Grade 8 Mathematics Past Papers 2026

Grade 8 CAPS Number Sense builds directly on primary-school arithmetic by formalising the properties of integers and rational numbers. Learners work with the full set of integers (positive, negative, and zero), apply the commutative, associative, and distributive properties to simplify calculations, and extend their understanding of divisibility into two essential concepts: Lowest Common Multiple (LCM) and Highest Common Factor (HCF).

The LCM of two or more integers is the smallest positive integer divisible by each of them — found by listing multiples or using prime factorisation. The HCF is the largest integer that divides exactly into each number — found by listing factors or prime factorisation. Both concepts are tested directly in Grade 8 Math Exam Papers and are the arithmetic engine that powers fraction addition, algebraic simplification, and factorisation throughout the entire CAPS mathematics curriculum.

Algebraic Expressions represent the single most important conceptual leap of Grade 8 CAPS Mathematics — the transition from concrete arithmetic to abstract symbolic reasoning. A variable (typically x, y, or n) stands for an unknown or changing quantity. Learners identify terms, coefficients, and constants; classify terms as like terms (same variable and exponent — can be added or subtracted) or unlike terms (different variables or exponents — cannot be combined); and simplify expressions by collecting like terms and applying the distributive law to remove brackets.

Solving basic linear equations — finding the value of an unknown that makes an equation true — is introduced through the balance model: whatever operation is applied to one side must be applied to the other. Grade 8 CAPS learners solve one-step and two-step equations of the form ax + b = c and verify their solutions by substitution. This foundational skill underpins simultaneous equations in Grade 10, quadratic equations in Grade 11, and every algebraic manipulation examined in the Grade 12 NSC — making algebra in Grade 8 the most consequential topic in the entire CAPS mathematics journey.

Geometry of Straight Lines introduces Grade 8 CAPS learners to the formal language of angles and the reasoning conventions used throughout NSC Mathematics. Complementary angles sum to 90°; supplementary angles sum to 180° (angles on a straight line); vertically opposite angles — formed where two straight lines cross — are always equal. These three relationships are the building blocks of every geometric proof and calculation in the CAPS curriculum.

When a transversal crosses two parallel lines, three further angle pairs are produced: corresponding angles (equal — same position at each intersection), alternate interior angles (equal — on opposite sides of the transversal between the parallel lines), and co-interior angles (supplementary — on the same side of the transversal). Every Grade 8 Math Exam Paper tests these angle relationships in multi-step problems where learners must state the geometric reason alongside every calculated value.

Common Fractions and Decimals is the numeracy strand of Grade 8 CAPS Mathematics that eliminates the arithmetic gaps most learners carry from primary school. Learners add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators using the LCM as the common denominator, multiply fractions (numerator × numerator, denominator × denominator), and divide fractions by multiplying by the reciprocal. Mixed numbers are converted to improper fractions before any operation, and all answers are simplified to lowest terms.

Converting between fractions, decimals, and percentages is a core Grade 8 CAPS skill: a fraction is converted to a decimal by dividing numerator by denominator; a decimal is converted to a percentage by multiplying by 100; a percentage is converted back to a fraction by writing it over 100 and simplifying. Percentage increase and decrease, discount, profit, and VAT calculations all appear in Grade 8 Math Exam Papers and directly feed into the financial mathematics strand examined in Grade 10–12 CAPS.