Sciences paper should my child write?
The one the marks are going missing in. Paper 1 covers physics. Paper 2 covers chemistry. 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 sets the same two-paper split and leans harder on applying a principle to an unfamiliar experiment or scenario.
What does a Physical 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.