OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (9-1) (J199/2017) Past Papers 2026

J199/11 — Myth and Religion (Thematic Study, choose ONE of J199/11 or J199/12)

Duration: 1h 30m

J199/12 — Women in the Ancient World (Thematic Study, choose ONE of J199/11 or J199/12)

Duration: 1h 30m

J199/21 — The Homeric World (Literature and Culture, choose ONE of J199/21, J199/22 or J199/23)

Duration: 1h 30m

J199/22 — Roman City Life (Literature and Culture, choose ONE of J199/21, J199/22 or J199/23)

Duration: 1h 30m

J199/23 — War and Warfare (Literature and Culture, choose ONE of J199/21, J199/22 or J199/23)

Duration: 1h 30m

J199/11 — Roman section: Aeneas story and founding myths (Livy) — weaker knowledge compared to Greek section

J199/11 2024 examiners noted that 'the Aeneas questions proved especially tricky for some. Knowledge of this topic seemed weaker' and 'candidates were confused by other episodes from the Aeneid — knowledge of Dido isn't necessary for this paper'. Several questions on Aeneas' household gods, his origins, and the founding of Rome produced many incorrect or very vague responses. This contrasts with the Greek section where Theseus and Heracles were 'dealt with very well'.

J199/11

J199/11 — Geography of ancient Rome: confusion between the Forum, Forum Boarium, Campus Martius and the locations of specific buildings

J199/11 2024 noted that 'some candidates were confused by the location of buildings within Rome. The geography of ancient Rome can be tricky' and specifically flagged confusion between the Forum and the Forum Boarium. The House of the Vestals was regularly confused with the Temple of Vesta, and the Campus Martius's function and contents were described vaguely.

J199/11

J199/12 — Mixing up Greek and Roman terminology, festivals and characters — applying Greek terms to Roman contexts and vice versa

J199/12 2023 noted 'there was some misapplication of Latin and Greek terms. Pudicitia and lenae often appeared in Section A, while hetairai and pornai appeared in Section B'. In 2024 the same pattern continued: 'Candidates need to be careful in using such terms'. Responses that confused Roman characters as Greek or Greek festivals as Roman were consistently penalised across both years.

J199/12

J199/21 — Homeric similes: candidates identify similes in the passage but neither quote them accurately nor explain the specific point of comparison

J199/21 2024 examiners described the simile question as 'the most challenging question on the paper'. Many 'simply stated the Greeks would know all about ships, but did not make any attempt to discuss what was happening to Polyphemus'. 'Many did not quote any part of the simile, throwing away AO1 marks'. The assessment for learning note stated candidates 'need to be drilled carefully in how to analyse similes precisely'.

J199/21

J199/21 — Mycenaean site details: confusion between Mycenae and Tiryns, and weak knowledge of Tiryns' galleries and curved wall

J199/21 2024 noted that 'a few candidates muddled it up with Mycenae, and distinctive elements like the curved wall and galleries were not well known'. Many candidates 'mistook the rooms for holes in the wall to fire arrows through' or 'believed they were some sort of burial area or sally port'. Knowledge of the killing boxes was good but the galleries — a key structural feature of Tiryns — were frequently neglected.

J199/21

J199/22 — Confusing the details of Trimalchio's dinner party (Petronius) with Nasidienus Rufus' dinner (Horace) in the literature section

J199/22 2024 explicitly flagged 'some confusion about which author wrote which work, and some muddling of details of the dinner parties of Trimalchio and Nasidienus Rufus'. Candidates who mixed these up produced incoherent literary essays. Examiners advised thorough revision to keep the two dinner parties distinct.

J199/22

J199/23 — Describing what happened at Thermopylae and Actium rather than analysing their significance to society

J199/23 2024 noted that 'some candidates paid too much attention to describing what happened in the battles, rather than concentrating on their significance to the society'. Question 7 on Thermopylae and Actium was popular but many responses became narrative accounts of the battles rather than analyses of why these battles mattered — their commemoration, their impact on Spartan ideology, Octavian's use of Actium for political legitimacy, and the beginning of the empire.

J199/23

J199/23 — Ignoring the rubric about the number of points: providing three or more items when asked for two, with only the first two marked

J199/23 2024 stated clearly: 'If a question requires two points, they must make no more than two points. Where more than two points were made, only the first two were marked.' The same rule appeared in J199/21 2024 and J199/12 2024. Many candidates listed three or four items believing examiners would choose the best ones — this is explicitly not the case.

J199/23, J199/21, J199/12