For South African Grade 12 IsiXhosa Home Language candidates writing in the October/November 2025 to May/June 2027 examination window, the prescribed poetry list contains 12 poems. In Paper 2, candidates answer questions on prescribed poetry and complete a compulsory unseen-poetry question. The current list is set out in DBE Circular E8 of 2022, Annexure A, and its use for this exam window is confirmed by Circular E11 of 2024.
Which poems are prescribed for IsiXhosa HL Grade 12?
The following titles and poet attributions are listed for IsiXhosa Home Language in Circular E8 of 2022, Annexure A. The DBE’s Circular E11 of 2024 says the prescribed literature remains the same for the October/November 2025 through May/June 2027 examination windows. Use the spellings shown in the annexure.
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- Usana — Z.S. Qangule
- J.T Jabavu — S.E.K. Mqhayi
- W.G. Bennie — S.E.K. Mqhayi
- ULangalibalele — S.E.K. Mqhayi
- Isiqithi seentini — Kabanyane
- Mhela Mfondini — G.V. Mona
- Watsha umzi — Nontsizi Mgqwetho
- Ukubethwa ngemvaba — S.E.K. Mqhayi
- Okuhle — Z.S. Qangule
- Amanqaku — Z.S. Qangule
- Ingqina ezingela imiphefumlo — J.J.R. Jolobe
- Imfecane — J.J.R. Jolobe
Check for a newer DBE circular before relying on this list for an exam session after May/June 2027. The 2022 annexure supplies the titles; the 2024 circular establishes the exam-window extension.
What to expect in IsiXhosa Home Language Paper 2
The general Home Language Paper 2 guidance describes a 2½-hour literature paper worth 80 marks. In Section A, candidates answer any two prescribed-poetry questions and then complete a compulsory question on an unseen poem. Questions on prescribed poems may be essays or contextual questions. This is the general Home Language framework, not separate IsiXhosa-only guidance.
Consult the official guidance for the applicable examination session and follow the instructions on the paper. The two prescribed-poetry responses and the unseen-poetry question test related skills, but the unseen poem requires you to work from the text provided rather than rely on memorised commentary.
How to analyse a prescribed poem
The examination guidance identifies a broad set of features for poetry analysis. A strong response connects relevant details in the poem to meaning and effect; simply naming a device does not explain what it contributes.
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- Meaning and interpretation: establish the literal sense, then explain figurative meaning, theme, and message where the wording supports that reading.
- Voice and emotional effect: discuss tone, mood, and the response the poem may create, grounding your view in textual details.
- Language and imagery: examine diction, images, and figures of speech, and explain how they shape the reader’s understanding.
- Sound and rhetorical choices: consider sound devices, alliteration, repetition, and refrain where they occur and matter.
- Form and structure: look at line and stanza structure, rhyme, rhythm, and punctuation, including how changes or patterns affect emphasis and pace.
Do not assume a poem’s theme from its title or from a summary of another poem. Support interpretations with the poem itself and explain the link between evidence and your point.
A practical method for an unseen poem
The DBE guidance lists the skills assessed but does not prescribe a fixed sequence for answering an unseen poem. The following is a practical way to apply those skills to a new text.
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- Read for literal sense. Identify who appears to be speaking, what is happening, and any unfamiliar words you can understand from context.
- Mark changes. Notice shifts in speaker, tone, subject, or viewpoint, as well as contrasts between lines or stanzas.
- Choose significant details. Select imagery, diction, sound, repetition, punctuation, or structural patterns that help explain the poem rather than listing every device.
- Build a defensible interpretation. State what the poem suggests and connect each claim to a specific detail and its effect.
- Answer the question asked. Use the evidence relevant to the prompt and make the reasoning explicit; avoid unsupported claims about the poet’s intention.
Where to find official curriculum and practice papers
Use the DBE’s CAPS material alongside the current literature circular and examination guidance. The DBE CAPS index lists IsiXhosa among the Home Languages and provides access to a CAPS document. For exam practice, the Western Cape Education Department ePortal describes a Grade 12 NSC collection of past papers from 2016–2025, with marking memos and answer books where applicable. It includes official November papers and available exemplars or supplementary papers.
Before practising, check that a paper matches IsiXhosa Home Language, the correct paper, and the relevant exam session. Use marking memos to review how answers are assessed, not as a substitute for interpreting the poem in front of you.
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