GCSE English Literature WJEC Specification

Paper 1

2 hours

40% of qualification

This component assesses learners on Shakespeare and poetry from 1789 to the present day. In Section A, learners will need to show their knowledge of dramatic techniques and demonstrate their understanding of plot, characterisation, events and key themes; they will need to analyse language, structure and form closely in order to engage critically with the text. In Section B, learners have the opportunity to show their understanding of the poems and the relationships between them and the contexts in which they were written.

Section A (20%) Shakespeare

(40 marks)

Romeo and Juliet; OR Macbeth; OR Othello; OR Much Ado About Nothing; OR Henry V; OR The Merchant of Venice

Learners study one text from the above prescribed list.

This assessment will test, through one extract-based question and one essay question on the text as a whole, knowledge and understanding of a Shakespeare text. Learners will be expected to comment on Shakespeare’s use of language, structure and form and show an understanding of key themes, characters and ideas within the text. This section will also test learners' spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Section A assesses AO1, AO2 and AO4.

Learners are not permitted to take copies of the set texts into the examination.

Section B (20%) Poetry 1789 to the present day (40 marks)

This assessment will test knowledge and understanding of poetry from 1789 to the present day. Learners will be assessed on two poems from the WJEC Eduqas Poetry Anthology.

In the first question, learners will be asked to write about a specified poem.

In the second question, learners will be asked to write about a second poem chosen from the WJEC Eduqas Poetry Anthology, and compare it to the first. Learners will be expected to consider the context of each poem, its content and key ideas, and the poets’ use of language, structure and form. Learners must study all of the poems in the WJEC Eduqas Poetry Anthology in preparation for this assessment. The anthology covers a range of poetry and is designed to…