MATHEMATICS
PAPER 2
Grade 12 · NSC 2026
Geometry & Trigonometry · Summary notes for the November 2026 finals
Know what Paper 2 will ask — and exactly what the marker needs to see.
✓ The questions that come back every year, counted across 5 real papers
✓ All 7 examinable theorem proofs — one was in every paper checked
✓ Answer formats that earn full marks: identities, general solutions, riders
✓ Every acceptable geometry reason, in the exact wording
✓ 25 real exam questions taken apart + 22 examiner traps
Written by a matric student who got 7 distinctions in the 2026 prelims, built with AI help from 5 real
past papers and memos.
DBE NSC Nov 2025 · DBE May/June 2025 · Grade 12 June 2024 · GDE Prelim 2024 · GDE Prelim 2025 — plus the DBE
Mathematics Examination Guidelines.
150 3h 10–11 4 37
MARKS TIME QUESTIONS TOPICS PAGES
Grade 12 Maths Paper 2 Summary Notes · NSC 2026 · For personal study only. Do not redistribute. Page 1 of 37
,S TA R T H E R E
The questions that keep coming back
Counted question by question across the 5 papers this pack was built from (DBE Nov 2025, DBE May/June 2025,
June 2024, GDE Prep 2024, GDE Prep 2025). The highlighted rows were in every one of them. The right-hand
column is the frame that earns the marks — the full method is inside.
TOPIC / QUESTION TYPE HOW OFTEN WHERE (PAPER + Q) MARKS ANSWER FORMAT
★ Prove one of the 7 5 of 5 papers Nov25 9.1 · MJ25 10.1 · Jun24 10.1 5–6 Diagram → Given → RTP →
examinable theorems · GDE24 9.1 · GDE25 10.1 Construction → Proof, [reason]
on every line
★ Prove a trig identity 5 of 5 papers Nov25 6.1 · MJ25 6.1 · Jun24 5.4 · 4–6 LHS = … = RHS; one side only;
GDE24 Q5 · GDE25 6.2 tan → sin/cos first
★ Solve a trig equation 5 of 5 papers Nov25 6.2 · Jun24 5.5 · GDE24 5–7 Factorise (never divide) → two
(general solution in 4 of 5.4 · GDE25 6.3 · MJ25 6.2.3 (in families → "; k ∈ ℤ"
the 5) an interval)
★ 2D/3D trig: "show 5 of 5 papers Nov25 8.1 · MJ25 8.3 · Jun24 7.1 · 2–5 Right-angled Δ first → shared
that" a length or ratio GDE24 7.2 · GDE25 8.3 side → sine/cosine rule →
simplify
★ Similar-triangle rider 5 of 5 papers Nov25 11.2 · MJ25 Q10 · Jun24 3–6 In ΔABC and ΔDEF: 3 angle
Q10 · GDE24 Q10 · GDE25 10.2 pairs, each [reason] → ∴ Δ |||
Δ [∠∠∠]
Trig graphs: read an 5 of 5 papers Nov25 Q7 · MJ25 7.4 · Jun24 6.6 · 2–3 x ∈ [a ; b] from the
inequality off two graphs GDE24 6.3 · GDE25 7.4 intersections; round bracket
at asymptotes
Tangent to a circle (tan ⊥ 5 of 5 papers Nov25 4.6 · MJ25 Q4 · Jun24 Q4 · 3–5 mradius → mtan = −1/mradius → y −
radius) GDE24 4.4 · GDE25 Q4 y₁ = m(x − x₁)
Angle of inclination 5 of 5 papers Nov25 3.3 · MJ25 4.7 · Jun24 Q3 · 2–4 tan θ = m; if m < 0, θ = 180°
GDE24 Q3 · GDE25 Q3 − ref∠
Least-squares regression 4 of 5 papers Nov25 Q1 · MJ25 Q2 · GDE24 Q2 · 3–5 Calculator stats mode → ŷ = a
line + r GDE25 2.1 + bx (2 d.p.) → describe r in
words
Ogive / cumulative 4 of 5 papers GDE24 Q1 · GDE25 1.2 · Jun24 Q2 3–4 Plot (upper boundary ; cum.
frequency · Nov25 Q2 freq), ground at (lowest
boundary ; 0)
Standard deviation: 4 of 5 papers Nov25 Q2 · MJ25 Q1 · Jun24 1.1.3 · 2–3 Write (x̄ − σ ; x̄ + σ) with
"within / outside one σ" GDE24 Q1 numbers, then count
How these were counted: each paper and its marking guideline was read question by question (the GDE papers are scans and were read page
by page). A row counts a paper only if that question type appeared in it. Where a whole question is cited (e.g. "Q4"), the skill is spread over
several sub-questions. Abbreviations: Nov25 = DBE NSC November 2025; MJ25 = DBE May/June 2025; Jun24 = Grade 12 June 2024; GDE24/25
= Gauteng Preparatory Examination 2024/2025.
Grade 12 Maths Paper 2 Summary Notes · NSC 2026 · For personal study only. Do not redistribute. Page 2 of 37
,CONTENTS
What is inside
Twelve sections. The first three tell you how the paper is built and marked; the next four teach each topic the
way the examiners test it; the last five are the real questions, the traps and the final revision.
Where the 150 marks are
01 The four topics, checked against five papers · cognitive 150 READ FIRST 4
levels · a time budget
How Paper 2 is marked
02 Consistent accuracy · first attempt only · the S, R and S/R — EXAMINER TRAP HIGH MARKS 6
geometry marks
The formula sheet
03 What you are given · what you must know cold · reduction — EXAMINER TRAP 8
formulae · general-solution rules
Statistics & regression
04 Ogives, σ, least squares · the wording bank for "interpret" 20 ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR 10
questions
Analytical geometry ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
05 Lines, inclination, parallelograms, circles, tangents, two- 40 12
HIGH MARKS
circle problems
06 Trigonometry 50
★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
14
Reduction · identities · general solutions · graphs · 2D & 3D HIGH MARKS
Euclidean geometry ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
07 The 7 examinable proofs · corollaries · 33 acceptable 40 17
HIGH MARKS
reasons · attacking a rider · ratio & similarity
The tricky questions
08 25 real questions, sorted into the six ways Paper 2 makes a — EXAMINER TRAP HIGH MARKS 21
question hard
09 Questions that only look hard — FREE MARKS 31
One- and two-mark parts dressed up to look frightening
10 What is NOT in Paper 2 — SAVES TIME 32
Officially excluded — stop revising it
11 The shape of the paper — ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR 33
Five papers, question by question, side by side
The trap list & night-before checklist
12 22 ways to lose marks · what to be able to do cold · the order — EXAMINER TRAP 36
to work in
HOW TO READ THE CALLOUTS Four boxes, used the same way on every page
★ REPEATED QUESTIONa question type with its real citations · ANSWER FORMAT the structure that earns the
marks · EXAMINER TRAP where marks leak · KEY DEFINITION theorems, rules and wording to learn exactly.
Past papers belong to the DBE and the GDE. They are cited by paper and question number and described in our own words — get the
originals free from the DBE website or your school and practise alongside these notes.
Grade 12 Maths Paper 2 Summary Notes · NSC 2026 · For personal study only. Do not redistribute. Page 3 of 37
, SECTION 01
150
Where the 150 marks are
Paper 2 is four topics, and it always has been. The Examination Guidelines fix the weightings, and recent
papers stick to them closely — so you can plan your revision around these numbers with confidence.
The official weighting
TOPIC MARKS SHARE WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOU
Trigonometry 50 33% The biggest block by a distance. Reduction, identities, compound and double angles,
general solutions, graphs, and 2D/3D sine & cosine rules.
Euclidean 40 27% Circle theorems, cyclic quads, tangents, similarity and proportion. Includes one full
Geometry theorem proof — in every paper we checked.
Analytical 40 27% Usually two questions: one on straight lines and one on circles. Very formula-driven, so
Geometry very winnable.
Statistics & 20 13% Two short questions at the front. Calculator work plus interpretation in words. The
Regression cheapest marks in the paper.
KE Y FACT Trigonometry + Euclidean Geometry = 90 of 150
Sixty percent of Paper 2 is trigonometry and circle geometry. If you are short of time, that is where the time
goes. Analytical geometry is the topic where preparation turns into marks most reliably — the methods barely
change from year to year.
What the five papers actually did
Counted question by question from the papers themselves, not from the guideline:
PAPER STATS ANALYTICAL TRIG EUCLID QUESTIONS
DBE NSC November 2025 20 39 50 41 11
DBE May/June 2025 19 41 50 40 10
Grade 12 June 2024 20 37 50 43 10
GDE Preparatory 2024 (10612/24) 20 40 50 40 10
GDE Preparatory 2025 (10612/25) 22 38 52 38 11
Trigonometry came out at exactly 50 marks in all three DBE-style papers and in GDE 2024, and at 52 in GDE 2025. The guideline allows a
few marks either way on each topic; in practice trig barely moves. Expect 10 or 11 questions — both have appeared recently.
Cognitive levels — how hard the marks are
LEVEL WEIGHTING MARKS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN P2
Knowledge 20% 30 Write down the period. Read a value off an ogive. Quote a radius. Pick the right
formula off the sheet.
Routine 35% 52–53 Gradient, midpoint, distance, equation of a line, standard deviation, straightforward
procedures reduction, a two-step angle chase.
Complex 30% 45 Multi-step riders, identity proofs, general solutions, area ratios, 3D trig with two
procedures triangles.
Problem solving 15% 22–23 The last part of the geometry question. Anything where the route is not signposted.
Section 08 is mostly these.
Grade 12 Maths Paper 2 Summary Notes · NSC 2026 · For personal study only. Do not redistribute. Page 4 of 37
PAPER 2
Grade 12 · NSC 2026
Geometry & Trigonometry · Summary notes for the November 2026 finals
Know what Paper 2 will ask — and exactly what the marker needs to see.
✓ The questions that come back every year, counted across 5 real papers
✓ All 7 examinable theorem proofs — one was in every paper checked
✓ Answer formats that earn full marks: identities, general solutions, riders
✓ Every acceptable geometry reason, in the exact wording
✓ 25 real exam questions taken apart + 22 examiner traps
Written by a matric student who got 7 distinctions in the 2026 prelims, built with AI help from 5 real
past papers and memos.
DBE NSC Nov 2025 · DBE May/June 2025 · Grade 12 June 2024 · GDE Prelim 2024 · GDE Prelim 2025 — plus the DBE
Mathematics Examination Guidelines.
150 3h 10–11 4 37
MARKS TIME QUESTIONS TOPICS PAGES
Grade 12 Maths Paper 2 Summary Notes · NSC 2026 · For personal study only. Do not redistribute. Page 1 of 37
,S TA R T H E R E
The questions that keep coming back
Counted question by question across the 5 papers this pack was built from (DBE Nov 2025, DBE May/June 2025,
June 2024, GDE Prep 2024, GDE Prep 2025). The highlighted rows were in every one of them. The right-hand
column is the frame that earns the marks — the full method is inside.
TOPIC / QUESTION TYPE HOW OFTEN WHERE (PAPER + Q) MARKS ANSWER FORMAT
★ Prove one of the 7 5 of 5 papers Nov25 9.1 · MJ25 10.1 · Jun24 10.1 5–6 Diagram → Given → RTP →
examinable theorems · GDE24 9.1 · GDE25 10.1 Construction → Proof, [reason]
on every line
★ Prove a trig identity 5 of 5 papers Nov25 6.1 · MJ25 6.1 · Jun24 5.4 · 4–6 LHS = … = RHS; one side only;
GDE24 Q5 · GDE25 6.2 tan → sin/cos first
★ Solve a trig equation 5 of 5 papers Nov25 6.2 · Jun24 5.5 · GDE24 5–7 Factorise (never divide) → two
(general solution in 4 of 5.4 · GDE25 6.3 · MJ25 6.2.3 (in families → "; k ∈ ℤ"
the 5) an interval)
★ 2D/3D trig: "show 5 of 5 papers Nov25 8.1 · MJ25 8.3 · Jun24 7.1 · 2–5 Right-angled Δ first → shared
that" a length or ratio GDE24 7.2 · GDE25 8.3 side → sine/cosine rule →
simplify
★ Similar-triangle rider 5 of 5 papers Nov25 11.2 · MJ25 Q10 · Jun24 3–6 In ΔABC and ΔDEF: 3 angle
Q10 · GDE24 Q10 · GDE25 10.2 pairs, each [reason] → ∴ Δ |||
Δ [∠∠∠]
Trig graphs: read an 5 of 5 papers Nov25 Q7 · MJ25 7.4 · Jun24 6.6 · 2–3 x ∈ [a ; b] from the
inequality off two graphs GDE24 6.3 · GDE25 7.4 intersections; round bracket
at asymptotes
Tangent to a circle (tan ⊥ 5 of 5 papers Nov25 4.6 · MJ25 Q4 · Jun24 Q4 · 3–5 mradius → mtan = −1/mradius → y −
radius) GDE24 4.4 · GDE25 Q4 y₁ = m(x − x₁)
Angle of inclination 5 of 5 papers Nov25 3.3 · MJ25 4.7 · Jun24 Q3 · 2–4 tan θ = m; if m < 0, θ = 180°
GDE24 Q3 · GDE25 Q3 − ref∠
Least-squares regression 4 of 5 papers Nov25 Q1 · MJ25 Q2 · GDE24 Q2 · 3–5 Calculator stats mode → ŷ = a
line + r GDE25 2.1 + bx (2 d.p.) → describe r in
words
Ogive / cumulative 4 of 5 papers GDE24 Q1 · GDE25 1.2 · Jun24 Q2 3–4 Plot (upper boundary ; cum.
frequency · Nov25 Q2 freq), ground at (lowest
boundary ; 0)
Standard deviation: 4 of 5 papers Nov25 Q2 · MJ25 Q1 · Jun24 1.1.3 · 2–3 Write (x̄ − σ ; x̄ + σ) with
"within / outside one σ" GDE24 Q1 numbers, then count
How these were counted: each paper and its marking guideline was read question by question (the GDE papers are scans and were read page
by page). A row counts a paper only if that question type appeared in it. Where a whole question is cited (e.g. "Q4"), the skill is spread over
several sub-questions. Abbreviations: Nov25 = DBE NSC November 2025; MJ25 = DBE May/June 2025; Jun24 = Grade 12 June 2024; GDE24/25
= Gauteng Preparatory Examination 2024/2025.
Grade 12 Maths Paper 2 Summary Notes · NSC 2026 · For personal study only. Do not redistribute. Page 2 of 37
,CONTENTS
What is inside
Twelve sections. The first three tell you how the paper is built and marked; the next four teach each topic the
way the examiners test it; the last five are the real questions, the traps and the final revision.
Where the 150 marks are
01 The four topics, checked against five papers · cognitive 150 READ FIRST 4
levels · a time budget
How Paper 2 is marked
02 Consistent accuracy · first attempt only · the S, R and S/R — EXAMINER TRAP HIGH MARKS 6
geometry marks
The formula sheet
03 What you are given · what you must know cold · reduction — EXAMINER TRAP 8
formulae · general-solution rules
Statistics & regression
04 Ogives, σ, least squares · the wording bank for "interpret" 20 ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR 10
questions
Analytical geometry ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
05 Lines, inclination, parallelograms, circles, tangents, two- 40 12
HIGH MARKS
circle problems
06 Trigonometry 50
★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
14
Reduction · identities · general solutions · graphs · 2D & 3D HIGH MARKS
Euclidean geometry ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
07 The 7 examinable proofs · corollaries · 33 acceptable 40 17
HIGH MARKS
reasons · attacking a rider · ratio & similarity
The tricky questions
08 25 real questions, sorted into the six ways Paper 2 makes a — EXAMINER TRAP HIGH MARKS 21
question hard
09 Questions that only look hard — FREE MARKS 31
One- and two-mark parts dressed up to look frightening
10 What is NOT in Paper 2 — SAVES TIME 32
Officially excluded — stop revising it
11 The shape of the paper — ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR 33
Five papers, question by question, side by side
The trap list & night-before checklist
12 22 ways to lose marks · what to be able to do cold · the order — EXAMINER TRAP 36
to work in
HOW TO READ THE CALLOUTS Four boxes, used the same way on every page
★ REPEATED QUESTIONa question type with its real citations · ANSWER FORMAT the structure that earns the
marks · EXAMINER TRAP where marks leak · KEY DEFINITION theorems, rules and wording to learn exactly.
Past papers belong to the DBE and the GDE. They are cited by paper and question number and described in our own words — get the
originals free from the DBE website or your school and practise alongside these notes.
Grade 12 Maths Paper 2 Summary Notes · NSC 2026 · For personal study only. Do not redistribute. Page 3 of 37
, SECTION 01
150
Where the 150 marks are
Paper 2 is four topics, and it always has been. The Examination Guidelines fix the weightings, and recent
papers stick to them closely — so you can plan your revision around these numbers with confidence.
The official weighting
TOPIC MARKS SHARE WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOU
Trigonometry 50 33% The biggest block by a distance. Reduction, identities, compound and double angles,
general solutions, graphs, and 2D/3D sine & cosine rules.
Euclidean 40 27% Circle theorems, cyclic quads, tangents, similarity and proportion. Includes one full
Geometry theorem proof — in every paper we checked.
Analytical 40 27% Usually two questions: one on straight lines and one on circles. Very formula-driven, so
Geometry very winnable.
Statistics & 20 13% Two short questions at the front. Calculator work plus interpretation in words. The
Regression cheapest marks in the paper.
KE Y FACT Trigonometry + Euclidean Geometry = 90 of 150
Sixty percent of Paper 2 is trigonometry and circle geometry. If you are short of time, that is where the time
goes. Analytical geometry is the topic where preparation turns into marks most reliably — the methods barely
change from year to year.
What the five papers actually did
Counted question by question from the papers themselves, not from the guideline:
PAPER STATS ANALYTICAL TRIG EUCLID QUESTIONS
DBE NSC November 2025 20 39 50 41 11
DBE May/June 2025 19 41 50 40 10
Grade 12 June 2024 20 37 50 43 10
GDE Preparatory 2024 (10612/24) 20 40 50 40 10
GDE Preparatory 2025 (10612/25) 22 38 52 38 11
Trigonometry came out at exactly 50 marks in all three DBE-style papers and in GDE 2024, and at 52 in GDE 2025. The guideline allows a
few marks either way on each topic; in practice trig barely moves. Expect 10 or 11 questions — both have appeared recently.
Cognitive levels — how hard the marks are
LEVEL WEIGHTING MARKS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN P2
Knowledge 20% 30 Write down the period. Read a value off an ogive. Quote a radius. Pick the right
formula off the sheet.
Routine 35% 52–53 Gradient, midpoint, distance, equation of a line, standard deviation, straightforward
procedures reduction, a two-step angle chase.
Complex 30% 45 Multi-step riders, identity proofs, general solutions, area ratios, 3D trig with two
procedures triangles.
Problem solving 15% 22–23 The last part of the geometry question. Anything where the route is not signposted.
Section 08 is mostly these.
Grade 12 Maths Paper 2 Summary Notes · NSC 2026 · For personal study only. Do not redistribute. Page 4 of 37
