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2 hours 15 minutes · 80 marks · 50% of GCSE
Paper 2 has two sections and four questions, each worth 20 marks. The exam is closed book: texts are not allowed, and the paper prints the extract and the poems it asks about.
40 marks · ~55 minutes
Part 1 · 20 marks · ~35 minutes
Part 2 · 20 marks · ~45 minutes
Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly old man, is visited on Christmas Eve by three spirits who show him the error of his ways. Dickens wrote the novella to highlight the plight of the Victorian poor and promote compassion and generosity.
Redemption, social injustice, Christmas spirit, greed vs generosity, family, isolation
Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Fred, Fezziwig, Marley, Belle, the three spirits
Victorian poverty, the Poor Law (1834), Malthusian economics, industrial revolution, workhouses
Pip, an orphan raised by his sister and her husband Joe, comes into a mysterious fortune and moves to London to become a gentleman. Dickens explores class, ambition, loyalty, and the true meaning of being a "gentleman."
Class and social mobility, ambition and self-improvement, guilt, loyalty, justice, love and rejection
Pip, Estella, Miss Havisham, Joe Gargery, Magwitch, Herbert Pocket, Jaggers
The respectable Dr Jekyll creates a potion that transforms him into the evil Mr Hyde. Stevenson explores the duality of human nature and Victorian repression.
Duality of man, repression, science and religion, secrecy, reputation, good vs evil
Dr Jekyll, Mr Hyde, Mr Utterson, Dr Lanyon, Mr Enfield, Poole
An orphaned girl endures a cruel childhood, becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall, and falls in love with the brooding Mr Rochester. Jane struggles for independence, equality, and moral integrity in a patriarchal society.
Independence, gender equality, social class, religion, love and passion, the Gothic
Jane Eyre, Mr Rochester, Mrs Reed, Helen Burns, St John Rivers, Bertha Mason
Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy overcome their initial misjudgements to find love. Austen satirises the marriage market, class snobbery, and the limited options available to women in Regency England.
Pride and prejudice, marriage, class, reputation, gender, love vs financial security
Elizabeth Bennet, Mr Darcy, Jane Bennet, Mr Bingley, Mr Wickham, Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Victor Frankenstein creates a living creature from dead body parts, then abandons it in horror. The creature, rejected by society, turns to violence. Shelley explores the dangers of unchecked ambition, parental responsibility, and what makes us human.
Dangerous knowledge, nature vs nurture, isolation, monstrosity, creation and responsibility, the sublime
Victor Frankenstein, the Creature, Robert Walton, Elizabeth Lavenza, Henry Clerval
A weaver falsely accused of theft becomes a recluse obsessed with his gold. When his gold is stolen and a golden-haired orphan appears, Silas finds redemption through love and community. Eliot explores class, faith, and moral worth.
Community and isolation, faith, moral values, class, family, redemption
Silas Marner, Eppie, Godfrey Cass, Dunstan Cass, Dolly Winthrop
Pearson's anthology has four collections of 15 poems, and your school will have studied one. In Section B Part 1 you compare a named poem (printed in the exam) with one of your choice from the same collection.
The site has no study guides to this collection yet.
You will be given two contemporary poems you have never seen before, linked by a theme, and one question asking you to compare them (20 marks). This part tests your ability to analyse poetry independently.
The question tells you what to compare: how the poets present a theme the two poems share. Read each poem with that theme in mind.
You must compare how the poets present the theme across both poems. The marks are for your response, supported by references (8), and for analysis of methods (12). Context is not assessed in this part.
Use these when approaching any poem - anthology or unseen.
| Section | Marks | Time | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| A(a): The Extract | 20 | ~27 mins | Stay with the extract: language, form, structure |
| A(b): The Whole Novel | 20 | ~28 mins | 5 min plan, then range across the novel |
| B Part 1: Anthology Poetry | 20 | ~35 mins | Compare named poem with your choice |
| B Part 2: Unseen Poetry | 20 | ~45 mins | Read both poems twice, then compare |
These are the question paper's own timings, and they add up to the full 2 hours 15 minutes, so check each answer in the last few minutes of its section.
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