AQA GCSE English Literature (8702)
Exam structure at a glance for AQA GCSE English Literature: every paper with its time, marks and weighting, plus tiers, practicals and the links you need.
- Board
- AQA
- Specification code
- 8702
- Tiers
- No tiers (one paper set for all)
- First teaching
- 2015
- Exam papers
- 2 · 4 h in total
- Last checked
- 2026-10-20
The national curriculum content behind this GCSE: KS4 English programme of study.
Papers and weightings
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight | What it is (our summary) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel | 1 h 45 min | 64 | 40% | Section A: one question on the chosen Shakespeare play (extract, then whole play). Section B: one question on the chosen 19th-century novel (extract, then whole novel). Closed book. |
| Paper 2: Modern texts and poetry | 2 h 15 min | 96 | 60% | Section A: one essay (choice of two) on the modern prose or drama text. Section B: compare a printed anthology poem with another from the chosen cluster. Section C: one question on an unseen poem and one comparing two unseen poems. Closed book. |
Times are exam lengths; weightings are shares of the whole GCSE. Summaries are in our own words.
Good to know
- Set texts: closed book: students may not take the texts into the exam
Not yet confirmed by us: first exam year not shown on the page read (expected 2017); AO4 (SPaG) marks inside the 64/96 totals not shown on the page read. Check the specification.
Key dates
Summer 2027 exam series
- Entries deadline: Sun, 21 February 2027
- First exam: Mon, 10 May 2027
- Last GCSE exam: Fri, 18 June 2027
- Contingency day: Wed, 23 June 2027
- GCSE results day: Thu, 19 August 2027 (from a provisional board timetable)
Sources: JCQ key dates June 2027 (final (JCQ key dates)); JCQ key dates and timetables; JCQ timetable commentary. Check each board's final timetable for paper dates. Last checked 2026-10-20.
Specification, past papers and grade boundaries
- AQA: Specification at a glance (board website)
- AQA: Past papers and mark schemes (board website)
- AQA: Grade boundaries (board website)
Facts checked against: aqa.org.uk.
More packs
Exam facts (paper names, times, marks, weightings, tiers, codes) are taken from each exam board's own specification pages and summarised in our own words; no specification text, papers or mark schemes are reproduced. Exam details checked against the board's specification on 2026-10-20. Always check the current specification on the board's website.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (Ofqual and DfE pages on GOV.UK). Classfern is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department for Education, Ofqual, JCQ, AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR or WJEC Eduqas.
Questions teachers ask
How long are the AQA GCSE English Literature exams?
Paper 1: 1 h 45 min; Paper 2: 2 h 15 min.