English HL Grade 11 Paper 2 November Mock 2026 Memo (English)

Copyright reserved Please turn over 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 16 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 'OZYMANDIAS' – Percy Bysshe Shelley • 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 15 for the rubric to assess this question. • The poem is framed as a second-hand report ('I met a traveller from an antique land'), which distances the reader from the ruin and suggests that Ozymandias's greatness survives only as a story told by strangers. • Imagery of ruin and fragmentation: 'Two vast and trunkless legs of stone' and the 'shattered visage' lying 'Half sunk' in the sand show that the once-mighty statue has been broken and is being swallowed by the desert. The word 'vast' hints at the king's former ambition, yet the legs support nothing. • The 'frown', 'wrinkled lip' and 'sneer of cold command' convey the king's arrogance, cruelty and tyranny. The sculptor 'well those passions read': the artist captured and mocked ('The hand that mocked them') the king's pride, and it is the art, not the king's power, that survives ('Which yet survive'). • The inscription 'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: / Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!' is boastful and grandiose. Its meaning has become ironic: the 'works' have vanished, so the 'Mighty' should despair, not because they cannot match him, but because all power is equally temporary. • The caesura and blunt statement 'Nothing beside remains.' marks a turn and emphasises the emptiness that surrounds the ruin. • Diction: 'colossal wreck', 'decay', 'boundless and bare', 'lone and level sands stretch far away'. The alliteration (b, l, s sounds) and long vowels create an image of endless, empty desert that outlasts the king: time and nature are vast and indifferent, while human pride is small and short-lived. • Tone: ironic/mocking/scornful towards the tyrant's pride; reflective/meditative/sombre about the transience of human achievement. • Candidates may agree fully or argue that the art (and the poem itself) also endures. [Credit valid alternative responses.] [10] QUESTION 2: POETRY – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 'DULCE ET DECORUM EST' – Wilfred Owen 2.1 The soldiers are physically broken/exhausted/ill: they are bent over like old beggars carrying heavy sacks, knock-kneed and coughing like old women. (1) Although they are young men, war has aged and degraded them; they struggle ('cursed', 'sludge') through mud in miserable conditions. (1) (2) 2.2 The slow, weary pace of the first stanza changes suddenly to short, urgent exclamations because of the gas attack. (1) The capital letters, exclamation Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 4 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 marks and broken phrases convey panic, fear and the shouts of the soldiers as they rush to put on their gas masks. (1) (2) 2.3 2.3.1 Simile (1) 2.3.2 The speaker sees the dying soldier through the misty lenses of his gas mask and the thick green cloud of gas, as if he were watching someone underwater. (1) The image is effective because it conveys the helplessness of the speaker (he can only watch) and the horror of the soldier's death: he is 'drowning' on dry land as the gas fills his lungs. (1) (2) 2.4 The speaker directly addresses 'My friend' – those (such as patriotic writers/ propagandists) who glorify war. He states that if they had witnessed the horrific death he has described, they would not 'tell with such high zest' to eager, idealistic young people ('children ardent for some desperate glory') that it is 'sweet and fitting to die for one's country'. He calls this famous Latin saying 'The old Lie', which shows his bitterness, anger and disillusionment. The ending exposes the gap between the noble myth of war and its brutal reality: war is not glorious but horrifying and degrading. [Award 3 marks for a critical discussion of the speaker's attitude, linked to the lines.] (3) [10] QUESTION 3: POETRY – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 'REMEMBER' – Christina Rossetti 3.1 'The silent land' is a euphemism for death/the grave/the afterlife. (1) It suggests a place from which the dead cannot speak or return, where communication with loved ones is no longer possible. (1) (2) 3.2 The relationship is close/loving/intimate: they hold hands and talk of a shared future. (1) The image of the speaker half turning to leave but then staying suggests that she finds it hard to part from her beloved; it may also hint at her hesitation/uncertainty about the relationship (and a future marriage). (1) (2) 3.3 3.3.1 Repetition (anaphora) [Accept 'refrain'.] (1) 3.3.2 The repeated plea 'Remember me' emphasises the speaker's deep desire not to be forgotten after her death. (1) The insistent, almost pleading repetition creates an urgent/emotional tone and reinforces the central idea of memory in the octave. 'Only remember me' suggests that remembrance is all that she asks, since prayers and advice will then be too late. (1) (2) 3.4 In the octave, the speaker insists that her beloved must remember her. The sestet begins with 'Yet', which signals a turn (volta): she now unselfishly accepts Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 5 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 that he may forget her 'for a while' and asks him not to grieve if he does. She concludes that it is 'Better by far' that he should 'forget and smile' than 'remember and be sad'. Her attitude changes from a selfish/needy desire to be remembered to selfless love: his happiness matters more to her than her own memory. The balanced final line ('forget and smile' / 'remember and be sad') captures this mature acceptance. [Award 3 marks for a critical discussion that refers to the change of attitude.] (3) [10] QUESTION 4: POETRY – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 'DEATH, BE NOT PROUD' – John Donne 4.1 By addressing Death directly as if it were a person (apostrophe/personification), the speaker can confront and challenge it. (1) He diminishes Death's power by speaking to it with authority and contempt/defiance, denying that it is 'Mighty and dreadful'. (1) (2) 4.2 Rest and sleep are merely images/copies ('pictures') of death, and they give us much pleasure. (1) Therefore, death itself – the real thing – must bring even more pleasure/peace; it should not be feared. (1) (2) 4.3 4.3.1 Personification (metaphor) [Accept apostrophe.] (1) 4.3.2 Death is portrayed as a 'slave' who has no power of his own and must obey fate, chance, kings and desperate men (e.g. murderers or those who take their own lives). (1) The image is effective because it reverses Death's usual image as a mighty ruler: Death is humiliated and shown to be a servant, which supports the speaker's argument that Death has no reason to be proud. (1) (2) 4.4 The final couplet presents the speaker's Christian belief that death is merely 'One short sleep' after which the soul will 'wake eternally' in the afterlife. The paradox 'Death, thou shalt die' is a powerful, triumphant conclusion: death itself will be destroyed because, after the resurrection, there will be no more death. The short, emphatic final clause and the direct address give the speaker the final word and complete the argument begun in line 1 – Death is defeated. The tone is confident/defiant/triumphant. [Award 3 marks for a critical discussion of the effectiveness of the conclusion.] (3) [10] Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 6 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 UNSEEN POETRY (COMPULSORY) QUESTION 5: POETRY – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 'SYMPATHY' – Paul Laurence Dunbar 5.1 The beauty and freedom of nature (sunshine, wind, flowing river, singing birds, opening buds) are what the caged bird can see/sense but cannot enjoy. (1) The description emphasises, by contrast, the bird's longing and the cruelty of its imprisonment, and helps the reader to share the speaker's 'sympathy'. (1) (2) 5.2 5.2.1 Personification (transferred epithet) (1) 5.2.2 The bars are given the human quality of cruelty, as though they deliberately cause pain. (1) The image emphasises the suffering of the bird, which beats its wings against the bars until they bleed, and suggests that the cage – and those who built it – is the source of its pain/oppression. (1) (2) 5.3 The repetition of 'old' suggests that the bird has been injured many times over a long period; its suffering is long-standing/repeated. (1) The old wounds are reopened ('pulse again with a keener sting') each time it tries to escape, which shows that its pain never heals. (1) (2) 5.4 The final stanza reveals that the bird does not sing because it is happy: its song is 'not a carol of joy or glee' but a 'prayer' and a 'plea' for freedom, sent to Heaven from the depths of its heart. The bird sings despite being 'bruised' and 'sore'. The repeated refrain 'I know' shows that the speaker understands the bird's pain from his own experience: he, too, feels trapped/oppressed (the poet was an African American writing after the abolition of slavery, when racial oppression continued). The bird therefore becomes a symbol of all people who are denied freedom and whose apparent cheerfulness hides suffering and longing. [Award 3 marks for a critical discussion of both the meaning of the song and the speaker's identification with the bird. Do not require biographical knowledge.] (3) [10] TOTAL SECTION A: 30 Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 7 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 16 for the rubric to assess this question. • Jekyll is a respected, wealthy doctor who conceals a desire for undignified/disreputable pleasures. Because he values his public reputation, he hides these 'faults' and becomes a 'double-dealer', leading a secret life (hypocrisy). • He creates the potion not to cure evil but to separate his two natures so that his darker self can indulge in pleasure without damaging Jekyll's reputation or conscience. Hyde is thus a means of escaping responsibility. • Jekyll takes pleasure in being Hyde ('like a schoolboy'); he makes arrangements to protect Hyde (a house in Soho, a bank account, a will in Hyde's favour), which shows that the choice is deliberate. • Hyde's crimes escalate from trampling the child to the brutal murder of Sir Danvers Carew. Jekyll claims that Hyde 'alone' is guilty, refusing to accept that Hyde is part of himself. • After the murder, Jekyll resolves to give up Hyde and returns to good works, but he relapses: while sitting in Regent's Park and congratulating himself on his virtue, he transforms involuntarily. His pride and indulgence weaken his resistance. • The potion does play a part: the transformations become involuntary, Hyde grows stronger, and the original salt was impure and cannot be replaced, so Jekyll is trapped as Hyde and dies (Hyde takes his own life). • Candidates may argue that the experiment was the direct cause of his death, but that Jekyll's hypocrisy, pride and desire to avoid consequences drove him to use it and to continue using it. [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses.] [25] QUESTION 7: DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 7.1 Mr Utterson (a lawyer) and his distant kinsman, Mr Enfield, are on one of their regular Sunday walks in London. (1) They pass a sinister, neglected door in a by-street, and Enfield tells the story of the man (Hyde) who entered it. (1) (2) 7.2 'Calmly' suggests that Hyde feels no guilt/remorse/pity; (1) he is cold-blooded/ callous/inhuman and indifferent to the suffering of a child. (1) (2) 7.3 A Juggernaut is a massive, unstoppable force that crushes anything in its way. (1) Enfield suggests that Hyde behaved like a mindless, inhuman machine/ monster rather than a man, crushing the child without hesitation or feeling. (1) (2) 7.4 Hyde provokes instant loathing/disgust and even murderous hatred: even the unemotional doctor wants to kill him. (1) Elsewhere, Utterson, Lanyon and Poole also feel revulsion when they see him, and people struggle to describe him, saying only that he gives an impression of deformity. (1) This suggests Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 8 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 that Hyde is pure evil, and that people instinctively recognise the evil in him (perhaps also the evil within themselves). (1) (3) 7.5 The cheque is signed with the name of a highly respectable man (Dr Jekyll), and Hyde has a key to the door (the back entrance to Jekyll's laboratory). (1) This raises the mystery of the novel: why would a respected gentleman pay for Hyde? Enfield assumes that it is a case of blackmail. (1) The story alarms Utterson, who already holds Jekyll's will leaving everything to Hyde, and he begins to investigate the connection between the two men. (1) (3) 7.6 After Poole and Utterson break down the door of the cabinet, they find Hyde dead (he has poisoned himself) and Jekyll missing. (1) Utterson finds documents addressed to him, including Jekyll's statement, which he reads (after Lanyon's narrative) in his office. (1) (2) 7.7 The novel is based on the idea that every human being has two natures: good and evil. (1) Jekyll's experiment physically separates these two sides, producing Hyde; the theme of duality is also reflected in the respectable surface of Victorian London concealing a hidden, sinful underworld (e.g. the respectable house and the shabby laboratory door). (1) (2) 7.8 The 'polar twins' are the good and evil sides of human nature: they are as opposite as the North and South poles, yet as closely bound as twins. (1) The image of the 'agonised womb of consciousness' suggests that they are born together and struggle painfully within the same mind. (1) The image is effective because it conveys the inseparable and tormented nature of human duality, and foreshadows Jekyll's failure to separate them. (1) (3) 7.9 Jekyll hopes that, if his two natures are separated, each can live freely: the evil self without remorse, and the good self without disgrace. (1) Ironically, the separation does not purify Jekyll: Hyde is purely evil, but Jekyll remains a mixture of good and evil, and his desire for Hyde's pleasures grows. (1) Instead of being 'relieved' of what is unbearable, Jekyll loses control, Hyde takes over, and Jekyll is destroyed by guilt and terror; the good side is not freed but enslaved. (1) (3) 7.10 DISAGREE: Jekyll is a hypocrite. He hides his indulgences behind a respectable reputation and uses Hyde to commit acts without being held accountable. He refers to Hyde's crimes as if someone else had committed them and does not confess until he has no choice. OR AGREE/PARTIALLY AGREE: Jekyll is sincere in both roles: he genuinely does good works and charity, and he genuinely desires pleasure; he does not pretend to virtue he does not feel. He confesses fully in his statement. [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses. Award 3 marks for a critical discussion based on the novel as a whole.] (3) [25] Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 9 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 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 16 for the rubric to assess this question. • At the Meryton ball, Elizabeth overhears Darcy refuse to dance with her ('tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me'). Her wounded vanity leads her to form an immediate dislike of Darcy (first impressions – the novel's original title). • Her prejudice makes her believe Wickham's false account of Darcy's treatment of him without evidence. She is charmed by Wickham's manners and is quick to think the worst of Darcy. • When she learns from Colonel Fitzwilliam that Darcy separated Bingley from Jane, her dislike deepens and she rejects Darcy's first proposal, accusing him of ruining Jane's happiness and of cruelty to Wickham. • Darcy's pride is also a serious obstacle: he looks down on the Bennets' lower social status and vulgar relations, and he proposes in an insulting manner, dwelling on her 'inferiority'. He also interferes in Bingley's relationship with Jane. • Darcy's letter forces Elizabeth to re-examine her judgement; she realises that she has been 'blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd' ('Till this moment, I never knew myself'). This is the turning point. • Both characters change: Darcy becomes more courteous (at Pemberley he is gracious to the Gardiners) and secretly arranges Lydia's marriage to Wickham; Elizabeth recognises his true worth. Their happiness comes only when both pride and prejudice are overcome. • Candidates may argue that Darcy's pride is the greater obstacle, or that both are equally responsible. [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses.] [25] QUESTION 9: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 9.1 Elizabeth is staying with Charlotte and Mr Collins at Hunsford parsonage in Kent (near Rosings, the home of Lady Catherine de Bourgh). (1) She has stayed at home alone, upset by Colonel Fitzwilliam's revelation that Darcy had separated Bingley from Jane, when Darcy unexpectedly calls and proposes. (1) (2) 9.2 Darcy is deeply/passionately in love with Elizabeth. (1) He has tried to overcome his feelings ('In vain have I struggled'), suggesting that he regards loving her as a weakness/against his better judgement, but his feelings have overwhelmed him. (1) (2) 9.3 Instead of speaking only of his love, Darcy dwells on her social 'inferiority', the 'degradation' of marrying her and the 'family obstacles' (her lower connections and her family's poor behaviour). (1) This insults Elizabeth and her family and reveals his pride and sense of social superiority. (1) He is confident of being accepted, which makes his manner even more offensive to her; the narrator's irony shows that his warmth on these subjects 'was very unlikely to recommend his suit'. (1) (3) Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 10 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 9.4 Elizabeth accuses Darcy of persuading his friend Bingley to leave Netherfield and to give up his attachment to Jane, (1) thereby separating them and destroying Jane's chance of happiness/marriage. (1) (2) 9.5 Tone: cold/formal/controlled but angry/sarcastic/indignant. Elizabeth should speak slowly and deliberately, with forced politeness, emphasising 'feel' and 'I cannot'. Body language: she should sit/stand very upright, look Darcy directly in the eye, with flushed cheeks and clenched hands, perhaps rising to her feet to show her resistance. Motivation: Elizabeth is offended by Darcy's insulting proposal but tries to answer him 'with patience' and with the formality expected of the situation; her controlled anger shows her dignity and independence. [Award 3 marks only if tone and body language are both discussed and motivated.] (3) 9.6 From Darcy's letter, Elizabeth learns that Wickham wasted the money Darcy gave him instead of the church living, (1) and that he tried to elope with Darcy's fifteen-year-old sister, Georgiana, to obtain her fortune (and take revenge on Darcy). (1) (2) 9.7 She realises that she has judged both men unfairly: she believed Wickham's lies and condemned Darcy without evidence. (1) She is ashamed because she has always prided herself on her good judgement and discernment, which have proved to be wrong. (1) (2) 9.8 Elizabeth was flattered by Wickham's attention ('the preference of one') and offended by Darcy's slight at the ball ('the neglect of the other'). (1) Her wounded vanity made her eager to believe anything bad about Darcy and anything good about Wickham, (1) so she ignored evidence and reason ('driven reason away'); her judgement was clouded by her own feelings, not by facts. (1) (3) 9.9 This is the turning point of the novel/of Elizabeth's development. (1) She recognises her own prejudice and vanity and gains self-knowledge. (1) This humility makes it possible for her to see Darcy's true character, to change her feelings towards him, and eventually to accept his second proposal. (1) (3) 9.10 Darcy changes significantly. Elizabeth's rejection humbles him and makes him aware of his arrogance. At Pemberley he is courteous and friendly to Elizabeth and to her relatives, the Gardiners, whom he had previously regarded as beneath him. He secretly arranges and pays for Lydia's marriage to Wickham to save the Bennets' reputation, without seeking credit. He later admits that Elizabeth taught him a lesson and that he was proud and selfish. OR Darcy's essential character does not change; his good qualities were always present and only his manners change. [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses. Award 3 marks for a critical discussion.] (3) Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 11 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 [25] TOTAL SECTION B: 25 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 16 for the rubric to assess this question. • Macbeth already has ambitious thoughts before Lady Macbeth intervenes: when the witches greet him as future king, he immediately imagines murder ('why do I yield to that suggestion'), and he writes to his wife about the prophecy. • Lady Macbeth calls on evil spirits to 'unsex' her and fears that Macbeth is 'too full o' th' milk of human kindness'. She plans the murder and persuades Macbeth when he wavers, attacking his manhood and courage (Act 1, Scene 7). • She drugs the grooms, returns the daggers and smears the grooms with blood, and covers up Macbeth's guilt at the banquet. She is therefore an active accomplice in Duncan's murder. • However, Macbeth physically commits the murder. After that, he acts independently: he plans Banquo's murder without her, orders the slaughter of Macduff's family and becomes a tyrant. Lady Macbeth is excluded and loses influence ('Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck'). • Lady Macbeth is destroyed by guilt (sleepwalking, 'Out, damned spot') and dies (apparently by suicide); Macbeth becomes hardened ('I have almost forgot the taste of fears'). • The witches' prophecies also influence events, but they do not force Macbeth to act. • Candidates may argue that Macbeth is ultimately responsible because of his own 'vaulting ambition' and choices. [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses.] [25] QUESTION 11: MACBETH – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 11.1 Macbeth has been considering the consequences of murdering Duncan ('If it were done when 'tis done'). (1) He lists the reasons against it: Duncan is his king, kinsman and guest; Duncan is a virtuous king whose murder would cause universal grief; and he has only 'vaulting ambition' to spur him on. (1) (2) 11.2 Duncan has recently honoured him (made him Thane of Cawdor) (1) and he has won the admiration/good opinion of people of all classes, which he wants to enjoy while it is still new instead of throwing it away. (1) (2) 11.3 Lady Macbeth asks whether the hope/ambition he 'dress'd' himself in was 'drunk', implying that his ambition was only drunken boasting. (1) She personifies his hope as waking up hung-over, 'green and pale', and afraid of what it had freely proposed. (1) The images ridicule Macbeth as cowardly and inconsistent, shaming him into acting. (1) (3) Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 12 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 11.4 Lady Macbeth attacks Macbeth's masculinity: she claims that he was a 'man' when he first dared to suggest the murder and would be 'so much more the man' if he carried it out. (1) She implies that refusing to kill Duncan is unmanly/ cowardly, (1) and she reminds him that he first proposed the plan, making him feel he must keep his word. Her rhetorical question 'What beast was't, then' mocks him. (1) (3) 11.5 Tone: fierce/intense/vehement/cold and ruthless; she may begin softly and tenderly ('How tender 'tis to love the babe') and become harsh and violent ('dash'd the brains out'). Body language: she could mime cradling a baby and then make a sudden violent, throwing gesture; she should move close to Macbeth and glare at him/ grip his arm. Motivation: the shocking image shows her determination and her willingness to suppress all natural, maternal feeling; she wants to shame Macbeth into keeping his 'oath'. [Award 3 marks only if both tone and body language are discussed and motivated.] (3) 11.6 Lady Macbeth had been overwhelmed by guilt: she sleepwalked, continually rubbing her hands as though washing off blood ('Out, damned spot'), and revealing the murders. (1) The doctor could not cure her 'mind diseased'; it is later suggested that she took her own life. (1) (2) 11.7 At the beginning of the play, Macbeth was easily frightened (e.g. his hair stood on end at the thought of murder; he was terrified after Duncan's murder and at seeing Banquo's ghost). (1) Now he has become so used to horror and bloodshed ('supp'd full with horrors') that nothing frightens him; he has become hardened/desensitised/numb. (1) (2) 11.8 Life is compared to a 'walking shadow' – something insubstantial and fleeting. (1) It is also compared to a 'poor player' (actor) who struts and frets on stage for a short time and is then forgotten, suggesting that life is a meaningless performance. (1) Finally, life is 'a tale / Told by an idiot', full of noise and emotion but 'Signifying nothing'. The imagery conveys Macbeth's despair/ nihilism: having lost his wife and his conscience, he sees life as pointless. (1) (3) 11.9 The witches' apparition told Macbeth that he would never be defeated until Birnam Wood came to Dunsinane, which he believed was impossible. (1) Malcolm's army cut down branches from Birnam Wood to disguise their numbers as they advanced, so that the wood appeared to 'move' towards Dunsinane. (1) (2) 11.10 YES: The audience may feel some sympathy because, in EXTRACT E, Macbeth is shown to have a conscience and is manipulated by his wife. In EXTRACT F, he is a lonely, tragic figure who has lost his wife and sees that his life is empty; he recognises that he has been deceived by the witches, and he dies bravely. OR Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 13 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 NO: Macbeth has committed terrible crimes (the murders of Duncan, Banquo and Macduff's family) and has become a tyrant; his indifference to his wife's death shows how far he has fallen. [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses. Award 3 marks only if both extracts are referred to.] (3) [25] 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 16 for the rubric to assess this question. • Shylock suffers persistent abuse because he is Jewish and a moneylender: Antonio spits on him, kicks him and calls him a dog in public, and openly says he will do so again. • Venetian society treats him as an outsider; the Christian characters mock him (e.g. Solanio and Salarino) and Gratiano insults him throughout the trial. • His daughter Jessica elopes with Lorenzo (a Christian), stealing his money and jewels (including his late wife Leah's ring), and the Christians rejoice at his loss. His 'Hath not a Jew eyes?' speech shows his humanity and argues that his desire for revenge has been taught by Christian behaviour. • However, Shylock's actions are also cruel: he sets a bond that could kill Antonio, refuses Bassanio's offer of double/three times the money, sharpens his knife in court and rejects every plea for mercy. He seeks revenge rather than justice. • He is defeated by Portia's interpretation of the law: he loses half his wealth, and the other half is to be given to Lorenzo and Jessica; he is forced to convert to Christianity – a harsh and humiliating punishment. • Candidates may conclude that he is more sinned against, that he is equally a victim and a villain, or that his cruelty outweighs his suffering. [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses.] [25] QUESTION 13: THE MERCHANT OF VENICE – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 13.1 Antonio's friend Bassanio needs money to travel to Belmont in style to woo the wealthy heiress, Portia. (1) Antonio's own wealth is tied up in his ships/ merchandise at sea, so he must borrow the money on his credit. (1) (2) 13.2 Shylock means that the Jewish people have learnt to endure insults and persecution patiently; (1) suffering is so common for them that it has become their mark/symbol/'badge' of identity. (1) (2) 13.3 Shylock has been publicly insulted and humiliated in the Rialto (business centre) because of his religion and his business of lending money at interest. (1) Antonio has called him an unbeliever and a 'cut-throat dog', spat on his clothing and beard and kicked him like a stray dog. (1) The lines reveal the deep religious prejudice/anti-Semitism of Venetian society, in which Jews were Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 14 NSC – Marking Guidelines Hlayiso/Mock 2026 treated as inferior outsiders; Shylock points out the hypocrisy of Antonio now coming to him for money. (1) (3) 13.4 Antonio is arrogant/contemptuous/defiant and unrepentant: he says he is likely to spit on and kick Shylock again. (1) He insists that Shylock lend the money as to an enemy, so that he can 'Exact the penalty' if Antonio fails to pay. (1) This is dramatic irony because the audience later sees that Shylock does exactly that: when Antonio's ships are reported lost, Shylock demands his pound of flesh, and Antonio's life is in danger. (1) (3) 13.5 Shylock pretends that the bond is a joke/a light-hearted game, suggesting friendship and goodwill. (1) Ironically, the penalty – a pound of Antonio's flesh – is deadly serious; Shylock later insists on it in order to take revenge/kill Antonio. (1) (2) 13.6 Portia is disguised as a young lawyer/doctor of law, Balthazar, sent by the learned lawyer Bellario. (1) Women could not practise law, so she disguises herself in order to defend Antonio and save the life of Bassanio's friend. (1) (2) 13.7 Mercy is compared to gentle rain that falls naturally from heaven upon the earth. (1) The image suggests that mercy cannot be forced ('not strain'd'); it is given freely, (1) it comes from God, and, like rain that nourishes the earth, it brings blessing both to the person who gives it and to the person who receives it. The image is effective because it presents mercy as natural, divine and life-giving. (1) (3) 13.8 Shylock is determined/obstinate/vengeful; he is prepared to accept full responsibility for his actions. (1) He rejects Portia's appeal and insists on the strict letter of the law and the penalty of his bond; his hatred for Antonio outweighs any appeal to mercy or reason. (1) (2) 13.9 Portia refuses to bend the law even to save Antonio, insisting that no one can alter an established decree. (1) Ironically, she later uses the same strict interpretation of the law against Shylock: the bond allows him flesh but 'no jot of blood', and he must take exactly one pound. (1) Shylock, who demanded the letter of the law, is defeated by it; he then faces the law against an alien who seeks the life of a citizen and loses his wealth. (1) (3) 13.10 The Duke spares Shylock's life before he asks, and Antonio asks that Shylock should keep half of his wealth (in trust for Jessica and Lorenzo). This could be seen as mercy. However, the conditions are harsh: Shylock must leave his property to the daughter who betrayed him and her Christian husband, and he must convert to Christianity, which strips him of his religious identity. Shylock leaves the court broken ('I am not well'). The Christians therefore fall short of the mercy Portia describes. [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses. Award 3 marks for a critical discussion.] (3) [25] TOTAL SECTION C: 25 GRAND TOTAL: 80 Copyright reserved Please turn over

English Home Language/P2 15 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 16 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