OCRGCSE42 resources

OCR GCSE English Literature Past Papers & Mark Schemes

Download free OCR GCSE English Literature past papers and mark schemes. 42 resources covering 2020 – 2023. Free PDF downloads.

📅2020 – 2023📄42 resources available✅Free to download

Papers Overview Paper Structure Key Info Key Topics Command Words Grade Boundaries Revision Tips Try AI Tutor ✦

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42 of 42 resources

June 2023

4 files

📄

English Literature (9-1) – Question paper – Exploring poetry and Shakespeare

Question Paper

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📋

English Literature (9-1) – Modified papers

Modified Paper

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📊

English Literature (9-1) – Examiners’ report – Exploring modern and literary heritage texts

Examiner Report

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✅

English Literature (9-1) – Mark scheme – Exploring modern and literary heritage texts

Mark Scheme

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June 2022

10 files

📄

English Literature (9-1) – Question paper – Modern prose or drama

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📄

English Literature (9-1) – Question paper – Modern prose or drama post exam correction

Question Paper

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📄

English Literature (9-1) – Question paper – Poetry across time

Question Paper

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English Literature (9-1) – Question paper – Shakespeare

Question Paper

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✅

English Literature (9-1) – Mark scheme – Poetry across time

Mark Scheme

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✅

English Literature (9-1) – Mark scheme – Shakespeare

Mark Scheme

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📋

English Literature (9-1) – Modified papers

Modified Paper

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📊

English Literature (9-1) – Examiners’ report – 19th century prose

Examiner Report

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✅

English Literature (9-1) – Mark scheme – 19th century prose

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📄

English Literature (9-1) – Question paper – 19th century prose

Question Paper

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November 2021

7 files

📄

English Literature (9-1) – Question paper – Modern prose or drama

Question Paper

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📄

English Literature (9-1) – Question paper – Poetry across time

Question Paper

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📄

English Literature (9-1) – Question paper – Shakespeare

Question Paper

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✅

English Literature (9-1) – Mark scheme – Shakespeare

Mark Scheme

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📋

English Literature (9-1) – Modified papers

Modified Paper

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✅

English Literature (9-1) – Mark scheme – 19th century prose

Mark Scheme

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📄

English Literature (9-1) – Question paper – 19th century prose

Question Paper

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November 2020

6 files

📄

English Literature (9-1) – Question paper – Exploring poetry and Shakespeare

Question Paper

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📋

English Literature (9-1) – Modified papers

Modified Paper

Download

📊

English Literature (9-1) – Examiners’ report – Exploring modern and literary heritage texts

Examiner Report

Download

✅

English Literature (9-1) – Mark scheme – Exploring modern and literary heritage texts

Mark Scheme

Download

📊

English Literature (9-1) – Examiners’ report – Exploring poetry and Shakespeare

Examiner Report

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✅

English Literature (9-1) – Mark scheme – Exploring poetry and Shakespeare

Mark Scheme

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No date

15 files

📄

English Literature (9-1) – Question paper – Practice Set 1

Question Paper

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📄

English Literature (9-1) – Question paper – Practice Set 1

Question Paper

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📝

English Literature (9-1) – Youth and Age

Sample Assessment Materials

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📝

English Literature (9-1) – Exploring modern and literary heritage texts

Sample Assessment Materials

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📝

English Literature (9-1) – Exploring modern and literary heritage texts – A Christmas Carol – Set 1

Sample Assessment Materials

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✅

English Literature (9-1) – Mark scheme – Practice Set 1

Mark Scheme

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📝

English Literature (9-1) – Exploring modern and literary heritage texts – A Christmas Carol – Set 2 and 3

Sample Assessment Materials

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✅

English Literature (9-1) – Mark scheme – Practice Set 1

Mark Scheme

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📝

English Literature (9-1) – Exploring modern and literary heritage texts – A Christmas Carol – Set 4 and 5

Sample Assessment Materials

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📝

English Literature (9-1) – Exploring modern and literary heritage texts – Leave Taking Set 1

Sample Assessment Materials

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📝

English Literature (9-1) – Exploring poetry and Shakespeare

Sample Assessment Materials

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English Literature (9-1) – Annotated sample assessment materials

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English Literature (9-1) – Love and Relationships

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📝

English Literature (9-1) – Conflict

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📝

English Literature (9-1) – Poetry across Time

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About OCR GCSE English Literature

OCR GCSE English Literature (specification J352) examines four texts: a Shakespeare play (typically Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, or The Merchant of Venice), a 19th-century novel (Great Expectations, Frankenstein, A Christmas Carol), modern prose or drama (An Inspector Calls, Lord of the Flies, DNA), and the OCR Poetry Anthology. Two 2-hour papers each worth 80 marks. Paper 1 (Exploring Modern and Literary Heritage Texts) covers the 19th-century novel and the modern text. Paper 2 (Exploring Poetry and Shakespeare) covers the poetry anthology and the Shakespeare play. Each paper has two sections, each worth 40 marks. Questions on the unseen poem (Paper 2 Section A) test analytical skill without prior preparation. Questions on the prepared texts ask candidates to analyse a printed extract with reference to the wider work.

Exam Paper Structure

Paper 1

First exam paper

⏱ 1h 30min🎯 80 marks📊 50% of grade

Paper 2

Second exam paper

⏱ 1h 30min🎯 80 marks📊 50% of grade

Key Information

Exam Board	OCR
Specification Code	J352
Qualification	GCSE
Grading Scale	9–1
Assessment Type	2
Number Of Papers	2
Exam Duration	1 hour 30 minutes per paper
Total Marks	160–180
Available Sessions	2020 – 2023
Total Resources	42

Key Topics in English Literature

Topics you need to know

Shakespeare play19th-century novelModern prose or dramaOCR Poetry AnthologyUnseen poetryContext and AO3

Exam Command Words

Command word	What the examiner expects
Analyse	Examine in detail how language, structure or form creates meaning and effect
Compare	Identify similarities and differences in writers’ choices and effects
Evaluate	Make a judgement about the success or impact of a text, supporting it with evidence
Explain	Give reasons for an effect, supported by precise textual reference
Comment on	Offer an interpretation of a feature or quotation
Discuss	Consider different interpretations or aspects of a text

Typical Grade Boundaries

Grade	Approximate mark needed
Grade 9	76–86%
Grade 8	63–75%
Grade 7	51–62%
Grade 6	43–50%
Grade 5	35–42%
Grade 4	27–34%

⚠️ Typical Higher tier boundaries across two papers. Actual boundaries vary by series — check the awarding body website.

How to Use OCR GCSE English Literature Past Papers Effectively

Quotation memorisation is non-negotiable for OCR English Literature. Aim for fifteen quotations per text, organised by theme, character, and structural function. Examiner reports show that strong analyses use four to five precise quotations per essay rather than fewer long passages. For the unseen poem, follow a three-step routine: read for sense, annotate for sound (rhyme scheme, alliteration, sibilance, plosives), annotate for sense (lexical fields, imagery, ambiguity). Practise this with twelve unseen poems before the exam, timing yourself at 7 minutes for annotation. Context (AO3) is worth 15% of marks. Memorise three contextual facts per text — not biographical trivia, but politically or socially significant facts the writer was responding to. For An Inspector Calls: the 1912 setting vs the 1945 audience (post-war reform); for A Christmas Carol: the 1843 publication coincided with debates about the New Poor Law; for Macbeth: James I's interest in witchcraft (Daemonologie 1597). For Shakespeare extract questions, the strongest responses zoom in on three precise lines from the printed extract and zoom out to one wider connection. Examiner reports criticise candidates who paraphrase whole speeches without close analysis.

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Related Past Papers

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OCR GCSE English Literature Past Papers & Mark Schemes

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June 2023

June 2022

November 2021

November 2020

No date

About OCR GCSE English Literature

Exam Paper Structure

Key Information

Key Topics in English Literature

Exam Command Words

Typical Grade Boundaries

How to Use OCR GCSE English Literature Past Papers Effectively

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