GCSE English Language specification
GCSE English Language develops students' ability to read and analyse a range of unseen fiction and non-fiction texts and to write accurately, clearly and persuasively for different purposes and audiences. It builds critical reading, technical accuracy (spelling, punctuation and grammar) and the transferable communication skills students carry into all other subjects and beyond school.
Across all boards the qualification is assessed by two written exam papers totalling 100% of the marks; there is no coursework or non-exam assessment counting towards the grade. All reading texts in the exams are unseen. Spoken Language is assessed as a separate, compulsory endorsement reported alongside the grade (Pass / Merit / Distinction) but it carries no marks and does not affect the 9-1 grade.
High-level topics
The main areas of content and what a student is expected to know and do.
Students read unseen fiction extracts (often 19th, 20th or 21st century prose) and answer questions on explicit and implicit meaning, language choices, structure and the effect on the reader.
Students analyse unseen non-fiction (articles, speeches, letters, diaries, travel writing, autobiography) including 19th-century sources, identifying writers' viewpoints, methods and how perspectives are conveyed and compared.
Students synthesise and compare ideas, attitudes and perspectives across two texts, frequently from different time periods, evaluating how each writer presents a similar subject.
Students explain and evaluate how language (vocabulary, imagery, sentence forms) and structural features are used to create meaning and influence readers, supporting points with relevant textual references.
Students produce their own descriptive or narrative writing, often in response to a prompt or image, communicating imaginatively and adapting tone, style and register for a stated purpose and audience.
Students write non-fiction texts for real-world purposes (letters, articles, speeches, reports, reviews), organising ideas logically and writing to argue, persuade, advise or inform for a specified audience.
Students are explicitly assessed on spelling, punctuation, grammar, sentence structure and vocabulary; technical accuracy carries significant marks within the writing tasks (around 20% of marks on Eduqas).
A compulsory but separately reported component: students prepare and deliver a presentation, respond to questions and use Standard English appropriately. Graded Pass / Merit / Distinction (or Not Classified) and does not count towards the 9-1 grade.
Exam boards
The awarding bodies that offer this qualification, how their papers are structured, and what's distinctive about each - with links to the official specification.
AQA GCSE English Language
Papers & assessment
2 written papers, each 1h45 and worth 80 marks / 50%. Paper 1 'Explorations in creative reading and writing' (one unseen literature-fiction text; descriptive/narrative writing). Paper 2 'Writers' viewpoints and perspectives' (two linked unseen non-fiction texts across time; viewpoint writing). Untiered, all texts unseen. Spoken Language is a separate, non-marked endorsement. Fully co-teachable with AQA GCSE English Literature 8702.
What's distinctive
Papers are equally weighted (50/50). The two non-fiction texts in Paper 2 are typically from different centuries, foregrounding comparison of viewpoints over time. Designed for co-teaching with the AQA Literature spec; by far the most widely entered English Language board in England.
Past papers & mark schemes
Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) English Language
Papers & assessment
2 written papers plus a Spoken Language endorsement. Paper 1 'Fiction and Imaginative Writing' (1h45, ~40%): unseen 19th-century fiction extract (Reading) and imaginative writing (choice of two tasks). Paper 2 'Non-fiction and Transactional Writing' (2h05, ~60%): unseen 20th/21st-century non-fiction and transactional writing. Untiered. Spoken Language is non-examination, graded Pass/Merit/Distinction.
What's distinctive
Papers are unequally weighted (Paper 1 40% / Paper 2 60%). Distinctively anchors the fiction reading in a 19th-century extract on Paper 1, and emphasises 'real-world' transactional writing on the heavier Paper 2.
Specification
Past papers & mark schemes
OCR GCSE (9-1) English Language
Papers & assessment
2 written papers, each 2h and worth 50%, with Reading and Writing equally weighted within each. Component J351/01 'Communicating information and ideas' (unseen non-fiction: one 19th-century and one 20th/21st-century text; one non-fiction writing task). Component J351/02 'Exploring effects and impact' (unseen prose/literary non-fiction from 20th/21st century; one creative writing task). All AOs assessed in each paper. Spoken Language is a separate endorsement.
What's distinctive
All four assessment objectives are tested in BOTH papers (rather than splitting reading/writing emphasis across papers). Pairs a 19th-century with a modern text within a single paper. Equal 50/50 paper weighting.
Specification
Past papers & mark schemes
WJEC Eduqas GCSE in English Language
Papers & assessment
2 written papers plus a Spoken Language component. Component 1 'Description, Narration and Exposition' (creative reading and writing, ~40%, includes a creative writing task). Component 2 'Reading and Writing: Argumentation, Persuasion and Instructional' (non-fiction reading and transactional writing, ~60%, with two transactional writing tasks). Untiered; SPaG carries about 20% of the marks. Spoken Language is a separately reported endorsement.
What's distinctive
Used widely in England (Eduqas is WJEC's England-facing brand). Papers are unequally weighted (Component 2 the heavier at ~60%) and use two shorter transactional writing tasks rather than one long one; component-2 'long-tariff' questions are pitched at 10 marks. Strong explicit emphasis on SPaG (~20%).
Specification
Past papers & mark schemes
WJEC GCSE English Language (Wales)
Papers & assessment
Wales-only qualification (2015 spec): 2 written exam papers (Unit 1 and Unit 2) covering unseen reading and writing, supporting the Curriculum for Wales, plus an oracy/spoken component. Untiered, all examination texts unseen. NOTE: from September 2025 this 2015 spec is being replaced by a new combined 'GCSE English Language and Literature (Single and Double Award)' for first teaching 2025 / first award 2027; the 2015 spec is still being examined for current cohorts in 2026.
What's distinctive
Available only to centres in Wales (the England-facing equivalent is the Eduqas spec). Being superseded by WJEC's new combined English Language and Literature qualification (taught from 2025), reflecting Qualifications Wales reforms rather than the English/Ofqual framework.
Past papers & mark schemes
All five boards deliver an untiered, linear, 100%-exam qualification with two papers, all unseen texts, and a separate non-marked Spoken Language endorsement (Pass/Merit/Distinction). The main differences are paper weighting and how reading/writing are split: AQA and OCR weight their two papers equally (50/50), whereas Edexcel and Eduqas weight the non-fiction/transactional paper more heavily (~60%) than the fiction/creative paper (~40%). OCR is distinctive in assessing all assessment objectives in both papers and pairing a 19th-century with a modern text inside one paper; Edexcel distinctively anchors Paper 1 fiction reading in a 19th-century extract. Eduqas explicitly weights SPaG at about 20% and uses two shorter transactional tasks. Geography matters: AQA, Edexcel, OCR and Eduqas are the choices for centres in England (Eduqas being WJEC's England brand), while the WJEC-branded spec is for Wales only and is being replaced from 2025 by a new combined GCSE English Language and Literature under Curriculum for Wales reforms (still examined in 2026 for current students).
Original sources
Straight from the awarding bodies - the specifications these summaries are drawn from.
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