AQA GCSE English Literature (8702). Two papers, both closed book: you can't take your texts into the exam, so learn your quotations. Every question is an essay, marked in levels.
1 hour 45 minutes · 64 marks · 40% of the GCSE
Two essays, each starting from a printed extract and moving out to the whole text.
34 marks · about 50 minutes
One question on an extract, then on the play as a whole.
Assesses: AO1 12, AO2 12, AO3 6, AO4 4
Marked: Literature essays (30 marks) and AO4: spelling, punctuation and grammar (4 marks)
Extract essay skills · also: Key quotations
30 marks · about 45 minutes
One question on an extract, then on the novel as a whole.
Assesses: AO1 12, AO2 12, AO3 6
Marked: Literature essays (30 marks)
Extract essay skills · also: Key quotations
2 hours 15 minutes · 96 marks · 60% of the GCSE
Three sections of about 45 minutes each. There's no extract for An Inspector Calls.
34 marks · about 45 minutes
One essay on the whole play, from a choice of two questions. No extract is printed.
Assesses: AO1 12, AO2 12, AO3 6, AO4 4
Marked: Literature essays (30 marks) and AO4: spelling, punctuation and grammar (4 marks)
Essay skills · also: Key quotations
30 marks · about 45 minutes
Compare a named poem, printed on the paper, with one other poem of your choice from the cluster.
Assesses: AO1 12, AO2 12, AO3 6
Marked: Literature essays (30 marks)
24 marks · about 30 minutes
Write about one poem you haven't seen before.
Assesses: AO1 12, AO2 12
Marked: Unseen poem (27.1, 24 marks)
Writing about one poem · also: Reading a new poem, Poetic methods
8 marks · about 15 minutes
Compare the methods in the first poem with those in a second unseen poem.
Assesses: AO2
AQA doesn't set times for each question. These are suggestions that fit the paper, with a few minutes to spare for reading and checking.
What examiners give marks for. Each question tests one or more of these.
| AO | What it means | Assessed in |
|---|---|---|
| AO1 | Your own argument about the text, answering the question, backed up with quotations and references. | Paper 1 Macbeth; Paper 1 Jekyll and Hyde; Paper 2 An Inspector Calls; Paper 2 Poetry anthology; Paper 2 Question 27.1 |
| AO2 | How the writer's language, form and structure create meanings and effects, using subject terms. | Paper 1 Macbeth; Paper 1 Jekyll and Hyde; Paper 2 An Inspector Calls; Paper 2 Poetry anthology; Paper 2 Question 27.1; Paper 2 Question 27.2 |
| AO3 | How the text links to the times it was written in and the ideas of its audience. | Paper 1 Macbeth; Paper 1 Jekyll and Hyde; Paper 2 An Inspector Calls; Paper 2 Poetry anthology |
| AO4 | Accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar, with varied vocabulary and sentences. | Paper 1 Macbeth; Paper 2 An Inspector Calls |
Examiners place an answer in a level, then choose a mark within it. The key words show what each level rewards.
| Level | Marks | Key words | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 26–30 | Convincing, critical | A convincing argument about the whole text, precise quotations, and detailed analysis of methods and context. |
| 5 | 21–25 | Thoughtful, developed | A thoughtful, detailed argument, well-chosen quotations, and developed analysis of methods and context. |
| 4 | 16–20 | Clear | A clear, explained answer, effective quotations, and clear explanation of methods and context. |
| 3 | 11–15 | Explained, structured | Some explained ideas in a structured answer, with quotations and some comment on methods and context. |
| 2 | 6–10 | Supported, relevant | Relevant comments supported by references, with some awareness of methods and context. |
| 1 | 1–5 | Simple, explicit | Simple comments on the task and text, with some reference to details. |
| Level | Marks | Key words | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 21–24 | Convincing, critical | A convincing argument about the whole text, precise quotations, and detailed analysis of methods and context. |
| 5 | 17–20 | Thoughtful, developed | A thoughtful, detailed argument, well-chosen quotations, and developed analysis of methods and context. |
| 4 | 13–16 | Clear | A clear, explained answer, effective quotations, and clear explanation of methods and context. |
| 3 | 9–12 | Explained, structured | Some explained ideas in a structured answer, with quotations and some comment on methods and context. |
| 2 | 5–8 | Supported, relevant | Relevant comments supported by references, with some awareness of methods and context. |
| 1 | 1–4 | Simple, explicit | Simple comments on the task and text, with some reference to details. |
| Level | Marks | Key words | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 7–8 | Critical, insightful | A perceptive comparison of the effects of both poets' methods. |
| 3 | 5–6 | Thoughtful | A thoughtful, clear comparison of the effects of the poets' methods. |
| 2 | 3–4 | Clear | A clear comparison, with comments on similarities or differences in the effects of methods. |
| 1 | 1–2 | Simple | A simple comment or link between the poems, naming some methods. |
| Level | Marks | Key words | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4 | High performance | Consistently accurate, with vocabulary and sentences in full control of your meaning. |
| 2 | 2–3 | Intermediate performance | Mostly accurate, with a good range of vocabulary and sentences. |
| 1 | 1 | Threshold performance | Reasonably accurate: errors don't get in the way of your meaning. |