# English HL Grade 12 P2 NSC November Prediction 2026 Memo > Grade 12 English HL Paper 2 memorandum from the NSC November Prediction Exam 2026, 20 pages. Read online or download the free PDF. - Page: https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-12-english-hl-2026-nsc-november-prediction-exam-memorandum-paper-2-english/1f9c59b8-c337-4064-91f9-3090c8a1b506 - Updated: 2026-10-29 - Subject: English HL - Grade: Grade 12 - Language: English - Document type: Memorandum - Year: 2026 - Exam period: NSC November Prediction Exam - Paper: 2 - Publisher: Hlayiso - Curriculum: CAPS - Pages: 20 Breadcrumbs: [Home](https://www.hlayiso.com/) › [Library](https://www.hlayiso.com/library) › [Grade 12](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-12) › [English HL](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-12/english-hl) › [English HL Grade 12 P2 NSC November Prediction 2026 Memo](https://www.hlayiso.com/library/grade-12-english-hl-2026-nsc-november-prediction-exam-memorandum-paper-2-english/1f9c59b8-c337-4064-91f9-3090c8a1b506) ## About this document English Hl · Grade 12 · NSC November Prediction Exam · 2026 · English. Memorandum, 20 pages. Read online or download the PDF. Read it free online on the page above; download the PDF from there. ## Document text Text extracted from the PDF. Layout, diagrams and tables may not survive extraction. ### Page 1 hlayiso mock exams Practice Series: Grade 12 NSC Preparation WWW.HLAYISO.COM NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE GRADE 12 ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE P2 PREDICTION EXAMINATION 2026 MARKING GUIDELINES MARKS: 80 These marking guidelines consist of 20 pages. Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 2 English Home Language/P2 2 Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 NSC – Marking Guidelines 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 six 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. 'The child who was shot dead by soldiers at Nyanga', 'At a Funeral' and 'Fern Hill' are not reprinted in the question paper (copyright). Line references follow the DBE printing of these poems; credit answers that quote accurately from the anthology. 12. Answers to contextual questions must be assessed holistically in the light of the discussion during the standardisation of the marking guidelines. 13. Life of Pi and The Crucible: the contextual 'extracts' in this prediction paper are the examiner's descriptions of scenes. Credit answers that draw accurately on the candidate's knowledge of the actual text. Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 3 English Home Language/P2 3 Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 NSC – Marking Guidelines SECTION A: POETRY PRESCRIBED POETRY QUESTION 1: POETRY – ESSAY QUESTION 'THE CHILD WHO WAS SHOT DEAD BY SOLDIERS AT NYANGA' – Ingrid Jonker • 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. • The poem responds to the killing of a child during the unrest against the pass laws in 1960. Instead of mourning a passive victim, the speaker insists from the first line that the child is 'not dead': a single death becomes a living, growing symbol. • Diction: the repeated denial of the child's death (lines 1 and 11) is defiant – it refuses to grant the killers the final word. Active verbs (the child raises his fists, peeps, treks, travels) present the child as alive and purposeful. • The raised fists (lines 2 and 6) are the gesture of protest. The child raises his fists against (pressed to/beside) his mother and father, who shout 'Afrika!': child and parents are united in protest, and the 'march of the generations' shows a growing, shared struggle. • Imagery in lines 3–5 and 8–10 joins the parents' cry for freedom and righteousness with blood, the price of liberation. The 'locations' fuse the townships with besieged emotions. • The list of places in lines 12–14 (Langa, Nyanga, Orlando, Sharpeville, Philippi) widens the child into every child killed in the struggle; the bullet in his head (line 15) is a stark image of state violence. • The metaphor in line 16 (the child as the soldiers' shadow) suggests that he haunts the oppressors and accompanies all their violence; he is present at their meetings and law-making (line 18) as a reminder of their guilt. • Lines 21–22 show growth: the child becomes a man who treks through Africa and then a giant who travels the world – the cause of freedom spreads and cannot be contained. • The final line (the child moves 'Without a pass') is ironic and triumphant: the symbol moves freely where the pass laws restricted black South Africans; the system is defeated by the spirit it tried to kill. • Tone moves from grief and anger to defiance and finally to a hopeful, triumphant, prophetic tone. The absence of punctuation creates an urgent, chant-like rhythm, like a protest song. • Candidates may agree, partially agree or disagree (e.g. arguing that the horror of the death is never fully overcome). Credit well-substantiated responses. [10] QUESTION 2: POETRY – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 'THE MORNING SUN IS SHINING' – Olive Schreiner 2.1 'Merrily' suggests that the surroundings are cheerful/joyful/lively. (1) The fountain is personified as happy as it bubbles, which conveys the carefree energy and vitality of the natural world in the morning. (1) (2) Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 4 English Home Language/P2 4 Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 NSC – Marking Guidelines 2.2 The repetition of 'and' (polysyndeton) links 'life', 'light' and 'sunshine' in a continuous flow, (1) suggesting the abundance/overflowing of joy in nature: the birds' song seems to celebrate one good thing after another. It also creates a lilting, song-like rhythm that matches the birdsong. (1) [Accept reference to the alliteration of 'life' and 'light' if linked to the abundance/ joy of the scene.] (2) 2.3 2.3.1 Personification [Accept: Metaphor] (1) 2.3.2 The thorn trees are described as deliberately 'loading' the wind as if it were a cart/an animal, (1) suggesting that their scent is so rich and heavy that the wind carries it everywhere. The image appeals to the sense of smell and conveys the generosity and abundance of the South African veld, completing the picture of a world full of beauty. (1) (2) 2.4 The first twelve lines are a joyful catalogue of the beauty of nature (sun, willow, fountain, locusts, birds, thorn trees), appealing to all the senses. There is no hint of sorrow, so the reader expects a celebratory poem. In lines 13–16 there is a sudden shift (a turn): the speaker reveals a 'hand I never touch' and 'a face I never see' – the loss of a loved one. The final rhetorical questions take up the images of the first part ('sunshine', 'song', 'light') and reject them. The structure therefore mirrors the speaker's state of mind: outward beauty cannot reach inner grief; the brief ending carries the weight of the whole poem and conveys the speaker's loneliness/desolation/despair. The regular rhyme and rhythm contrast with the emotional emptiness of the ending. [Award 3 marks only if the candidate discusses the structure (contrast/shift between the two parts) and links it to the speaker's state of mind. Award a maximum of 1 mark for identifying the shift without discussion.] (3) [10] QUESTION 3: POETRY – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 'AT A FUNERAL' – Dennis Brutus 3.1 'Stubbled' suggests that the graves are rough/newly dug and covered with short, coarse stubble/dry grass (like an unshaven face or a harvested field). (1) The graves look raw and bare, which reflects the harshness of the loss and suggests that many young lives have been 'harvested'/cut down. (1) (2) 3.2 The nurses (Valencia's colleagues) wear white veils, compared to those of a bride and a nun, and red cloaks. (1) The white suggests purity, devotion and dedication (as a bride or a nun dedicates herself), and the image of the nurses 'gushing' their bounty suggests their great numbers and the overflowing of their grief/love for the dead young doctor. The colourful spectacle honours her, but it also adds to the pageantry that the speaker later questions. (1) (2) 3.3 Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 5 English Home Language/P2 5 Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 NSC – Marking Guidelines 3.3.1 Personification [Accept: Metaphor] (1) 3.3.2 Tyranny (the apartheid system) is depicted as Death/the Grim Reaper wielding a scythe, cutting down people as a farmer cuts grain. (1) The image is effective because it shows that it is not natural death but an oppressive system that destroys the people and their potential, and it shifts the blame for Valencia's death onto apartheid. (1) (2) 3.4 In the first part of the poem the tone is sombre/mournful and ceremonial, but also ironic and critical: the funeral is a colourful 'pageantry', yet the speaker calls the display empty and reflects bitterly that Valencia's gifts and the community's hopes are swallowed by the mud of the grave. From 'Arise!' onwards the tone becomes angry, urgent and defiant/rousing: the speaker addresses the frustrated, oppressed people, commands them to 'Arise!' and blames tyranny, not death. The shift from mourning to a call to action conveys the central message that the oppressed must not grieve passively but must resist injustice – the final line declares that death is better than submission. [Award 3 marks only if both tones are identified and the shift is linked to the central message.] (3) [10] QUESTION 4: POETRY – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 'FERN HILL' – Dylan Thomas 4.1 It suggests that the speaker's childhood was carefree/relaxed/innocent (1) and comfortable; he felt at ease with the world and free of responsibility or worry, enjoying life on the farm without any awareness of time or ageing. (1) (2) 4.2 The reference to Adam (and 'maiden', Eve) alludes to the Garden of Eden/the Creation. (1) Each morning the farm seems newly created, pure and perfect, like the world on the first day; the child experiences the farm as a paradise of innocence. The allusion also prepares for the 'fall' from grace/innocence later in the poem. (1) (2) 4.3 4.3.1 Simile [Accept: Paradox] (1) 4.3.2 The child sang joyfully, like the sea, which is constantly in motion and seemingly free and eternal. (1) Yet he was in 'chains' – bound by time and mortality without knowing it. The sea, too, is held by the tides/moon. The image effectively captures the paradox of the poem: the joy and freedom of youth exist within the limits of time, and the child's happiness is both real and doomed. (1) (2) 4.4 In the first stanza, Time is personified as a kind, indulgent figure who 'let' the child play – the child does not notice Time and feels that Time allows him to be a prince. By the last stanza, the adult speaker recognises that Time had always Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 6 English Home Language/P2 6 Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 NSC – Marking Guidelines been in control: Time 'held' him even as he was young ('green'), he was already 'dying', and he was in 'chains'. The speaker's attitude changes from carefree unawareness/delight to a mature, wistful, sorrowful recognition of mortality and the loss of innocence. The repetition of 'green' and 'golden' links both stanzas but gives the words a sadder meaning. [Award 3 marks only if the candidate discusses the change in attitude with reference to both the first and the last stanza.] (3) [10] UNSEEN POETRY (COMPULSORY) QUESTION 5: CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 'BINSEY POPLARS' – Gerard Manley Hopkins 5.1 'Cages' suggests that the branches and leaves formed a delicate, criss-crossed framework (1) that trapped/softened the bright sunlight, creating patterns of light and shade. The 'airy' cages were light and graceful and protected the scene from the 'leaping' sun. (1) (2) 5.2 The repetition of 'felled' emphasises the shock/finality and the extent of the destruction: (1) every tree has been cut down. The heavy, repeated sound imitates the blows of the axe and conveys the speaker's grief/anger/disbelief. (1) (2) 5.3 5.3.1 Simile (1) 5.3.2 The countryside is compared to the human eye ('sleek and seeing ball'), which a single prick can blind. (1) The image is effective because it shows how fragile and sensitive nature is: even a small act of human interference can destroy its beauty forever, just as a tiny wound destroys sight. (1) (2) 5.4 5.4.1 Mournful/sorrowful/regretful/lamenting/wistful/nostalgic [Accept: Bitter/angry] (1) 5.4.2 The repetition of 'ten or twelve' stresses how few strokes of the axe were needed to destroy something that took years to grow. The repetition of 'scene', 'rural' and 'sweet especial', each time with fewer words, sounds like a lament/echo that fades away, as if the scene itself is disappearing. The speaker's message is that human beings carelessly destroy the unique beauty of nature, which can never be restored for 'after-comers'. (2) [Award 2 marks for a critical discussion linking the repetition to the message.] (2) [10] TOTAL SECTION A: 30 Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 7 English Home Language/P2 7 Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 NSC – Marking Guidelines SECTION B: NOVEL QUESTION 6: THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY – 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 20 for the rubric to assess this question. • Arguments that Dorian is a victim: when the novel begins, Dorian is innocent and unaware of his beauty. Lord Henry's speech in the garden awakens his vanity and fear of ageing, and Basil's idolising portrait makes him aware of his beauty. Out of this, Dorian makes his 'mad wish'. • Lord Henry's 'new Hedonism', his cynical epigrams and the 'poisonous' yellow book give Dorian a philosophy that justifies selfishness and the pursuit of sensation. Dorian's attitude to Sibyl ('Lord Henry had told him that ...') shows how he adopts Lord Henry's views. • Victorian upper-class society, which values beauty, wealth and appearance above morality, protects Dorian: people cannot believe that one so beautiful can be wicked, so he is never held accountable. • Arguments that Dorian is the author of his own destruction: Dorian chooses his responses. He sees the change in the portrait after rejecting Sibyl, briefly resolves to reform, but chooses to continue when he learns of her death. • He hides the portrait rather than change his life, deliberately pursues pleasure and corrupts others (Alan Campbell, Adrian Singleton, Lord Kent's son and others). • He murders Basil, who urges him to pray and repent, and blackmails Alan Campbell. Lord Henry never acts on his theories; Dorian does. • His 'good deed' (sparing Hetty Merton) is motivated by vanity and curiosity; he refuses to confess and destroys the portrait – his conscience – thereby killing himself. • A balanced response may argue that the influences awakened and encouraged Dorian's corruption, but that his own repeated choices lead to his destruction. • [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses.] [25] QUESTION 7: THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 7.1 Dorian has taken Lord Henry and Basil to the theatre to see Sibyl Vane act, but she performs badly because her real love for Dorian has made acting seem false. (1) Dorian cruelly rejects her, wanders the streets of London all night and returns home at dawn, where he notices the change in the portrait. (1) (2) 7.2 The mirror is a gift from Lord Henry, who first made Dorian aware of the value of his youth and beauty. (1) It shows Dorian's unchanged, beautiful face, while the portrait shows the truth of his soul; Lord Henry's influence encourages Dorian to focus on appearance (the surface) rather than morality (what lies beneath). (1) (2) Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 8 English Home Language/P2 8 Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 NSC – Marking Guidelines 7.3 In Basil's studio (Chapter 2), after Lord Henry's speech on youth, Dorian wished that he could stay young and the portrait grow old. (1) The wish is fulfilled: his own face remains perfect, but the portrait now shows a 'touch of cruelty' in the mouth as a result of his cruel treatment of Sibyl – the portrait bears the burden of his sins. (1) (2) 7.4 These lines reveal that Dorian is selfish/self-centred and refuses to take responsibility for his actions; he blames Sibyl ('It was the girl's fault, not his'). (1) His love for Sibyl was shallow: he loved her art, not the person ('had given his love to her because he had thought her great'), so when she fails as an artist he discards her. (1) The exclamation and rhetorical questions show a flicker of conscience, but he quickly justifies himself – revealing a vain and morally weak character who is beginning to be corrupted. (1) (3) 7.5 Dorian uses Lord Henry's cynical generalisations about women to excuse his cruelty to Sibyl. (1) He has absorbed Lord Henry's views uncritically and regards him as an authority ('Lord Henry knew what women were'). (1) This shows how Lord Henry's words shape Dorian's thoughts and actions and help to deaden his conscience, contributing to his moral decline. (1) (3) 7.6 The 'scarlet dew' is the blood that has appeared on the hand of the figure in the portrait since Dorian murdered Basil Hallward. (1) It reveals his guilt: the portrait records his crime, and the brighter, spreading stain shows that his sin has not been forgiven/has grown worse. (1) (2) 7.7 Dorian has spared Hetty Merton, a simple, innocent village girl who loved him; (1) instead of seducing and ruining her, as he has done to others, he left her 'as flowerlike as [he] had found her'. (1) (2) 7.8 Dorian realises that his 'reform' was not genuine: he spared Hetty out of vanity, wore 'the mask of goodness' out of hypocrisy and tried self-denial only out of curiosity – for a new sensation. (1) His attempt to reform is therefore selfish and superficial; he wants to clear the portrait rather than to repent sincerely. (1) The lines show that he is unable to change because he has lost the capacity for genuine goodness, and he refuses to confess. (1) (3) 7.9 Dorian believes that destroying the portrait will kill the past and free him from his conscience. (1) Ironically, the portrait is his soul; by stabbing it with the knife he used to kill Basil, he kills himself. (1) Instead of being 'free' and 'at peace', he dies, and the portrait returns to its original beauty while his body becomes withered and loathsome – he is exposed rather than freed. (1) (3) Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 9 English Home Language/P2 9 Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 NSC – Marking Guidelines 7.10 The portrait records every sin Dorian commits (the 'touch of cruelty' after Sibyl's death, the signs of age and debauchery, the blood after Basil's murder) and so acts as a visible conscience. Dorian hides it, but he is haunted by it, is unable to leave it for long and fears that others will see it. However, the portrait cannot force him to change: he chooses to hide it, studies it with pleasure and ignores its warnings. In the end, he sees it as 'evidence' and tries to destroy it, which shows that he wants to escape his conscience rather than obey it. [Credit valid alternative responses. Award 3 marks only for a critical discussion based on the novel as a whole.] (3) [25] QUESTION 8: LIFE OF PI – 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 20 for the rubric to assess this question. • Resourcefulness and determination: Pi reads the survival manual, builds a raft, rigs the solar stills and catches fish and turtles; he overcomes his vegetarian beliefs to survive. • He uses his knowledge of zoology (from growing up in the Pondicherry Zoo) to establish territory, train and tame Richard Parker with a whistle and sea-sickness, and keep the tiger fed. • He keeps busy with a strict routine and keeps a diary; his will to live is strong – he says he will not give up. • Faith: Pi prays several times a day and practises his religions; faith gives him hope and a sense of purpose and helps him to endure despair and loneliness. He sees God's hand in his survival. • Good fortune: the lifeboat is well stocked; rain, schools of flying fish, turtles and the algae island help him; the Frenchman is killed by Richard Parker; he reaches the Mexican coast. • Richard Parker (or, in the second story, Pi's own savage side) is crucial: fear of the tiger keeps Pi alert and active. • A balanced response may argue that faith, luck and Pi's practical skills work together; Pi himself says that it was Richard Parker who kept him alive. • [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses.] [25] QUESTION 9: LIFE OF PI – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 9.1 Animals in the wild live in fear; they are hunted by predators/attacked by rivals; they suffer from hunger, thirst and disease; they must constantly defend their territory; they follow strict habits and routines. (Any TWO) [Award 1 mark for each reason.] (2) 9.2 An enclosure, like a house, is a territory/home that provides shelter, food and safety. (1) Just as a person is not a prisoner in his own house, a secure animal is content in its enclosure and has no wish to leave. (1) (2) Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 10 English Home Language/P2 10 Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 NSC – Marking Guidelines 9.3 It suggests that Pi remembers his childhood with affection/fondness/nostalgia (1) and that the zoo gave him a happy, secure and ordered upbringing which shaped his love and knowledge of animals. (1) (2) 9.4 Pi knows that animals respect territory and dominance. On the lifeboat he marks his own territory (the raft/the tarpaulin), uses a whistle, food and the motion of the boat (sea-sickness) to assert himself as the 'alpha'/superior animal, and trains Richard Parker like a circus animal. (1) This keeps the tiger from attacking him (1) and allows them to share the small space of the lifeboat and survive. (1) (3) 9.5 Pi compares the belief that animals are 'free' in the wild with the belief that religion is a 'prison'; he argues that both views are illusions. (1) Just as a zoo offers animals security and order, faith offers people a structure and a home for the spirit. (1) This prepares for the novel's central concern with faith and 'the better story': at the end, Pi asks the officials which story they prefer, suggesting that a life with faith (like the story with animals) is richer than a life of 'dry, yeastless factuality'. (1) (3) 9.6 Pi is blind, weak and delirious from starvation and dehydration (1) and Richard Parker is the only other living being on the boat, so he assumes that the voice must be the tiger's; at first he thinks he is going mad. (1) (2) 9.7 Pi has been alone for a very long time and longs for human company; (1) the stranger seems to share his suffering, and Pi, who is trusting and kind by nature, sees him as a 'brother' and a friend in misfortune. (1) (2) 9.8 Pi has spent his time at sea fearing that Richard Parker will kill him and has had to control him in order to survive. (1) Ironically, it is the man – a fellow human being whom Pi welcomes as a brother – who tries to kill and eat him, (1) and the tiger who saves his life. The irony shows that humans can be more savage than animals. (1) (3) 9.9 In the second story, the cook kills the sailor and Pi's mother and is then killed by Pi. (1) The murderous Frenchman (who admits that he killed a man and a woman) parallels the cook, and Richard Parker, who kills him, parallels Pi himself. (1) The episode therefore hints at the darker 'truth' behind the animal story – that Pi was capable of killing and even of eating human flesh to survive – and prepares the reader for the second version. (1) (3) Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 11 English Home Language/P2 11 Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 NSC – Marking Guidelines 9.10 AGREE: Richard Parker's ferocity protects Pi (e.g. he kills the Frenchman) and keeps Pi alert and active; if Richard Parker is Pi's alter ego, then Pi's own 'savage' side enables him to kill fish, turtles and the cook and to eat human flesh – things the gentle vegetarian boy could never have done. OR DISAGREE: Pi's goodness, faith, discipline and compassion are what keep him human and give him hope; he cares for the tiger, prays daily and keeps his moral sense, which is why he weeps for the Frenchman and feels guilt. [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses. Award 3 marks only for a critical discussion based on the novel as a whole.] (3) [25] TOTAL SECTION B: 25 Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 12 English Home Language/P2 12 Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 NSC – Marking Guidelines SECTION C: DRAMA QUESTION 10: HAMLET – 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 20 for the rubric to assess this question. • Claudius betrays his brother, King Hamlet, by murdering him and seizing the throne and the Queen. This betrayal sets the tragedy in motion and leads to the Ghost's demand for revenge. • Gertrude's hasty marriage to Claudius is seen by Hamlet as a betrayal of his father; it fills him with disgust ('Frailty, thy name is woman') and contributes to his melancholy and his cruelty to Ophelia. • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern betray their friendship with Hamlet by spying for Claudius and escorting him to England with the death warrant; Hamlet sends them to their deaths. • Ophelia, under orders from Polonius, rejects Hamlet and allows herself to be used as bait; Hamlet feels betrayed and treats her harshly. Hamlet's killing of Polonius and his rejection of her contribute to her madness and death. • Polonius betrays his children's trust by spying on Laertes and using Ophelia; his spying behind the arras leads to his death. • Claudius betrays Laertes too, manipulating his grief to use him in the plot of the poisoned foil; Laertes betrays the rules of honour. The plot rebounds, killing Gertrude, Laertes, Claudius and Hamlet. • In contrast, Horatio's loyalty highlights the destructive power of betrayal. • [Credit valid alternative responses. Candidates must refer to at least THREE characters.] [25] QUESTION 11: HAMLET – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 11.1 Claudius and Gertrude have summoned Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet's old school friends, to Elsinore to find out the cause of Hamlet's strange behaviour/'transformation'. (1) Hamlet, who has been told by the Ghost that Claudius murdered his father, is pretending to be mad; the friends have just met him. (1) (2) 11.2 Hamlet suspects that their visit is not a 'free visitation' but has been arranged by the King and Queen to spy on him. (1) The Ghost has told him that Claudius is a murderer, so he fears that he is being watched/investigated; he can see 'a kind of confession' in their looks. (1) (2) 11.3 Hamlet expects his friends to be honest and loyal to him (1) because of their shared youth, friendship and 'ever-preserved love'; he appeals to these bonds to persuade them to tell the truth. (1) (2) 11.4 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern continue to serve Claudius and escort Hamlet to England with a sealed letter ordering his death. (1) Hamlet discovers the letter, Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 13 English Home Language/P2 13 Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 NSC – Marking Guidelines changes it so that the bearers will be killed instead, and they are executed in England. (1) Deserved: they betrayed their friend and allowed themselves to become Claudius's tools. OR Not deserved: they probably did not know the contents of the letter and were only obeying the King; their punishment is excessive. (1) [Award 1 mark for the opinion only if it is justified.] (3) 11.5 Hamlet contrasts the magnificence of the world and of man ('goodly frame', 'majestical roof fretted with golden fire', 'how like an angel', 'paragon of animals') with his own view of them as 'a sterile promontory', 'a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours' and a 'quintessence of dust'. (1) The contrast shows that Hamlet is depressed/melancholy and disillusioned: (1) since his father's murder and his mother's remarriage, nothing gives him joy ('lost all my mirth'), and he sees humanity as corrupt and worthless. (1) (3) 11.6 Laertes has confessed that he and Claudius plotted to kill Hamlet with the poisoned/unbated foil and that the King is to blame; (1) he asks Hamlet to 'exchange forgiveness' before he dies. Hamlet, recognising that Laertes was manipulated by Claudius and that he himself killed Laertes's father, forgives him. (1) (2) 11.7 Horatio intends to drink the rest of the poisoned wine and die with Hamlet, (1) as an honourable Roman would; he is so loyal that he does not want to live without his friend. (1) (2) 11.8 The actor should lift himself up with difficulty/reach out weakly and grasp Horatio's arm or hand, perhaps wrestling the cup from him (body language). (1) His voice should be weak and breathless but urgent and pleading/earnest (tone). (1) This would show that Hamlet is dying, but that it matters deeply to him that Horatio should live to clear his name and tell the truth about what happened. (1) [Award 1 mark for body language, 1 mark for tone and 1 mark for motivation.] (3) 11.9 Fortinbras is a decisive man of action, a foil to Hamlet: like Hamlet he lost a father, but he acts without hesitation (e.g. leading an army to Poland for honour). (1) With all the members of the royal family dead, Fortinbras can restore order and legitimate rule to the corrupt state of Denmark. (1) Ironically, Fortinbras regains the land that his father lost to old Hamlet, without having to fight for it. (1) (3) 11.10 YES: Hamlet is intelligent, sensitive and principled; he seeks justice rather than blind revenge, tests the Ghost's word, and finally kills the murderer Claudius. He forgives Laertes, and his concern for his 'wounded name' shows his sense of honour. Fortinbras's soldierly tribute and Horatio's blessing suggest he has earned a noble end. OR Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 14 English Home Language/P2 14 Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 NSC – Marking Guidelines NO: Hamlet's delay causes the deaths of many; he kills Polonius rashly, treats Ophelia cruelly, sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths without remorse, and is partly responsible for the deaths of Ophelia, Laertes and Gertrude. [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses. Award 3 marks only for a critical discussion based on the play as a whole.] (3) [25] QUESTION 12: OTHELLO – 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 20 for the rubric to assess this question. • Iago, Othello's trusted 'honest' ensign, betrays him by planting suspicion about Desdemona and Cassio; Othello's trust in Iago is the root of the tragedy. • Iago also betrays Roderigo, robbing him and finally killing him, and Cassio, whom he gets drunk and disgraces, and later tries to have killed. • Iago betrays his wife Emilia by using her to obtain the handkerchief; when she exposes him, he kills her. • Othello believes himself betrayed by Desdemona; in turn, he betrays her love and trust by publicly striking her, calling her a whore and murdering her. • Desdemona's elopement is seen by Brabantio as a betrayal ('She has deceived her father, and may thee'); Iago uses this idea to make Othello doubt her. • Emilia unknowingly betrays her mistress by giving the handkerchief to Iago, but she redeems herself by exposing Iago, at the cost of her life. • The consequences are devastating: the deaths of Desdemona, Emilia, Roderigo and Othello, and the wounding of Cassio. • [Credit valid alternative responses. Candidates must refer to at least THREE characters.] [25] QUESTION 13: OTHELLO – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 13.1 Othello has secretly married Desdemona. Iago and Roderigo have woken Brabantio, who has accused Othello of using witchcraft to win her. (1) The Duke and senators, meeting about the Turkish threat to Cyprus, have summoned Othello; before them, Othello explains how he won Desdemona's love, while Desdemona is sent for. (1) (2) 13.2 The actor should stand upright and confident, face the Duke and senators directly and perhaps gesture respectfully towards Brabantio (body language). (1) His voice should be calm, dignified and measured/sincere (tone). (1) This would show that Othello is a self-assured, honourable general who is confident in the truth of his account and respects the Senate, and contrasts with Brabantio's emotional accusations. (1) Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 15 English Home Language/P2 15 Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 NSC – Marking Guidelines [Award 1 mark for body language, 1 mark for tone and 1 mark for motivation.] (3) 13.3 The image of a 'greedy ear' that 'devours' his stories suggests that Desdemona was eager/fascinated/captivated by Othello's adventures. (1) It suggests that she is passionate, adventurous and independent-minded, and that she was drawn to Othello's courage and experience. (1) (2) 13.4 The love is genuine and mutual: Desdemona admires Othello's courage, and he is moved by her compassion. (1) However, it rests on admiration and pity rather than on a deep knowledge of each other; Othello does not fully understand Desdemona or trust himself as a lover (he is older, an outsider in Venice and inexperienced in domestic life). (1) Later, Iago easily exploits Othello's insecurity and his ignorance of Venetian women, so the marriage is destroyed – suggesting that the foundation was not secure enough. OR Desdemona's love remains constant even as Othello abuses her, which suggests that the foundation was strong and that it was destroyed by Iago, not by any flaw in the love. (1) [Credit valid alternative responses.] (3) 13.5 Brabantio has accused Othello of using spells/drugs/witchcraft to win Desdemona because he cannot believe that she would freely love a black man/a Moor. (1) Othello ironically states that the only 'witchcraft' he used was the telling of his life story. (1) (2) 13.6 Iago has suggested that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair: he has hinted that Cassio 'stole away so guilty-like' and has warned Othello of jealousy. (1) He has reminded Othello that Desdemona deceived her father by marrying him, suggested that her choice of Othello was unnatural ('foul disproportion') and that she may regret it, and told him to watch her with Cassio ('Look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio'). (1) [Accept any TWO relevant points from Act 3, Scene 3 BEFORE the 'ocular proof' demand. Do NOT credit the dream or the handkerchief, which come later.] (2) 13.7 In EXTRACT G, Othello is calm, confident and secure in his love: he speaks eloquently and with dignity, and believes that his marriage is based on mutual love. (1) In these lines he is tormented and irrational; he claims he would have been happier not knowing about the 'robbery', which shows that his peace of mind has been destroyed. (1) His language is now obsessive and coarse in its sexual imagery ('tasted her sweet body', 'stol'n hours of lust') and violent ('Villain'); even his grand farewell to war shows that his identity is collapsing – Iago's poison has transformed him from a noble lover into a jealous, suffering man. (1) (3) 13.8 Othello's identity is built on his military career and reputation as a calm, honourable soldier. (1) Believing that Desdemona has betrayed him, he feels that he has lost his peace of mind and his pride, and that he can no longer be the general he was – his whole sense of self/purpose is gone. (1) (2) Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 16 English Home Language/P2 16 Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 NSC – Marking Guidelines 13.9 Othello demands visual/certain proof of Desdemona's infidelity and threatens Iago if he cannot provide it. (1) Ironically, the 'proof' Iago supplies is false and flimsy – a handkerchief that Emilia found and Iago planted in Cassio's room, and an overheard conversation about Bianca. (1) Othello, the experienced general, accepts this as proof and never sees the truth, while the audience knows that Iago is the 'villain' Othello addresses. (1) (3) 13.10 AGREE: Othello trusts 'honest Iago' completely and believes his lies rather than Desdemona's protestations of innocence; he never questions Iago's motives or seeks the truth from Cassio or Emilia. He even makes Iago his lieutenant. OR DISAGREE: Othello is also destroyed by his own flaws – his insecurity as an outsider, his jealousy, his pride and his rash nature – and by Desdemona's naivety and Emilia's silence about the handkerchief. [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses. Award 3 marks only for a critical discussion based on the play as a whole.] (3) [25] QUESTION 14: THE CRUCIBLE – 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 20 for the rubric to assess this question. • John Proctor's adultery with Abigail is a betrayal of Elizabeth; it leads to Abigail's jealousy and her desire to replace Elizabeth, which drives her accusations. • Abigail betrays her uncle Parris, the other girls and finally the whole community by lying about witchcraft; she betrays John by accusing Elizabeth and finally flees Salem with Parris's money. • Mary Warren betrays John Proctor in court, accusing him of being 'the Devil's man' to save herself; this leads to his arrest. • Neighbours betray neighbours: the Putnams use the accusations to settle scores and gain land; Giles Corey unknowingly harms Martha by mentioning her reading; Tituba names others under pressure. • Elizabeth's single lie, told out of love, ironically betrays John's confession and condemns him. • Danforth and the court betray the community's trust in justice by refusing to listen to the truth. • The consequences are devastating: innocent people such as Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey and John Proctor are hanged, families are destroyed and the community is torn apart. • [Credit valid alternative responses. Candidates must refer to at least THREE characters.] [25] Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 17 English Home Language/P2 17 Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 NSC – Marking Guidelines QUESTION 15: THE CRUCIBLE – CONTEXTUAL QUESTION 15.1 Mary Warren, the Proctors' servant, made the poppet in court while she was sitting there during the trials, (1) and she gave it to Elizabeth as a gift when she came home that evening. (1) (2) 15.2 Abigail wants to get rid of Elizabeth so that she can take her place as John Proctor's wife; (1) she is also bitter/vengeful because Elizabeth dismissed her from the Proctors' service when she discovered the affair (and called her a whore/blackened her name). (1) (2) 15.3 The needle was put into the poppet innocently by Mary Warren for safe-keeping, (1) but Abigail, who saw this, uses it as 'evidence' that Elizabeth's spirit stabbed her. A gift meant as a kindness becomes the means of Elizabeth's arrest. (1) (2) 15.4 The actor should snatch the warrant from Cheever, tear it angrily into pieces and perhaps throw it to the floor, stepping protectively in front of Elizabeth (body language). (1) His voice should be loud, furious and contemptuous/defiant (tone). (1) This would show his outrage at the injustice of the accusation and the court's blind trust in the girls, as well as his protective love for Elizabeth and his growing defiance of authority. (1) [Award 1 mark for body language, 1 mark for tone and 1 mark for motivation.] (3) 15.5 Elizabeth is calm, dignified and composed in the face of injustice; (1) she is honest and selfless, thinking first of her children and protecting them from fear. (1) Her quiet acceptance shows her inner strength and faith, and she does not want John to make matters worse by violent resistance. (1) (3) 15.6 Elizabeth has been arrested after Abigail accused her of witchcraft using the poppet. (1) Proctor has forced Mary Warren, who knows that the girls are lying, to go to court and testify the truth in order to save Elizabeth. (1) (2) 15.7 Danforth believes that the petition is an attack on the court and that anyone who doubts the court may be in league with the Devil; (1) he wants to question them to find out whether they are 'with the court' or against it, so he treats the signers as suspects. (1) (2) 15.8 In Act One, Hale arrives as a confident, proud expert on witchcraft who believes that he can find the Devil with his books. (1) By Act Three, he is troubled and doubtful about the evidence, regrets signing Rebecca Nurse's death warrant, and pleads for Proctor to have a lawyer. (1) He is beginning to see the injustice of the court and later denounces it, which shows his growth in conscience and humility. (1) (3) 15.9 Mary claimed that she fainted in court because of spirits, but she cannot faint when there are no spirits/when she is asked to do so deliberately. (1) This should prove that the girls' fits were pretence, (1) yet Danforth and the court do not accept it, because they cannot admit that innocent people have been condemned on the evidence of lying girls. The truth is staring them in the face, but they ignore it. (1) (3) 15.10 AGREE: Danforth is more concerned with the reputation and authority of the court than with justice; he dismisses the petition, arrests the signers, ignores Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 18 English Home Language/P2 18 Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 NSC – Marking Guidelines Mary's evidence and refuses to postpone the executions in Act Four because it would cast doubt on those already hanged. His power makes him more dangerous than Abigail. OR DISAGREE: Abigail is the most dangerous character: she starts the accusations, manipulates the court and the other girls and accuses innocent people for her own ends; the Putnams and Parris also exploit the hysteria. [Credit valid alternative/mixed responses. Award 3 marks only for a critical discussion based on the play as a whole.] (3) [25] TOTAL SECTION C: 25 GRAND TOTAL: 80 Copyright reserved Please turn over ### Page 19 Copyright reserved English Home Language/P2 SECTION A: Assessment rubric for literary essay: Poetry (10 Marks) Criteria Exceptional Skilful Moderate Elementary Inadequate CONTENT 5–6 4 3 2 0–1 6 MARKS – In-depth – Shows – Fair interpretation of – Unsatisfactory – No understanding of Interpretation of topic. interpretation of topic understanding and has topic interpretation of topic the topic Depth of argument, – Range of striking interpreted topic well – Some good points in – Hardly any points in – No reference to the justification and grasp arguments; extensively – Fairly detailed support of topic support of topic poem of text. supported from poem response – Some arguments – Inadequate – Learner has not – Excellent – Sound arguments supported, but understanding of come to grips with understanding of given, but not all of evidence is not always genre and poem genre and poem genre and poem them as well motivated convincing as they could be – Basic understanding – Understanding of of genre and poem genre and poem 19 STRUCTURE AND 4 3 2 1 0–1 LANGUAGE – Coherent structure – Clear structure and – Some evidence of – Structure shows – Poorly structured 4 MARKS – Arguments logical flow of structure faulty planning – Serious language Structure, logical flow well-structured and argument – Essay lacks a – Arguments not errors and incorrect and presentation. clearly developed – Flow of argument well-structured flow of logically arranged style Language, tone and – Language, tone and can be followed logic and coherence – Language errors NSC – Marking Guidelines style used in the essay. style mature, – Language, tone and – Language errors evident impressive, correct style largely correct minor; tone and style – Inappropriate tone – Virtually error-free mostly appropriate and style grammar, spelling and punctuation 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. Hlayiso/Prediction 2026 Please turn over Text truncated here. 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