English HL Grade 11 P2 November Mock Exam 2 2026 Memo (English)

Copyright reserved Please turn over Mock hlayiso mock exams Practice Series: Grade 11 Exam Preparation WWW.HLAYISO.COM NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE GRADE 11 ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE P2 NOVEMBER EXAMINATION 2026 (MOCK) MARKING GUIDELINES MARKS: 80 These marking guidelines consist of 19 pages.

English Home Language/P2 2 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NOTE TO MARKERS • These marking guidelines are intended as a guide for markers. • The marking guidelines will be discussed with the marking panel before marking commences. • Candidates' responses must be considered on their merits. INSTRUCTIONS 1. Wherever a candidate has answered more than the required number of questions, mark only the first answer/response. (The candidate may NOT answer the essay and the contextual question on the same genre.) 2. If a candidate has answered all four questions in SECTION A (prescribed poems), mark only the first two. 3. If a candidate has answered two contextual or two essay questions in SECTIONS B and C, mark the first one and ignore the second. If a candidate has answered all four questions (novel) and/or all four questions (drama), mark only the first answer in each section, provided that one contextual and one essay have been answered. 4. If a candidate gives two answers where the first is wrong and the next one correct, mark the first answer and ignore the next. 5. If answers are incorrectly numbered, mark according to the marking guidelines. 6. If a spelling error affects the meaning, mark incorrect. If it does not affect the meaning, mark correct. 7. Essay questions: If the essay is shorter than the required word count, do not penalise, because the candidate has already penalised himself/herself. If the essay is too long, assess on merit and discuss with senior markers. 8. Contextual questions: If the candidate does not use inverted commas when asked to quote, do not penalise. 9. For open-ended questions, no marks should be awarded for YES/NO or I AGREE/ DISAGREE. The reason/substantiation/motivation/justification is what should be considered. 10. No marks should be awarded for TRUE/FALSE or FACT/OPINION. The reason/ substantiation/motivation/justification is what should be marked. 11. Answers to contextual questions must be assessed holistically in the light of the discussion during the standardisation of the marking guidelines. Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 3 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 SECTION A: POETRY PRESCRIBED POETRY QUESTION 1: POETRY – ESSAY QUESTION 'WE WEAR THE MASK' – Paul Laurence Dunbar • Use the following points, among others, as a guideline to marking this question. Responses might differ, depending on the candidate's sensitivity to and understanding of the text. • Refer to page 18 for the rubric to assess this question. • The central image of the 'mask that grins and lies' is an extended metaphor for the false cheerfulness that the oppressed (here, African Americans after slavery) must show to the world. The mask is personified: it 'grins and lies', 'hides our cheeks and shades our eyes', so that it seems to act on its own and to cover all signs of grief. • 'This debt we pay to human guile': diction of debt/payment suggests that hiding their pain is a price forced on them by a deceitful, cruel society; wearing the mask is a survival strategy, not a choice. • 'With torn and bleeding hearts we smile' – the violent imagery of 'torn and bleeding hearts' contrasts sharply with 'smile' (paradox/juxtaposition) and shows the deep inner suffering behind the outward show. • 'mouth with myriad subtleties': the speakers say only what is safe; their words, like their faces, are carefully controlled. • Stanza 2: the rhetorical question 'Why should the world be over-wise, / In counting all our tears and sighs?' conveys pride/defiance and bitterness: the world does not deserve to see their pain and would not care. • Stanza 3: 'our cries / To thee from tortured souls arise' – the prayer to Christ reveals the speakers' true anguish; 'tortured souls' is strong, emotive diction. 'the clay is vile / Beneath our feet, and long the mile' – imagery of a hard, painful, endless journey suggests ongoing oppression and suffering. • The use of the collective pronouns 'we/our' shows that this is the shared experience of a whole community. • The short refrain 'We wear the mask' (lines 9 and 15), set apart from the stanzas, emphasises that the pretence must continue; the final exclamation mark suggests defiance, bitterness or despair. • Tone: bitter/resentful, sorrowful/anguished, defiant; the regular rhyme and rhythm may themselves be seen as a 'mask' over the pain. • Credit valid alternative interpretations, e.g. that the mask applies to all people who hide their pain. [10] QUESTION 2: POETRY – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 'SONNET 130' – William Shakespeare 2.1 Love poets of the time (e.g. Petrarchan sonneteers) usually compared their mistresses' beauty to perfect natural things (the sun, coral, snow, golden Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 4 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 threads) to flatter/idealise them. (1) This speaker deliberately reverses these comparisons: his mistress's eyes are 'nothing like the sun', her lips are less red than coral, her skin is 'dun' and her hair is like 'black wires'. He describes her realistically/honestly instead. (1) (2) 2.2 Accept either reading: • The deliberately plain, unflattering word (to a modern reader it suggests a bad smell) mocks the usual praise of a lady's sweet breath (1) and adds humour, showing that the speaker refuses to flatter his mistress. (1) OR • Read in its Elizabethan sense of simply being breathed out (as glossed), the word is deliberately ordinary and unpoetic (1), refusing to idealise her breath as perfumed or heavenly; he describes her honestly. (1) (2) 2.3 The speaker admits that he has never seen a goddess walk (conventional poets compared their ladies to goddesses who seem to float). (1) By contrast, his mistress 'treads on the ground': she is an ordinary, earthly, real woman. (1) The contrast is effective because it ridicules the exaggerated idealisation of women in love poetry and, at the same time, prepares for the couplet: he values her precisely because she is real and human. (1) (3) 2.4 The quatrains have a mocking/teasing/humorous, seemingly critical tone, as the speaker lists all the ways in which his mistress is not like the conventional ideal. The couplet begins with 'And yet', which signals a turn (volta) and a change to a sincere/serious/tender/loving tone. The oath 'by heaven' emphasises his sincerity. He declares that his love is as 'rare' (precious) as any woman who has been 'belied with false compare' – i.e. falsely described by exaggerated comparisons. The central message is that true love does not need flattery or idealisation; it accepts and values a person as he or she really is. [Award 3 marks only if both the change of tone and the message are discussed. Award 2 marks for a response that discusses only one aspect (e.g. tone but not message) or is superficial; 1 mark for a vague response.] (3) [10] QUESTION 3: POETRY – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 'THE AUTHOR TO HER BOOK' – Anne Bradstreet 3.1 The book was taken away from the speaker ('snatched from thence') by well-meaning friends who loved her ('true') but did not judge wisely, and they had it printed and made public without her permission. (1) It was published before it was ready – 'in rags', 'halting' – and the printing did not correct its mistakes; if anything, it added errors ('errors were not lessened'). (1) (2) 3.2 She is ashamed/embarrassed (1) because the printed book is full of faults and has been seen by the public in its imperfect state; she is embarrassed that this 'rambling brat' – an untidy, unruly child – claims her as its mother, i.e. that the flawed work carries her name. (1) (2) Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 5 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 3.3 The poet continues the extended metaphor of the book as a child: revising the poems is compared to washing a dirty child's face. (1) Each time she tries to remove a mistake ('rubbing off a spot'), she finds more faults or creates a new one ('still made a flaw'). (1) The image effectively conveys her frustration and sense of hopelessness: perfection seems impossible, and her efforts to correct her work only make it worse. (1) (3) 3.4 The tone is self-mocking/humble/resigned, but also defiant/proud/ironic. The speaker sends the book out to 'roam' where it is not known and avoid critics, which suggests her fear of harsh judgement. When she tells it to say that it has no father, she claims sole ownership/authorship: no man helped her to create it. 'For thy mother, she alas is poor' may refer to her poverty of talent (false modesty), but could also suggest the limited opportunities and lack of status of women writers in her time. The lines show that a woman writer was expected to be modest and to apologise for her work, yet the speaker quietly asserts her independence as its creator. [Award 3 marks for a critical discussion that refers to tone and to her position as a woman writer. Award 2 marks for a response that discusses only one aspect or is superficial; 1 mark for a vague response. Credit valid alternative responses.] (3) [10] QUESTION 4: POETRY – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 'COMPOSED UPON WESTMINSTER BRIDGE' – William Wordsworth 4.1 The speaker suggests that anyone who could pass by without being moved would be insensitive/spiritually dead ('Dull … of soul'). (1) He is scornful of/ impatient with such a person and implies that the beauty of the sight is so obvious and 'touching' that it demands an emotional response. (1) (2) 4.2 The city is compared to a person who wears the beauty of the morning like a garment (simile/personification). (1) The beauty is like a beautiful but temporary covering: the morning light 'dresses' the city, hiding its usual ugliness, dirt and noise; it suggests that this beauty is borrowed/temporary and will be 'taken off' when the day begins. (1) (2) 4.3 One expects the sunrise to be most beautiful over natural scenery such as valleys, rocks and hills (the usual subject of Romantic nature poetry). (1) The speaker claims that the sun has never shone more beautifully even on these than it now does on the man-made city, which is surprising, because cities are usually seen as noisy, dirty and ugly. (1) It is effective because it emphasises how extraordinary this moment is and shows that, at dawn, the city seems to become part of nature, sharing in its peace and beauty. (1) (3) 4.4 The river is personified as moving freely 'at his own sweet will', the houses 'seem asleep' and the city has a 'mighty heart' that is 'lying still' – the city is like a great living being at rest. (1) The personification conveys the deep calm and peacefulness of the sleeping city; 'mighty heart' also reminds the reader of the city's power and energy, which will awaken later. (1) The tone is one of awe/ wonder/reverence and joy, shown in the exclamations 'Dear God!' and 'lying Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 6 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 still!': the speaker is amazed and deeply moved by the unexpected calm and beauty. (1) [Award 3 marks only if both the personification and the tone are discussed. Award 2 marks for a response that discusses only one aspect (e.g. tone but not personification) or is superficial; 1 mark for a vague response. Also accept: 'lying still' may hint at death, adding a note of unease.] (3) [10] Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 7 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 UNSEEN POETRY (COMPULSORY) QUESTION 5: POETRY – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 'PIANO' – D.H. Lawrence 5.1 The singing awakens/triggers the speaker's memories (1) and carries him back in time ('down the vista of years') to his childhood, so that he 'sees' himself as a child sitting under the piano while his mother played and sang. (1) (2) 5.2 'Insidious' suggests something that works secretly, gradually and harmfully. (1) The speaker feels that the song has crept up on him and taken control of his emotions against his will ('In spite of myself', 'mastery', 'Betrays'); he resents being overwhelmed by nostalgia, which he cannot resist. (1) (2) 5.3 The images of 'old Sunday evenings at home', 'hymns in the cosy parlour' and the 'tinkling piano' create a picture of a happy family gathered together in comfort and warmth. (1) The contrast with the 'winter outside' emphasises the safety/shelter of the home. (1) The piano as 'our guide' suggests that the family sang together as one, led by the mother's music, which conveys belonging, security and love. (1) (3) 5.4 The speaker is in conflict: as an adult ('my manhood') he tries to resist his feelings, but he is overwhelmed by nostalgia. The present singer's loud, passionate performance ('burst into clamour', 'great black piano appassionato') is 'vain' – it cannot compete with his gentle memories. 'Glamour' suggests that childhood has cast a magic spell over him. 'Cast / Down in the flood of remembrance' suggests that his adult self is defeated/drowned by a powerful flood of memory, and he 'weep[s] like a child for the past'. The diction reveals both longing/love for the lost past and embarrassment/regret at losing control; the past can never be regained. [Award 3 marks for a critical discussion of the conflict with reference to diction. Award 2 marks for a response that discusses only one aspect or is superficial; 1 mark for a vague response.] (3) [10] TOTAL SECTION A: 30 Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 8 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 SECTION B: NOVEL QUESTION 6: DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE – ESSAY QUESTION • Use the following points, among others, as a guideline to marking this question. Responses might differ, depending on the candidate's sensitivity to and understanding of the text. • Refer to page 19 for the rubric to assess this question. • Victorian respectable society values reputation above honesty. Gentlemen like Utterson, Enfield and Lanyon avoid scandal: Enfield refuses to ask questions ('the more it looks like Queer Street, the less I ask'), and he and Utterson agree never to speak of the story again. • Jekyll creates Hyde because he wants to indulge his hidden desires without damaging his public reputation. The strict moral expectations of his class make him lead a double life and hide his 'faults' – he is driven to secrecy and hypocrisy. • The respectable surface of London hides a dark, sinful underworld (the fog, Soho, the neglected door behind the fine house), suggesting that society itself is divided like Jekyll. • Utterson protects Jekyll's name: he keeps the will secret, hides the letter supposedly from Hyde and does not tell the police all he knows after the Carew murder. Lanyon keeps Jekyll's secret until his death. This loyalty to reputation allows Hyde to remain free. • However, Hyde himself commits the crimes: he tramples the child, brutally murders Sir Danvers Carew and grows stronger until Jekyll can no longer control the transformations. Jekyll freely chooses to take the potion and to keep using it. • Candidates may argue that Jekyll (and Hyde, as part of Jekyll) is ultimately to blame, or that society and Jekyll share the responsibility. [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses.] [25] QUESTION 7: DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 7.1 Any THREE of the following (1 mark each): • From Enfield, he has heard that Hyde trampled a young girl and paid compensation with a cheque signed by a highly respectable man (Jekyll). • Hyde has a key to the shabby door that is the back entrance to Jekyll's laboratory. • Jekyll's will (held by Utterson) leaves everything to Hyde in the event of Jekyll's death or 'disappearance'. • Lanyon has quarrelled with Jekyll over his 'unscientific' ideas and has never heard of Hyde. • Utterson has met Hyde at the door and felt instant loathing; Hyde is small, gives an impression of deformity and lives in Soho. • Jekyll has asked Utterson to promise to see that Hyde gets his rights if anything happens to Jekyll. (3) 7.2 The peaceful, romantic scene – the cloudless night, the full moon, the maid 'at peace with all men' – creates a calm, innocent atmosphere. (1) It contrasts sharply with the sudden, savage violence that follows, (1) making the murder Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 9 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 seem even more shocking and horrifying; it may also show how evil suddenly breaks into an ordinary, innocent world. (1) (3) 7.3 Carew is old, 'beautiful', polite and kind ('innocent and old-world kindness'), while Hyde is small, impatient and ill-tempered, and then savagely violent. (1) The two men represent good and evil, the respectable/civilised and the brutal/ primitive sides of human nature. (1) This reflects the theme of duality: the good and evil in human nature (Jekyll and Hyde), and the respectable surface of Victorian society with violence beneath it. (1) (3) 7.4 'Ape-like' compares Hyde to an animal, suggesting that he is primitive, savage and uncontrolled, without human reason or conscience. (1) The image is effective because Hyde is repeatedly described as ape-like/monkey-like and as 'troglodytic', (1) which suggests that he is the primitive, evil side of Jekyll released from all moral restraint; it links to Victorian fears of degeneration/the beast within man. (1) (3) 7.5 The half of the stick left at the scene is recognised by Utterson as one he himself gave to Jekyll many years before. (1) This links Hyde directly to Jekyll and increases Utterson's fear for his friend. (1) Utterson leads the police to Hyde's rooms in Soho, where they find the other half of the stick; Hyde disappears and the mystery deepens. (1) (3) 7.6 Poole, Jekyll's butler, came to Utterson's house in great fear, believing that there had been 'foul play': for about a week someone has been shut in the cabinet, with a voice unlike Jekyll's, sending out notes demanding a certain chemical (drug) from chemists. (1) Poole has seen a small masked figure, which he believes was not his master. (1) Utterson goes with him to Jekyll's house, and they decide to break down the door to find out the truth (they fear that Jekyll has been murdered by Hyde). (1) (3) 7.7 The cabinet is described as a cosy, ordinary, domestic room: a fire glowing, the kettle singing, papers neatly arranged and tea laid out – 'the most commonplace that night in London'. (1) Ironically, this peaceful room is the place where the most horrifying, unnatural events in the novel took place (the transformations) and where Hyde has just died in agony. (1) The irony reflects the theme of appearance and reality: a respectable surface (like Jekyll's) hides terrible secrets; only the 'presses full of chemicals' hint at the truth. (1) (3) 7.8 In EXTRACT A, Hyde is powerful, violent and merciless: he attacks an innocent old man with 'ape-like fury' and escapes without remorse. In EXTRACT B, Hyde is trapped and terrified: he begs Utterson for 'mercy', screeches 'as of mere animal terror', and dies by his own hand ('self-destroyer'), lying 'sorely contorted' in clothes too big for him. The contrast shows that evil may seem strong, but it ultimately destroys itself (and its creator); Hyde, who showed no mercy, ends by pleading for it. Utterson's words 'whether to save or punish' suggest that justice has finally caught up with evil. [Award 4 marks for a critical, well-substantiated discussion of BOTH extracts. Award 3 marks for a less detailed discussion that still covers both. Award a maximum of 2 marks if only ONE extract is discussed. Award 1 mark for a superficial response. Credit valid alternative responses.] (4) Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 10 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 [25] QUESTION 8: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE – ESSAY QUESTION • Use the following points, among others, as a guideline to marking this question. Responses might differ, depending on the candidate's sensitivity to and understanding of the text. • Refer to page 19 for the rubric to assess this question. • Elizabeth and Darcy: their marriage is based on love, mutual respect and understanding, achieved after both overcome pride and prejudice. Elizabeth rejects Darcy's first proposal despite his wealth, and refuses Lady Catherine's demands; she marries him only when she loves and respects him. It is presented as the ideal marriage. • Jane and Bingley: a marriage of genuine affection and similar good natures; it is delayed by others' interference (Darcy, Bingley's sisters) but finally succeeds. • Charlotte Lucas and Mr Collins: Charlotte marries for security and a home, not love ('I am not romantic'); she makes the best of it by avoiding her husband's company. Austen shows the practical reality for women without fortune. • Lydia and Wickham: a marriage based on passion and impulse; Wickham must be paid to marry her; their marriage soon becomes indifferent and they are always in debt. • Mr and Mrs Bennet: Mr Bennet married for youth and beauty; there is no respect between them, and his neglect of his family has bad consequences (Lydia). • Austen also shows that money matters: Elizabeth jokingly says she began to love Darcy on first seeing Pemberley; Charlotte's choice is understandable given women's dependence on marriage. • Candidates may argue that Austen balances love with prudence/financial security. [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses.] [25] QUESTION 9: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 9.1 Mr Bingley, a wealthy young man, has recently rented Netherfield Park near Longbourn, and Mrs Bennet hopes he will marry one of her daughters. (1) The Bennets attend a public ball (assembly) at Meryton, where Bingley appears with his sisters, Mr Hurst and his friend Mr Darcy. (1) Bingley dances twice with Jane and admires her; Elizabeth, sitting out a dance, overhears Darcy refuse Bingley's suggestion that he dance with her. (1) (3) 9.2 The Meryton people first admire Darcy mainly because of the report of his 'ten thousand a year' – his wealth makes him seem handsome and noble. (1) As soon as his manners offend them, the same people find him 'forbidding' and 'disagreeable', and 'not all his large estate' can save him. (1) The narrator's irony shows that the society's judgements are shallow, quick and based on money and first impressions rather than true character (the theme of first impressions/prejudice). (1) (3) 9.3 Darcy is proud/arrogant/conceited: he feels superior to the local society ('not handsome enough to tempt me'). (1) He is rude/insensitive/discourteous: he Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 11 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 speaks loudly enough for Elizabeth to hear and insults her without concern for her feelings. (1) He is also snobbish/cold and reserved, judging her as 'slighted by other men' and therefore not worth his attention. (1) (3) 9.4 She is lively/witty/playful and uses humour to protect her pride. (1) She does not let the insult crush her and tells the story 'with great spirit' among her friends, turning the insult into a joke. (1) This hints at the quick, laughing judgement that will later mislead her ('no very cordial feelings' – the beginning of her prejudice against Darcy). (1) (3) 9.5 Lady Catherine has heard a rumour (from the Collinses/Lucases) that Elizabeth is about to become engaged to her nephew, Mr Darcy. (1) She wants Darcy to marry her own daughter, Anne de Bourgh, as she claims was planned from their infancy. (1) She has come to make Elizabeth promise never to accept an offer of marriage from Darcy. (1) (3) 9.6 Lady Catherine is horrified by Lydia's elopement and by her marriage to Wickham, the son of a steward, which she says would 'pollute' Pemberley. (1) She believes that the marriage was 'patched up' at the expense of Elizabeth's father and uncles, (1) but ironically it was her own nephew, Darcy, who found the couple, paid Wickham's debts and arranged/paid for the marriage, thus saving the Bennets' reputation. It is also ironic that Wickham, whom she calls a steward's son unfit to be Darcy's brother, grew up at Pemberley, and that Darcy has already willingly accepted him as a future brother-in-law by paying for the marriage. (1) [Credit: the 'patched-up business' she scorns was in fact arranged by her own nephew.] (3) 9.7 Elizabeth values her independence/the right to make her own choices: she will act only according to her 'own opinion'. (1) She believes in marrying for happiness (love) rather than obeying the wishes of people of higher rank. (1) She will not be intimidated by wealth or social status; she values self-respect/ dignity above social approval. (1) (3) 9.8 In EXTRACT C, Elizabeth is hurt by Darcy's insult but responds with humour: she tells the story 'with great spirit' and laughs at it; yet the insult leads her to form a hasty prejudice against him. In EXTRACT D, she responds directly, firmly and with controlled anger to Lady Catherine's insults, defending herself and her family with logic and dignity ('You have insulted me, in every possible method'). She no longer hides behind laughter but states her own principles openly. This shows her development from a lively young woman who judges quickly on first impressions to a mature, self-aware woman who knows her own mind, has overcome her prejudice against Darcy and is willing to stand up to social superiors for the sake of her happiness. [Award 4 marks for a critical, well-substantiated discussion of BOTH extracts. Award 3 marks for a less detailed discussion that still covers both. Award a maximum of 2 marks if only ONE extract is discussed. Award 1 mark for a superficial response. Credit valid alternative responses.] (4) [25] TOTAL SECTION B: 25 Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 12 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 SECTION C: DRAMA QUESTION 10: MACBETH – ESSAY QUESTION • Use the following points, among others, as a guideline to marking this question. Responses might differ, depending on the candidate's sensitivity to and understanding of the text. • Refer to page 19 for the rubric to assess this question. • In Shakespeare's time the king was believed to be appointed by God, at the head of a natural order (the Great Chain of Being). Killing a king (regicide) was therefore a crime against God and nature, and the play shows nature itself reacting to Duncan's murder. • On the night of the murder there are unnatural events: Lennox describes 'lamentings heard i' the air', 'strange screams of death' and an earthquake. In Act 2 Scene 4, darkness covers the earth by day, a falcon is killed by a 'mousing owl' and Duncan's horses 'turn'd wild in nature' and eat each other. • Macbeth hears a voice cry 'Macbeth does murder sleep': sleep, a natural healing process, is denied to him and later to Lady Macbeth, whose sleepwalking (Act 5 Scene 1) is an 'unnatural' disturbance caused by 'unnatural deeds'. • The disorder spreads from the king to the state: Scotland under the tyrant suffers ('Bleed, bleed, poor country!'), with murders (Banquo, Macduff's family), fear and spies; Macbeth's own mind is disordered ('full of scorpions'), and the dead rise again (Banquo's ghost). • Order is restored only when the rightful king returns: Malcolm, supported by the holy English king Edward (who heals by touch), defeats the 'usurper'; Birnam Wood (nature) moves against Macbeth, and Macduff declares 'the time is free'. This suggests that the disorder was a direct, inevitable consequence of the crime. • Candidates may question 'inevitable': the witches and their unnatural world exist before the murder; much of the disorder results from Macbeth's continuing choices and tyranny (e.g. the murder of Macduff's family) rather than from the regicide alone; Banquo's murder and Macbeth's fear also play a role. [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses.] [25] QUESTION 11: MACBETH – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 11.1 It is late at night at Macbeth's castle in Inverness, where King Duncan is a guest. (1) Banquo, who cannot sleep because of troubling dreams/'cursed thoughts', meets Macbeth in the courtyard and gives him a diamond from the king as a gift for Lady Macbeth. (1) Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have planned to murder Duncan that night; Macbeth is waiting for her signal (the bell) that the grooms have been drugged. (1) (3) 11.2 Macbeth suggests that if Banquo supports him ('cleave to my consent') when the time comes (i.e. when he becomes king), Banquo will be rewarded with honour. (1) Banquo replies that he will listen, provided that he loses no honour by it, keeps his conscience free of guilt ('bosom franchis'd') and remains loyal to the king ('allegiance clear'). (1) This shows that Banquo is honourable/loyal/ cautious and will not be drawn into anything evil – in contrast to Macbeth. (1) (3) Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 13 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 11.3 Macbeth is anxious/tense/disturbed: the thought of the murder has so overwhelmed him that he hallucinates. (1) He is unsure whether the dagger is real or 'a dagger of the mind, a false creation' of his 'heat-oppressed' (feverish/ troubled) brain. (1) The vision suggests both the pull of his ambition and his guilt: the dagger seems to invite him ('The handle toward my hand'), and later it appears with 'gouts of blood', suggesting that ambition and guilt are both at work. (1) [Credit knowledge of the omitted lines (e.g. 'Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going') but do not require it.] (3) 11.4 Macbeth describes the night as a time when 'Nature seems dead', evil dreams disturb sleepers, witches perform their rituals and 'wither'd murder' moves stealthily 'like a ghost'. (1) The personification of murder and the references to the wolf, witchcraft and Tarquin create a dark, sinister, supernatural and threatening atmosphere. (1) This is appropriate because the unnatural murder of a king is about to be committed; the imagery also shows that Macbeth sees himself as part of this world of evil. (1) (3) 11.5 Tone: quiet/whispered, grim and determined/resolute; perhaps slightly fearful at first ('Hear it not, Duncan'), becoming firm and final. Body language: Macbeth should start at the sound of the bell, then straighten up, grip the real dagger firmly and move slowly and stealthily towards Duncan's chamber; he might glance back towards the audience on the final rhyming line before exiting. Motivation: Macbeth has overcome his doubts and has made his decision; the rhyming couplet ('knell'/'hell') signals the end of the scene and the point of no return. [Award 3 marks only if both tone and body language are discussed and motivated. Award 2 marks for a response that discusses only one aspect (e.g. tone but not body language) or is poorly motivated; 1 mark for a vague response.] (3) 11.6 The Gentlewoman (Lady Macbeth's attendant) has seen Lady Macbeth walking in her sleep since Macbeth went to war (into the field). (1) She has called the Doctor to observe this strange behaviour; they have watched for two nights. (1) The Gentlewoman refuses to repeat what Lady Macbeth says in her sleep, so she wants the Doctor to witness it himself. (1) (3) 11.7 After the murder of Duncan, Lady Macbeth told Macbeth calmly that 'A little water clears us of this deed: / How easy is it then!' (1) Now she cannot remove the 'spot' or the 'smell of the blood': not even 'all the perfumes of Arabia' can cleanse her hand. (1) The audience recognises the irony: the guilt she dismissed so easily now overwhelms and torments her; what she believed would be easy has proved impossible, and her sighs show her despair. (1) [Also accept: dramatic irony, because the audience (unlike the Doctor and the Gentlewoman) knows exactly which murders she is reliving.] (3) 11.8 In EXTRACT E, Macbeth sees a dagger covered in 'gouts of blood' before the murder: his guilt and fear show themselves in a hallucination as he struggles Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 14 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 with his conscience, but he still goes ahead. In EXTRACT F, at the end of the play, Lady Macbeth – who was once cold and controlled and mocked Macbeth's fears – sees and smells blood on her hands that cannot be washed away. Her guilt has been repressed and now breaks out in her sleep; she relives the murders (Duncan, Lady Macduff, Banquo). The two visions show that guilt cannot be escaped: it first disturbs Macbeth's mind before the deed, and finally destroys Lady Macbeth's mind afterwards. The roles are reversed: Macbeth becomes hardened, while Lady Macbeth collapses. [Award 4 marks for a critical, well-substantiated discussion of BOTH extracts. Award 3 marks for a less detailed discussion that still covers both. Award a maximum of 2 marks if only ONE extract is discussed. Award 1 mark for a superficial response.] (4) [25] Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 15 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 QUESTION 12: THE MERCHANT OF VENICE – ESSAY QUESTION • Use the following points, among others, as a guideline to marking this question. Responses might differ, depending on the candidate's sensitivity to and understanding of the text. • Refer to page 19 for the rubric to assess this question. • Antonio's love for Bassanio leads him to risk his life by agreeing to Shylock's bond so that Bassanio can woo Portia; at the trial he is willing to die for his friend. • Bassanio's love for Portia: although he first seeks her partly for her wealth, he chooses the lead casket ('Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath'), rejecting gold and silver, which shows that love is valued above outward show and riches. • Portia uses her wealth generously (offering many times the debt) and her intelligence and love to save Antonio in court; love and friendship defeat the bond. • Jessica gives up her father and religion for love of Lorenzo, but she also steals money and jewels, suggesting that love and money are mixed. • Money is powerful in Venice: the city's trade and the law of contracts give Shylock power over Antonio; Shylock seems to value his ducats as much as his daughter ('My daughter! O my ducats!'). In the end, Shylock loses his wealth. • The ring plot shows that love and friendship compete with each other, but they are reconciled at the end. • Candidates may argue that money is more powerful, or that love and money are closely linked. [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses.] [25] QUESTION 13: THE MERCHANT OF VENICE – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 13.1 Rumours are spreading on the Rialto that one of Antonio's ships has been wrecked (on the Goodwin Sands). (1) Shylock's daughter, Jessica, has eloped with Lorenzo, a Christian, taking her father's money and jewels; Shylock accuses Salarino and Solanio of knowing about her flight. (1) When asked about Antonio's losses, Shylock calls Antonio another 'bad match' (after Jessica) and threatens him with the bond. (1) (3) 13.2 The repetition emphasises Shylock's growing determination/obsession with the bond and with taking revenge; it is like a threat or chant. (1) Each repetition follows a grievance (Antonio called him usurer; lent money without interest), suggesting that Shylock's anger and bitterness have built up over a long time. (1) It reveals that he is angry, vengeful and perhaps half-hysterical after the loss of his daughter and money, and that he now sees the bond as his chance to get even. (1) (3) 13.3 Shylock asks a series of rhetorical questions about the human body and feelings that his listeners cannot deny ('Hath not a Jew eyes?', 'If you prick us, do we not bleed?'). (1) The questions force the audience to agree that Jews and Christians share the same humanity. (1) The build-up (climax) leads to the final question, 'shall we not revenge?', so that his argument seems logical: if they Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 16 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 are the same in everything else, they will also seek revenge when wronged. This makes the speech powerful and persuasive. (1) (3) 13.4 YES, at first he seems to: at the start of the trial he has the law on his side; the Duke and Antonio admit that the bond cannot be denied, he refuses three times the money and all appeals to mercy, and Antonio prepares to die – Shylock seems to have learnt the Christians' cruelty and to be practising it more thoroughly than they did. BUT ultimately NO: Portia turns the law against him – he may take 'a pound of flesh' but 'no jot of blood', and if he sheds Christian blood he will lose his goods and his life. As an 'alien' who has sought a citizen's life, he loses half his wealth to Antonio and half to the state, his life depends on the Duke's mercy, and he is forced to convert to Christianity and leave his wealth to Jessica and Lorenzo. Ironically, the Christians 'better' his instruction: the revenge he planned is turned against him with a legalism even stricter than his own. [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses (e.g. that the Christians' so-called mercy is itself a form of revenge). Award 3 marks for a well-substantiated discussion that refers to the outcome of the trial. Award 2 marks for a response that is partly substantiated or does not refer to the reversal in court; 1 mark for a vague response.] (3) 13.5 'Gentle' means 'kind/merciful', but it is also a pun on 'gentile' (non-Jew/ Christian): the Duke expects Shylock to behave as a Christian would. (1) The appeal is unlikely to succeed because Shylock has sworn an oath 'by our holy Sabbath' to have his bond, (1) and because the Christians' 'gentle' treatment of him has been anything but kind; the Duke's words remind Shylock of the very prejudice that fuels his revenge. The Duke also cannot legally deny him the bond. (1) (3) 13.6 Tone: cold/calm/controlled, mocking/sarcastic and defiant; he may speak slowly and deliberately, stressing 'humour' and 'Is it answer'd?'. Body language: Shylock should stand upright and face the Duke and the court directly; he might shrug or spread his hands when he says 'say it is my humour', and smile coldly or sharpen his knife; he could turn to look at Antonio with contempt. Motivation: Shylock knows that the law is on his side; he refuses to explain himself and enjoys his power over the Christians who have humiliated him. [Award 3 marks only if both tone and body language are discussed and motivated. Award 2 marks for a response that discusses only one aspect (e.g. tone but not body language) or is poorly motivated; 1 mark for a vague response.] (3) 13.7 Antonio compares trying to persuade Shylock to ordering the sea to lower its tide, questioning a wolf about why it kills lambs, and forbidding the mountain pines to move in a storm. (1) The images suggest that Shylock's cruelty is as natural and unchangeable as the forces of nature, and that he is a predator (wolf) while Antonio is the innocent victim (lamb). (1) They are effective because they convey Antonio's hopelessness/resignation and his contempt for Shylock, Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 17 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 whose heart he calls the hardest thing of all; they also reveal Antonio's prejudice ('His Jewish heart'). (1) (3) 13.8 In EXTRACT G, Shylock gives clear, passionate reasons for his revenge: Antonio has disgraced him, cost him money, mocked his losses and scorned his nation – all because he is a Jew. He argues that the Christians have taught him revenge. In EXTRACT H, in court, he refuses to give any reason; he says it is simply his 'humour' and 'a lodg'd hate and a certain loathing' for Antonio, and compares Antonio to a rat or a serpent. The difference suggests that Shylock's grievances have hardened into blind, personal hatred; he no longer seeks to justify himself, perhaps because he knows the law protects him, or because he refuses to explain himself to people who despise him. It makes him appear more cruel and less sympathetic in court, although the audience still remembers the real injuries he has suffered. [Award 4 marks for a critical, well-substantiated discussion of BOTH extracts. Award 3 marks for a less detailed discussion that still covers both. Award a maximum of 2 marks if only ONE extract is discussed. Award 1 mark for a superficial response.] (4) [25] TOTAL SECTION C: 25 GRAND TOTAL: 80 Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 18 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 SECTION A: Assessment rubric for literary essay: Poetry (10 Marks) Criteria Exceptional Skilful Moderate Elementary Inadequate CONTENT 6 MARKS Interpretation of topic. Depth of argument, justification and grasp of text. 5–6 – In-depth interpretation of topic – Range of striking arguments; extensively supported from poem – Excellent understanding of genre and poem 4 – Shows understanding and has interpreted topic well – Fairly detailed response – Sound arguments given, but not all of them as well motivated as they could be – Understanding of genre and poem 3 – Fair interpretation of topic – Some good points in support of topic – Some arguments supported, but evidence is not always convincing – Basic understanding of genre and poem 2 – Unsatisfactory interpretation of topic – Hardly any points in support of topic – Inadequate understanding of genre and poem 0–1 – No understanding of the topic – No reference to the poem – Learner has not come to grips with genre and poem STRUCTURE AND LANGUAGE 4 MARKS Structure, logical flow and presentation. Language, tone and style used in the essay. 4 – Coherent structure – Arguments well-structured and clearly developed – Language, tone and style mature, impressive, correct – Virtually error-free grammar, spelling and punctuation 3 – Clear structure and logical flow of argument – Flow of argument can be followed – Language, tone and style largely correct 2 – Some evidence of structure – Essay lacks a well-structured flow of logic and coherence – Language errors minor; tone and style mostly appropriate 1 – Structure shows faulty planning – Arguments not logically arranged – Language errors evident – Inappropriate tone and style 0–1 – Poorly structured – Serious language errors and incorrect style NOTE: If a candidate has ignored the content completely and written a creative response instead, award a 0 mark for both Content and Structure and Language. Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 19 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 SECTIONS B AND C: Assessment rubric for literary essay: Novel and Drama (25 Marks) Criteria Exceptional Skilful Moderate Elementary Inadequate CONTENT 15 MARKS Interpretation of topic. Depth of argument, justification and grasp of text. 12–15 – Outstanding response: 14–15 – Excellent response: 12–13 – In-depth interpretation of topic – Range of striking arguments extensively supported from text – Excellent understanding of genre and text 9–11 – Shows understanding and has interpreted topic well – Fairly detailed response – Some sound arguments given, but not all of them as well motivated as they could be – Understanding of genre and text evident 6–8 – Mediocre interpretation of topic; not all aspects explored in detail – Some good points in support of topic – Some arguments supported, but evidence is not always convincing – Partial understanding of genre and text 4–5 – Scant interpretation of topic; hardly any aspects explored in detail – Few points in support of topic – Very little relevant argument – Little understanding of genre and text 0–3 – Very little understanding of the topic – Weak attempt to answer the question – Arguments not convincing – Learner has not come to grips with genre or text STRUCTURE AND LANGUAGE 10 MARKS Structure, logical flow and presentation. Language, tone and style used in the essay. 8–10 – Coherent structure – Excellent introduction and conclusion – Arguments well-structured and clearly developed – Language, tone and style mature, impressive, correct 6–7 – Clear structure and logical flow of argument – Introduction and conclusion and other paragraphs coherently organised – Logical flow of argument – Language, tone and style largely correct 4–5 – Some evidence of structure – Logic and coherence apparent, but flawed – Some language errors; tone and style mostly appropriate – Paragraphing mostly correct 2–3 – Structure shows faulty planning – Arguments not logically arranged – Language errors evident – Inappropriate tone and style – Paragraphing faulty 0–1 – Lack of planned structure impedes flow of argument – Language errors and incorrect style make this an unsuccessful piece of writing – Inappropriate tone and style – Paragraphing faulty MARK RANGE 20–25 15–19 10–14 5–9 0–4 NOTE: If a candidate has ignored the content completely and written a creative response instead, award a 0 mark for both Content and Structure and Language. There must not be more than two categories' variation between the Structure and Language mark and the Content mark. Copyright reserved Please turn over