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SENIOR CERTIFICATE
GRADE 10
HISTORY
NOVEMBER EXAMINATION 2026 (MOCK)
MARKING GUIDELINES
MARKS: 150
These marking guidelines consist of 26 pages.
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History Grade 10 P1 November Mock Exam 2 2026 Memo (English)
Grade 10 History Paper 1 memorandum from the November Mock Exam 2 2026 (English), 26 pages. Read online or download the free PDF.
History · Grade 10 · November Mock Exam 2 · 2026 · English. Memorandum, 26 pages. Read online or download the PDF.
- Subject
- History
- Grade
- Grade 10
- Language
- English
- Document type
- Memorandum
- Year
- 2026
- Exam period
- November Mock Exam 2
- Paper
- 1
- Publisher
- Hlayiso
- Curriculum
- CAPS
- Pages
- 26
- File size
- 195.0 KB
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November Mock Exam 2 2026
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History 2 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
1. SOURCE-BASED QUESTIONS
1.1 The following cognitive levels were used to develop source-based questions:
Cognitive Historical skills Weighting of
levels questions
LEVEL 1 • Extract evidence from sources 40%
• Selection and organisation of relevant information from (20)
sources
• Define historical concepts/terms
LEVEL 2 • Interpretation of evidence from sources 40%
• Explain information gathered from sources (20)
• Analyse evidence from sources
• Explain historical concepts in context
LEVEL 3 • Interpret and evaluate evidence from sources 20%
• Engage with sources to determine usefulness, reliability, (10)
bias and limitations
• Compare and contrast interpretations and perspectives
presented in sources and draw independent conclusions
1.2 The information below indicates how source-based questions are assessed:
• In the marking of source-based questions, credit must be given to any other valid and
relevant viewpoints, arguments, evidence or examples.
• In the allocation of marks, emphasis should be placed on how the requirements of the
question have been addressed.
• In the marking guidelines the requirements of the question (skills to be addressed) as well
as the level of the question are indicated in italics.
• When assessing open-ended source-based questions, learners should be credited for any
other relevant answers.
• Learners are expected to take a stance when answering ‘to what extent’ questions in order
for any marks to be awarded.
1.3 Assessment procedures for source-based questions
• Use a tick (✓) for each correct answer.
• Pay attention to the mark scheme, e.g. (2 x 2) means two reasons, each awarded two
marks (✓✓✓✓); (1 x 2) means one reason awarded two marks (✓✓).
• If a question carries 4 marks, indicate this by placing 4 ticks (✓✓✓✓).
Paragraph question
Paragraphs are assessed globally (holistically). Both the content and the structure of the
paragraph must be taken into account when awarding a mark. Use the following steps:
• Read the paragraph and place a bullet (•) at each point within the text where the candidate
has used relevant evidence to address the question.
• Re-read the paragraph to evaluate the extent to which the candidate has been able to use
relevant evidence to write a paragraph.
• At the end of the paragraph indicate the ticks (✓) awarded, the level (1, 2 or 3) as indicated
in the holistic rubric and a brief comment, e.g.
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History 3 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
•
• • Level 2 ✓✓✓✓
COMMENT: Used mostly relevant evidence to write a basic paragraph.
• Count all the ticks for the source-based question and write the mark (e.g. 32/50) on the
right-hand bottom margin.
• Ensure that the total mark is transferred accurately to the front/back cover of the answer
script.
2. ESSAY QUESTIONS
2.1 The essay questions require candidates to structure their argument in a logical and
coherent manner. They need to select, organise and connect the relevant information so that
they present a reasonable sequence of facts or an effective argument to answer the question
posed. It is essential that an essay has an introduction, a coherent and balanced body of
evidence and a conclusion.
2.2 Marking of essay questions: Candidates may have any other relevant introduction
and/or conclusion than those included in the essay marking guidelines for a specific essay.
2.3 Global assessment of the essay
The essay is assessed holistically (globally): the teacher assesses the essay as a whole
rather than marking the main points separately. This approach rewards an original argument
supported by relevant evidence; learners are not required simply to regurgitate content
to achieve a Level 7, and it discourages the reproduction of prepared essays that ignore
the specific requirements of the question. Holistic assessment does not penalise language
inadequacies; the emphasis is on:
• The learner’s interpretation of the question
• The appropriate selection of factual evidence (relevant content selection)
• The construction of an argument (planned, structured and with an independent line of
argument)
2.4 Assessment procedures of the essay
• Keep the synopsis in mind when assessing the essay.
• During the reading of the essay, ticks are awarded for a relevant introduction, the main
aspects/body of the essay that sustain the line of argument and a relevant conclusion
(each indicated by a bullet in the marking guidelines). For example, in an essay with five
main points there could be about seven ticks.
• Keep the PEEL structure in mind:
P Point: The candidate introduces the essay by taking a line of
argument/making a major point. Each paragraph should include a point that
sustains the major point.
E Explanation: The candidate explains in more detail what the main point is
about and how it relates to the question posed.
E Example: The candidate selects relevant content and examples to sustain
the line of argument.
L Link: The line of argument is sustained throughout the essay and written
coherently.
• The following symbols MUST be used when assessing an essay:
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History 4 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
Introduction, main aspects and conclusion not properly ∧
contextualised
Wrong statement
Irrelevant statement |
Repetition R
Analysis A✓
Interpretation I✓
Line of argument LOA
2.5 The matrix
In the marking of essays the criteria provided in the matrix should be used. Note both
the content and the presentation; at the point of intersection of the content level and the
presentation level a mark is awarded.
(a) The first reading determines to what extent the main aspects have been covered and
allocates the content level, e.g. C LEVEL 4 .
(b) The second reading relates to the level of presentation, e.g. C LEVEL 4 P LEVEL 3 .
(c) Allocate an overall mark using the matrix, e.g. C LEVEL 4 and P LEVEL 3 → 26–27.
COMMENT: Some omissions in content coverage. Attempts to sustain a line of argument.
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History 5 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
MARKING MATRIX FOR ESSAY: TOTAL: 50
PRESENTATION → LEVEL 7 LEVEL 6 LEVEL 5 LEVEL 4 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 1*
Very well planned Very well planned Well planned and Planned and Shows some Attempts to Little or no attempt
and structured and structured structured essay. constructed an evidence of a structure an to structure the
essay. Good essay. Developed a Attempts to develop argument. planned and answer. Largely essay.
CONTENT ↓ synthesis of relevant line of a clear argument. Evidence used to constructed descriptive or some
information. argument. Conclusion drawn some extent to argument. Attempts attempt at
Developed an Evidence used to from the evidence support the line of to sustain a line of developing a line of
original, defend the to support the line argument. argument. argument. No
well-balanced and argument. Attempts of argument. Conclusions Conclusions not attempt to draw a
independent line of to draw an reached based on clearly supported conclusion.
argument with the independent evidence. by evidence.
use of evidence conclusion from the
and sustained and evidence to support
defended the the line of
argument argument.
throughout.
Independent
conclusion is drawn
from evidence to
support the line of
argument.
LEVEL 7 47–50 43–46
Question has been fully
answered. Content selection
fully relevant to line of
argument.
LEVEL 6 43–46 40–42 38–39
Question has been
answered. Content selection
relevant to a line of
argument.
LEVEL 5 38–39 36–37 34–35 30–33 28–29
Question answered to a
great extent. Content
adequately covered and
relevant.
LEVEL 4 30–33 28–29 26–27
Question recognisable in
answer. Some omissions or
irrelevant content selection.
LEVEL 3 26–27 24–25 20–23
Content selection does
relate to the question, but
does not answer it, or does
not always relate to the
question. Omissions in
coverage.
LEVEL 2 20–23 18–19 14–17
Question inadequately
addressed. Sparse content.
LEVEL 1* 14–17 0–13
Question inadequately
addressed or not at all.
Inadequate or irrelevant
content.
* Guidelines for allocating a mark for Level 1:
• Question not addressed at all/totally irrelevant content; no attempt to structure the =0
essay
• Content selection includes basic and generally irrelevant information; no attempt = 1–6
to structure the essay
• Question inadequately addressed and vague; little attempt to structure the essay = 7–13
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History 6 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
SECTION A: SOURCE-BASED QUESTIONS
QUESTION 1: HOW DID SHAKA TRANSFORM THE ZULU CHIEFDOM INTO A
POWERFUL KINGDOM BETWEEN 1816 AND 1828?
1.1
1.1.1 [Extraction of evidence from Source 1A – L1]
• Nandi
(1 x 1) (1)
1.1.2 [Extraction of evidence from Source 1A – L1]
• Dingiswayo (of the Mthethwa)
(1 x 1) (1)
1.1.3 [Extraction of evidence from Source 1A – L1]
• His parents’ relationship was not approved by the elders / he and his mother
were not accepted at Senzangakhona’s homestead
• He and Nandi were sent away from the Zulu
• He was teased and bullied by other boys among the Langeni
• They were forced to leave the Langeni during a time of famine
(any 2 x 1) (2)
1.1.4 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 1A and own knowledge – L2]
• Dingiswayo gave Shaka and his mother a home and protection among the
powerful Mthethwa
• Shaka gained military training and experience in Dingiswayo’s age
regiments
• Dingiswayo made him a commander, which gave him status, leadership
experience and loyal followers
• Shaka learnt from Dingiswayo how to build a larger state by bringing
neighbouring chiefdoms under one ruler
• Dingiswayo lent him soldiers to take the Zulu chieftainship from Sigujana,
although he was not the heir
• The small Zulu chiefdom remained under Mthethwa protection while Shaka
built up his strength
• Any other relevant response
(any 2 x 2) (4)
1.1.5 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 1A – L2]
• Shaka was not the rightful heir; he seized power by force when Sigujana
was killed with the help of Mthethwa soldiers
• He became chief because of outside (Mthethwa) military support rather
than by hereditary succession
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
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History 7 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
1.2
1.2.1 [Extraction of evidence from Source 1B – L1]
• The iklwa
(1 x 1) (1)
1.2.2 [Definition of a historical concept from Source 1B – L1]
• Regiments of young men of the same age who served the king as soldiers
(and workers) and lived in military homesteads
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
1.2.3 [Extraction of evidence from Source 1B – L1]
• Soldiers who showed cowardice in battle were put to death
• Those who lost their spears were punished
• Regiments that performed badly were publicly shamed
• Brave warriors were rewarded with cattle and praised in public (reward as
a form of discipline)
(any 3 x 1) (3)
1.2.4 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 1B – L2]
• Unmarried soldiers would be loyal to the king rather than to their own
families
• Soldiers without wives and children would be more willing to fight and to
risk their lives
• The king had full control over the young men, who remained in the
regiments for many years
• Delaying marriage kept the soldiers in the amakhanda and available for
war at all times
• Permission to marry was a reward that the king could use to keep regiments
obedient
• Any other relevant response
(any 2 x 2) (4)
1.2.5 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 1B – L2]
• Young men of defeated chiefdoms were placed in Zulu regiments, where
they mixed with others and became loyal to Shaka
• Loyal chiefs ruled under Shaka, so the people kept their communities but
accepted the Zulu king, and over time they came to see themselves as
Zulu
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
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History 8 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
1.3
1.3.1 [Extraction of evidence from Source 1C – L1]
• The chest (isifuba)
(1 x 1) (1)
1.3.2 [Extraction of evidence from Source 1C – L1]
• They were the reserve regiments that sat with their backs to the battle and
were sent forward when they were needed
(1 x 2) (2)
1.3.3 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 1C – L2]
• The chest held the enemy in place while the fast horns ran around the sides
and met behind the enemy, so the enemy was surrounded and could not
escape
• The enemy was attacked from several sides at once; the reserves (loins)
could be sent in where they were needed
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
1.3.4 [Ascertaining the limitations of Source 1C – L3]
The source is LIMITED because:
• It is a simplified diagram drawn by the examiner and is not drawn to scale
• It shows an ideal plan, not what actually happened in a particular battle
• It does not name any battles, dates, places or numbers of soldiers
• It does not show the enemy’s tactics or the outcome of the battles
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
1.4 [Comparison of evidence from Sources 1B and 1C – L3]
• Source 1B states that Shaka’s soldiers were trained to fight without sandals
and to run long distances, and Source 1C shows young, fast regiments
running around the sides of the enemy (the horns)
• Source 1B states that soldiers were grouped into age regiments
(amabutho), and Source 1C shows the army organised in regiments (chest,
horns and loins)
• Source 1B states that in battle the regiments were organised in a formation
that allowed them to surround the enemy, and Source 1C shows the horns
running around the sides to meet behind the enemy
Accept any valid link between the training and organisation in Source 1B and
the formation in Source 1C.
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
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History 9 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
1.5
1.5.1 [Extraction of evidence from Source 1D – L1]
• Henry Francis Fynn
• Nathaniel Isaacs
(2 x 1) (2)
1.5.2 [Extraction of evidence from Source 1D – L1]
• Books full of shocking stories sold well in Britain
• They hoped that the British government would take control of Natal, which
would protect their land and their business
• Describing the Zulu as savage helped to justify colonial rule
(any 2 x 1) (2)
1.5.3 [Ascertaining the reliability of evidence from Source 1D – L3]
The accounts are NOT entirely reliable because:
• They were written many years after the events (Fynn’s diary was rewritten
from memory)
• The traders had personal and financial reasons to exaggerate (selling
books, getting Britain to take over Natal)
• They were outsiders who did not speak the language well and did not fully
understand Zulu society
• They were written from a one-sided, colonial perspective that portrayed
Africans as savages
However, they are useful/partly reliable because:
• They were written by eyewitnesses who visited Shaka’s capital and met
him
• They can be compared with other evidence, such as Zulu oral tradition
• Any other relevant response
(any 2 x 2) (4)
1.5.4 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 1D – L2]
• He united many small chiefdoms into one of the strongest African kingdoms
of the 19th century
• He built a centralised state in which people from different chiefdoms came
to see themselves as Zulu (a common identity)
• Historians today use a wider range of evidence, such as oral tradition, and
question the biased accounts of the traders
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
1.5.5 [Extraction of evidence from Source 1D – L1]
• 1828 (September 1828)
(1 x 1) (1)
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History 10 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
1.6 [Interpretation, evaluation and synthesis of evidence from relevant sources –
L3]
Candidates could include the following aspects in their response:
• Shaka gained military experience in Dingiswayo’s Mthethwa army and
seized the Zulu chieftainship with Mthethwa help in about 1816 (Source
1A)
• He introduced the short stabbing spear (iklwa) and the large cowhide shield
and trained soldiers to fight barefoot (Source 1B)
• He organised young men into age regiments (amabutho) that lived in
military homesteads and could marry only with his permission (Source 1B)
• Strict discipline: cowards were killed; brave warriors were rewarded with
cattle (Source 1B)
• He used the ‘cow-horn’ formation to surround and destroy enemies (Source
1C)
• He took over the Mthethwa and defeated the Ndwandwe at Gqokli Hill
(1818) and the Mhlatuze River (about 1819) (Source 1B)
• He incorporated defeated chiefdoms; their young men joined Zulu
regiments and their cattle belonged to the king (Source 1B)
• He centralised power in his own hands and created a common Zulu identity;
he is remembered as a nation builder (Source 1D)
• He controlled trade with the British traders at Port Natal (Source 1D)
• His rule ended when he was murdered by Dingane and Mhlangana in 1828
(Source 1D)
• Any other relevant response
(8)
Use the following rubric to allocate marks:
LEVEL 1 • Uses evidence in an elementary manner, e.g. shows no or little MARKS:
understanding of how Shaka transformed the Zulu chiefdom into a 0–2
powerful kingdom between 1816 and 1828.
• Uses evidence partially or cannot write a paragraph.
LEVEL 2 • Evidence is mostly relevant and relates largely to the topic, e.g. shows MARKS:
some understanding of how Shaka transformed the Zulu chiefdom into 3–5
a powerful kingdom between 1816 and 1828.
• Uses evidence in a basic manner to write a paragraph.
LEVEL 3 • Uses relevant evidence, e.g. demonstrates a thorough understanding MARKS:
of how Shaka transformed the Zulu chiefdom into a powerful kingdom 6–8
between 1816 and 1828.
• Uses evidence very effectively in an organised paragraph that shows
an understanding of the topic.
[50]
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History 11 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
QUESTION 2: HOW DID THE DISCOVERY OF DIAMONDS AND GOLD CHANGE THE
LIVES OF BLACK SOUTH AFRICANS BETWEEN 1867 AND 1899?
2.1
2.1.1 [Extraction of evidence from Source 2A – L1]
• 1871
(1 x 1) (1)
2.1.2 [Definition of a historical concept from Source 2A – L1]
• The rapid economic and social changes in South Africa that followed the
discovery of diamonds (1867/1871) and gold (1886), e.g. the growth of
mining, industry, towns, railways and migrant labour
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
2.1.3 [Extraction of evidence from Source 2A – L1]
• Pedi (from the northern Transvaal)
• Basotho (from Basutoland)
• Tsonga (from the area around Delagoa Bay)
• Xhosa (from the eastern Cape)
• Mfengu (from the eastern Cape)
(any 3 x 1) (3)
2.1.4 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 2A – L2]
• Britain wanted control of the valuable diamond fields and the wealth they
produced
• Britain did not want the Boer republics (Orange Free State and Transvaal)
to become rich and powerful / to gain control of the diamonds
• Supporting Waterboer’s claim gave Britain a legal excuse to take the land
• Britain wanted to expand its empire and its control over the interior of
southern Africa (British paramountcy)
• Taxes and customs duties from the diamond trade would benefit the British
colonies
• Any other relevant response
(any 2 x 2) (4)
2.1.5 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 2A – L2]
• The young men could earn wages to buy guns, which the communities
needed to defend themselves against the Boer republics and the colonial
governments
• The wages brought cattle, ploughs and other goods into the chiefdoms /
helped families to pay for bridewealth and taxes
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
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History 12 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
2.2
2.2.1 [Extraction of evidence from Source 2B – L1]
• Workers stole diamonds and sold them to illegal buyers
• Workers left their jobs whenever they wished
(2 x 1) (2)
2.2.2 [Definition of a historical concept from Source 2B – L1]
• A system in which workers leave their homes to work in another place
(e.g. the mines) for a fixed period/contract, and then return home, without
settling permanently where they work
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
2.2.3 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 2B and own knowledge – L2]
• Workers were locked in compounds and could not leave until their contracts
(three to six months) had ended
• They had to buy food and goods at company stores, so the company also
controlled their spending
• They were searched carefully and sometimes held in separate rooms at
the end of their contracts
• Passes showed the name of the employer; workers without passes could
be arrested, fined or jailed
• Workers could not change employers or bargain for higher wages; they
were cut off from family life
• The system kept wages low and supplied a cheap, controlled labour force;
it was later used on the gold mines
• Any other relevant response
(any 2 x 2) (4)
2.2.4 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 2B – L2]
• White workers were treated as skilled employees with more rights; they
were allowed to live in town with their families
• The compound and pass systems were based on racial discrimination: only
black workers were controlled in this way
• White workers had political power (votes) and would have resisted being
placed in compounds
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
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History 13 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
2.3
2.3.1 [Extraction of evidence from Source 2C – L1]
• Northern Transvaal (Pedi)
• Southern Mozambique (Tsonga)
• Basutoland (Basotho)
• Eastern Cape (Xhosa and Mfengu)
(any 2 x 1) (2)
2.3.2 [Extraction of evidence from Source 2C – L1]
• The Witwatersrand (Johannesburg)
(1 x 1) (1)
2.3.3 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 2C – L2]
• To transport heavy machinery, coal and supplies to the mines and to carry
minerals to the ports for export
• To bring migrant workers and other people quickly to the mining centres
• The ports and colonies (and the Transvaal via Delagoa Bay) competed for
the profitable mining trade
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
2.3.4 [Ascertaining the usefulness of Source 2C – L3]
The source is USEFUL because:
• It shows the main areas from which migrant workers came (Pedi, Tsonga,
Basotho, Xhosa and Mfengu areas)
• It shows that workers travelled long distances, even from outside South
Africa, to the mines
• It shows the location of the mining centres (Kimberley and the
Witwatersrand) and the railways that linked them to the ports
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
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History 14 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
2.4
2.4.1 [Extraction of evidence from Source 2D – L1]
• The Randlords (wealthy mine owners)
• Skilled white miners (many of them immigrants from Britain)
• Black migrant workers
• A small group of educated black people (clerks, teachers, interpreters and
traders)
(any 3 x 1) (3)
2.4.2 [Definition of a historical concept from Source 2D – L1]
• The practice of reserving certain (skilled, better-paid) jobs for white workers
only, so that black workers were kept in unskilled, low-paid work
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
2.4.3 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 2D – L2]
• The price of gold was fixed on the world market, so the companies could
make profits only by keeping costs down
• Most of the gold was deep underground and of low grade, so mining was
very expensive
• Deep-level mining required huge amounts of capital, and investors
expected profits
• Black workers were the largest group of workers, so their wages were the
biggest cost that could be cut
• The Chamber of Mines helped companies to agree on low wages and avoid
competing for workers
• Any other relevant response
(any 2 x 2) (4)
2.4.4 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 2D – L2]
• To force black men to leave the land and work for wages on the mines and
farms, because taxes had to be paid in money
• To create a supply of cheap labour and to raise income (revenue) for the
governments
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
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History 15 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
2.5 [Comparison of evidence from Sources 2B and 2D – L3]
• Both sources state that white workers did skilled or supervisory work and
earned much higher wages than black workers
• Both sources show that black workers were migrants who lived in
compounds, while white workers did not
• Both sources show that black workers were controlled and kept in low-paid
work (passes in Source 2B; the job colour bar and low wages in Source 2D)
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
2.6 [Interpretation, evaluation and synthesis of evidence from relevant sources –
L3]
Candidates could include the following aspects in their response:
• Diamonds (1867/1871) and gold (1886) started the mineral revolution and
created a huge demand for labour (Sources 2A and 2D)
• Britain annexed Griqualand West in 1871; colonial control over the interior
increased (Source 2A)
• Men from many chiefdoms became migrant workers who walked long
distances to the mines (Sources 2A and 2C)
• Wages were used to buy cattle, ploughs and guns (Source 2A)
• Black people were soon prevented from owning claims and could only be
labourers (Source 2A)
• Closed compounds, searches and pass laws controlled black workers
(Source 2B)
• Railways linked the mines to the ports and labour areas (Source 2C)
• Taxes in money forced men into migrant labour; the Chamber of Mines kept
wages low (Source 2D)
• A class and racial hierarchy developed: Randlords, skilled white miners,
black unskilled workers; the job colour bar (Source 2D)
• Dangerous working conditions; deaths in accidents and from lung
diseases; family life in the rural areas was disrupted (Source 2D and own
knowledge)
• Any other relevant response
(8)
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History 16 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
Use the following rubric to allocate marks:
LEVEL 1 • Uses evidence in an elementary manner, e.g. shows no or little MARKS:
understanding of how the discovery of diamonds and gold changed the 0–2
lives of black South Africans between 1867 and 1899.
• Uses evidence partially or cannot write a paragraph.
LEVEL 2 • Evidence is mostly relevant and relates largely to the topic, e.g. MARKS:
shows some understanding of how the discovery of diamonds and gold 3–5
changed the lives of black South Africans between 1867 and 1899.
• Uses evidence in a basic manner to write a paragraph.
LEVEL 3 • Uses relevant evidence, e.g. demonstrates a thorough understanding MARKS:
of how the discovery of diamonds and gold changed the lives of black 6–8
South Africans between 1867 and 1899.
• Uses evidence very effectively in an organised paragraph that shows
an understanding of the topic.
[50]
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History 17 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
QUESTION 3: WHY WAS THE NATIVES LAND ACT OF 1913 A TURNING POINT IN
THE DISPOSSESSION OF BLACK SOUTH AFRICANS?
3.1
3.1.1 [Extraction of evidence from Source 3A – L1]
• 19 June 1913
(1 x 1) (1)
3.1.2 [Definition of a historical concept from Source 3A – L1]
• A policy of separating people of different races in where they live, own land,
work, go to school, etc., with unequal rights for the groups
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
3.1.3 [Extraction of evidence from Source 3A – L1]
• Black people could buy or rent land only in the scheduled areas/reserves
(about 7% of the land)
• Black people were not allowed to buy or rent land from white people outside
the reserves
• Sharecropping was made illegal
• Black people could stay on white-owned farms only if they worked as
labourers for the farmer
(any 3 x 1) (3)
3.1.4 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 3A – L2]
• They complained that they could not find enough cheap labour; the Act
forced black families to work as labourers on their farms
• Successful black sharecroppers and tenant farmers competed with white
farmers in selling crops; the Act removed this competition
• The Act prevented black people from buying land in ‘white’ areas, so more
land remained in white hands
• White farmers had the vote and political influence in a Parliament that only
white men could be elected to
• Any other relevant response
(any 2 x 2) (4)
3.1.5 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 3A – L2]
• In the Cape black men who owned property could vote; the voting rights
of black voters in the Cape were protected, and buying land was linked to
these voting rights, so the courts ruled that the Act could not be enforced
there in the same way
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
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History 18 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
3.2
3.2.1 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 3B – L2]
• Black South Africans were treated as outcasts/foreigners in their own
country: they lost the right to own or rent land in most of the country in
which they were born
• Although they were not slaves, they had no land rights or protection and
were rejected by the state
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
3.2.2 [Extraction of evidence from Source 3B – L1]
• They were ordered off the farms where they had lived for many years
• They had to move along the roads looking for a place to settle
• Nobody was allowed to rent land to them
• Their sheep and cattle died of cold and hunger / had to be sold very cheaply
• They could not bury their dead (a baby) on white-owned farms
(any 2 x 1) (2)
3.2.3 [Explanation of a historical concept from Source 3B – L1]
• The forced removal of black families from the farms (land) on which they
lived, because the Act made sharecropping and renting illegal
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
3.2.4 [Ascertaining the reliability of evidence from Source 3B – L3]
The source is RELIABLE because:
• Plaatje was an eyewitness who travelled through the Orange Free State in
1913 and saw the effects himself
• He collected statements from the families he met
• His account is supported by other evidence, e.g. Source 3A states that
many sharecroppers were evicted in the Orange Free State in the winter
of 1913
The source may be ONE-SIDED/limited because:
• Plaatje was the general secretary of the SANNC, which opposed the Act
• He wrote the book in Britain to win support for black South Africans, so he
may have selected the most moving examples
• Any other relevant response
(any 2 x 2) (4)
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History 19 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
3.3
3.3.1 [Extraction of evidence from Source 3C – L1]
• About 67%
(1 x 1) (1)
3.3.2 [Extraction of evidence from Source 3C – L1]
• About 7%
(1 x 1) (1)
3.3.3 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 3C – L2]
• The Act was very unfair: black Africans made up about two-thirds (67%) of
the population but were allowed to own or rent only about 7% of the land,
while the minority could use about 93%
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
3.3.4 [Ascertaining the limitations of Source 3C – L3]
The source is LIMITED because:
• It shows only percentages; it does not show how many families were
evicted or how they suffered
• The figures are rounded/approximate
• It does not show the quality of the land in the reserves or where it was
located
• It does not show the differences between provinces (e.g. the Cape)
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
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History 20 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
3.4
3.4.1 [Extraction of evidence from Source 3D – L1]
• John Dube
• Sol Plaatje
• Walter Rubusana
• Saul Msane
• Thomas Mapikela
(any 2 x 1) (2)
3.4.2 [Explanation of a historical concept from Source 3D – L1]
• A small group of SANNC leaders who were sent to London to represent
black South Africans and to appeal to the British government to stop the
Act
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
3.4.3 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 3D – L2]
• The Union of South Africa was a self-governing state; Britain did not want
to interfere in its internal affairs
• Britain wanted to keep good relations with the Union government (Botha
and Smuts) and the reconciliation with the Afrikaners after the South
African War
• Britain needed the support of South Africa as war in Europe came closer
• Britain had already accepted the colour bar in the South Africa Act of 1909
/ did not regard black rights as a priority
• Any other relevant response
(any 2 x 2) (4)
3.4.4 [Interpretation of evidence from Source 3D – L2]
• Britain’s attention turned to the war, so it had no interest in the SANNC’s
complaints
• The SANNC suspended its protests and supported Britain in the war, out
of loyalty and in the hope of a reward later
• The deputation returned home without success; only Plaatje stayed in
Britain to campaign
• Any other relevant response
• Any other relevant response
(any 1 x 2) (2)
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History 21 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
3.5 [Comparison of evidence from Sources 3A and 3C – L3]
• Source 3A states that black people could buy or rent land only in the
reserves, which made up about 7% of the land, and Source 3C shows
that 7% of the land was set aside for black Africans
• Source 3A states that black people could not buy or rent land outside the
reserves, and Source 3C shows that about 93% of the land was outside
the reserves
• Source 3A states that a commission was appointed but very little extra land
was added, and Source 3C shows that black Africans (about 67% of the
population) were left with only about 7% of the land
• Both sources show that black people were confined to a very small part of
the land while the white minority kept most of it (93%)
• Any other relevant response
(any 2 x 2) (4)
3.6 [Interpretation, evaluation and synthesis of evidence from relevant sources –
L3]
Candidates could include the following aspects in their response:
• It was passed by an all-white Parliament after Union in 1910 under pressure
from white farmers (Source 3A)
• Black people could own or rent land only in the reserves (about 7% of the
land) (Sources 3A and 3C)
• Sharecropping and renting were outlawed; black families could stay on
farms only as labourers (Source 3A)
• Families were evicted in the winter of 1913, lost their livestock and
wandered the roads (Source 3B)
• Black people became ‘pariahs in the land of their birth’ (Source 3B)
• The majority of the population was squeezed onto a small share of the land
(Source 3C)
• The Act created a supply of cheap labour for white farms and mines; it
destroyed a class of independent black farmers (own knowledge)
• The SANNC’s protests and the 1914 deputation to Britain failed (Source
3D)
• The Act remained in force; the 1936 Act increased the reserves only to
about 13% (Source 3D)
• It laid the foundation for later segregation and apartheid (Source 3D)
• Any other relevant response
(8)
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History 22 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
Use the following rubric to allocate marks:
LEVEL 1 • Uses evidence in an elementary manner, e.g. shows no or little MARKS:
understanding of why the Natives Land Act of 1913 was a turning point 0–2
in the dispossession of black South Africans.
• Uses evidence partially or cannot write a paragraph.
LEVEL 2 • Evidence is mostly relevant and relates largely to the topic, e.g. shows MARKS:
some understanding of why the Natives Land Act of 1913 was a turning 3–5
point in the dispossession of black South Africans.
• Uses evidence in a basic manner to write a paragraph.
LEVEL 3 • Uses relevant evidence, e.g. demonstrates a thorough understanding MARKS:
of why the Natives Land Act of 1913 was a turning point in the 6–8
dispossession of black South Africans.
• Uses evidence very effectively in an organised paragraph that shows
an understanding of the topic.
[50]
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History 23 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
SECTION B: ESSAY QUESTIONS
QUESTION 4: TRANSFORMATIONS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA AFTER 1750 – THE
EMERGENCE OF THE BASOTHO KINGDOM UNDER MOSHOESHOE
[Plan and construct an original argument based on relevant evidence using analytical and
interpretative skills]
SYNOPSIS
Candidates should critically discuss whether Moshoeshoe relied more on diplomacy than on
military strength to build and protect the Basotho kingdom between 1820 and 1870. They
should take a stance: they may agree, disagree or show to what extent the statement is
valid, by weighing his diplomatic methods (nation building, negotiation, alliances, missionaries,
appeals to Britain) against his use of military strength (natural fortresses, horses and guns,
victories over the British and the Boers). They should support their line of argument with
relevant historical evidence.
MAIN ASPECTS
Candidates could include the following aspects in their essays:
• Introduction: Candidates should take a stance and indicate how they intend to support
their line of argument, e.g. Moshoeshoe was able to defend his people when necessary,
but he relied mainly on diplomacy, generosity and negotiation to build the Basotho nation
and to protect it against the Boers and the British.
ELABORATION
• Background: The difaqane disrupted the Highveld in the 1820s; Moshoeshoe, a minor
Bakoena chief, was influenced by the wise chief Mohlomi, who taught that a leader should
rule through kindness and generosity.
• Military strength – strongholds: He chose easily defended mountain strongholds:
Butha-Buthe and, from 1824, Thaba Bosiu, with cliffs, narrow paths, water and grazing;
Thaba Bosiu was never captured by force.
• Diplomacy – nation building: He pardoned the cannibals who had killed his grandfather
Peete; he offered refuge to people scattered by the difaqane; chiefdoms such as the
Bataung (Moletsane) and Baphuthi (Moorosi) accepted him as overlord and kept their own
chiefs and customs; the mafisa system of lending cattle and marriage alliances bound
followers to him.
• Diplomacy – dealing with powerful neighbours: He sent tribute to Shaka to avoid a
Zulu attack; when Mzilikazi’s Ndebele failed to capture Thaba Bosiu (1831), he sent them
cattle as a gift as they withdrew, so that they did not return.
• Diplomacy – missionaries: He invited missionaries of the Paris Evangelical Missionary
Society (Casalis, Arbousset, Gosselin) in 1833 and settled them at Morija; they acted as
his advisers and secretaries and helped him in his dealings with Europeans.
• Military strength – horses and guns: The Basotho acquired horses and firearms through
trade and became skilled horsemen; this strengthened their ability to resist raids and
invasions.
• Conflict with the British: The Warden Line (1849) took Basotho land; the Basotho
defeated Warden at Viervoet (1851); at the Battle of Berea (December 1852) they held off
Cathcart’s army, but Moshoeshoe immediately sent a diplomatic letter asking for peace
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NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
and offering cattle, so that Cathcart withdrew – a combination of military strength and
diplomacy.
• Conflict with the Orange Free State: Wars over land west of the Caledon River in 1858
and 1865–1868; the Basotho resisted, but Boer commandos destroyed crops and captured
cattle, and the Basotho faced defeat and starvation.
• Diplomacy – British protection: Moshoeshoe repeatedly appealed to Britain; in 1868
Basutoland was annexed by Britain; the Convention of Aliwal North (1869) fixed the
boundary; the Basotho lost the ‘Conquered Territory’ but the kingdom survived and was
not absorbed into the Boer republic – today it is the independent Kingdom of Lesotho.
• Conclusion: Candidates should tie up their argument with a relevant conclusion, e.g.
Moshoeshoe used military strength mainly for defence; diplomacy, generosity and
negotiation were his main tools in building the nation and in protecting it from being
destroyed.
[50]
QUESTION 5: COLONIAL EXPANSION AFTER 1750 – THE CAUSES OF THE GREAT
TREK
[Plan and construct an original argument based on relevant evidence using analytical and
interpretative skills]
SYNOPSIS
Candidates should explain to what extent the Great Trek (1835–1845) was caused by the
dissatisfaction of Dutch-speaking farmers with British rule at the Cape rather than by their
need for land. They should take a stance and support it by weighing political, social and
cultural grievances against British rule against economic causes such as the shortage of land,
insecurity on the eastern frontier and reports of fertile, open land in the interior.
MAIN ASPECTS
Candidates could include the following aspects in their essays:
• Introduction: Candidates should take a stance and indicate how they intend to support
their line of argument, e.g. the Great Trek was caused mainly by the trekkers’ dissatisfaction
with British rule, but the need for land and the insecurity on the eastern frontier also played
an important role.
ELABORATION
• Background: Britain took the Cape in 1795 and again in 1806; it became a British
colony in 1814; Dutch-speaking farmers (Boers) on the eastern frontier were used to little
government control.
• Anglicisation: English became the official language of the courts and government (from
the 1820s); English-speaking teachers and ministers were brought in; Dutch-speakers felt
their language and culture were threatened; the arrival of the 1820 British settlers.
• The legal system: The circuit courts (from 1811/12, the ‘Black Circuit’) allowed servants
to lay charges against their masters; the Slagtersnek rebellion (1815) and the hanging of
the rebels caused lasting bitterness.
• Ordinance 50 (1828): The Khoikhoi and ‘free persons of colour’ were freed from carrying
passes and became equal before the law; farmers lost control over labour and complained
about ‘vagrants’; the British refused to pass a vagrancy law (1834).
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• The emancipation of slaves (1834–1838): Farmers lost their slaves; compensation was
much less than the value of the slaves and had to be claimed in London; trekkers objected
to equality between master and servant.
• Frontier insecurity: The Sixth Frontier War (1834–1835) caused heavy losses of cattle
and farms; the Province of Queen Adelaide was given up (1836) on the orders of Lord
Glenelg; farmers felt that the British government did not protect them; no representation in
government.
• The need for land: Large families and the custom of every son owning a farm created a
shortage of land in the colony; land prices rose and drought affected the eastern districts;
the government changed the land system (quitrent, land sales).
• Reports of open land in the interior: Commissie treks (1834) reported fertile, apparently
empty land in Natal and on the Highveld (depopulated as a result of the Mfecane/difaqane).
• Piet Retief’s manifesto (1837): Published in the Graham’s Town Journal; listed
grievances: losses from emancipation, vagrants, frontier insecurity and the way in which
the colonists had been criticised by missionaries and officials; promised that the trekkers
would not hold slaves but would preserve ‘proper relations’ between master and servant.
• The trek: About 12 000–15 000 Voortrekkers left the Cape between 1835 and 1845 under
leaders such as Louis Tregardt, Hendrik Potgieter, Gert Maritz, Piet Retief and Piet Uys;
most Dutch-speaking colonists did NOT trek (counter-argument).
• Conclusion: Candidates should tie up their argument with a relevant conclusion, e.g. the
trekkers’ dissatisfaction with British rule was the main reason for the Great Trek, but the
need for land and the reports of open land in the interior made it possible and attractive to
leave.
[50]
QUESTION 6: THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR AND UNION – BLACK SOUTH AFRICANS
AND THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR
[Plan and construct an original argument based on relevant evidence using analytical and
interpretative skills]
SYNOPSIS
Candidates should state whether they agree that black South Africans played an important
part in the South African War (1899–1902), suffered greatly because of it, but gained nothing
from the peace that followed. They should support their line of argument with evidence of the
roles of black people on both sides, their experiences (especially in the concentration camps)
and the outcome of the Treaty of Vereeniging and the period of reconstruction up to Union.
MAIN ASPECTS
Candidates could include the following aspects in their essays:
• Introduction: Candidates should take a stance and indicate how they intend to support
their line of argument, e.g. although the war is often called a ‘white man’s war’, black South
Africans took part on both sides, suffered heavy losses and received none of the political
rights that they had hoped for.
ELABORATION
• Background: The war between Britain and the two Boer republics (1899–1902); both sides
at first said that it would be a ‘white man’s war’; in reality black people were drawn in from
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History 26 Hlayiso/Gr 10 Mock 2026
NSC – Marking Guidelines Mock
the start.
• Roles on the British side: Black people worked as labourers, wagon drivers, transport
riders, scouts, messengers, spies and guards; the British armed thousands of black men
(estimates of 10 000 to 30 000) as guards of blockhouses and in columns, although this
was denied officially.
• The siege of Mafikeng (1899–1900): The Barolong helped to defend the town, guarded
the lines, raided cattle and carried messages; Sol Plaatje recorded the siege in his diary;
black residents received smaller rations and many died of starvation.
• Roles on the Boer side: Agterryers (servants) accompanied the commandos, looked after
horses, cooked, carried ammunition and sometimes fought; black labourers were forced
to dig trenches.
• Black communities acting in their own interests: The Kgatla under Linchwe fought
against the Boers in the western Transvaal; in Zululand the abaQulusi attacked a Boer
commando at Holkrans (May 1902); some communities took back land and cattle from
Boer farms.
• Coloured and Indian South Africans: Coloured men served as scouts and in town
guards; Gandhi organised the Natal Indian Ambulance (stretcher-bearer) Corps.
• Suffering: Scorched earth destroyed black homes and crops; black families were held
in separate camps where more than 14 000 deaths were recorded (brief reference is
sufficient; the focus is on roles and on the outcome of the peace).
• Executions and reprisals: Black scouts and messengers captured by the Boers were
often shot.
• The peace – Treaty of Vereeniging (31 May 1902): The question of the franchise for
black people was postponed until after self-government had been granted to the former
republics (clause 8); black people had hoped that a British victory would bring them more
rights.
• After the war: Black people were disarmed and land that had been taken back was
returned to Boer farmers; black wages on the mines were cut and Chinese labourers were
imported (1904); the National Convention (1908–1909) was all-white; the Union (1910)
gave no vote to black people outside the Cape; the Natives Land Act (1913) followed.
• Counter-argument: Some black South Africans gained wages, education or some cattle
and land in the short term; the Cape non-racial qualified franchise survived; the war
stimulated black political organisation (e.g. the SANNC in 1912).
• Conclusion: Candidates should tie up their argument with a relevant conclusion, e.g. black
South Africans were deeply involved in the war and suffered greatly, but the peace was
made between whites, and black people were excluded from political power.
[50]
TOTAL: 150
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