Grade 12 Speech Topics – South African

Grade 12 speech topics can be very tricky to choose… more especially if you do not know the expectations of the task or the level of seriousness that is expected at Grade 12 level.

As a Grade 12 English HL or FAL student, you need to be aware that the speeches contribute to your final exam marks. These are not just “talk for fun” tasks. They are part of your formal assessments.

In Term 1, you learn about process writing for essays, where you will be assessed in the form of:

• Task 2 Essay Writing (50 marks)
• Task 4 Unprepared Speech Oral Assessment (15 marks)

Then in Term 2, you are required to do:

• Task 6: Unprepared Reading Aloud / Prepared Speech (10 marks)
• Task 7: Unprepared Reading Aloud / Prepared Speech (10 marks)

The Unprepared Speech must include: Features and conventions; as well as, Planning, researching, organising, practising and presenting

Again, the Unprepared Speech must include:

• Public speaking techniques
• Structure and preparation process
• Researching and organising your ideas properly
• Practising and presenting with confidence

That being said, your speech topics will inform your entire planning and performance. A good speech starts with a strong, appropriate topic. Check: How to Greet When Presenting a Speech in Class.

On this page, we help Grade 12 learners to choose the best topics that can score them higher marks for their English HL and FAL assessments.

As a South African Grade 12 student, your topics should also reflect your seniority level. You cannot be talking about “My Pet” or “Why I Love Ice Cream”. Those are primary school topics.

Instead, you should be focused on issues that show you are thinking, reading and aware of the real world around you. Your teachers want to see that you are engaging with serious ideas, such as:

• How Trump’s tariffs affect South Africa’s economy
• Whether racial divisions still exist in our communities and schools
• The impact of xenophobia and how it is affecting unity in Africa
• Whether social media is uplifting or destroying young people
• The future of South Africa if the youth does not vote
• Load shedding and what it really says about leadership in our country

The forms of these Grade 12 Speeches, can either be 2 – minute speeches or 5 -minute speeches. Your teacher will decide how long your speeches should be.

In the next section, you will see the 40 Grade 12 speech topics grouped into 4 powerful and relevant categories.

List of 40 Grade 12 Speech Topics to Choose From

Below we have presented the 40 Grade 12 speech topics that learners can choose from. The topics are categorised into 4 categories, which are: Education, Politics, and the Future; Social Issues and Youth Behaviour; Substance Abuse and Mental Health; and Personal Growth and Identity:

1. Social Issues and Youth Behaviour

The easiest speeches are from the social and youth behaviour topics. These topics affect everyone, making them easy to talk from the heart, based on lived experiences:

1. The impact of social media on teenagers
2. Strikes in South Africa : are we fighting the right way?
3. Xenophobia in South Africa: who is the real enemy?
4. Teenage pregnancy: who is to blame?
5. The danger of chasing clout
6. Gender-based violence starts with how boys are raised
7. Racism is still alive, just hidden in jokes and hiring policies
8. The importance of social media, helpful or harmful?
9. The power of positive thinking
10. The me I see is the me I want to be

2. Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Substance abuse and mental health grade 12 topics are those that you study in your Life Orientation class. To prepare for these speeches, you can consult your LO notes, and also look around your communities to gather more evidence. Below are the topics:

11. Substance abuse — killing the future of South Africa
12. Depression does not wear a uniform
13. Alcohol is not a reward for surviving a bad day
14. Why learners abuse codeine (lean) and weed
15. Substance abuse and academic performance — a connection no one talks about
16. Suicide among teens — we are not okay
17. How my addiction destroyed my family
18. Mental health is not attention-seeking
19. I smile, but I am not okay — the quiet signs of depression
20. Boys don’t cry, but they are dying inside

3. Personal Growth and Identity

Now, the personal growth and identity Grade 12 speech topics are not that easy. They demand you to be more creative. To do a proper preparation, you will need to read, listen and watch relevant content, either online or on TV. Below are the topics:

21. Umntu ngumntu ngabantu — I am because we are
22. My purpose on earth is not to be important but to make a difference
23. My life in 5 years from now
24. Being lazy is a true art
25. The day I decided to choose peace
26. The power of forgiveness — I forgave them, not for them but for me
27. Growing up is a trap, but responsibility is freedom
28. The dangers of comparing yourself to others
29. My culture, my pride
30. When life humbles you

4. Education, Politics, and the Future

Similar to the personal growth and identity Grade 12 speech topics, the speech topics on education, politics and the future, will require you to be very informed learner. You need to analyse online trens on social media, and also watch and listen to the news in order to stay updated. Below are the topics in this category:

31. The role of technology in education
32. Education is the only weapon we have
33. South African politics — what do the youth think?
34. Matric is not the end of the road
35. Load shedding — a light on South Africa’s leadership crisis
36. Strikes in South Africa — change or chaos?
37. Should learners protest for better schools?
38. What is the future of work in South Africa?
39. Being black in a former Model C school
40. My dream is not for me alone — how I plan to uplift others

Grade 12 Complete Speech Examples

Below you will find a list of grade 12 full speeches, written from some of the topics discussed above. You can use these as an example, when you plan and deliver your next speech: