CCEA GCSE English Literature (493) Past Papers 2026

The Study of Prose

Duration: 1h 45m

The Study of Drama and Poetry

Duration: 2h

The Study of Shakespeare (Controlled Assessment)

Duration: 2h controlled time (internally marked, externally moderated)

Contextual information in Prose and Drama — used where it cannot earn marks

Every examiner's report across all three years identifies contextual information in Unit 1 and Unit 2 Drama as the single most consistent misuse of examination time. Candidates spend several sentences on social, historical or political background that earns zero credit in these sections.

Unit 1, Unit 2 Drama

Alternative argument — absent or underdeveloped in weaker responses

Examiners note each year that weaker responses argue only one position. The 'show how far' directive, present in all Unit 1 and Unit 2 Drama questions, explicitly invites an alternative argument. Candidates who do not include one cannot access Band 4 or Band 5.

Unit 1, Unit 2 Drama

AO2 Dramatic Methods in Shakespeare — candidates discuss only language

Across all three moderation cycles (2023, 2024, 2025) moderators noted that many candidates omit dramatic methods (staging, entrances, exits, soliloquies, asides) and focus exclusively on language features. AO2 has three elements; addressing only one limits the mark band achievable.

Unit 3

Poetry comparison poem choice — self-limiting selections

Examiners in all three years note instances where candidates selected a comparison poem that was poorly matched to the key term, making it impossible to address AO3 successfully. Once the poem is chosen it cannot be changed; a poor choice forces a strained response across the whole answer.

Unit 2 Poetry

Rubric compliance in Drama — not engaging with all named characters or both options

Examiners noted candidates who failed to address all named characters in a question (e.g. 'three characters' was specified but only one or two were discussed), directly limiting their marks. In Unit 2, responses that did not engage with named characters as stipulated were self-limiting.

Unit 2 Drama

Shakespeare AO4 Context — confined to opening paragraph and not integrated

Moderators across all three years noted that weaker candidates relegate context to an introductory paragraph of historical facts about Shakespeare. Context only illuminates understanding when it is interwoven through the response and explicitly connected to the play's themes and dramatic choices.

Unit 3

Unseen Prose — technique-spotting and checklist approach

Examiners noted in 2023 that responses were 'organised as a long list of techniques' with key terms 'used but not always in a meaningful way'. In 2025 examiners reported inaccurate identifications of simile, alliteration, in medias res and foreshadowing. Technique spotting without effect analysis is limited to Band 2.

Unit 1 Section B

Pre-learned essays 'shoe-horned' onto questions — content not relevant to the key term

Examiners flagged across multiple texts that candidates presented pre-prepared responses regardless of the question asked. Attempting to insert memorised essay content that does not match the precise key term 'ultimately dilutes the potency of their arguments' and produces responses that cannot access the higher mark bands.

Unit 1, Unit 2 Drama