GCSE English Literature specification
GCSE English Literature develops students' ability to read, understand and respond critically to a range of high-quality texts - a Shakespeare play, a 19th-century novel, modern prose or drama, and poetry (both anthology and unseen). It builds close-reading, analytical writing and the ability to relate texts to their social, historical and literary contexts.
Across all boards the qualification is 100% examined by two written papers; there is no coursework or non-exam assessment counting towards the grade. Exams are predominantly closed book (set texts are not allowed in the exam room), so students rely on memorised quotations. Coverage is fixed by Ofqual / Qualifications Wales subject criteria: a Shakespeare play, a 19th-century novel, post-1914 (modern) British prose or drama, and a substantial body of poetry including unseen poetry.
High-level topics
The main areas of content and what a student is expected to know and do.
Students study one whole Shakespeare play and respond, usually from a printed extract, to a question on character, theme, language, structure and form. Boards offer different fixed lists of plays to choose from.
Students study one whole 19th-century novel and write about it, typically from an extract, considering character, theme and the social/historical context in which it was written.
Students study one modern British text - a 20th/21st-century play or novel - and write an essay or extract-based response analysing themes, characters and the writer's methods.
Students study a board-set collection or cluster of around 15 thematically linked poems and compare two of them, analysing language, structure, form and context.
Students respond to one or two poems they have not studied, analysing meaning and methods, and (typically) comparing how two unseen poems treat a similar subject or theme.
Across all texts students analyse how writers use language, structure and form to create meaning (AO2) and relate texts to the contexts in which they were written and read (AO3).
Students develop sustained, well-structured critical responses with embedded evidence (AO1), and on some boards are assessed on the accuracy of their written English (AO4 / SPaG).
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 Literature
Papers & assessment
2 closed-book written papers, untiered. Paper 1 'Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel' (1h45, 64 marks, 40%): one Shakespeare extract question plus one 19th-century-novel extract question. Paper 2 'Modern texts and poetry' (2h15, 96 marks, 60%): modern text essay (choice), one anthology-poetry comparison, and unseen poetry. Co-teachable with AQA English Language 8700.
What's distinctive
Shakespeare choices: Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, Julius Caesar. 19th-century novels: A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, Pride and Prejudice, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The Sign of Four. Modern texts include An Inspector Calls, Blood Brothers, DNA, A Taste of Honey (drama) and Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, Anita and Me, Telling Tales anthology (prose). Poetry anthology 'Poems Past and Present' has three clusters of 15 poems: Love and Relationships, Power and Conflict, and Worlds and Lives.
Past papers & mark schemes
Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) English Literature
Papers & assessment
2 closed-book written papers, untiered. Paper 1 'Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature' (1h45, 80 marks, 50%): Section A Shakespeare, Section B post-1914 British play/novel. Paper 2 '19th-century Novel and Poetry since 1789' (2h15, 80 marks, 50%): Section A 19th-century novel, Section B anthology-poetry comparison plus unseen-poetry comparison.
What's distinctive
Shakespeare choices include Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing. 19th-century novels include Jane Eyre, Great Expectations, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, A Christmas Carol, Pride and Prejudice, Silas Marner. Poetry is studied from the Pearson Poetry Anthology in themed collections (e.g. Relationships, Conflict, Time and Place, Belonging) - 15 poems per collection. Both papers are equally weighted (50/50); Paper 2 distinctively includes an unseen-poetry comparison alongside the anthology.
Specification
Past papers & mark schemes
OCR GCSE (9-1) English Literature
Papers & assessment
2 closed-book written papers, each 2h and worth 50%, untiered. Component J352/01 'Exploring modern and literary heritage texts' (modern prose/drama plus a 19th-century prose text). Component J352/02 'Exploring poetry and Shakespeare' (poetry 'across time' clusters plus a Shakespeare text, with an unseen-poetry element).
What's distinctive
Distinctively pairs poetry WITH Shakespeare in one paper, and the modern text WITH the 19th-century text in the other (rather than grouping Shakespeare with the 19th-century novel as AQA/Edexcel do). Shakespeare choices include Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing. Poetry is studied as themed clusters 'across time' (Love and Relationships, Conflict, Youth and Age). Modern set texts have been refreshed (e.g. Leave Taking by Winsome Pinnock added).
Specification
Past papers & mark schemes
WJEC Eduqas GCSE in English Literature
Papers & assessment
2 closed-book written papers, untiered. Component 1 'Shakespeare and Poetry' (~40%): Section A Shakespeare, Section B poetry from the Eduqas Poetry Anthology. Component 2 'Post-1914 Prose/Drama, 19th-century Prose and Unseen Poetry' (~60%): Section A post-1914 prose/drama, Section B a source-based 19th-century-novel response, Section C unseen poetry (two questions, one comparative).
What's distinctive
Distinctively groups Shakespeare WITH the poetry anthology in Component 1, and places the 19th-century novel, modern text and unseen poetry together in the heavier Component 2 (~60%). Shakespeare choices include Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, The Merchant of Venice, with Twelfth Night added (first assessed 2025). Eduqas curates its own distinctive Poetry Anthology (15 poems, including poems/poets unique to Eduqas such as work by Carol Ann Duffy, Jackie Kay, Seamus Heaney and Simon Armitage); a refreshed anthology applies for first assessment 2027.
Specification
Past papers & mark schemes
WJEC GCSE English Literature (Wales)
Papers & assessment
Wales-only qualification (2015 spec): 2 written exam papers covering a Shakespeare play, a 19th-century novel, poetry and a prose text from a different culture, with thematic essay and source-based questions; closed book. Untiered. NOTE: from September 2025 this 2015 spec is being replaced by a new combined 'GCSE English Language and Literature (Single and Double Award)' (first teaching 2025, first award 2027); the 2015 Literature spec is still examined for current cohorts in 2026.
What's distinctive
Available only to centres in Wales (the England-facing equivalent is the Eduqas spec). Distinctively includes a 'prose from a different culture' element and prescribed-text lists reviewed periodically. Being superseded from 2025 by WJEC's new combined English Language and Literature qualification under Curriculum for Wales reforms.
Past papers & mark schemes
All boards deliver an untiered, linear, 100%-exam qualification (no coursework), almost entirely closed book, covering the same statutory pillars set by Ofqual / Qualifications Wales: a Shakespeare play, a 19th-century novel, post-1914 British prose or drama, an anthology of poetry, and unseen poetry. The biggest practical differences are (1) how those pillars are PAIRED across the two papers, and (2) the SET-TEXT lists. AQA and Edexcel group Shakespeare with the 19th-century novel on Paper 1 and modern text + poetry on Paper 2; OCR instead pairs poetry with Shakespeare in one paper and the modern + 19th-century texts in the other; Eduqas groups Shakespeare with its poetry anthology in Component 1 and puts the 19th-century novel, modern text and unseen poetry into the heavier (~60%) Component 2. Weighting also varies: AQA and Eduqas use a 40/60 paper split, while Edexcel and OCR weight their two papers equally (50/50). Set texts overlap but are not identical - e.g. AQA offers Julius Caesar and The Tempest as Shakespeare options while Edexcel offers Twelfth Night; Eduqas uniquely offers Othello and Henry V. Each board prescribes its OWN poetry anthology/clusters (AQA's themed clusters Love and Relationships / Power and Conflict / Worlds and Lives; Edexcel's themed collections such as Relationships, Conflict, Time and Place, Belonging; OCR's 'across time' clusters; Eduqas's bespoke anthology with poets unique to that board), so revision materials are not transferable between boards. WJEC's spec is Wales-only (includes a 'literature of a different culture' strand) and is being replaced from 2025 by a combined English Language and Literature qualification, though it is still examined in 2026.
Original sources
Straight from the awarding bodies - the specifications these summaries are drawn from.
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