Grade 12 · NSC 2026
PHYSICAL
SCIENCES
PAPER 2 · CHEMISTRY
Final Exam Notepack · November 2026
Know what each of the nine questions will ask — and exactly how to write every
answer so it earns full marks.
✓ All 48 definitions word-for-word, key phrases ✓ The questions that come back every year, tallied
marked paper by paper
✓ Answer formats that earn full marks on every ✓ 45 examiner traps named and fixed
explanation
✓ All nine organic reactions with their exact ✓ Every calculation type worked step by step
conditions
WHO MADE THIS
Written by a matric student who got 7 distinctions in the 2026 prelims, built with AI help from 9 real past papers
and memos: Gauteng Sept 2022–2025 · Gauteng June 2025 & 2026 · DBE NSC Nov 2024 & 2025 · KZN Sept 2025 —
plus the DBE Examination Guidelines.
150 3h 9 13 46
MARKS EXAM QUESTIONS SECTIONS PAGES
Physical Sciences P2 (Chemistry) · NSC 2026 · For personal study only. Do not redistribute. 1
,PREVIEW · THE HOOK
The questions that keep coming back
Paper 2 is the most predictable paper in matric. The same topics arrive in the same order, carrying the same
mark weight, and the marks go to answers written in the same shape. Here are the ones that return, and the
frame that earns the marks.
ANSWER FORMAT THAT EARNS THE
TOPIC / QUESTION TYPE HOW OFTEN WHERE MARKS MARKS
★ Organic reaction map: in 5 of 5 papers Q4 · GDE Sep 2024 & 17–23 Reaction type → reagent +
name each reaction, give its 2025, DBE Nov 2024 & CONCENTRATED or DILUTE + "heat"
conditions, write the 2025, GDE Jun 2026 → equation in full structural formulae,
equation every H shown
★ Acids & bases: titration in 5 of 5 papers Q7 · all five papers above 17–23 n = cV → mole ratio from the balanced
or back-titration, then pH equation → subtract the excess →
mass or %. pH through Kw
★ Chemical equilibrium: Le in 5 of 5 papers Q6 · all five papers above 17–20 Write the Kc expression first → Initial /
Chatelier explanation + Kc Change / Equilibrium moles → ÷
calculation volume → substitute
★ Explain the difference in in 5 of 5 papers Q3 · all five papers above 11–17 Structural difference → name the
boiling / melting points force in each, compare strength →
more / less energy to overcome the
forces
★ Structures, isomers and in 5 of 5 papers Q2 · all five papers above 18–26 Correct stem ✓ all substituents ✓
IUPAC names whole name right incl. numbering,
hyphens, commas ✓
Rate of reaction: collision- in 5 of 5 papers Q5 · all five papers above 14–21 More particles per unit volume →
theory reason, energy graph, more effective collisions per unit
rate calculation time → rate increases
Galvanic cell: half-reactions, in 4 of 5 papers Q8 · GDE Sep 2024 & 11–15 E°cell = E°cathode − E°anode, values as
cell notation, E°cell both Nov finals 2025, DBE Nov 2024 & printed; single arrow on every half-
2025 reaction
Electrolytic cell: electrode in 4 of 5 papers Q9 · GDE Sep 2024 & 10–13 "X is a stronger reducing agent than
products and the "why is X both Nov finals 2025, DBE Nov 2024 & Y, so X is oxidised". Never "X is above
oxidised?" reason 2025 Y on the table"
2-mark definitions marked cited from 6 of 9 papers GDE Sep 2022, 2024, 2 each The whole sentence, every underlined
all-or-nothing or per key 2025 · GDE Jun 2026 · DBE phrase, in the Guidelines' wording
phrase Nov 2024, 2025
Investigative question and cited from 3 of 9 papers GDE Sep 2024 Q5.1 · GDE 3–4 "What is the relationship between
variables Sep 2025 Q3.2 · GDE Jun [independent] and [dependent]?"
2026 Q3.2 Never a yes/no question
Where the counts come from. "5 of 5" rows: the pack tallies every question, mark by mark, in five full papers (GDE Sept 2024 & 2025, DBE Nov 2024
& 2025, GDE June 2026); each column sums to 150. The June 2026 paper stopped after Q7, which is why the two electrochemistry rows read 4 of 5.
"Cited from" rows count the papers this pack quotes a specific example or marking note from; the true figure may be higher. Marks are the lowest
and highest seen in those five papers. ★ = the five biggest, most reliable blocks of marks.
ANSWER FORMAT Inside the pack, every one of these rows has its own worked page
The frame on each row is the skeleton. The pack gives the full version: which words the markers look for, what
they refuse, the traps examiners have set on each one, and a fully worked example with fresh numbers.
Physical Sciences P2 (Chemistry) · NSC 2026 · For personal study only. Do not redistribute. 2
,CONTENTS
What is inside
Thirteen sections, in the order the paper asks them. Mark weights are the ranges seen in the five papers
tallied.
How Paper 2 is built
1 The mark split, the fixed question order, what the data 150 marks p. 4 ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
sheets give you and what they don't
How the marking works
2 Formula–substitution–answer, units, arrows, hyphens, every Q p. 7 HIGH MARKS EXAMINER TRAP
positive marking, and the rules found only in real memos
Organic molecules ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
3 Definitions, the nine homologous series, 1°/2°/3°, the three Q2 · 18–26 p. 12
HIGH MARKS
kinds of isomer, empirical formula
IUPAC naming ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
4 The method, the seven rules candidates break, esters, 2–3 per name p. 15
EXAMINER TRAP
worked names
Physical properties & intermolecular forces
5 The three definitions, the three forces, the 3-mark Q3 · 11–17 p. 17 ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
explanation, the investigation
Organic reactions ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
6 The master table of conditions, major and minor products, Q4 · 17–23 p. 20
HIGH MARKS
esterification, combustion
Energy & change · Rate of reaction
7 Potential-energy graphs, collision theory, Maxwell– Q5 · 14–21 p. 23 ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
Boltzmann, rate, yield and purity calculations
Chemical equilibrium ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
8 Le Chatelier, what changes Kc, the ICE table done the Q6 · 17–20 p. 27
HIGH MARKS
marker's way
Acids and bases ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
9 Definitions, hydrolysis, indicators, pH, titration and back- Q7 · 17–23 p. 31
HIGH MARKS
titration, the practical
Electrochemistry
10 Galvanic and electrolytic cells, Table 4, cell notation, the Q8+Q9 · 22–27 p. 35 HIGH MARKS EXAMINER TRAP
four industrial processes
The stoichiometry toolkit
11 Six conversions, the mole bridge, yield, purity, limiting inside Q5–Q9 p. 40 UNDERPINS EVERY CALC
reagent, units
The tricky questions
12 Fifteen real questions built to catch you, with the trap all Qs p. 42 EXAMINER TRAP
named and the fix
Broken questions and the exam-day plan
13 What to do when a question won't resolve, the 3-hour last night p. 45 EXAMINER TRAP
budget, the final checklist
Callouts inside: ★ REPEATED QUESTION ANSWER FORMAT EXAMINER TRAP KEY DEFINITION
Physical Sciences P2 (Chemistry) · NSC 2026 · For personal study only. Do not redistribute. 3
, SECTION 1
150
How Paper 2 is built
Paper 2 is the most predictable paper you will write. Not the questions — the shape. The same nine questions, on
the same topics, in the same order, in both the provincial prelims and the national November paper. Learn the
shape and you walk in knowing what page four is about before you open the book.
The official mark split
From the DBE Examination Guidelines, §2.5:
CONTENT
AREA MARKS WHAT SITS INSIDE IT
Chemical 92 Representing chemical change · quantitative aspects (stoichiometry) · energy and change · rate and
change extent of reaction · chemical equilibrium · acids and bases · electrochemical reactions
Matter and 58 Intermolecular forces · organic molecules (structures, naming, isomers, physical properties, reactions)
materials
Total 150 marks in 3 hours. That is one mark a minute with 30 minutes spare — and you will need that 30 minutes,
because Q7 alone can be 23 marks of calculation.
Cognitive levels — and why P2 is not P1
LEVEL DESCRIPTION PAPER 1 PAPER 2
1 Remembering (recall) 15% 15%
2 Understanding (comprehension) 35% 40%
3 Applying and analysing 40% 35%
4 Evaluating and creating (synthesis) 10% 10%
WHY IT MAT TERS What that swap actually means for you
Paper 1 leans on application — you get numbers and you compute. Paper 2 leans on comprehension — you get a
statement and you must explain it correctly, in the examiner's words. 55% of Paper 2 is recall and
comprehension. More than half the paper is marks for knowing definitions and writing a three-line explanation
in the right shape.
Paper 2 rewards memorised wording more than any other paper you write. Section 2 is therefore not a boring
preamble — it is where the marks are.
The question order — unchanged across every paper tallied
GDE GDE DBE DBE GDE
Q TOPIC SEP 25 SEP 24 NOV 25 NOV 24 JUN 26
1 Multiple choice (10 × 2) 20 20 20 20 20
2 Organic — structures, groups, isomers, naming 21 18 22 18 26
3 Physical properties & intermolecular forces 12 13 12 11 17
4 Organic reactions 18 17 17 22 23
5 Energy & change / rate of reaction 14 17 20 17 21
6 Chemical equilibrium 18 18 17 20 20
Physical Sciences P2 (Chemistry) · NSC 2026 · For personal study only. Do not redistribute. 4
PHYSICAL
SCIENCES
PAPER 2 · CHEMISTRY
Final Exam Notepack · November 2026
Know what each of the nine questions will ask — and exactly how to write every
answer so it earns full marks.
✓ All 48 definitions word-for-word, key phrases ✓ The questions that come back every year, tallied
marked paper by paper
✓ Answer formats that earn full marks on every ✓ 45 examiner traps named and fixed
explanation
✓ All nine organic reactions with their exact ✓ Every calculation type worked step by step
conditions
WHO MADE THIS
Written by a matric student who got 7 distinctions in the 2026 prelims, built with AI help from 9 real past papers
and memos: Gauteng Sept 2022–2025 · Gauteng June 2025 & 2026 · DBE NSC Nov 2024 & 2025 · KZN Sept 2025 —
plus the DBE Examination Guidelines.
150 3h 9 13 46
MARKS EXAM QUESTIONS SECTIONS PAGES
Physical Sciences P2 (Chemistry) · NSC 2026 · For personal study only. Do not redistribute. 1
,PREVIEW · THE HOOK
The questions that keep coming back
Paper 2 is the most predictable paper in matric. The same topics arrive in the same order, carrying the same
mark weight, and the marks go to answers written in the same shape. Here are the ones that return, and the
frame that earns the marks.
ANSWER FORMAT THAT EARNS THE
TOPIC / QUESTION TYPE HOW OFTEN WHERE MARKS MARKS
★ Organic reaction map: in 5 of 5 papers Q4 · GDE Sep 2024 & 17–23 Reaction type → reagent +
name each reaction, give its 2025, DBE Nov 2024 & CONCENTRATED or DILUTE + "heat"
conditions, write the 2025, GDE Jun 2026 → equation in full structural formulae,
equation every H shown
★ Acids & bases: titration in 5 of 5 papers Q7 · all five papers above 17–23 n = cV → mole ratio from the balanced
or back-titration, then pH equation → subtract the excess →
mass or %. pH through Kw
★ Chemical equilibrium: Le in 5 of 5 papers Q6 · all five papers above 17–20 Write the Kc expression first → Initial /
Chatelier explanation + Kc Change / Equilibrium moles → ÷
calculation volume → substitute
★ Explain the difference in in 5 of 5 papers Q3 · all five papers above 11–17 Structural difference → name the
boiling / melting points force in each, compare strength →
more / less energy to overcome the
forces
★ Structures, isomers and in 5 of 5 papers Q2 · all five papers above 18–26 Correct stem ✓ all substituents ✓
IUPAC names whole name right incl. numbering,
hyphens, commas ✓
Rate of reaction: collision- in 5 of 5 papers Q5 · all five papers above 14–21 More particles per unit volume →
theory reason, energy graph, more effective collisions per unit
rate calculation time → rate increases
Galvanic cell: half-reactions, in 4 of 5 papers Q8 · GDE Sep 2024 & 11–15 E°cell = E°cathode − E°anode, values as
cell notation, E°cell both Nov finals 2025, DBE Nov 2024 & printed; single arrow on every half-
2025 reaction
Electrolytic cell: electrode in 4 of 5 papers Q9 · GDE Sep 2024 & 10–13 "X is a stronger reducing agent than
products and the "why is X both Nov finals 2025, DBE Nov 2024 & Y, so X is oxidised". Never "X is above
oxidised?" reason 2025 Y on the table"
2-mark definitions marked cited from 6 of 9 papers GDE Sep 2022, 2024, 2 each The whole sentence, every underlined
all-or-nothing or per key 2025 · GDE Jun 2026 · DBE phrase, in the Guidelines' wording
phrase Nov 2024, 2025
Investigative question and cited from 3 of 9 papers GDE Sep 2024 Q5.1 · GDE 3–4 "What is the relationship between
variables Sep 2025 Q3.2 · GDE Jun [independent] and [dependent]?"
2026 Q3.2 Never a yes/no question
Where the counts come from. "5 of 5" rows: the pack tallies every question, mark by mark, in five full papers (GDE Sept 2024 & 2025, DBE Nov 2024
& 2025, GDE June 2026); each column sums to 150. The June 2026 paper stopped after Q7, which is why the two electrochemistry rows read 4 of 5.
"Cited from" rows count the papers this pack quotes a specific example or marking note from; the true figure may be higher. Marks are the lowest
and highest seen in those five papers. ★ = the five biggest, most reliable blocks of marks.
ANSWER FORMAT Inside the pack, every one of these rows has its own worked page
The frame on each row is the skeleton. The pack gives the full version: which words the markers look for, what
they refuse, the traps examiners have set on each one, and a fully worked example with fresh numbers.
Physical Sciences P2 (Chemistry) · NSC 2026 · For personal study only. Do not redistribute. 2
,CONTENTS
What is inside
Thirteen sections, in the order the paper asks them. Mark weights are the ranges seen in the five papers
tallied.
How Paper 2 is built
1 The mark split, the fixed question order, what the data 150 marks p. 4 ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
sheets give you and what they don't
How the marking works
2 Formula–substitution–answer, units, arrows, hyphens, every Q p. 7 HIGH MARKS EXAMINER TRAP
positive marking, and the rules found only in real memos
Organic molecules ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
3 Definitions, the nine homologous series, 1°/2°/3°, the three Q2 · 18–26 p. 12
HIGH MARKS
kinds of isomer, empirical formula
IUPAC naming ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
4 The method, the seven rules candidates break, esters, 2–3 per name p. 15
EXAMINER TRAP
worked names
Physical properties & intermolecular forces
5 The three definitions, the three forces, the 3-mark Q3 · 11–17 p. 17 ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
explanation, the investigation
Organic reactions ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
6 The master table of conditions, major and minor products, Q4 · 17–23 p. 20
HIGH MARKS
esterification, combustion
Energy & change · Rate of reaction
7 Potential-energy graphs, collision theory, Maxwell– Q5 · 14–21 p. 23 ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
Boltzmann, rate, yield and purity calculations
Chemical equilibrium ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
8 Le Chatelier, what changes Kc, the ICE table done the Q6 · 17–20 p. 27
HIGH MARKS
marker's way
Acids and bases ★ ASKED EVERY YEAR
9 Definitions, hydrolysis, indicators, pH, titration and back- Q7 · 17–23 p. 31
HIGH MARKS
titration, the practical
Electrochemistry
10 Galvanic and electrolytic cells, Table 4, cell notation, the Q8+Q9 · 22–27 p. 35 HIGH MARKS EXAMINER TRAP
four industrial processes
The stoichiometry toolkit
11 Six conversions, the mole bridge, yield, purity, limiting inside Q5–Q9 p. 40 UNDERPINS EVERY CALC
reagent, units
The tricky questions
12 Fifteen real questions built to catch you, with the trap all Qs p. 42 EXAMINER TRAP
named and the fix
Broken questions and the exam-day plan
13 What to do when a question won't resolve, the 3-hour last night p. 45 EXAMINER TRAP
budget, the final checklist
Callouts inside: ★ REPEATED QUESTION ANSWER FORMAT EXAMINER TRAP KEY DEFINITION
Physical Sciences P2 (Chemistry) · NSC 2026 · For personal study only. Do not redistribute. 3
, SECTION 1
150
How Paper 2 is built
Paper 2 is the most predictable paper you will write. Not the questions — the shape. The same nine questions, on
the same topics, in the same order, in both the provincial prelims and the national November paper. Learn the
shape and you walk in knowing what page four is about before you open the book.
The official mark split
From the DBE Examination Guidelines, §2.5:
CONTENT
AREA MARKS WHAT SITS INSIDE IT
Chemical 92 Representing chemical change · quantitative aspects (stoichiometry) · energy and change · rate and
change extent of reaction · chemical equilibrium · acids and bases · electrochemical reactions
Matter and 58 Intermolecular forces · organic molecules (structures, naming, isomers, physical properties, reactions)
materials
Total 150 marks in 3 hours. That is one mark a minute with 30 minutes spare — and you will need that 30 minutes,
because Q7 alone can be 23 marks of calculation.
Cognitive levels — and why P2 is not P1
LEVEL DESCRIPTION PAPER 1 PAPER 2
1 Remembering (recall) 15% 15%
2 Understanding (comprehension) 35% 40%
3 Applying and analysing 40% 35%
4 Evaluating and creating (synthesis) 10% 10%
WHY IT MAT TERS What that swap actually means for you
Paper 1 leans on application — you get numbers and you compute. Paper 2 leans on comprehension — you get a
statement and you must explain it correctly, in the examiner's words. 55% of Paper 2 is recall and
comprehension. More than half the paper is marks for knowing definitions and writing a three-line explanation
in the right shape.
Paper 2 rewards memorised wording more than any other paper you write. Section 2 is therefore not a boring
preamble — it is where the marks are.
The question order — unchanged across every paper tallied
GDE GDE DBE DBE GDE
Q TOPIC SEP 25 SEP 24 NOV 25 NOV 24 JUN 26
1 Multiple choice (10 × 2) 20 20 20 20 20
2 Organic — structures, groups, isomers, naming 21 18 22 18 26
3 Physical properties & intermolecular forces 12 13 12 11 17
4 Organic reactions 18 17 17 22 23
5 Energy & change / rate of reaction 14 17 20 17 21
6 Chemical equilibrium 18 18 17 20 20
Physical Sciences P2 (Chemistry) · NSC 2026 · For personal study only. Do not redistribute. 4
