23/09/2026
MATRIC CLASS OF 2026
NSC NOVEMBER 2026
PREPARATORY EXAMINATIONS
SUBJECT:ENGLISH FAL P3 GRADE 12 NSC/SC
Total =100 Marks
This question paper consists of THREE
SECTIONS:
SECTION A: Essay: (50)
SECTION B: Longer Transactional Text (30)
SECTION C: Shorter Transactional Text (20)
SECTION A: ESSAY
QUESTIONS 1.1–1.8
Candidates will be expected to answer ONE essay question.
Length of essay
Disjunctive orthography: 250–300 words
Conjunctive orthography: 190–240 words
Types of essays to be set
*Narrative
* Descriptive
*Reflective
*Discursive
*Argumentative
NOTE: Do NOT prescribe what type of essay a candidate should write on a topic.
Number of topics to be set Eight topics, of which a minimum of two and a maximum of three should be visual stimuli.
Wording of topics
Topics should be concise and in language that is accessible to candidates.
*Candidates are allowed to give their visual stimuli essays their own topics.
*Flexibility must be exercised with wordy statements requiring an essay response to allow candidates to write only the question number rather than rewriting the entire statement.
SECTION B: LONGER TRANSACTIONAL TEXT
QUESTIONS 2.1– 2.4
Length of texts
Disjunctive orthography (content only): 120–150 words
Conjunctive orthography (content only): 80–100 words
Types of texts
Candidates will be expected to answer only ONE question in this section.
FOUR questions will be set, at least ONE and a maximum of TWO from each of the
following categories:
Category A:
Friendly letter/Formal letter (request/application/business/complaint/sympathy/
congratulations/thanks)/Curriculum Vitae and covering letter (asked as a
combination)/Formal/Informal letter to the press/e-mail
Category B:
Reviews/Newspaper article/Magazine article/Agenda and minutes of meeting (asked
as a combination)/Formal/Informal reports/Obituary
Category C:
Dialogue/Written interview/Written formal/Informal speech
NOTE:
*Visuals may be used only as supportive material.
*The type of text required should be clearly indicated as a heading, e.g.
2.1 Obituary
SECTION C: SHORTER TRANSACTIONAL TEXT
QUESTIONS 3.1– 3.3
Length of texts
Disjunctive orthography: 80–100 words
Conjunctive orthography: 60–80 words
Types of texts
Candidates will be expected to answer only ONE question in this section.
THREE questions will be set, ONE from each of the following categories:
Category A:
Advertisement/Invitation card/Flyer/Poster
Category B:
Diary entries/Short Message System (SMS), namely: WhatsApp, Facebook
Messenger etc.
Category C:
Instructions/ Directions