Past Papers

Past Papers

Past papers (question papers + mark schemes), organised by paper.

AQA Literature

GCSE English Literature (8702)

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Paper 1: Shakespeare & 19th-century novel (8702/1)
Paper 2: Shakespeare, modern texts & poetry (8702/2)

AQA Language

GCSE English Language (8700)

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Paper 1: One Fiction Extract + Creative Writing (8700/1)

  • Jun 2020 — Stranger Child

    INS QP MS

  • Jun 2022 — The Pearl

    INS QP MS

  • Nov 2022 — Old Man & Sea

    INS QP MS

  • Jun 2023 — Life of Pi

    INS QP MS

  • Jun 2024 — Grass is singing

    INS QP MS

  • Nov 2024 — Glass House

    INS QP MS
Paper 2: Two Non-Fiction Extracts + Transactional Writing (8700/2)

Literature Breakdown

Paper 1 (8702/1) — 64 marks — 1h 45m

Section A — Shakespeare

Marks: 30 + 4 (SPaG) Time: 55m

AO1: 12 · AO2: 12 · AO3: 6 · AO4: 4 (SPaG)

Section B — 19th-century novel

Marks: 30 Time: 50m

AO1: 12 · AO2: 12 · AO3: 6

Paper 2 (8702/2) — 96 marks — 2h 15m

Section A — Modern texts

Marks: 30 + 4 (SPaG) Time: 45m

AO1: 12 · AO2: 12 · AO3: 6 · AO4: 4 (SPaG)

Section B — Poetry anthology

Marks: 30 Time: 45m

AO1: 12 · AO2: 12 · AO3: 6

Section C — Unseen poetry

Marks: 24 + 8 Time: 45m

Q1 AO1: 12 · Q1 AO2: 12

Q2 AO2: 8

Assessment Objectives (AOs)

AO1: ideas and interpretations (use references/quotations).

AO2: language, form and structure analysis.

AO3: context.

AO4: SPaG (spelling, punctuation and grammar).

Language Breakdown

Paper 1 (8700/1) — 80 marks — 1h 45m

Section A — Reading (Q1–Q4)

Q1 — Find and Identify

Marks: 4

Q2 — Language

Marks: 8

Q3 — Structure

Marks: 8

Q4 — Statement Evaluation

Marks: 20

Section B — Writing (Q5)

Q5

Marks: 40

Narrative or descriptive writing.

24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy.

Paper 2 (8700/2) — 80 marks — 1h 45m

Section A — Reading (Q1–Q4)

Q1 — True/False

Marks: 4

Q2 — Inference

Marks: 8

Q3 — Language

Marks: 12

Q4 — Comparison

Marks: 16

Section B — Writing (Q5)

Q5

Marks: 40

Article, letter, or speech.

24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy.