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GCSE English Literature: the exams and the AOs
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Pearson Edexcel GCSE English Literature (1ET0) has two exams. Both are closed book: you cannot take your texts in.
Paper 1: Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature
1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks, 50%.
Paper 2: 19th-century Novel and Poetry since 1789
2 hours 15 minutes, 80 marks, 50%.
The assessment objectives
AO1: read, understand and respond; use references and quotations.
AO2: analyse language, form and structure, using subject terms.
AO3: show understanding of the relationships between texts and their contexts.
AO4: use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures, with accurate spelling and punctuation (tested only in Paper 1 Section B).
AO2: analyse language, form and structure, using subject terms.
AO3: show understanding of the relationships between texts and their contexts.
AO4: use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures, with accurate spelling and punctuation (tested only in Paper 1 Section B).
Which AOs should you focus on in the Shakespeare extract question?
- The extract question, part (a), is worth 20 marks.
- It assesses AO2 only.
- So focus on language, form and structure, with subject terminology.
Answer: AO2: analysing language, form and structure.
Paper 1 (1 h 45): Shakespeare (a) AO2, (b) AO1+AO3; post-1914 essay AO1+AO3+AO4. Paper 2 (2 h 15): novel (a) AO2, (b) AO1; anthology AO2+AO3; unseen AO1+AO2. Both closed book.
The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.
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