CAPS-Aligned Homeschool Assessments for South African Families

Independently marked by our team of qualified assessors, overseen by Lauren, a SACE-registered educator with 19+ years' experience — with a written report back in about a week. Currently available for Grade 3 (end of Foundation Phase) and Grade 6 (end of Intermediate Phase).

✓ SACE-registered ✓ 19+ years' experience ✓ Marked by hand, not auto-graded ✓ From R50

See how it works ↓

Lauren, SACE-registered educator and founder of Assess with Lauren

Choose your grade

Each assessment is CAPS-aligned and marked by hand by a SACE-registered educator, with a written report back in about a week.

Grade 3 — End of Foundation Phase

English, Afrikaans, isiZulu, Maths, Life Skills & Coding. 8 assessments, from R50.

See Grade 3 assessments

Grade 6 — End of Intermediate Phase

English, Afrikaans, Maths, Social & Natural Sciences, Life Skills. 6 subjects, from R50.

See Grade 6 assessments

Core subjects, one clear picture

Every assessment maps to the CAPS curriculum, so the results tell you something real about where your child is — and what to work on next.

English

Reading, writing and language skills, assessed to give you a real read on progress.

Afrikaans

A First Additional Language assessment pitched to your child's current level.

isiZulu

A First Additional Language assessment pitched to your child's current level.

Maths

Reasoning, problem-solving and number knowledge, assessed step by step.

Choose an assessment

Buy once, and the PDF lands in your inbox with a download link to keep — complete with QR codes for the interactive bits your child will enjoy. New assessments are added regularly.

Grade 3 bundle · Save R76

Grade 3 Bundle — with Afrikaans

Five assessments for one price.

  • English Home Language
  • Maths
  • Life Skills
  • Afrikaans FAL
  • Coding & Robotics
R 399,00 R 475,00
You save R76 compared with buying them separately
Grade 3 bundle · Save R76

Grade 3 Bundle — with isiZulu

Five assessments for one price.

  • English Home Language
  • Maths
  • Life Skills
  • isiZulu FAL
  • Coding & Robotics
R 399,00 R 475,00
You save R76 compared with buying them separately
Grade 3

Life Skills Assessment

Beginning knowledge and personal & social wellbeing.

R 75,00
What's included
  1. Multiple-choice questions on road, fire and general safety
  2. Questions on animals, insects and how living things behave
  3. Environmental awareness: recycling and caring for nature
  4. General knowledge: the solar system and healthy eating
Grade 3

English Home Language

Reading, writing and language skills assessment.

R 125,00
What's included
  1. Make up and tell a short story — recorded as a WhatsApp voice note
  2. Scan the QR code to listen to spelling words, then write them down
  3. Read a passage aloud and copy sentences in cursive handwriting
  4. Write an original short story and answer comprehension questions
  5. Grammar exercises covering tenses, punctuation and sentence types
Grade 3

English FAL

First Additional Language assessment.

R 125,00
What's included
  1. Scan the QR code to listen to a story, then answer questions
  2. Give a short spoken talk on how to make a sandwich — recorded as a WhatsApp video
  3. Phonics and spelling exercises, including a spelling dictation by QR code
  4. Reading a poster and a passage, plus reading aloud recorded and sent via WhatsApp
  5. A short piece about going to the beach, and language use exercises
Grade 3

Maths Assessment

Mathematical reasoning and problem-solving.

R 100,00
What's included
  1. Number sequences, rounding and place-value questions
  2. Everyday word problems involving all four operations
  3. Working with time, dates and money in real-life scenarios
  4. Shapes, pictograms and multiplication tables
Grade 3

Afrikaans Home Language

Listening, speaking, reading and writing assessment.

R 125,00
What's included
  1. Scan the QR code to listen to a story, then answer questions
  2. Give a short spoken talk about a favourite place — recorded as a WhatsApp video
  3. Read a short passage aloud and spell ten words, recorded and sent via WhatsApp
  4. Reading comprehension and visual literacy (reading a poster)
  5. Vocabulary and grammar exercises, then a short written piece and handwriting practice
Grade 3

Afrikaans FAL

First Additional Language assessment.

R 125,00
What's included
  1. Scan the QR code to listen to an audio story, then answer questions
  2. Give a short spoken speech about animals — recorded as a WhatsApp voice note
  3. Vocabulary and language exercises translating everyday Afrikaans words
  4. Read a list of words and a short passage aloud, sent via WhatsApp
  5. Finish with a short written story about a favourite animal
Grade 3

isiZulu FAL

First Additional Language assessment.

R 125,00
What's included
  1. Scan the QR code to listen to an audio story, then answer questions
  2. Give a short spoken speech about animals — recorded as a WhatsApp voice note
  3. Vocabulary and language exercises translating everyday isiZulu words
  4. Read a list of words and a short passage aloud, sent via WhatsApp
  5. Finish with a short written story about a favourite animal
Grade 3

Coding & Robotics

Pattern recognition, algorithms and robotics skills.

R 50,00
What's included
  1. Pattern recognition and sequencing questions
  2. Algorithms and coding: ordering steps and directing a robot on a grid
  3. Robotics skills: matching robot parts and simple problem-solving
  4. Internet safety and everyday computer application skills

How it works

Four simple steps, start to finish.

1

Choose your assessment

Pick the grade and subject you need, and check out. Everything's yours to revisit any time.

2

Print and go

Work through the PDF at your own pace. Along the way, your child scans the built-in QR codes to listen to a story or record a voice note for our assessors.

3

Get your report

Within a week, you'll get a written report from an accredited educator, signed off and ready to file.

4

Adjust and keep going

Use the feedback to fine-tune your teaching before the next term starts.

Photo of Lauren

About Lauren

Lauren is a SACE-registered teacher with more than 19 years in education — including years spent in remedial teaching, working closely with children who needed extra support to reach their potential. She's also a homeschool mom herself. She started Assess with Lauren to give South African homeschooling families an honest, encouraging way to check in on their child's progress against the national CAPS standard, without the pressure of a formal exam room.

Get in touch

Meet our assessors

A small team of accredited educators mark and report on every assessment.

Photo of Precious

Precious

An educator specialising in the Foundation and Intermediate Phase, and an isiZulu specialist educator for the past 6 years. Passionate about languages and helping learners be confident in isiZulu.

Photo of Michelle

Michelle

An educator with 5 years of teaching experience, currently teaching Grade 4, and holds a BEd in Teaching.

Frequently asked questions

How do the assessments work?

You buy the assessment for your child's grade, and we email you the PDF along with a download link. Some pages include QR codes — your child scans them to listen to a story or record a voice note for our assessors. Once you send the completed assessment back to us, an accredited educator reviews it and sends back a written report, usually within a week.

I'm not using CAPS as my curriculum — can I still use these?

Yes. The assessments are built against the CAPS standards, but they're a useful benchmark even if you follow a different curriculum — they'll show you how your child compares against the national framework.

How do I know what each assessment covers?

Each product listing names the subject and grade. If you'd like more detail on the specific topics covered before you buy, reach out on the contact form and we'll talk you through it.

What if the questions are too difficult for my child?

That's useful information too — the report will flag which areas need more support, so you know exactly where to focus next.

Can I print these assessments out?

Yes — every assessment is delivered as a print-ready PDF, so a pen-and-paper session at the kitchen table is exactly how it's designed to work.

Why are there only assessments for Grade 3 and Grade 6?

The BELA Bill requires end-of-phase assessments, so we've focused on building out Grade 3 and Grade 6 first — the end of the Foundation and Intermediate phases. We're filling out the other years soon.

Can my child be assessed every year?

Definitely — many families use these at the end of every phase to keep a running record of progress over the years.

Is this the same as registering my child for home education?

No — this is an independent academic assessment. It can support the progress reporting many provincial departments expect, but it isn't the registration process itself.

What if my child is in Grade 4, 5, or another grade?

We currently offer Grade 3 and Grade 6 assessments, matching the end of the Foundation and Intermediate Phases. Pop your email in above and we'll let you know as soon as more grades are available.

Why families choose us

A few reasons parents keep coming back.

Personal touch

Marked by real, accredited educators

Every assessment is reviewed by hand by one of our accredited educators — not an automated score — so the report you get back actually tells you something useful.

Behind the PDFs

Why our assessments feel like play

How a few QR codes — a story to listen to, a voice note to record — take the pressure out of checking in on your child's progress.

South Africa

Homeschooling is growing in South Africa

A quick look at why more South African families are homeschooling, and what that means for assessment.

What parents are saying

A few words from families who've used our assessments.

"I needed an end of phase assessment for my Grade 6 child. Lauren from Assess With Lauren was recommended to me. From first contact with Lauren to receiving the assessment report, the whole process was user friendly and seamless. Lauren was helpful and quick to respond and I would highly recommended using her for end of phase assessments."

— Debbie, parent of a Grade 6 learner

"We used Assess with Lauren to assess both our kids and found it excellent. We don't follow CAPS, but the assessments gave us a clear, reliable benchmark against the national curriculum. The QR code elements kept the kids engaged rather than feeling like a test. Reports came back quickly and were thorough. Highly recommend for any homeschooling family, whether you are following CAPS, an international curriculum, or other."

— Melissa, mom of two homeschooled kids

"We used Lauren for an independent assessment of my son after he had completed Grade 3 as part of our homeschooling journey. We also used the assessment to fulfil our assessment requirements for submission to the Department of Education. Lauren made the whole process incredibly simple and put us completely at ease. The assessment itself was very worthwhile, and the feedback she provided afterwards was clear, insightful and genuinely useful in helping us understand where he was doing well and where he could benefit from some additional focus. I would happily recommend Lauren to other homeschooling families looking for a professional and meaningful assessment."

— Trixy, parent of a Grade 3 learner

"I'm so grateful for 'Assess with Lauren'. I needed to find an external assessor who could work with what my son had learnt during the year and Lauren and her team kindly customized the assessment. It was an easy, seamless experience from start to finish - highly recommended."

— Jessica, parent of a Grade 3 isiZulu student

"We use an international curriculum, and I used 'Assess with Lauren' for my son's end of Foundation Phase (Grade 3) assessments, to see if he was at CAPS level for his age. Keeping in mind that he is AuDHD and homeschooled, and not used to doing assessments at all, he flew through them and told me it wasn't stressful at all — he actually enjoyed the assessments! We will definitely keep using 'Assess with Lauren' for our future assessments." ❤️

— Justine, parent of a Grade 3 learner

Get in touch

Questions about an assessment, or which grade to choose? Send a message and Lauren will get back to you.

Assess with Lauren

Colonel Poulton Drive
Kingsburgh, KZN 4126
South Africa

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