GCSE English
GCSE English is two separate qualifications, English Language and English Literature, and four boards set them differently. Find your board first, then the paper structure follows.
GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature are two different GCSEs, and most students in England sit both. English Language is assessed on unseen texts and your own writing; English Literature is assessed on set texts you have studied, plus unseen poetry. Neither has coursework: both are examined at the end of the course.
The four boards, and why the difference matters
AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and Eduqas (part of WJEC) all offer GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature. All four are regulated to the same standard and graded 9 to 1, so no board is 'easier'. What differs is the shape of the papers - how many there are, how long they last, which texts are set, and how the marks are divided.
- A revision video or model answer written for AQA Paper 1 Question 5 does not describe any question on the OCR paper.
- Set texts for English Literature are chosen by your school from the board's list, so two schools using the same board may still study different novels.
- Spoken Language is assessed at GCSE English Language, but as a separate endorsement that does not count towards your 9-1 grade.
GCSE English specification codes
| Board | English Language | English Literature | Official specification |
|---|---|---|---|
| AQA | 8700 | 8702 | Language and Literature |
| Pearson Edexcel | 1EN0 | 1ET0 | Language and Literature |
| OCR | J351 | J352 | Language and Literature |
| Eduqas (WJEC) | C700QS | C720QS | Language and Literature |
AQA GCSE English Language (8700): the papers
| Paper | Title | Time | Marks | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing | 1 hour 45 minutes | 80 | 50% of the GCSE |
| Paper 2 | Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives | 1 hour 45 minutes | 80 | 50% of the GCSE |
| Non-examination assessment | Spoken Language | Set and marked by the teacher during the course | Not applicable | Separate endorsement, 0% of the GCSE |
What each AQA Language paper asks of you
Paper 1: reading fiction, then writing your own
The reading section works from one literature fiction text. The writing section asks for a piece of descriptive or narrative writing - this is the paper where a well-planned short description earns more than a rushed adventure story.
Paper 2: reading two non-fiction texts, then writing to a viewpoint
The reading section uses one non-fiction text and one literary non-fiction text, normally from different centuries, and asks you to compare. The writing section asks you to present a point of view, so the form - a letter, an article, a speech - matters as much as the argument.
AQA GCSE English Language: developed in full
AQA is the first board developed here, one qualification at a time. Every figure on these pages was read from AQA's own specification and specimen materials.
AQA English Language overview
Both papers, all ten questions, the marks, the assessment objectives and the timings printed on the paper.
Paper 1
Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing: one fiction source, four reading questions and a creative writing task.
Paper 1 question by question
Questions 1 to 4 with an original extract, worked examples and practice.
Paper 1 creative writing
Question 5: description and narrative, and how 24 plus 16 marks are earned.
Paper 2
Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives: two sources from different centuries.
Paper 2 question by question
Questions 1 to 4, including the 12-mark language question and the 16-mark comparison.
Paper 2 viewpoint writing
Question 5: articles, letters, speeches and essays that argue a case.
Language analysis
What to notice, what to name, and how to write about effect.
Comparing viewpoints
The paragraph shape for the 16-mark comparison question.
Planning answers
Which paragraph shape each of the ten questions wants.
Common mistakes
The habits that cost the most marks, and the fixes.
Revision strategies
How to revise an examination with no set texts, with a six-week plan.
Past papers and model papers
Official AQA papers, mark schemes and examiner reports, plus the RCF model paper.
Practice and model answers
Original tasks with model answers, indexed by question.
Pearson Edexcel GCSE English Language (1EN0)
The second board. Edexcel divides the subject differently from AQA: the nineteenth-century text sits on Paper 1 with the fiction, and Paper 2 pairs a twentieth-century non-fiction text with a twenty-first-century one. Every figure below was read from the Edexcel specification, Issue 6.
Edexcel English Language overview
Both written papers, the spoken language endorsement, the assessment objectives and how 1EN0 differs from International GCSE 4EA1.
Paper 1: Fiction and Imaginative Writing
1EN0/01: a nineteenth-century fiction extract, four reading questions worth 24 marks, and imaginative writing worth 40.
Paper 2: Non-fiction and Transactional Writing
1EN0/02: two unseen non-fiction texts, seven reading questions worth 56 marks, and transactional writing worth 40.
Past papers and model papers
Official Pearson papers, mark schemes and exemplar scripts, plus the original RCF Paper 2 model paper.
OCR GCSE English Language (J351)
The third board. OCR's distinctive feature is symmetry: both components run to the same question shape - 2, 2, 6, 12 and 18 marks of reading, then a 40-mark writing task - so preparation for one transfers directly to the other. Figures read from OCR's specification and mark schemes.
OCR English Language overview
Both components, the complete assessment-objective grid with exact weightings, and the spoken language endorsement.
Component 01: Communicating information and ideas
J351/01: two unseen non-fiction texts, one 19th century, plus a 40-mark non-fiction writing task.
Component 02: Exploring effects and impact
J351/02: two unseen modern literary texts, and a 40-mark creative writing task.
Past papers
Official OCR papers, mark schemes, sample assessment materials and schemes of work.
Eduqas GCSE English Language (C700QS)
The fourth board, and the only one that divides its papers by century rather than by kind of text. Component 1 is twentieth-century literature; Component 2 pairs a nineteenth-century non-fiction text with a twenty-first-century one. Figures read from the Summary of Assessment table in the Eduqas specification.
Eduqas English Language overview
Both components with their durations and weightings, the reading and writing split, and the spoken language endorsement.
Component 1: 20th Century Literature and Creative Prose
One unseen 20th-century prose extract and a creative writing task. 1 hour 45 minutes, 40%.
Component 2: 19th and 21st Century Non-Fiction
Two non-fiction texts two centuries apart, and transactional writing. 2 hours, 60%.
Past papers
Official Eduqas papers, mark schemes and annotated exemplar answers.
GCSE English past papers and mark schemes
| Board | Qualification | Code | Official past papers and mark schemes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AQA | GCSE English Language | 8700 | AQA 8700 assessment resources |
| AQA | GCSE English Literature | 8702 | AQA 8702 assessment resources |
| Pearson Edexcel | GCSE English Language | 1EN0 | Edexcel English Language |
| Pearson Edexcel | GCSE English Literature | 1ET0 | Edexcel English Literature |
| OCR | GCSE English Language | J351 | OCR J351 |
| OCR | GCSE English Literature | J352 | OCR J352 |
| Eduqas (WJEC) | GCSE English Language | C700QS | Eduqas English Language |
| Eduqas (WJEC) | GCSE English Literature | C720QS | Eduqas English Literature |
About these paper links
GCSE English Language and English Literature are not tiered: there is no Foundation or Higher paper in either subject, so every candidate sits the same papers. Tiering applies to some other GCSE subjects, not to these.
Examination boards own their question papers, mark schemes and examiner reports. This site links to the official page and never copies, re-uploads or mirrors them, and it does not link to sites that republish them without permission.
Original RCF model papers for GCSE will follow the format now being trialled for Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language, once that template has been checked.
Resources being developed
The question-by-question GCSE guides - creative writing, transactional writing, reading analysis, the Literature essay method, poetry comparison and unseen poetry - are being written now, one at a time, and will appear under this page as each is finished. Original RCF model papers for GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature are part of that work.
Rather than publish a shelf of thin pages, this hub gives you the codes, the paper shapes and the official links today. In the meantime the Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language guide is complete, and much of its writing-format teaching - articles, reports, reviews, formal and informal letters - transfers directly to GCSE transactional writing.
GCSE English questions
How many GCSE English exams are there?
If you are entered for both GCSEs, you normally sit four written papers: two for English Language and two for English Literature. The Spoken Language endorsement is assessed separately by your teacher during the course and is reported alongside your grade rather than inside it. Exact numbers depend on your board, so check your specification code.
Which GCSE English board is the easiest?
None of them. All four boards are regulated to a common standard and grade boundaries are set each year so that the same performance earns the same grade whichever board set the paper. What differs is the format, and the best board for you is the one your school teaches, because the teaching is matched to the paper.
Do I have to read the whole book for GCSE English Literature?
Yes. English Literature is a closed-book examination on most papers, which means you write about texts you have read in full and can quote from memory. Summaries are useful for revision but cannot replace reading, because the questions reward specific detail and personal response.
Does the Spoken Language endorsement affect my GCSE grade?
No. At AQA, and at the other boards, Spoken Language is reported as a separate endorsement graded Pass, Merit or Distinction, with a 0% weighting towards the 9-1 grade for GCSE English Language. It still appears on your certificate, so it is worth preparing for.
Related pages
Global English overview
All the international qualifications covered on this site.
International GCSE English
Cambridge, Pearson Edexcel and OxfordAQA International GCSE routes.
English skills
Reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary, speaking and listening.