Daniel O.
GH-T1118
English teacher and former AQA Literature examiner
PromotedExaminer experience verified
English Language · English Literature · Birmingham
£50/hour
View profile GCSE subject guide
GCSE English Literature
English Literature is examined on set texts your child’s school has chosen, usually a Shakespeare play, a 19th-century novel, a modern text and a poetry anthology. Exams are closed book.
AQA 8702 · Edexcel 1ET0 · OCR J352
- Papers
- AQA: 1 hr 45 min and 2 hr 15 min
- Texts
- Shakespeare, 19th-century novel, modern text, poetry
- Books in exam
- Not allowed: quotations must be learned
- Tiers
- Single tier, grades 1–9
Before you look for a tutor
Ask the school which texts and which poetry cluster your child is studying. Text choices vary a lot between schools, and a tutor who has taught those exact texts can start straight away.
Where marks are usually lost
Retelling the plot instead of analysing it, thin knowledge of context, and too few short quotations. In poetry comparison, students often run out of time before reaching the second poem.
How a tutor usually helps
Building a bank of short, flexible quotations by theme, planning answers in five minutes, and practising essays against the clock. Examiner-experienced tutors can explain how mark schemes reward a well-argued response.
Details differ by board and change over time. Always check the current specification on the exam board’s website.
Approved tutors for GCSE English Literature
Further reading
How to use past papers properly
Past papers help most when they are used to find gaps. Doing paper after paper without reviewing them rarely changes a grade.
Tell us what your child needs. We will do the searching.
A member of our team reads every request and replies with a shortlist of approved tutors, or an honest update if we need more time.