
We hear you. You need some easily accessible Edexcel English Literature past papers to download in preparation for your GCSE exams.
Guess what? We’ve got ’em here!
*** Jump straight to the papers here… ***
Below, you’ll find the complete paper and mark scheme sets from June 2017 until June 2021. Not only that – we’ve also included a behind-the-curtain peek at what to expect from these assessments.
Let’s dive in…🤿
Paper 1: Shakespeare and Post-1914 Texts
This paper is 50% of your GCSE and will be 1 hour and 45 minutes long.
In section A, you’ll need to answer a two-part question on the Shakespeare play that you’ve been studying. The first task will focus on a short extract from the play – roughly 30 lines long. The second task will look at how a theme reflected in the extract is reflected elsewhere in the play.
In section B, you will be given one essay question on the post-1914 British play or novel you have been studying.
Paper 2: 19th Century Novels and Poetry
This paper is 50% of your GCSE and will be 2 hours and 15 minutes long.
In section A, you will need to answer a two-part question on the 19th-Century novel that you’ve been studying. The first task will focus on a short extract from the novel – roughly 400 words long. The second task is an essay exploring the whole text.
In section B, there are two parts. In part 1 you will be asked to compare a named poem from the anthology with another poem from that collection. The named poem will be shown in the question paper. In part 2 you will be given one question comparing two unseen poems.
Edexcel English Language Past Papers (PDF Downloads)
GCSE Exam Papers
Feeling good still? If you’re ready for more, get stuck into more of our blogs here! You can also subscribe to Beyond for access to thousands of secondary teaching resources. You can sign up for a free account here and take a look around at our free resources before you subscribe too.