AQA English Language Past Papers
AQA publishes its specimen papers, mark schemes and examiner reports free of charge. Those are linked here as they are. Beside them is an original RCF practice paper, clearly labelled as practice material.
How papers are handled here
Official papers are linked, never copied. AQA owns its question papers, source material, mark schemes and examiner reports. Every official item below opens on aqa.org.uk or AQA's own file store. This site hosts no copy of any of them and links to no paper-sharing site.
RCF papers are labelled on every page that carries them. They are written by RCF English in the format of the examination. They are not past papers, not specimen papers, and not endorsed by AQA.
RCF English is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by AQA. AQA is the copyright owner of its assessment materials and the owner of its name and logo, neither of which appears on any RCF material.
Official AQA materials
| Type | Paper | Series | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| All past papers and mark schemes | Papers 1 and 2 | Every published series | AQA 8700 assessment resources |
| Specimen question paper | Paper 1: Explorations in Creative Reading and Writing | Specimen | 8700/1 specimen paper |
| Specimen mark scheme | Paper 1 | Specimen | 8700/1 specimen mark scheme |
| Specimen question paper | Paper 2: Writers' Viewpoints and Perspectives | Specimen | 8700/2 specimen paper |
| Specimen mark scheme | Paper 2 | Specimen | 8700/2 specimen mark scheme |
| Specification | Both papers | Current | AQA 8700 specification |
| Scheme of assessment | Both papers | Current | Assessment objectives and paper structure |
| Specification at a glance | Both papers | Current | Papers, durations, marks and weightings |
Examiner reports are the most under-used free resource
AQA publishes an examiner report for each series alongside the papers and mark schemes on its assessment resources page. They set out what candidates actually did well and badly that year, question by question.
Filter that page by Examiner reports to find them. Reading one before your next timed paper is the most direct guidance available on where marks are lost, and almost no student does it.
Original RCF model papers
| Paper | Type | Modelled on | Format | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RCF Model Paper 1 | RCF original model paper | AQA GCSE English Language 8700, Paper 1 | 1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks, four reading questions and one writing task | Question paper and marking guide |
| RCF Model Paper 2 | RCF original model paper | AQA GCSE English Language 8700, Paper 2 | 1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks, two linked non-fiction sources from the 19th and 21st centuries | Question paper and marking guide |
RCF Model Paper 1
Question paper
An original unseen fiction source and five questions in the AQA Paper 1 structure, with the same marks and the same timing advice.
- Section A: 4, 8, 8 and 20 marks
- Section B: 40 marks, description or narrative
- Prints cleanly on paper
Marking guide
Indicative content for every reading question, band descriptions in plain English, and a full model answer for the writing task.
- Written by RCF English, not by AQA
- Bands described, not reproduced
- Model answer with the reasoning explained
RCF Model Paper 2
Question paper
Two linked original non-fiction sources on cold-water swimming - one written in a nineteenth-century voice, one a 2023 column - and five questions in the AQA Paper 2 structure.
- Section A: 4, 8, 12 and 16 marks
- Section B: 40 marks, viewpoint article
- Prints cleanly on paper
Marking guide
Answers to Question 1, indicative content for Questions 2 to 4, band descriptions in plain English, and full model answers for the comparison and the article.
- Written by RCF English, not by AQA
- Bands described, not reproduced
- Model answers with the reasoning explained
The other boards
Model Papers 1 and 2 now cover both AQA written papers. Paper 2 is where the nineteenth-century source sits on this specification: AQA pairs an older non-fiction text with a modern one and asks you to compare the two writers' viewpoints.
Pearson Edexcel is under way - see the Edexcel model paper, which follows Edexcel's own format and therefore pairs a twentieth-century text with a twenty-first-century one. OCR now has one too: the OCR Component 01 model paper, which pairs a nineteenth-century text with a modern one and is the closest of the four to AQA Paper 2 in what it asks you to do. Eduqas will follow, with the same structure: verified official links first, then an original model paper.
Questions about AQA past papers
Where can I get AQA English Language past papers free?
From AQA's own assessment resources page for specification 8700, which publishes past question papers, mark schemes and examiner reports free of charge. It is linked at the top of this page. The most recent series are sometimes restricted to teachers for a period before being released publicly.
Why does this site not host the papers itself?
Because AQA owns them, along with the copyright in the source texts inside them, much of which is licensed from other publishers. Copying an examination paper onto another website is a breach of copyright whatever the intention. Linking to the official page is lawful and keeps you on the current version.
Is the RCF model paper a real AQA paper?
No, and it is labelled as practice material on every page. It follows AQA's published structure - the same durations, sections, question types and marks - using a source and questions written by RCF English that have never appeared in an examination. Use it for practice and use AQA's specimen paper to see the genuine standard.
How should I use a past paper?
Under timed conditions, once, without the mark scheme open. Mark it afterwards against the official mark scheme, then read the examiner report for that series. Doing three papers casually teaches less than doing one properly and marking it honestly.
Related pages
RCF practice questions
Shorter original tasks with model answers.
Revision strategies
How to use papers in a revision plan.
AQA English Language overview
Both papers, all ten questions.