Edexcel A Level English Language (9EN0) Past Papers 2026

Language Variation

Duration: 2h 15m

Child Language

Duration: 1h 15m

Investigating Language

Duration: 1h 45m

Crafting Language (NEA / Coursework)

Duration: Coursework

Phonology and IPA accuracy (Paper 2, Paper 3)

'Errors in the IPA were found most commonly in lower levels such as candidates often confusing /θ/ and /ð/ or misunderstanding the difference between /ɔ/ and /r/.' Phonetic spelling and random brackets are recurring problems.

Paper 2, Paper 3

Pronoun terminology — first/second/third person, singular vs plural inclusive

'There is still some confusion about the difference between pronoun types with we being cited as a third-person pronoun as opposed to first-person plural inclusive pronoun.' Recurs across Papers 1, 2 and 3.

Paper 1, Paper 2, Paper 3

Section B statement adherence (Paper 3)

'This question fully highlighted the dangers of centres over-preparing candidates with specific hypotheses, as a number of candidates were unable to adapt their research to suit the demands of the statement.' Pre-rehearsed essays consistently miss the actual question.

Paper 3

Theory application vs name-dropping

'Some candidates will quote examples from the text and put the theorist's name in brackets, however, it is expected that there would brief explanation of how the theory is reflecting or constructing identity/ies.' Lakoff, Fairclough, French and Raven, Goffman frequently name-dropped without applied analysis.

Paper 1, Paper 3

Range of frameworks beyond lexis (Paper 3 Section A)

'A significant differentiating factor between the higher performing responses and those that did not progress beyond mid-level 3 was the breadth of linguistic methods applied to the data.' Many candidates default to lexis only; syntax, discourse, pragmatics earn the top levels.

Paper 3

Data quantity vs quality in Paper 3 Section B

'Some candidates were trying to handle seven or eight different pieces of data, often only being able to offer a cursory comment about each one that ended up being rather repetitive and limiting in style.' Manageable, malleable, memorable beats volume.

Paper 3

Long historical introductions in Paper 3

'Lower-level responses spent a long time explaining what their articles were about and the publications they had come from rather than analysing the ways in which these articles used language.' Long recounts of fitness-instruction history (Greek soldiers) or drag history (Shakespearean theatre) crowd out analysis.

Paper 3

Paper 4 commentary scope — checklisting all features

'Commentaries which follow a formulaic or checklist method, irrespective of the nature of the task undertaken, are very unlikely to achieve top marks, as the recommended word limit for each commentary does not enable a detailed discussion of the significance of every single language feature.'

Paper 4