Grade 6 History (CAPS): every topic summarised, Terms 1 to 4

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Grade 6 History is the History half of Social Sciences. It begins with Mapungubwe, southern Africa’s first state, travels with explorers from Europe and Asia, follows South Africa’s road to democracy in 1994, and ends with the story of medicine, from indigenous healing to the first heart transplant.

Learners use sources, timelines and case studies, and do a research project on a builder of democracy. The Geography half has its own page, linked below.

Below, all 23 topics of our Grade 6 History (CAPS) course are summarised term by term, in the order schools teach them: what each topic covers, how to approach it, and the mistake learners make most often. The summaries are based on the course’s term Parent Memos, written in our own words, so nothing here gives away the answers to course questions.

Course status: available. Grade 6 History (CAPS) is one course for the whole year (Terms 1 to 4). Price: R100 per subject per year.

Open the Grade 6 History course

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The course at a glance

  • One course for the whole year: 23 topics across Terms 1 to 4 (6, 5, 6, 6 per term).
  • Every topic has a lesson, worked examples, a 15-question quiz with hints on wrong answers, and extra practice. Quizzes can be retaken, and there is no pass mark to fail.
  • Printables for every term: a Learner Coursebook to write in and a Parent Memo with the answers and explanations.
  • Listen mode reads each page aloud.

How marks are given in Grade 6 History

  • 1-mark questions check one fact, term or place: a definition, a name on a map, a date.
  • 2-mark questions usually want an explanation: a fact plus a reason (“because…”).
  • Source and map questions give a picture, map, table or short text. Learners earn marks by using what the source shows, not only what they remember.
  • Longer answers (paragraphs or 4-mark questions) earn a mark per relevant, correct point, so several clear points beat one long sentence.

Term 1: Mapungubwe and trade with the world

Term 1 looks at the early African kingdoms of the Limpopo Valley, Mapungubwe’s rise as a trading state, its links to the East Coast and Great Zimbabwe, and Marco Polo’s travels in Asia.

Term 1 topics:

  1. Changes in the Limpopo Valley (900-1300 AD): K2 and Schroda
  2. Mapungubwe: the first state in southern Africa (1220-1300)
  3. Gold, trade and journeys: Mapungubwe and the world
  4. Mapungubwe today: World Heritage Site and Order of Mapungubwe
  5. East Coast trade and Great Zimbabwe
  6. Marco Polo: a European explorer in Asia
Read the Term 1 topic summaries (6 topics)

1.1 Changes in the Limpopo Valley (900-1300 AD): K2 and Schroda

Between about 900 and 1300 AD, farming communities at K2 and Schroda in the Limpopo Valley grew richer through cattle and trade in ivory and gold. Archaeologists learn about them from beads, pottery and bones.

Watch out for: Thinking these settlements left written records.

1.2 Mapungubwe: the first state in southern Africa (1220-1300)

Mapungubwe became southern Africa’s first state, with a king living on the hill and ordinary people below, showing a society divided by wealth and status.

Watch out for: Describing it as a small village rather than an organised state.

1.3 Gold, trade and journeys: Mapungubwe and the world

Gold, ivory and animal skins were traded through East Coast ports for glass beads, cloth and porcelain from as far as India and China.

Watch out for: Forgetting that the goods travelled through middlemen on the coast.

1.4 Mapungubwe today: World Heritage Site and Order of Mapungubwe

Mapungubwe is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and South Africa’s highest honour, the Order of Mapungubwe, is named after it.

Watch out for: Not explaining why the site matters today.

1.5 East Coast trade and Great Zimbabwe

Coastal trading towns linked Africa to Arabia and Asia. After Mapungubwe declined, Great Zimbabwe grew into a powerful trading centre famous for its stone walls.

Watch out for: Mixing up Great Zimbabwe and Mapungubwe.

1.6 Marco Polo: a European explorer in Asia

Marco Polo was a merchant from Venice who travelled to China in the 1200s. His book about the journey made Europeans curious about Asian goods and wealth.

Watch out for: Thinking he discovered China; it was already a great civilisation.

Try at home in Term 1:

  • Look up the golden rhino of Mapungubwe online and talk about what it tells us about wealth and trade.
  • Find Mapungubwe, Great Zimbabwe and the East African coast on a map.

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Term 2: The Renaissance and European exploration

Term 2 covers the Renaissance in Europe, case studies of Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo, why Europeans explored, and the voyages of Dias and da Gama, the VOC and life at sea.

Term 2 topics:

  1. The European Renaissance: a turning point
  2. Case studies: Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo
  3. Reasons for European exploration: inventions, religion and trade
  4. Bartolomeu Dias and the Khoikhoi at Mossel Bay (1488)
  5. Vasco da Gama, the VOC and life on a ship
Read the Term 2 topic summaries (5 topics)

2.1 The European Renaissance: a turning point

The Renaissance (about 1300–1600) was a time of new ideas in art, science and learning in Europe, helped by the printing press.

Watch out for: Thinking it happened in one year or one country only.

2.2 Case studies: Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo

Leonardo da Vinci was an artist, inventor and scientist; Galileo used a telescope to show that the Earth moves around the Sun, which the church of his time rejected.

Watch out for: Mixing up their achievements.

2.3 Reasons for European exploration: inventions, religion and trade

Europeans explored for trade (spices and gold), religion (spreading Christianity) and new inventions such as the compass, astrolabe and caravel.

Watch out for: Giving only one reason.

2.4 Bartolomeu Dias and the Khoikhoi at Mossel Bay (1488)

In 1488 Bartolomeu Dias sailed around the southern tip of Africa and landed at Mossel Bay, where his crew met the Khoikhoi. The meeting ended in conflict over water and cattle.

Watch out for: Telling the story only from the sailors’ side.

2.5 Vasco da Gama, the VOC and life on a ship

Vasco da Gama reached India by sea in 1498. In 1652 the Dutch East India Company (VOC) began a supply post at the Cape for its ships. Life on ship was crowded and diseases such as scurvy were common.

Watch out for: Mixing up the dates of Dias, da Gama and the VOC.

Try at home in Term 2:

  • Look at a picture of a caravel and talk about what life on board might have been like for months.
  • Find Mossel Bay and the Cape of Good Hope on a map.

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Term 3: Democracy and citizenship in South Africa

Term 3 explains South Africa’s first democratic election in 1994, how national government works, rights and responsibilities, children’s rights, national symbols, and a research project.

Term 3 topics:

  1. South Africa becomes a democracy: 1994, political parties and voting
  2. Our national government: Constitution, Parliament, laws and courts
  3. Rights and responsibilities; Fatima Meer and Pius Langa
  4. Children’s rights and responsibilities
  5. National symbols since 1994
  6. History research project: a biography of a builder of democracy
Read the Term 3 topic summaries (6 topics)

3.1 South Africa becomes a democracy: 1994, political parties and voting

On 27 April 1994 South Africans of all races voted together for the first time. Political parties competed, and Nelson Mandela became president.

Watch out for: Thinking only one party took part.

3.2 Our national government: Constitution, Parliament, laws and courts

The Constitution is the highest law. Parliament makes laws, the President and Cabinet carry them out, and the courts make sure laws follow the Constitution.

Watch out for: Mixing up the roles of Parliament and the courts.

3.3 Rights and responsibilities; Fatima Meer and Pius Langa

The Bill of Rights protects everyone’s rights, with matching responsibilities. Fatima Meer, an activist and writer, and Pius Langa, a former Chief Justice, are studied as examples.

Watch out for: Listing rights without responsibilities.

3.4 Children’s rights and responsibilities

Children have special rights, such as a name, education, protection from abuse and being heard, and responsibilities, such as respecting others and going to school.

Watch out for: Confusing rights with privileges.

3.5 National symbols since 1994

Since 1994 South Africa’s symbols include the flag, the national anthem, the coat of arms with its motto in a Khoisan language, and national animals and plants.

Watch out for: Saying the coat of arms motto is in English.

3.6 History research project: a biography of a builder of democracy

Learners research a person who helped build democracy, using several sources, and write a short biography with their own conclusions.

Watch out for: Copying from one source.

Try at home in Term 3:

  • Find the national coat of arms on a coin or document and talk about its motto.
  • Help your child choose a person who helped build democracy and find two sources about them.

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Term 4: Medicine through time

Term 4 traces medicine from indigenous healing to vaccines, germ theory, antibiotics and the first heart transplant, and how indigenous and Western healing are used today.

Term 4 topics:

  1. Indigenous healing in South Africa
  2. The fight against infectious disease: Jenner and smallpox
  3. Germs and disease: Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch
  4. The first antibiotic: Alexander Fleming and penicillin
  5. A breakthrough in surgery: the first heart transplant
  6. Indigenous and Western healing today
Read the Term 4 topic summaries (6 topics)

4.1 Indigenous healing in South Africa

Indigenous healers in South Africa used plants and knowledge passed down over generations. Many medicinal plants are still used today.

Watch out for: Treating indigenous healing as unimportant.

4.2 The fight against infectious disease: Jenner and smallpox

Edward Jenner developed the first vaccine against smallpox in 1796 using cowpox. Smallpox was later wiped out worldwide.

Watch out for: Thinking vaccines cure an illness after you have it.

4.3 Germs and disease: Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch

Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch showed that germs cause disease, leading to better hygiene, pasteurisation and the identification of TB bacteria.

Watch out for: Mixing up their discoveries.

4.4 The first antibiotic: Alexander Fleming and penicillin

In 1928 Alexander Fleming noticed that a mould killed bacteria, leading to penicillin, the first antibiotic.

Watch out for: Saying antibiotics work against viruses.

4.5 A breakthrough in surgery: the first heart transplant

In 1967 Professor Chris Barnard performed the world’s first human heart transplant at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town. It showed what modern surgery and teamwork could achieve.

Watch out for: Thinking one person did the operation alone; it needed a large team.

4.6 Indigenous and Western healing today

Today many South Africans use both indigenous and Western medicine. Learners compare the two and discuss respect, safety and choice.

Watch out for: Presenting one as completely right and the other as wrong.

Try at home in Term 4:

  • Look at your child’s vaccination card and talk about which diseases it protects against.
  • Ask an older relative about home remedies used in the family.

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Common mistakes in Grade 6 History (and how to fix them)

  • Mixing up AD/CE and BC/BCE. AD dates count forward; Mapungubwe (around 1220–1300) came long after Ancient Egypt.
  • Biography as a list of dates. The research project should explain why the person mattered, not only when things happened.
  • Treating explorers as the only actors. The people already living in a place, such as the Khoikhoi at Mossel Bay, had their own reasons and responses.
  • Rights without responsibilities. Learners should pair each right with a matching responsibility.

Tips for parents

  • Use the Order of Mapungubwe and national symbols. Spotting the flag, coat of arms and anthem around you makes Term 3 real.
  • Talk about 1994. If you or a relative remember the first democratic election, share that story; it is a powerful oral source.
  • Link medicine to today. A visit to the clinic or a vaccination card is a good way to discuss Term 4.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the Grade 6 History course cost?

R100 per subject for the year. It is one course for the whole year, with Terms 1 to 4 inside it, so there is nothing extra to pay per term.

How does access work?

Tap Open course on this page or on the Grade 6 course card. It takes you to the course page on Coursebox, our learning platform, in a new tab, where you’ll see the price and how to join (R100 per subject per year, as listed on our site). A parent or guardian signs up there with their own name and email address, and the learner then signs in with that account. Please use a nickname for your child, not their full name or school.

Does it follow CAPS and what my child does at school?

Yes. The topics on this page follow the CAPS curriculum for Grade 6 History and the DBE’s Annual Teaching Plan order, so Term 1 topics are taught in Term 1, and so on. Schools can move a topic by a week or two, so check your child’s term plan.

Are the answers to the course quizzes on this page?

No. This page explains each topic in our own words so you can help at home. The worked answers to every course question are in the Parent Memo for each term, which comes with the course.

Is History a separate subject from Geography in Grade 6?

In CAPS, History and Geography are the two halves of Social Sciences and share one report mark, but they are taught and assessed as separate parts. AI Buddies offers them as separate courses.

Ready to start?

The whole year of Grade 6 History is in one course for R100, with printable coursebooks and memos for every term.

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Grade 6 Geography · All Grade 6 guides · All course guides

Sources and review

This summary is based on our own Grade 6 History (CAPS) course and its four term Parent Memos, the DBE’s CAPS document for History Grades 4–6 (Intermediate Phase), and the DBE’s Annual Teaching Plan for Grade 6. Past national and provincial papers were used only to see which topics are tested and how. All explanations and examples on this page are our own. Last reviewed: 1 November 2026. AI Buddies is an independent project and is not endorsed by the Department of Basic Education.