GCSE Curriculums and Content
Exam Boards
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Exam Board Breakdown: Key Curriculum Content for English Qualifications
Below is a structured breakdown of the key content for English Language and Literature qualifications across the three main exam boards:
▪︎ AQA (GCSE focus - UK students.
▪︎ Pearson Edexcel - duel focus.
▪︎ Cambridge International - International focus / IGCSE.
AQA Exam Papers
UK Based Students
↓ Click for more detail on exact poems and texts, including suggested time-management - where to start? How-to and how-long to revise each section?
GCSE English Language (8700)
AQA primarily offers UK GCSEs (9-1 grading).
These are linear qualifications with final exams.
GCSE English Language (8700)
Reading unseen texts (fiction/non-fiction) from 19th–21st centuries.
Writing skills: creative, academic, and informative.
Not tiered (same paper for all)
Often co-taught with GCSE English Literature.
Components:
Paper 1: Creative Reading and Writing
(50%, 1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks)Section A (Reading, 40 marks): Analyse one unseen fiction text e.g. literature from 20th/21st centuries.
Section B (Writing, 40 marks): Produce descriptive or narrative writing inspired by the reading.
Paper 2: Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives
(50%, 1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks)Section A (Reading, 40 marks): Analyse two linked unseen non-fiction texts from 19th–21st centuries).
Section B (Writing, 40 marks): Produce writing to present a viewpoint (e.g., argumentative).
Non-Exam Assessment: Spoken Language Endorsement (0%, Separate certificate)
Present a talk and respond to questions.
Separate certificate, graded Pass / Merit / Distinction
Components:
Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th-Century Novel
(40%, 1 hour 45 minutes, 64 marks)Section A (Shakespeare, 34 marks): One question on a play e.g. Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice, or Much Ado About Nothing. *Extract is given but links to whole-play are necessary.
Section B (19th-Century Novel, 30 marks): One question on a novel e.g. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, or Pride and Prejudice.*No extract given.
Paper 2: Modern Texts and Poetry
(60%, 2 hours 15 minutes, 96 marks)Section A (Modern Texts, 34 marks): One question on a dramatic text e.g. An Inspector Calls or Blood Brothers.
Section B (Poetry, 30 marks): One question where you have to compare two poems from the studied cluster e.g. 'Love and Relationships' or 'Power and Conflict'. *One poem is given, the other you must know.
Section C (Unseen Poetry, 32 marks): Analyse one unseen poem (24 marks) and compare with another (8 marks).
GCSE English Literature (8702)
AQA primarily offers UK GCSEs (9-1 grading).
These are linear qualifications with final exams.
GCSE English Literature (8702)
Set texts e.g. Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and famous poets.
Closed-book exams (but extracts are given for some questions).
Focus on analysis, themes, and context - thinking deeply about the set texts.
Not tiered (same paper for all)
*No creative writing element.
Pearson / Edexcel Exam Papers
Both UK and International Students
GCSE English Language (9-1)
Linear with exams.
*Refreshed spec-elements for 2026
Emphasises contemporary texts, skills-based writing, and relatable themes.
Linear with exams.
Components
Paper 1: Fiction and Imaginative Writing
(40%, 1 hour 45 minutes, ~64 marks)Reading: Analyse unseen 19th-century fiction.
Writing: Imaginative e.g. story based on prompt.
Paper 2: Non-Fiction and Transactional Writing
(60%, 2 hours, ~96 marks)Reading: Compare two unseen non-fiction texts (20th/21st centuries).
Writing: Transactional e.g. article, letter, speech.
Spoken Language Endorsement
(0%, separate certificate: pass, merit, distiniction)
Components:
Paper 1: Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature
(50%, 1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks)Shakespeare: e.g. Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet.
Key content: Extract and whole-text analysis.Post-1914 British play/novel: e.g. An Inspector Calls, Hobson's Choice, Lord of the Flies.
Themes: Society, identity.
Paper 2: 19th-Century Novel and Poetry Since 1789
(50%, 2 hours 15 minutes, 80 marks)19th-Century Novel: e.g. Jekyll and Hyde, Great Expectations. Key content: Context, character.
Poetry: Anthology (15 poems on Time and Place or Conflict) + unseen comparison.
GCSE English Literature (9-1)
Closed book
GCSE English Literature (9-1)
Set texts with themes like relationships or conflict (Shakespeare, poetry).
Non-tiered. Linear exams.
iGCSE English Language A (4EA1)
Anthology-based (non-fiction, poetry, prose).
Options for exam or coursework.
Components:
Paper 1: Non-Fiction Texts and Transactional Writing
(60%, 2 hours 15 minutes, 90 marks)Reading: 10 anthology non-fiction texts e.g. explorers' accounts, memoirs. Skills: Analysis, summary.
Writing: Transactional e.g. article, speech, letter on topics like environment, society
Paper 2: Poetry and Prose Texts and Imaginative Writing (40%, 1 hour 30 minutes, 60 marks)
OR
Component 3: Coursework
(40%, n/a, 60 marks)Reading: Anthology poetry/prose (15 poems, 10 stories) Skills: Literary analysis.
Writing: Imaginative e.g. story continuation
Components:
Paper 1: Poetry and Modern Prose
(60%, 2 hours, 80 marks)Poetry: Anthology (16 poems on themes like identity, nature).
Modern Prose: e.g. To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, Klara and the Sun (new for 2026), Western Lane (new for 2026). Key content: Themes (prejudice, dreams), context.
Paper 2: Modern Drama and Literary Heritage Texts
(40%, 1 hour 30 minutes, 40 marks) OR CourseworkModern Drama: e.g. An Inspector Calls, A View from the Bridge.
Literary Heritage: Shakespeare (e.g., Romeo and Juliet) or 19th-century e.g. Pride and Prejudice.
iGCSE English Literature (9-1) (4ET1)
Set texts with modern additions for 2026 e.g. Klara and the Sun. Anthology poetry.
Options for coursework
Cambridge International Exam Papers
IGCSE Focus - International Students
IGCSE English - First Language (0500)
Syllabus emphasises global texts
Develops reading/writing for different purposes/audiences.
No set texts. Unseen-based.
Components
All take Paper 1 + either Paper 2 or Component 3:
Paper 1: Reading (50%, 2 hours, 80 marks)
Questions on three unseen texts (narrative, descriptive, argumentative). Skills: Comprehension, summary, analysis of language/effects.
Paper 2: Directed Writing (50%, 2 hours, 80 marks)
Directed Writing: Respond to text e.g. evaluate ideas. Composition: Argumentative/discursive or descriptive/narrative.
OR Component 3: Coursework Portfolio (50%, 80 marks): Three assignments (informative, analytical, imaginative).Optional Component 4: Speaking and Listening (separate endorsement, ~10-12 minutes, 40 marks): Talk + conversation.
Components (Various routes; typically Papers 1+2 or 1+3+4 or 1+4+5):
Paper 1: Poetry and Prose (50%, 1 hour 30 minutes)
Poetry: 15 poems from Songs of Ourselves Vol. 1 e.g. Sujata Bhatt's "A Different History," Seamus Heaney's "Follower".
Prose: From list e.g. Things Fall Apart, Pride and Prejudice or 10 stories from Stories of Ourselves Vol. 2.
Key content: Themes (identity, nature), devices.
Paper 2: Drama (50%, 1 hour 30 minutes):
Two texts (e.g., A Midsummer Night's Dream, A Streetcar Named Desire). Skills: Character, staging, themes.
OR (Swap paper 2) for a combination of 2 options below:
- Paper 3: Drama (Open Text) (25%, 45 minutes): One text (as above). Extract-based.
- Paper 4: Unseen (25%, 1 hour 15 minutes): Analyse unseen poetry/prose. Skills: Close reading.Component 5: Coursework (25%, two assignments):
Critical essays on texts.
IGCSE English - Literature in English (0475)
Analyses poetry, prose, drama. Set texts rotate; 2026 lists include global authors.
Set texts rotate - 2026 lists include global authors.