English FAL Grade 10 P1 November Mock Exam 2 2026 QP

Mock hlayiso mock exams Practice Series: Grade 10 Exam Preparation WWW.HLAYISO.COM NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE GRADE 10 ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE P1 NOVEMBER EXAMINATION 2026 (MOCK) MARKS: 80 TIME: 2 hours This question paper consists of 12 pages. Copyright reserved Please turn over

English First Additional Language/P1 2 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION 1. This question paper consists of THREE sections: SECTION A: Comprehension (30) SECTION B: Summary (10) SECTION C: Language (40) 2. Answer ALL the questions. 3. Read ALL the instructions carefully. 4. Start EACH section on a NEW page. 5. Leave a line after each answer. 6. Number the answers correctly according to the numbering system used in this question paper. 7. For multiple-choice questions, write only the letter (A–D) next to the question number in the ANSWER BOOK. 8. Pay special attention to spelling and sentence construction. 9. Use the following time frame as a guideline: SECTION A: 50 minutes SECTION B: 20 minutes SECTION C: 50 minutes 10. Write neatly and legibly. Copyright reserved Please turn over

English First Additional Language/P1 3 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock SECTION A: COMPREHENSION QUESTION 1 Read BOTH TEXT A and TEXT B and answer the set questions. TEXT A FROM BOTTLE TOPS TO CHAMPION 1 When Ayanda Sithole was nine years old, she found an old chessboard in a rubbish bin behind the church hall in Umlazi, south of Durban. Most of the pieces were missing, so she replaced them with bottle tops of different colours. ‘I did not even know the rules,’ she laughs. ‘I just knew that the board looked like a little city waiting for someone to bring it to life.’ 5 2 Learning the game was not easy. Ayanda’s mother worked long hours as a cleaner in town, and Ayanda had to look after her two younger brothers every afternoon. Her school had no chess club and no teacher who could play. She borrowed a chess book from the community library and studied it at night by candlelight. 3 One Saturday, she noticed an old man playing chess against himself under a tree 10 near the taxi rank. His name was Mr Bheki Zulu, a retired mathematics teacher. When Ayanda asked him to teach her, he agreed on one condition: she had to show him her finished homework before every lesson. ‘Chess is like life,’ he told her. ‘Every move has a consequence1 . You must think before you act.’ 4 Within two years, Ayanda was beating her teacher. At the age of twelve, she entered 15 her first district tournament wearing shoes that she had borrowed from her cousin. She lost her first three games and cried all the way home. ‘I wanted to give up,’ she admits. ‘But Mr Zulu told me that a loss is a lesson, not a label. The next morning, I set up the board again.’ 5 Her hard work paid off. Last year, at the age of fifteen, she won the provincial junior 20 girls’ championship and was selected to represent South Africa at an international youth tournament in Nairobi, Kenya. Her family could not afford the flight, so the whole community stepped in. Neighbours held car washes and cake sales, and the local taxi association donated R5 000. 6 Ayanda is now sixteen and in Grade 10, and she has started giving back. Every 25 Wednesday afternoon, more than forty children crowd into the community hall for the Bottle-Top Chess Club. Because the club cannot afford to buy proper chess sets, the children make their own boards from cardboard and their own pieces from bottle tops, just as Ayanda once did. The principal of the local primary school, Mr Themba Ngcobo, says that learners who attend the club concentrate better in class and are 30 more patient with one another. 7 Ayanda believes that chess teaches children much more than how to win a game. ‘Not every child will become a champion,’ she says, ‘but every child can learn to plan ahead, to be patient and to lose with dignity. On the chessboard, the smallest piece, the pawn, can become a queen if it keeps moving forward. I believe the same is true 35 for children from places like Umlazi.’ 8 After school, Ayanda hopes to study engineering. Her other dream is to become a grandmaster, the highest title a chess player can earn. ‘She does not play to win,’ says Mr Zulu. ‘She plays to learn. That is why she wins.’ Copyright reserved Please turn over

English First Additional Language/P1 4 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock [Examiner’s own text. The people and the chess club are fictitious.] GLOSSARY: consequence1 : a result or effect of an action 1.1 Refer to paragraph 1. 1.1.1 Where did Ayanda find the old chessboard? (1) 1.1.2 ‘the board looked like a little city waiting for someone to bring it to life’ (lines 4–5). Is this statement literal or figurative? Explain your answer. (2) 1.2 Refer to paragraph 2. State TWO difficulties that Ayanda faced when she was learning to play chess. (2) 1.3 Refer to paragraph 3. 1.3.1 Quote a SINGLE word which shows that Mr Zulu no longer works as a teacher. (1) 1.3.2 Why, do you think, did Mr Zulu insist on seeing Ayanda’s finished homework before every lesson? (2) 1.4 Refer to paragraph 4. 1.4.1 State whether the following statement is TRUE or FALSE. Quote a phrase from paragraph 4 to support your answer. Ayanda did very well at her first district tournament. (2) 1.4.2 Explain in your OWN words what Mr Zulu meant when he said that ‘a loss is a lesson, not a label’. (2) 1.5 Refer to paragraph 5. 1.5.1 Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence: The words ‘the whole community stepped in’ (line 23) mean that the community … A walked into Ayanda’s home. B helped when help was needed. C took control of Ayanda’s career. D argued about the cost of the flight. (1) 1.5.2 Mention TWO ways in which the community raised money for Ayanda’s flight. (2) 1.6 Refer to paragraph 6. 1.6.1 Why do the children at the Bottle-Top Chess Club make their own chess sets? (1) 1.6.2 According to Mr Ngcobo, how does the chess club benefit learners? State TWO points. (2) Copyright reserved Please turn over

English First Additional Language/P1 5 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock 1.7 Refer to paragraph 7. Explain the comparison that Ayanda makes between the pawn and children from places like Umlazi. (2) 1.8 Do you think that chess should be taught at all schools in South Africa? Discuss your view. (2) 1.9 Discuss the suitability of the title, ‘FROM BOTTLE TOPS TO CHAMPION’. (2) TEXT B The bar graph below shows the results of a survey in which 300 Grade 10 learners were asked how many hours they spend on different activities in an average week after school. The graph shows the AVERAGE number of hours per learner. HOW GRADE 10 LEARNERS SPEND THEIR TIME AFTER SCHOOL 16 15 14 Average hours per week 12 10 9 8 7 6 4 4 2 2 1 0 Social Watching Homework Sport Part-time Board games media TV work (e.g. chess) [Examiner’s own data. The survey is fictitious.] 1.10 Refer to TEXT B. On which activity do the learners spend the MOST time? (1) 1.11 How many more hours per week does an average learner spend on social media than on homework? (1) 1.12 Why has the information been given in the form of a bar graph instead of a paragraph? State TWO points. (2) 1.13 Refer to TEXT A and TEXT B. Ayanda says that chess teaches children ‘to plan ahead, to be patient and to lose with dignity’. Do you think that the learners in TEXT B would benefit from joining a club like the Bottle-Top Chess Club? Support your answer with information from BOTH texts. (2) TOTAL SECTION A: 30 Copyright reserved Please turn over

English First Additional Language/P1 6 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock SECTION B: SUMMARY QUESTION 2 Many learners study for long hours but do not get the marks that they hope for. Read the passage (TEXT C) below and list SEVEN tips that can help learners to study effectively at home. INSTRUCTIONS 1. Your summary must be written in point form. 2. List your SEVEN points in full sentences, using no more than 70 words. 3. Number your sentences from 1 to 7. 4. Write only ONE point per sentence. 5. Use your OWN words as far as possible. 6. Indicate the total number of words you have used in brackets at the end of your summary. TEXT C STUDY SMARTER AT HOME Many learners spend hours with their books open, yet they remember very little when they sit down to write a test. The problem is usually not how long they study, but how they study. Here are some tips that can help. First, choose one place in your home where you always study. It does not have to be a desk in a quiet bedroom; a corner of the kitchen table can work just as well, as long as it is the same place every day. Before you begin, put your cellphone in another room or switch it off. A single message can steal ten minutes of your study time. Draw up a study timetable at the start of every week, and give the most time to the subjects that you find most difficult. My older brother, who is now at university, still keeps his old Grade 12 timetable on his bedroom wall. Do not try to study for three hours without a stop. Work for about forty minutes, and then take a short break to stretch your legs or drink some water. When you read a section of your textbook, close the book and write down everything that you can remember. Then check what you have left out. Another good idea is to explain what you have learnt to someone else, such as a younger brother or sister. If you can teach it, you understand it. Use past examination papers to practise answering questions in the time that you will have in the real examination. Finally, go to bed at a reasonable time. A learner who studies until two o’clock in the morning will be too tired to concentrate the next day, so late nights do more harm than good. [Examiner’s own text] TOTAL SECTION B: 10 Copyright reserved Please turn over

English First Additional Language/P1 7 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock SECTION C: LANGUAGE QUESTION 3: ANALYSING AN ADVERTISEMENT Study the advertisement (TEXT D) below and answer the set questions. TEXT D YOUR TEXTBOOKS ARE HEAVY. YOUR PHONE IS NOT. ✓ Video lessons for Grades 8–12 ✓ Past papers with memos SmartPrep Maths ✓ ✓ Works offline – no data needed after Physical Sc. ✓ download ✓ Used by over English FAL ✓ 50 000 South African Life Sc. ✓ learners Geography ✓ 6 kg 0 MB data used 7-DAY FREE TRIAL – then only R39 a month! SmartPrep – Learn anywhere. Pass everywhere. Download it from your app store today. [Examiner’s own advertisement. SMARTPREP is a fictitious product.] The text in the advertisement reads as follows: YOUR TEXTBOOKS ARE HEAVY. YOUR PHONE IS NOT. SmartPrep: Video lessons for Grades 8–12. Past papers with memos. Works offline – no data needed after download. Used by over 50 000 South African learners. 7-DAY FREE TRIAL – then only R39 a month! SmartPrep – Learn anywhere. Pass everywhere. Download it from your app store today. Copyright reserved Please turn over

English First Additional Language/P1 8 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock 3.1 Name the product that is being advertised. (1) 3.2 Who is the target audience of this advertisement? (1) 3.3 Refer to the headline, ‘YOUR TEXTBOOKS ARE HEAVY. YOUR PHONE IS NOT.’ Explain the contrast that the advertiser creates in the headline and why it would appeal to the reader. (2) 3.4 How much will a learner pay for the app in the first week? (1) 3.5 Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence: An app that ‘works offline’ can be used … A only when the phone is switched off. B without an internet connection. C only outside the classroom. D for seven days only. (1) 3.6 How does the picture of the books and the phone support the message of the advertisement? (2) 3.7 Would you sign up for the SmartPrep app? Substantiate your answer. (2) [10] QUESTION 4: ANALYSING A CARTOON Study the cartoon (TEXT E) below and answer the set questions. NOTE: In this cartoon, the boy’s name is Sipho. The woman is his mother, whom he calls Ma. TEXT E A PIECE OF CAKE by the examiner Relax, Ma! Sipho, your Maths test So … how Ma, I think I It's a piece is tomorrow! Shouldn't was the cake? … burnt it. of cake. you be studying? Question 1 … WHAT?! MATHS TEST 23% FRAME 1 FRAME 2 FRAME 3 [Examiner’s own cartoon] Copyright reserved Please turn over

English First Additional Language/P1 9 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock 4.1 Refer to FRAME 1. Give ONE visual clue which shows that Sipho is not worried about his test. (1) 4.2 Explain what Sipho means when he says, ‘It’s a piece of cake.’ (2) 4.3 Refer to FRAME 2. Mention TWO visual clues which show that Sipho is panicking. (2) 4.4 Why has the writer used a question mark AND an exclamation mark after the word ‘WHAT’? (1) 4.5 Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence: In FRAME 3, Ma’s folded arms and unsmiling face suggest that she is … A proud of her son. B unimpressed with her son. C confused by the test. D afraid of the teacher. (1) 4.6 Explain the humour in Ma’s question, ‘So … how was the cake?’ (2) 4.7 Refer to FRAME 3. Give ONE word to describe how Sipho feels in this frame. (1) [10] Copyright reserved Please turn over

English First Additional Language/P1 10 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock QUESTION 5: LANGUAGE AND EDITING SKILLS 5.1 Read the passage (TEXT F) below, which has some deliberate errors, and answer the set questions. TEXT F LEARNERS BRING THEIR STREAM BACK TO LIFE 1 For years, the small stream behind Thuto-Lefa Secondary School in Mamelodi was full of plastic bottles, old tyres and broken furniture. Last month, the school’s eco-club decided that enough was enough. 2 Every Saturday morning, twenty learners and two teachers meets at the school gate with gloves and bags. They have already removed more than three tonnes of rubish 5 from the water. The local municipality supplied the rubbish bags. On one Saturday, a learner found a tyre in the stream. On some Saturdays, they collected bottles in the pouring rain. 3 The learners plant indigenous trees along the banks. The stream is slowly getting it’s natural beauty back. Last week, a family of ducks swim in the stream for the first time 10 in years. 4 The club’s leader, Karabo Masilela, said, ‘We are proud of what we have done.’ The stream is cleaner now, and the club hopes that other schools will follow its example. [Examiner’s own text. The school and the people are fictitious.] 5.1.1 Correct the SINGLE error in EACH of the following sentences. Write down ONLY the question numbers and the words you have corrected. (a) Every Saturday morning, twenty learners and two teachers meets at the school gate with gloves and bags. (1) (b) They have already removed more than three tonnes of rubish from the water. (1) (c) The stream is slowly getting it’s natural beauty back. (1) (d) Last week, a family of ducks swim in the stream for the first time in years. (1) 5.1.2 Rewrite the following sentence in reported speech. Begin with: Karabo said … Karabo Masilela said, ‘We are proud of what we have done.’ (3) 5.1.3 Rewrite the following sentence in the simple past tense: The learners plant indigenous trees along the banks. (1) 5.1.4 Rewrite the following sentence in the passive voice: The local municipality supplied the rubbish bags. (1) 5.1.5 Rewrite the following sentence in the plural form: A learner found a tyre in the stream. (2) Copyright reserved Please turn over

English First Additional Language/P1 11 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock 5.1.6 Identify the part of speech of EACH of the underlined words in the following sentence: They collected bottles in the pouring rain. (2) 5.1.7 Complete the following tag question. Write down only the missing words. The stream is cleaner now, …? (1) 5.2 Read the text messages (TEXT G) below and answer the set questions. TEXT G Eco-Club Chat Lindi: Hi Musa! Are you coming to the stream clean-up on Saturday? Musa: I'm not sure. Last time it was the most boring day of my life. Lindi: You won't be bored this time! There will be music, and lunch is free. Musa: Free lunch? Count me in! Who is bringing the food? Lindi: Mrs Dube is our science teacher. She makes the best vetkoek in Mamelodi. She is bringing it. Musa: Great! See you at 8:00. I hope the weather is fine. Lindi: Me too. Don't forget your gloves! [Examiner’s own text. The people are fictitious.] 5.2.1 Write the contraction won’t in full. (1) 5.2.2 Give a homophone for the word great. (1) 5.2.3 Rewrite the following sentence in the negative form: She makes the best vetkoek in Mamelodi. (1) 5.2.4 Give the noun form of the word bored. (1) Copyright reserved Please turn over

English First Additional Language/P1 12 Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NSC Mock 5.2.5 Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentence: When Musa says, ‘Count me in!’, he means that he … A wants to count the rubbish bags. B will take part in the clean-up. C is not sure whether he will come. D will be the leader of the group. (1) 5.2.6 Combine the following sentences into ONE sentence by using the relative pronoun who: Mrs Dube is our science teacher. She makes the best vetkoek in Mamelodi. (1) [20] TOTAL SECTION C: 40 GRAND TOTAL: 80 Copyright reserved