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Eduqas GCSE English Literature (England) has two closed book written components sat in the summer series. Component 1 is 2 hours and worth 40%; Component 2 is 2 hours 30 minutes and worth 60%. Every section is worth 40 marks and 20% of the GCSE. Students study a Shakespeare play, the Eduqas Poetry Anthology, a post-1914 prose or drama text and a 19th-century prose text from the prescribed lists. In Wales, WJEC's separate GCSE English Literature is being replaced by GCSE English Language and Literature (Single Award 3750QS, Double Award 3750QD), first awarded in 2027.

Component 1: Shakespeare and Poetry

• Section A: Shakespeare, one extract question and one essay question
• Section B: Poetry from 1789 to the present day, two questions on anthology poems, one involving comparison

Component 2: Post-1914 Prose/Drama, 19th Century Prose and Unseen Poetry

• Section A: Post-1914 Prose/Drama, one source-based question
• Section B: 19th Century Prose, one source-based question
• Section C: Unseen Poetry from the 20th/21st Century, two questions, one involving comparison

Eduqas asks students to study the whole poetry anthology rather than one cluster, and Component 2 sets three different tasks in one long paper. Eduqas has also published a new poetry anthology for first assessment from 2027. Sessions on this board cover the full anthology, using the current edition, and build the stamina to give the third section of Component 2 the same quality as the first.

Students take Component 1 plus either Component 2 or Component 3, sat in June or November. Component 1 is a 2-hour, 90-mark closed book exam worth 60%. Component 2 is a 1 hour 30 minute, 60-mark open book exam worth 40%, using unmarked prescribed editions; Component 3 is coursework on the same texts. The modular version (4XET1) has the same two exams as separate units and no coursework option.

Component 1: Poetry and Modern Prose

• Section A: Unseen Poetry (20 marks)
• Section B: Anthology Poetry, comparing two poems from Part 3 of the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Anthology (30 marks)
• Section C: Modern Prose (40 marks)

Component 2 (exam) or Component 3 (coursework): Modern Drama and Literary Heritage Texts

• Section A: Modern Drama (30 marks)
• Section B: Literary Heritage Texts (30 marks)

Edexcel International GCSE weights context more heavily than the UK boards, at 20% of the marks, and the open book drama and heritage paper rewards precise use of the text rather than memorised quotation. The coursework route replaces that paper with two teacher-set 30-mark essays. Sessions on this board build context into every essay and, for coursework students, plan and redraft both assignments within the rules.

Two closed book papers, each 80 marks and 50% of the GCSE, sat in May/June in the same year. Component 1 is 1 hour 45 minutes and Component 2 is 2 hours 15 minutes. Students study one Shakespeare play, one post-1914 British play or novel, one 19th-century novel and one collection of 15 poems from the Pearson Poetry Anthology.

Component 1: Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature

• Section A: Shakespeare, a two-part question starting from an extract
• Section B: Post-1914 British play or novel, one essay question

Component 2: 19th-century Novel and Poetry since 1789

• Section A: 19th-century novel, a two-part question starting from an extract of about 400 words
• Section B: Poetry, comparing a named anthology poem with another from the collection, then comparing two unseen contemporary poems

Edexcel's anthology offers four collections: Relationships, Conflict, Time and Place, and Belonging. The post-1914 essay in Component 1 has no extract, so students need wide quotation knowledge of that text, and Component 2 is a long paper with three different tasks. Sessions on this board build whole-text recall for the post-1914 text and practise Component 2 timing.

Two closed text papers, each 2 hours, 80 marks and 50% of the GCSE, sat in June. Each paper has two 40-mark sections, and students study one modern prose or drama text, one 19th-century prose text, one poetry cluster from the OCR Poetry Anthology and one Shakespeare play, chosen from OCR's set text list.

Exploring modern and literary heritage texts (01)

• Section A: Modern prose or drama, comparing an extract from the studied text with an unseen modern extract of the same genre, then a related question on the studied text
• Section B: 19th century prose, an extract-based question or a discursive question

Exploring poetry and Shakespeare (02)

• Section A: Poetry across time, comparing a named anthology poem with an unseen poem, then a question on another poem from the cluster
• Section B: Shakespeare, an extract-based question or a discursive question

OCR pairs both a set text and an anthology poem with unseen material of the same type, so comparison with an unfamiliar text runs through both papers. Its three poetry clusters are Love and Relationships, Conflict, and Youth and Age. Sessions on this board practise comparing a known text with an unseen extract and choosing between the extract and discursive options.

Two closed book papers sat in May/June at the end of the course. Paper 1 is 1 hour 45 minutes, 64 marks and 40% of the GCSE; Paper 2 is 2 hours 15 minutes, 96 marks and 60%. Students study one Shakespeare play, one 19th-century novel, one modern prose or drama text and one poetry cluster from the AQA anthology, chosen by the school from AQA's set text lists.

Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel

• Section A Shakespeare: one question on an extract and the play as a whole
• Section B The 19th-century novel: one question on an extract and the novel as a whole

Paper 2: Modern texts and poetry

• Section A Modern texts: one essay question from a choice of two
• Section B Poetry: one comparative question on a named anthology poem and one other poem from the chosen cluster
• Section C Unseen poetry: one question on an unseen poem and one comparing it with a second unseen poem

AQA's anthology, Poems Past and Present, has three clusters of 15 poems: Love and Relationships, Power and Conflict, and Worlds and Lives. Only one poem is printed for the anthology question, so students must know the other 14 well enough to compare from memory. Sessions on this board build quotation banks for each cluster poem and practise extract-to-whole-text answers for Paper 1.

For 2027 exams, all candidates take Paper 1 and then one of three routes, each worth 50% in total. 0475 is graded A* to G and 0992 is graded 9–1. Exams run in June and November, with a March series in India for 0475. Set texts are prescribed for each exam year, so check the list for your series. Cambridge has published a revised syllabus for first examination in 2028, with two components: an open text Paper 1 Poetry and Prose and either Paper 2 Drama and Unseen or a coursework portfolio.

• Paper 1 Poetry and Prose (1 hour 30 minutes, 50 marks, 50%): one poetry and one prose question
• Paper 2 Drama (1 hour 30 minutes, 50 marks, 50%): one passage-based and one essay question on two drama texts
• Paper 3 Drama (Open Text) (45 minutes, 25 marks, 25%): one question on one text
• Paper 4 Unseen (1 hour 15 minutes, 25 marks, 25%): a critical commentary on a poem or prose extract
• Component 5 Coursework (25 marks, 25%): two assignments, each on a different text

Cambridge weights its four assessment objectives equally, so personal response counts as much as knowledge and analysis. The set texts change by exam year and the 2028 syllabus changes the paper structure, so the right preparation depends on exactly when you sit. Sessions on this board follow your series' set texts and practise the unseen commentary for students on that route.