AQA GCSE English Literature
Explore your course, one topic at a time.
Course overview
The AQA GCSE English Literature specification covers 10 topics with 255 learning objectives (8702). Use the topic browser below to explore subtopics, exam tips, common mistakes, and key terminology for each area of the course.
- 10 topics
- 85 study pages
- 255 learning objectives
Verified courseQuestions and notes checked against the official specification.
- 255
- verified practice questions
- 85
- verified teaching notes
- 10
- topics
- 14
- explainer videos
- 50
- audio lessons
Your exams
- Shakespeare and the 19th century novelWednesday, 12 May 2027, AM
- Modern texts and poetryWednesday, 19 May 2027, AM
Always confirm dates and times with your exam centre.
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel | 105 min | 64 | 40% |
| Paper 2: Modern texts and poetry | 135 min | 96 | 60% |
Explore your topics
10 topics
Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel2 topics
Modern texts and poetry6 topics
- Modern texts13 specification points covering Students will study one from a choice of 12 set texts, which include post-1914 prose fiction and drama.39 objectives · 13 study pages
- Poetry5 specification points covering Students will study one cluster of poems taken from the AQA poetry anthology, Poems Past and Present.15 objectives · 5 study pages
- Poetry anthology: Love and Relationships15 specification points covering Before You Were Mine, Climbing My Grandfather, Eden Rock and related ideas.45 objectives · 15 study pages
- Poetry anthology: Power and Conflict15 specification points covering Bayonet Charge, Checking Out Me History, Exposure and related ideas.45 objectives · 15 study pages
- Poetry anthology: Worlds and Lives15 specification points covering A Century Later, A Portable Paradise, A Wider View and related ideas.45 objectives · 15 study pages
- Unseen poetryTo succeed in the unseen poetry section, students should experience a wide range of poetry to develop their analytical skills.3 objectives · 1 study page
Reading and writing skills2 topics
- Skills - Reading comprehension and reading critically4 specification points covering literal and inferential comprehension: understanding a word, phrase or sentence in context; exploring aspects of plot,…12 objectives · 4 study pages
- Skills - Writing2 specification points covering producing clear and coherent text: writing effectively about literature for a range of purposes such as: to describe,…6 objectives · 2 study pages
About this course
About AQA GCSE English Literature
The AQA GCSE English Literature course invites you to explore a rich tapestry of stories, plays, and poems from different eras, each selected to develop your analytical and critical thinking skills. Through set texts that span Shakespeare, the 19th-century novel, modern drama and prose, and a vibrant poetry anthology, you will delve into themes such as love and conflict, power and ambition, identity and society. This specification is designed to deepen your appreciation of how writers craft their works to create meaning, evoke emotion, and reflect the contexts in which they were created.
Structured into two exam papers, the course builds your ability to read closely, write coherently, and argue persuasively. You will learn to analyse language, structure, and form, and to draw connections between texts and their historical or cultural settings. The closed-book exams encourage you to develop a genuine familiarity with your set texts, honing memory and personal engagement alongside academic rigour.
Ultimately, AQA GCSE English Literature equips you with transferable skills invaluable for further study and everyday life: clear communication, empathy through diverse perspectives, and the confidence to interpret complex ideas. Whether you are dissecting a Shakespearean soliloquy, comparing war poems, or encountering an unseen poem for the first time, the course fosters a lifelong love of reading and critical thought.
Assessment Structure
The qualification is assessed through two closed-book written exams, taken at the end of the course. Paper 1 (Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel) lasts 1 hour 45 minutes, is worth 64 marks, and accounts for 40% of the total grade. Paper 2 (Modern texts and poetry) lasts 2 hours 15 minutes, is worth 96 marks, and contributes the remaining 60%. There is no tiering and no coursework—all marks come from these terminal examinations, which cover a combination of essay responses to set texts, a comparative poetry question, and unseen poetry analysis.
Why Choose AQA?
- Wide and diverse text choices: AQA offers a broad selection of set texts, from popular Shakespeare plays like Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet to modern dramas such as An Inspector Calls and The History Boys, allowing schools to tailor the course to student interests and strengths.
- Clarity and transparency: The mark schemes and assessment objectives are clearly defined, helping students and teachers understand exactly what is required to achieve each grade. AQA's examiner reports and model answers provide insightful guidance.
- Established reputation and resources: As one of the most widely taken English Literature GCSEs in the UK, AQA benefits from an extensive range of high-quality support materials, including endorsed textbooks, online resources, and past papers, making preparation straightforward.
Frequently Asked Questions
What texts can I study for AQA GCSE English Literature?
Are the exams open book?
How is the final grade calculated?
Do I need to learn quotes from all the texts?
Is there any coursework or controlled assessment?
Assessment and exam guidance
Assessment Objectives
Read, understand and respond to texts. Students should be able to: maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response; use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.
Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.
Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation.
Exam Structure
Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel
1h 45m
Duration
64
Marks
40%
Weighting
Paper 2: Modern texts and poetry
2h 15m
Duration
96
Marks
60%
Weighting
Tips and common mistakes
Common Exam Mistakes
Pitfalls to avoid in your exams
- •Error: revising only key scenes or extracts. Correction: read and revise the whole play so you can place any extract in its wider context.
- •Error: retelling the plot without analysing language, form or structure. Correction: use plot knowledge to support analysis of how Shakespeare creates meaning.
- •Error: ignoring the extract's position in the play. Correction: link the extract to events before and after it to show whole-text understanding.
- •Error: focusing only on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Correction: also study Banquo, Macduff, the witches and Malcolm to understand the play's wider ideas.
- •Error: treating the witches as simple villains without analysing their role. Correction: explore how they create ambiguity and drive Macbeth's choices.
- •Error: ignoring the play's structure. Correction: consider how Shakespeare builds tension and meaning through the play's order of scenes.
- •Error: listing methods such as soliloquy or imagery without explaining how they create meaning. Correction: always explain the effect of a method with a concrete example, such as how the image of ambition as an overreaching rider who vaults beyond the saddle and falls reveals Macbeth's self-aware moral conflict.
- •Retelling the plot instead of analysing how Shakespeare creates effects; correction: make a method-based point first, then use the quotation as evidence.
Top Examiner Tips
Expert advice for exam success
- •Read the whole play at least once before revising key scenes in detail.
- •Create a timeline of major events and character developments to see the play as a whole.
- •When analysing an extract, ask how it fits into the play's wider patterns and themes.
- •Learn a few short, flexible quotations from different parts of the play.
- •Learn short quotations that can be used flexibly for character, theme and method questions.
- •Practise linking any extract to events before and after it in the play.
- •Revise the play's context, but only include it when it illuminates your analysis.
- •Plan essays around a clear argument about Shakespeare's ideas and methods.
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