# English FAL Grade 12 Paper 2 NSC November Mock 2026 Memo

> Grade 12 English FAL Paper 2 memorandum from the NSC November Mock Exam 2026, 15 pages. Read online or download the free PDF.

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- Updated: 2026-10-29
- Subject: English FAL
- Grade: Grade 12
- Language: English
- Document type: Memorandum
- Year: 2026
- Exam period: NSC November Mock Exam
- Paper: 2
- Publisher: Hlayiso
- Curriculum: CAPS
- Pages: 15

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English Fal · Grade 12 · NSC November Mock Exam · 2026 · English. Memorandum, 15 pages. Read online or download the PDF.

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### Page 1

hlayiso mock exams
                             Practice Series:
                             Grade 12 NSC Preparation
                             WWW.HLAYISO.COM

                                  NATIONAL
                             SENIOR CERTIFICATE

                                     GRADE 12

                     ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE P2
                             MOCK EXAMINATION 2026
                               MARKING GUIDELINES

  MARKS: 70

                     These marking guidelines consist of 15 pages.

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### Page 2

English First Additional Language/P2              2                     Hlayiso/Mock 2026
                                       NSC – Marking Guidelines

INSTRUCTIONS TO MARKERS
1.    Candidates answer TWO questions, ONE question each from ANY TWO sections. If a
      candidate answers more than two sections, mark only the first two sections answered.
2.    These marking guidelines are a guide. Many questions are open-ended; credit any
      relevant, well-substantiated response, even if it is not listed here.
3.    Because the focus is on understanding, spelling and language errors should not be
      penalised unless they change the meaning of the answer.
4.    For open-ended questions, no marks are awarded for YES/NO or AGREE/DISAGREE
      alone. The substantiation is what is credited.
5.    When TWO/THREE facts/points are required and more are given, mark only the first
      TWO/THREE.
6.    For multiple-choice and matching questions, accept the letter AND/OR the answer
      written out in full.
7.    For ‘Change ONE word’ questions, accept only the corrected word (or the corrected
      statement with that word changed).
8.    Questions on Cry, the Beloved Country, My Children! My Africa! and ‘The girl who
      can’ are based on the examiner’s summaries of the context. Credit answers that draw
      correctly on the candidate’s knowledge of the whole text.

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English First Additional Language/P2              3                              Hlayiso/Mock 2026
                                       NSC – Marking Guidelines

SECTION A: NOVEL
QUESTION 1: CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY
1.1      1.1.1       (a)   B✓                                                                   (4)
                     (b)   E✓
                     (c)   C✓
                     (d)   A✓
                                                                                      (4 x 1)
         1.1.2       To look for his son, Absalom, who went to Johannesburg and has not
                     written home.✓
                     To find his brother, John Kumalo (and his sister’s child/other family
                     members who have gone to the city).✓                                       (2)
         1.1.3       Sophiatown✓/Johannesburg                                                   (1)
         1.1.4       Kumalo is naive/trusting/innocent.✓
                     He does not know the ways of the city and believes the young man
                     is helping him.✓
                     NOTE: Award 1 mark for an answer that is not well-substantiated.           (2)
         1.1.5       Johannesburg is a place of crime/dishonesty/danger✓ where people
                     take advantage of newcomers and where traditional values (respect
                     for elders, honesty) have broken down.✓                                    (2)
         1.1.6       Kumalo believes that Gertrude is physically ill✓ but her real ‘sickness’
                     is her moral decline/the bad life she leads in the city, which is far
                     worse/cannot be cured by medicine.✓                                        (2)
         1.1.7       C/son.✓                                                                    (1)
         1.1.8       Open-ended. Accept a suitable answer, e.g.
                     Yes. Msimangu meets Kumalo, finds him lodgings with Mrs Lithebe
                     and helps him to find Gertrude. He guides him through the city in
                     the long search for Absalom and comforts him when the news of the
                     murder breaks. Before Kumalo leaves, he gives him all his savings.
                                                    OR
                     No. Msimangu sometimes speaks harshly to Kumalo, e.g. he is angry
                     when Kumalo speaks bitterly to Absalom’s girl/scolds him for his
                     bitterness.
                     NOTE: Do not award a mark for YES/NO or AGREE/DISAGREE
                     alone. Award 3 marks for a well-substantiated discussion that refers
                     to the text as a whole; award 1–2 marks for a partially substantiated
                     answer. Accept a mixed response.                                           (3)
         1.2.1       Ndotsheni✓, the valley below High Place in Natal, during a time of
                     drought (after the trial/in Book 3).✓                                      (2)

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English First Additional Language/P2              4                            Hlayiso/Mock 2026
                                       NSC – Marking Guidelines

         1.2.2       There is a drought/lack of rain.✓
                     The land is overgrazed/badly farmed/eroded.✓
                     The young people have left for Johannesburg, so there is no one to
                     work the land.✓
                     NOTE: Accept any TWO of the above.                                        (2)
         1.2.3       He is compassionate/generous/caring/has changed.✓
                     Although Kumalo’s son murdered his son, he helps the children of
                     Kumalo’s village.✓
                     NOTE: Award 1 mark for an answer that is not well-substantiated.          (2)
         1.2.4       It was Kumalo’s son who killed Arthur Jarvis✓, yet it is the Jarvis
                     family who saves the children of Kumalo’s village/brings hope to
                     Ndotsheni.✓                                                               (2)
         1.2.5       A/Napoleon Letsitsi.✓                                                     (1)
         1.2.6       death✓                                                                    (1)
         1.2.7       It suggests hope for the future✓: the next generation can build
                     friendship/understanding across the racial divide.✓                       (2)
         1.2.8       Kumalo and Jarvis are joined by tragedy: Kumalo’s son killed Jarvis’s
                     son. Instead of seeking revenge, Jarvis forgives. He helps Ndotsheni
                     with milk, a farming expert and a new church. Kumalo humbly asks
                     for forgiveness and is grateful. Forgiveness makes reconciliation
                     between the two men possible.
                     NOTE: Award 3 marks for a discussion that clearly links the theme
                     to events/characters in the text; award 1–2 marks for a partial
                     discussion. Accept other relevant, well-substantiated responses.          (3)
         1.2.9       Open-ended. Accept a suitable answer, e.g.
                     Yes. Arthur’s writings about the injustices suffered by black South
                     Africans open Jarvis’s eyes. He begins to understand his son,
                     forgives Kumalo and works to improve the lives of the people of
                     Ndotsheni (milk, agricultural demonstrator, dam, church).
                                                      OR
                     No. The change in Jarvis is also caused by his grief, his meeting with
                     Kumalo and the death of his wife, not only by the writings.
                     NOTE: Do not award a mark for YES/NO or AGREE/DISAGREE
                     alone. Award 3 marks for a well-substantiated discussion that refers
                     to the text as a whole; award 1–2 marks for a partially substantiated
                     answer. Accept a mixed response.                                          (3)
                                                                                              [35]

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English First Additional Language/P2              5                             Hlayiso/Mock 2026
                                       NSC – Marking Guidelines

QUESTION 2: STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE
2.1      2.1.1       (a)   D✓                                                                  (4)
                     (b)   A✓
                     (c)   E✓
                     (d)   C✓
                                                                                     (4 x 1)
         2.1.2       At about eleven o’clock at night in October✓ in a lane near the river
                     in London (seen from the maid’s window).✓                                 (2)
         2.1.3       Sir Danvers Carew✓                                                        (1)
         2.1.4       The maid feels peaceful and thinks kindly of the world✓, yet she is
                     about to witness a brutal, senseless murder.✓                             (2)
         2.1.5       Hyde is rude/bad-tempered/violent/impatient.✓
                     He does not reply politely to the old man’s courtesy; he is barely able
                     to control his anger.✓
                     NOTE: Award 1 mark for an answer that is not well-substantiated.          (2)
         2.1.6       (a) Simile✓                                                         (1)
                     (b) Hyde is compared to an ape✓ to show that he is
                     primitive/animal-like/uncontrolled and lacks any human mercy.✓ (2)
         2.1.7       Jekyll✓                                                                   (1)
         2.1.8       Open-ended. Accept a suitable answer, e.g.
                     Yes. Jekyll created the potion that turns him into Hyde. He chose to
                     release his evil side and enjoyed the freedom it gave him, so he is
                     responsible for what Hyde does.
                                                      OR
                     No. Once Hyde takes over, Jekyll loses control; he does not plan the
                     murder and is horrified by it.
                     NOTE: Do not award a mark for YES/NO or AGREE/DISAGREE
                     alone. Award 3 marks for a well-substantiated discussion that refers
                     to the text as a whole; award 1–2 marks for a partially substantiated
                     answer. Accept a mixed response.                                          (3)
         2.2.1       Poole believes that his master has been murdered✓ and that
                     someone else/Hyde is in the cabinet.✓
                     The voice from the cabinet is not Jekyll’s/Jekyll has not been seen
                     for days/the strange behaviour (notes for chemicals).✓
                     NOTE: Accept any TWO of the above.                                        (2)
         2.2.2       (a) Urgent/commanding/determined/alarmed.✓                          (1)
                     (b) He has recognised Hyde’s voice and must act quickly to find out
                     what has happened to Jekyll.✓                                   (1)

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English First Additional Language/P2              6                                   Hlayiso/Mock 2026
                                       NSC – Marking Guidelines

         2.2.3       (a) Simile✓                                                               (1)
                     (b) The cry is compared to that of a terrified animal✓. Hyde is
                     trapped and afraid of being caught; it stresses his beast-like, inhuman
                     nature.✓                                                             (2)
         2.2.4       The room looks calm, ordinary and comfortable✓, yet a man has just
                     died violently in it/it is the scene of the terrible secret of Jekyll’s double
                     life.✓                                                                            (2)
         2.2.5       He is wearing Jekyll’s clothes✓ because he changed from Jekyll into
                     Hyde, who is much smaller, and could not change back.✓                            (2)
         2.2.6       B/taking poison.✓                                                                 (1)
         2.2.7       He believes that Hyde has murdered Dr Jekyll.✓                                    (1)
         2.2.8       Hyde✓                                                                             (1)
         2.2.9       Jekyll believes that every person has a good and an evil side. His
                     potion separates the two: Hyde is pure evil, while Jekyll remains
                     a mixture. The respectable Jekyll uses Hyde to enjoy his secret
                     pleasures without damaging his reputation. In the end the evil side
                     takes over and destroys both.
                     NOTE: Award 3 marks for a discussion that clearly links the theme
                     to events/characters in the text; award 1–2 marks for a partial
                     discussion. Accept other relevant, well-substantiated responses.                  (3)
                                                                                                      [35]
                                                                          TOTAL SECTION A:             35

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English First Additional Language/P2              7                           Hlayiso/Mock 2026
                                       NSC – Marking Guidelines

SECTION B: DRAMA
QUESTION 3: MACBETH
3.1      3.1.1       (a)   B✓                                                                 (4)
                     (b)   D✓
                     (c)   E✓
                     (d)   A✓
                                                                                   (4 x 1)
         3.1.2       At Macbeth’s castle at Inverness✓, in the evening while King Duncan
                     is having supper/on the night of Duncan’s visit.✓                        (2)
         3.1.3       Duncan has recently honoured him/made him Thane of Cawdor.✓
                     He has earned the respect/good opinion of all kinds of people and
                     wants to enjoy it.✓                                                      (2)
         3.1.4       (a) Personification✓/Metaphor                                     (1)
                     (b) Macbeth’s hope/ambition is described as if it were drunk and is
                     now waking up sober and afraid✓. Lady Macbeth mocks him: his
                     courage/ambition was false and has disappeared.✓                (2)
         3.1.5       (a) Irritated/impatient/angry/defensive.✓                         (1)
                     (b) Lady Macbeth has insulted his manhood/called him a coward,
                     and he wants her to stop.✓                                 (1)
         3.1.6       She is ruthless/cruel/determined/unnatural.✓
                     She claims that she would kill her own smiling baby rather than break
                     a promise as Macbeth has done.✓
                     NOTE: Award 1 mark for an answer that is not well-substantiated.         (2)
         3.1.7       Open-ended. Accept a suitable answer, e.g.
                     Yes. She persuades Macbeth to murder Duncan when he wants to
                     stop, by questioning his manhood and planning the murder. Without
                     her pressure he might not have killed the king.
                                                    OR
                     No. Macbeth already had murderous thoughts after the witches’
                     prophecies. After Duncan’s murder he acts alone (Banquo, Macduff’s
                     family). His own ambition causes his downfall.
                     NOTE: Do not award a mark for YES/NO or AGREE/DISAGREE
                     alone. Award 3 marks for a well-substantiated discussion that refers
                     to the text as a whole; award 1–2 marks for a partially substantiated
                     answer. Accept a mixed response.                                         (3)
         3.2.1       At night✓ in Macbeth’s castle at Dunsinane.✓                             (2)
         3.2.2       Lady Macbeth has been walking and talking in her sleep.✓                 (1)

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English First Additional Language/P2              8                            Hlayiso/Mock 2026
                                       NSC – Marking Guidelines

         3.2.3       Earlier Lady Macbeth called on darkness/‘thick night’ to hide her evil
                     deeds✓, but now she is afraid of the dark and must always have a
                     light next to her.✓                                                       (2)
         3.2.4       She is trying to wash imaginary blood off her hands✓ because she
                     feels guilty about Duncan’s murder.✓                                      (2)
         3.2.5       Lady Macduff’s (murdered on Macbeth’s orders).✓                           (1)
         3.2.6       (a) Hyperbole✓                                                     (1)
                     (b) She exaggerates to show that nothing can remove the smell of
                     blood✓/her guilt is so great that it can never be cleansed.✓ (2)
         3.2.7       B/weighed down by guilt and sorrow.✓                                      (1)
         3.2.8       After the murder she believed guilt could easily be washed away✓;
                     now she is haunted by guilt/tries to wash her hands constantly and
                     cannot get rid of the blood.✓                                             (2)
         3.2.9       Macbeth feels guilt immediately after killing Duncan (‘Will all great
                     Neptune’s ocean wash this blood …’) and sees Banquo’s ghost. Lady
                     Macbeth at first hides her guilt but later sleepwalks and imagines
                     blood on her hands; guilt destroys her mind and she dies. Guilt shows
                     that evil deeds cannot be escaped.
                     NOTE: Award 3 marks for a discussion that clearly links the theme
                     to events/characters in the text; award 1–2 marks for a partial
                     discussion. Accept other relevant, well-substantiated responses.          (3)
                                                                                              [35]

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English First Additional Language/P2              9                          Hlayiso/Mock 2026
                                       NSC – Marking Guidelines

QUESTION 4: MY CHILDREN! MY AFRICA!
4.1      4.1.1       (a)   D✓                                                               (4)
                     (b)   E✓
                     (c)   A✓
                     (d)   B✓
                                                                                 (4 x 1)
         4.1.2       1985/the 1980s, during apartheid/a time of school boycotts and
                     unrest✓, in Camdeboo, a small town in the Eastern Cape (Karoo),
                     and the nearby township of Brakwater.✓                                 (2)
         4.1.3       Isabel and Thami are both intelligent/talented and well matched (as
                     the debate showed).✓
                     He wants to build a bridge between the black and white
                     communities.✓
                     He hopes that they will win (the prize money could help Thami to
                     study further).✓
                     NOTE: Accept any TWO of the above.                                     (2)
         4.1.4       She is open-minded/curious/brave/unprejudiced.✓
                     She is willing to enter the township and get to know people across
                     the racial divide.✓
                     NOTE: Award 1 mark for an answer that is not well-substantiated.       (2)
         4.1.5       Zolile✓                                                                (1)
         4.1.6       B/English literature.✓                                                 (1)
         4.1.7       Mr M is very proud of Thami/regards him as his best learner/like a
                     son✓ and has high hopes for his future through education.✓             (2)
         4.1.8       Mr M believes that education/words are the weapons that will free
                     his people, not violence. He uses the competition to bring Thami
                     and Isabel together. Thami rejects ‘Bantu Education’ as a tool of
                     oppression and joins the boycott. Isabel’s education about township
                     life changes her views.
                     NOTE: Award 3 marks for a discussion that clearly links the theme
                     to events/characters in the text; award 1–2 marks for a partial
                     discussion. Accept other relevant, well-substantiated responses.       (3)
         4.2.1       He is loyal to the Comrades, who have called for a school boycott.✓
                     He believes that the struggle is more important than the
                     competition/the inferior education system must be rejected.✓           (2)

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English First Additional Language/P2             10                           Hlayiso/Mock 2026
                                       NSC – Marking Guidelines

         4.2.2       He is against the boycott and wants the learners back in class.✓
                     He wants to protect/save the school and the learners’ education from
                     violence.✓
                     He believes in law and order/words rather than violence.✓
                     NOTE: Accept any TWO of the above.                                       (2)
         4.2.3       He is brave/stubborn/principled/defiant.✓
                     He refuses to hide or run away and faces the crowd that he knows
                     wants to kill him.✓
                     NOTE: Award 1 mark for an answer that is not well-substantiated.         (2)
         4.2.4       crowd✓/mob/Comrades                                                      (1)
         4.2.5       B/leaves the country to join the struggle.✓                              (1)
         4.2.6       Mr M loves his learners as his own children and devotes his
                     life to them/to Africa✓, yet he is killed by members of the very
                     community/the young people he wanted to help.✓                           (2)
         4.2.7       It was a time of political violence/unrest/school boycotts under
                     apartheid✓, in which there was deep distrust and people suspected
                     of being informers were attacked/killed.✓                                (2)
         4.2.8       Open-ended. Accept a suitable answer, e.g.
                     Yes. Thami knows about the Comrades’ plans but does not do
                     enough to protect Mr M. He calls Mr M a traitor and does not stop the
                     crowd.
                                                     OR
                     No. Thami warns Mr M and tries to persuade him to leave. Mr M
                     chooses to go out to the crowd. The Comrades/the mob and the
                     violent times are to blame.
                     NOTE: Do not award a mark for YES/NO or AGREE/DISAGREE
                     alone. Award 3 marks for a well-substantiated discussion that refers
                     to the text as a whole; award 1–2 marks for a partially substantiated
                     answer. Accept a mixed response.                                         (3)

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English First Additional Language/P2             11                             Hlayiso/Mock 2026
                                       NSC – Marking Guidelines

         4.2.9       Open-ended. Accept a suitable answer, e.g.
                     Yes. At first Isabel knows little about the township. Through her
                     friendship with Thami and Mr M she learns about the injustice of
                     apartheid. At the end she vows to make her life useful and to fight for
                     justice.
                                                      OR
                     No. Isabel was always open-minded and caring; the events only
                     confirm the person she already was.
                     NOTE: Do not award a mark for YES/NO or AGREE/DISAGREE
                     alone. Award 3 marks for a well-substantiated discussion that refers
                     to the text as a whole; award 1–2 marks for a partially substantiated
                     answer. Accept a mixed response.                                           (3)
                                                                                               [35]
                                                                     TOTAL SECTION B:           35

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English First Additional Language/P2             12                           Hlayiso/Mock 2026
                                       NSC – Marking Guidelines

SECTION C: SHORT STORIES
QUESTION 5
‘EVELINE’ – JAMES JOYCE
5.1      5.1.1       (a)   C✓                                                                 (4)
                     (b)   E✓
                     (c)   D✓
                     (d)   A✓
                                                                                   (4 x 1)
         5.1.2       At night/in the evening✓ at the station/quay at the North Wall in
                     Dublin (where the boat to Buenos Ayres leaves).✓                         (2)
         5.1.3       Her father is violent/threatens her.✓
                     She has a hard life: she works at the Stores and keeps house/looks
                     after the younger children.✓
                     She wants to be married and treated with respect/not to end up like
                     her mother.✓
                     NOTE: Accept any TWO of the above.                                       (2)
         5.1.4       (a) Urgent/commanding/pleading/anxious.✓                          (1)
                     (b) The boat is about to leave and Eveline is hesitating/not
                     moving.✓                                                 (1)
         5.1.5       (a) Metaphor✓/Hyperbole                                           (1)
                     (b) Eveline’s fear is compared to being drowned by the seas✓.
                     Leaving with Frank no longer feels like escape but like death/she
                     is overwhelmed by fear of the unknown.✓                        (2)
         5.1.6       She is numb/paralysed/in shock/emotionally frozen.✓
                     She shows no feeling for Frank; she cannot act or even say
                     goodbye.✓
                     NOTE: Award 1 mark for an answer that is not well-substantiated.         (2)
         5.1.7       Open-ended. Accept a suitable answer, e.g.
                     Yes. She keeps her promise to her mother to keep the home together
                     and look after the younger children. She hardly knows Frank, and her
                     father has warned her about sailors.
                                                      OR
                     No. She remains trapped in a life of hard work, poverty and fear of
                     her violent father. She loses her chance of love and happiness.
                     NOTE: Do not award a mark for YES/NO or AGREE/DISAGREE
                     alone. Award 3 marks for a well-substantiated discussion that refers
                     to the text as a whole; award 1–2 marks for a partially substantiated
                     answer. Accept a mixed response.                                         (3)

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English First Additional Language/P2             13                            Hlayiso/Mock 2026
                                       NSC – Marking Guidelines

‘THE GIRL WHO CAN’ – AMA ATA AIDOO
5.2      5.2.1       The story is told by a seven-year-old child in the first person✓; the
                     reader sees the adults’ arguments through innocent/honest eyes,
                     which creates humour/irony and makes the reader sympathise with
                     her.✓                                                                     (2)
         5.2.2       Nana believes that thin legs cannot support the weight of a woman’s
                     body/pregnancy✓; she fears that Adjoa will not be able to have
                     children/be a proper wife.✓                                               (2)
         5.2.3       Women are valued mainly for their ability to bear children/do physical
                     work✓; their own abilities, education and achievements are not
                     considered important.✓                                                    (2)
         5.2.4       She is loving/protective/supportive/modern in her thinking.✓
                     She stands up to her own mother to defend Adjoa.✓
                     NOTE: Award 1 mark for an answer that is not well-substantiated.          (2)
         5.2.5       athletics✓/running/races/sports                                           (1)
         5.2.6       A/cup.✓                                                                   (1)
         5.2.7       Nana thought that Adjoa’s thin legs were useless✓, yet those very
                     legs make Adjoa the fastest runner/win the cup and bring honour to
                     the family.✓                                                              (2)
         5.2.8       Nana carries the cup on her back, the way women carry
                     babies/precious things✓, and she now admits that thin legs can also
                     be useful/she cries with pride.✓                                          (2)
         5.2.9       Open-ended. Accept a suitable answer, e.g.
                     Yes. Adjoa proves that a girl can do much more than bear children.
                     Her thin legs, which Nana criticised, win races and the cup. The title
                     celebrates what girls are able to achieve.
                                                       OR
                     No. The title focuses on one achievement only; the story is mainly
                     about the different views of three generations of women.
                     NOTE: Do not award a mark for YES/NO or AGREE/DISAGREE
                     alone. Award 3 marks for a well-substantiated discussion that refers
                     to the text as a whole; award 1–2 marks for a partially substantiated
                     answer. Accept a mixed response.                                          (3)
                                                                                              [35]
                                                                    TOTAL SECTION C:           35

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English First Additional Language/P2             14                            Hlayiso/Mock 2026
                                       NSC – Marking Guidelines

SECTION D: POETRY
QUESTION 6
‘SONNET 73’ – WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
6.1      6.1.1       (a)   autumn✓                                                             (4)
                     (b)   twilight✓
                     (c)   fire✓
                     (d)   love✓
                                                                                    (4 x 1)
         6.1.2       The speaker is sad/melancholy/aware that he is growing old.✓
                     He compares himself to a tree in late autumn, with few or no leaves
                     left.✓
                     NOTE: Award 1 mark for an answer that is not well-substantiated.          (2)
         6.1.3       (a) Metaphor✓                                                      (1)
                     (b) The bare branches are compared to the ruined choir stalls of
                     a church where birds once sang✓; the speaker’s youth and joy are
                     gone and only emptiness/silence remains in old age.✓         (2)
         6.1.4       Night✓/black night/sleep                                                  (1)
         6.1.5       The fire is choked by the ashes of the wood that once fed it✓; in the
                     same way, the life/energy of youth is used up, and this leads to old
                     age and death.✓                                                           (2)
         6.1.6       (a) Tender/loving/reassuring/hopeful.✓                             (1)
                     (b) He believes that knowing he will die soon makes the listener love
                     him even more.✓                                                    (1)
         6.1.7       B/Shakespearean.✓                                                         (1)
         6.1.8       The speaker is aware that he is growing old and will die. He uses
                     images of late autumn, twilight and a dying fire to show that his life
                     is ending. Each image becomes shorter and closer to death. The
                     couplet suggests that awareness of death makes love stronger.
                     NOTE: Award 3 marks for a discussion that clearly links the theme
                     to events/characters in the text; award 1–2 marks for a partial
                     discussion. Accept other relevant, well-substantiated responses.          (3)

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### Page 15

English First Additional Language/P2              15                             Hlayiso/Mock 2026
                                        NSC – Marking Guidelines

‘THE LAKE ISLE OF INNISFREE’ – WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS
6.2      6.2.1       (a) To Innisfree/an island in a lake.✓                               (1)
                     (b) Build a small cabin of clay and wattles.✓
                          Plant nine rows of beans.✓
                          Keep a beehive.✓
                          Live alone.✓
                          NOTE: Accept any TWO of the above.                              (2)
         6.2.2       It is full of the sound of bees/alive with nature✓; it is peaceful and
                     natural, not noisy like the city.✓                                          (2)
         6.2.3       (a) Personification✓/Metaphor                                        (1)
                     (b) Peace is described as if it falls slowly and gently, like dew✓;
                     peace on the island comes gradually and naturally and fills everything
                     around him.✓                                                        (2)
         6.2.4       A/alliteration.✓                                                            (1)
         6.2.5       He is unhappy/does not like the city✓: the grey pavements suggest
                     that city life is dull, lifeless and depressing.✓                           (2)
         6.2.6       alone✓                                                                      (1)
         6.2.7       He longs/yearns deeply for Innisfree.✓
                     Even in the city he hears the lake water in his heart; the place is part
                     of his deepest feelings.✓
                     NOTE: Award 1 mark for an answer that is not well-substantiated.            (2)
         6.2.8       Open-ended. Accept a suitable answer, e.g.
                     Yes. Many people leave the city to live a simple life close to nature.
                     The speaker has a clear plan: a cabin, beans and bees.
                                                     OR
                     No. The speaker only imagines the island while he stands in the city.
                     Living alone with only beans and honey is a romantic dream, not a
                     practical plan.
                     NOTE: Do not award a mark for YES/NO or AGREE/DISAGREE
                     alone. Award 3 marks for a well-substantiated discussion that refers
                     to the text as a whole; award 1–2 marks for a partially substantiated
                     answer. Accept a mixed response.                                            (3)
                                                                                                [35]
                                                                      TOTAL SECTION D:           35
                                                                         GRAND TOTAL:            70

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