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Updated November 2026. These KCSE English Paper 2 questions and answers are original practice papers for 101/2 (Comprehension, Literary Appreciation and Grammar), with worked answers showing how each mark is earned. English Paper 2 lasts 2 hours 30 minutes and is worth 80 marks across four questions: a comprehension passage, an excerpt from a set text, a poem or oral literature item, and grammar. In 2026 it is on Tuesday 3 November, 2.00 to 4.30 pm, straight after Mathematics Paper 1.
Original CBC Guides practice in the KCSE format. Not a KNEC paper and not a KNEC marking scheme.
English Paper 2 Layout and Timing
The KNEC 2026 KCSE timetable, instructions and guidelines lists 101/2 English (Comprehension, Literary Appreciation and Grammar) for Tuesday 3 November 2026 with 2 hours 30 minutes.
| Question | Content | Typical marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Comprehension passage | 20 | 35 min |
| 2 | Excerpt from a compulsory set text | 25 | 45 min |
| 3 | Poem or oral literature piece | 20 | 35 min |
| 4 | Grammar | 15 | 20 min |
The set texts for this cohort are listed in the Ministry of Education circular on approved set books for 2022 to 2026, as published by Teacher.co.ke (MoE circular on approved Literature in English set books 2022–2026): the compulsory novel Fathers of Nations by Paul B. Vitta and the compulsory play The Samaritan by John Lara. The Question 2 excerpt comes from one of the compulsory texts.
KCSE English Paper 2 Questions and Answers: Comprehension
Passage (extract): When the borehole in Kasiini dried up, the women walked eleven kilometres to the river. At first they blamed the drought. Then a young engineer, newly posted to the ward, measured the water table and found the pump had been set too shallow. “It is not the rain that failed you,” she told the elders, “it is the planning.” Within a month the pump was lowered, and the queue at the borehole returned, longer and louder than before.
(a) Why did the women walk to the river? (2 marks)
Answer: the borehole in their village had dried up, so they had no nearby source of water.
(b) What does the engineer mean by “it is the planning”? (2 marks)
Answer: the water shortage was caused by human error, since the pump was installed too shallow, not by the drought alone.
(c) Explain the irony in the final sentence. (2 marks)
Answer: a long, noisy queue is usually a sign of hardship, but here it signals success, because water is flowing again and everyone has come back.
(d) Give the meaning of “newly posted” as used in the passage. (1 mark)
Answer: recently sent to work in that place.
Set-Text Excerpt Approach (25 marks)
Question 2 gives a passage from a set text and asks what happens just before it, the character traits shown, a theme, a stylistic device and the meaning of words in context. A strong answer to “Describe one character trait of X shown in the excerpt” has three parts: name the trait, show the evidence in the excerpt, and explain how it proves the trait. For example: “The character is hypocritical. In the excerpt he condemns greed in public, yet in the same scene he accepts a favour for himself, so his words and actions contradict each other.” Replace the details with what your excerpt actually shows. Always tie answers to the excerpt, not to the whole book, unless the question says so.
Poetry Practice With Worked Answers
Original poem: The matatu sings at dawn, / its horn a rooster made of tin; / it swallows sleepy workers whole / and spits them out at noon again.
(a) Identify and explain two figures of speech in the poem. (4 marks)
Answer: metaphor, “a rooster made of tin”, which compares the horn to a cockerel waking people at dawn; personification, “swallows” and “spits”, which make the vehicle seem like a living creature that eats passengers.
(b) What is the tone of the poem? (2 marks)
Answer: light-hearted and humorous, shown by playful images of the matatu as an animal.
Grammar Practice (15 marks)
Rewrite as instructed.
(a) “The results were announced. The candidates celebrated.” (Begin: No sooner…) Answer: No sooner had the results been announced than the candidates celebrated.
(b) Fill in the correct preposition: She is good ___ mathematics. Answer: at.
(c) Use “lead” as a noun and as a verb. Answer: The pencil’s lead broke. She will lead the choir.
(d) Supply the correct question tag: Nobody called, ___? Answer: did they.
Keep Practising
Each of these sections has a full guide in our KCSE English Paper 2 revision guide. Test yourself under time with the KCSE English Paper 2 challenge, drill grammar in the KCSE English quiz, and see the KCSE quiz index and KCSE challenges page for other subjects. More English material is on the KCSE English practice papers page and the KCSE 2023 English Paper 2 practice questions. The timetable and plans are on the KCSE 2026 hub.
More English Paper 2 (101/2) Practice Questions With Answers
Passage (extract): Grandmother kept her savings in a tin buried under the granary, and she trusted the tin more than any bank. When her grandson showed her how to save on her phone, she listened politely, then asked a single question: “Can a phone be stolen?” He admitted it could. She smiled, as if the matter were settled. But that evening she asked him to show her again, slowly, how the PIN worked.
(a) Why did grandmother keep her money in a tin? (2 marks)
Answer: she trusted it more than a bank, perhaps because it was under her own control and close to her.
(b) What does her question “Can a phone be stolen?” reveal about her? (2 marks)
Answer: she is cautious and practical: before accepting a new idea she tests whether it is safe.
(c) Explain the contrast in the last two sentences. (3 marks)
Answer: her smile suggests she has rejected mobile saving, yet that evening she asks to learn the PIN, showing she is quietly open to change despite her doubts.
(d) Rewrite in reported speech: “Can a phone be stolen?” she asked. (1 mark)
Answer: She asked whether/if a phone could be stolen.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are in KCSE English Paper 2?
Usually four: comprehension, a set-text excerpt, a poem or oral literature item, and grammar, for 80 marks in 2½ hours.
Where can I get the KCSE English Paper 2 marking scheme?
KNEC does not sell its marking schemes. Use worked answers like these, and ask your teacher to mark one excerpt answer for you.
Which set books are tested in English Paper 2 in 2026?
The excerpt comes from a compulsory text: Fathers of Nations or The Samaritan for candidates in the 2022–2026 set book cycle.
How do I answer “what happens before this excerpt”?
Give three or four short events in the order they happen just before the passage, linked to the characters in it. Do not retell the whole story.
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