AQA English Literature Paper 1: texts, marks and how to prepare

Key takeaways

• →Paper 1 lasts 1 hour 45 minutes, is worth 64 marks and makes up 40% of the GCSE. It is closed book, so students must know their play and novel closely.
• →Section A, Shakespeare, is worth 34 marks: 30 for the answer plus 4 for spelling, punctuation, vocabulary and sentence structure (AO4). Section B, the novel, is worth 30 marks with no AO4 marks.
• →AQA suggests 50 to 55 minutes on each section, including about 10 minutes to read and plan. Plan both answers and keep to the clock.
• →The exam is on Wednesday 12 May 2027, in the morning. AQA’s own past papers and mark schemes are the best practice material.

1. What Paper 1 is, and when it is

AQA GCSE English Literature (8702) has two papers. Paper 1 is called Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel. It is worth 64 marks and counts for 40% of the GCSE. Paper 2 makes up the other 60%.^[2]

Paper 1 is a written exam of 1 hour 45 minutes. It is closed book, so students do not have the play or novel with them. Each question gives a short extract instead.^[1]

Students answer two questions: one in Section A on Shakespeare and one in Section B on the 19th-century novel. Each question first asks about the printed extract, then about the whole play or novel. AQA’s paper also tells students they must not use a dictionary.^[5]

In 2027, AQA’s timetable puts Paper 1 on Wednesday 12 May, in the morning. Paper 2 follows a week later, on Wednesday 19 May.^[12]

AQA’s English subjects page also lists 12 May 2027 as the next exam for this GCSE.^[13]

Students must stay available until the contingency day, Wednesday 23 June 2027, in case an exam has to be moved.^[12]

2. The set texts

Section A is Shakespeare. Students study one of six plays: Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing or Julius Caesar.^[3]

Section B is the 19th-century novel. Students study one of seven: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson; A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens; Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë; Frankenstein by Mary Shelley; Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; or The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.^[3]

AQA’s 2025 examiners’ report says Macbeth and A Christmas Carol were the most popular choices.^[8]

3. The two sections, with marks and timing

Section A is worth 34 marks: 30 for the answer, plus 4 for AO4. Section B is worth 30 marks and has no AO4 marks.^[6]

AQA’s teacher training calls AO4 spelling, punctuation and grammar, often shortened to SPaG, and says it is assessed only in Section A.^[10]

AQA’s teacher handout suggests 50 to 55 minutes on each section, including about 10 minutes of reading and planning.^[7]

4. Timing in practice

AQA’s suggested times add up to 100 to 110 minutes, either side of the 105 you get. Our suggestion, not AQA’s, is about 50 minutes on each section and 5 minutes to check.^[7]

AQA’s 2025 examiners’ report says some students wrote too much on the first text, then rushed the second or left no time to proofread. It advises splitting time equally between the sections.^[8]

5. What the questions reward

AQA’s specification marks Paper 1 against four assessment objectives, or AOs. These are the skills the exam rewards.^[4]

Each 30-mark answer is split into AO1 (12 marks), AO2 (12) and AO3 (6). Section A adds the 4 AO4 marks.^[6]

AQA says AO1 and AO2 carry the most weight, together making up 80% of the GCSE. Its advice is to answer the question in all its parts, and the objectives then follow naturally.^[10]

6. How the marks are given

Each 30-mark answer is placed in one of six levels, with five marks in each. Level 1 is 1 to 5 marks and Level 6 is 26 to 30.^[6]

At Level 6, answers are critical and exploratory, with a clear argument about the task and the whole text, precise references, careful analysis of methods and detailed links to context. At Level 4, they are clear and explained, with effective references. At Level 2, comments are supported but limited.^[6]

Examiners use best fit. They judge the whole answer, and strength in one area can make up for weakness in another.^[6]

Each task has two parts, the extract and the whole text. AQA’s mark scheme treats missing a defining feature of the task, including that requirement, as a rubric infringement. That can cap the answer at the top of Level 2, which is 10 marks out of 30.^[6]

The 4 AO4 marks are banded too. Four marks mean consistently accurate spelling and punctuation, with vocabulary and sentence structures that control meaning well. Two or three mean considerable accuracy and range. One means reasonable accuracy, with errors that do not get in the way of meaning.^[6]

7. Common mistakes and how to avoid them

These come from AQA’s examiners’ reports on the June 2025 and June 2023 papers. Using the extract as the whole answer: use it as a starting point, then refer to the rest of the play or novel.^[8]

Pre-prepared paragraphs that do not fit the question, often from online or social media sources. Examiners want to see what you think and why.^[8]

Misreading the question. A how question asks you to explore the writer’s methods. A how far question needs your own judgement across different parts of the text.^[8]

Long history lessons. Context must be brief and tied to the question’s idea, and sweeping claims about the period or the author add little.^[8]

The 2023 report adds that stronger answers used the text itself as their main evidence.^[9]

Quotations lifted out of context, or techniques named without explaining their effect. Examiners value why a writer chooses words and images more than the label for the technique.^[8]

Spelling the writer, characters or title wrongly. Examiners advise checking these, and leaving time to plan and proofread.^[8]

Answer the question you are given, not the one you prepared.

Plan before you write: Spend part of your first 10 minutes on a short plan: your view, three points and a moment from later in the text. It keeps you on the question and stops you retelling the story.

8. What has changed recently

We found no change to the structure, marks or timing of Paper 1. AQA’s autumn 2026 update for GCSE English does not announce any change to Literature papers or mark schemes.^[16]

AQA’s June 2025 mark scheme gives 30 marks to each question, with 4 extra AO4 marks in Section A only.^[6]

AQA releases past papers on its website about a year after each series, so the summer 2026 papers are due on 9 July 2027.^[14]

From summer 2027, AQA says it will change the layout and style of question papers in all subjects except modern foreign languages, with sources in one left-aligned column and less bold, italic, capital and underlined text. It does not say marks or timings change, or name English Literature, so check with your child’s school.^[15]

9. How to revise

Know the texts closely. The exam is closed book, so learn the plot, the main characters, how they change and the big ideas. AQA’s examiners say stronger answers move between the extract and the whole text.^[8]

Learn short quotations for each main character and idea. AQA’s examiners say a reference to a moment in the text can count, not only a direct quotation. Keep quotations short and use them in context.^[8]

Plan every answer, even in practice. AQA’s examiners praise clearer introductions that state a view and then develop it.^[8]

Practise to time. Write one Section A and one Section B answer, about 50 minutes each, with the first 10 minutes for reading and planning.^[7]

Use AQA’s own materials. AQA’s specification page points to past papers, mark schemes and examiners’ reports, plus exemplar student answers with examiner commentary.^[17]

Past papers and mark schemes stay on AQA’s website for about three years. Schools can get the newest ones earlier, so ask your child’s teacher what is available for mocks.^[14]

AQA also publishes annotated example answers to a Shakespeare question and a novel question, with examiner comments. They are dated 2014, so use them to see how answers are marked, not to copy question style.^[11]

Mark each answer against the levels, and note which skill lost the most marks.

Our GCSE English Literature guide covers the whole course, our AQA English Language Paper 1 guide covers the Language exam, and a companion guide covers Literature Paper 2.

10. How Brainhub can help

Our GCSE students typically improve by 2 grades over 12 weeks of weekly lessons (Brainhub student records, 2021–2026). That figure is our own data, not independent research.

We teach one-to-one, live online across the UK, with online GCSE lessons from £30 an hour. Every family starts with a free 45-minute assessment, so we can see whether text knowledge, extract analysis or timing needs the most work first.

1. 1. How many marks is AQA English Literature Paper 1 worth, and how are they split between the sections?

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2. 2. What does AO4 reward, and where is it marked on Paper 1?

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3. 3. When is Paper 1 in 2027?

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Your next steps

• Write a Section A and a Section B answer under timed conditions, about 50 minutes each, using an AQA past paper.
• Mark them against AQA’s levels and check the spelling of the writer, characters and titles.
• Book a free 45-minute assessment to see which skill needs the most work.

Subject guides to go with this

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