Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Literature (4ET1): syllabus, papers and marking

Every answer is a levels essay. The rubric quotes the descriptor reached next to each mark and names what would have lifted the answer a level.

Specification Issue 3 (August 2025), first teaching 2016 · June and November series · grades 9–1

IGCSE English Literature: where the marks go

Edexcel International GCSE English Literature (4ET1) is two papers. Paper 1 is closed book (2 h, 90 marks): an unseen poem, an anthology poetry comparison and a modern prose essay. Paper 2 is open book (1 h 30 min, 60 marks): one 30-mark essay on the modern drama text and one on the literary heritage text, or the coursework component. Pearson’s June 2025 reports say the best answers use short embedded quotations, analyse language, form and structure together and weave in context.

Our papers are original questions to the published structure, with the unseen poem written for each paper. Marking returns the level and the assessment objective for each judgement, with the descriptor quoted and the next level’s requirement named.

How we mark a real script

Paper structure and what we mark

PaperTimeMarksWeightQuestions
Paper 1 — Poetry and Modern Prose2 h9060%Closed book: unseen poetry (20 marks), anthology poetry comparison (30), modern prose essay (40)
Paper 2 — Modern Drama and Literary Heritage Texts1 h 30 min6040%Open book: one 30-mark essay on the modern drama text and one on the literary heritage text (or coursework Component 3)

Syllabus outline

  1. Unseen poetry
  2. Anthology poetry (Part 3 of the Edexcel International GCSE English Anthology)
  3. Modern prose set text
  4. Modern drama set text
  5. Literary heritage set text

How each paper is marked here

Where IGCSE English Literature candidates lose marks

  1. Notes on each poem in turn — Weaker responses give an overview of one poem then the other; the higher levels compare them throughout.
  2. Language, form and structure in separate paragraphs — Examiners reward analysing them together, as parts of how meaning is made.
  3. Context at the end — AO4 is stronger when context is woven into the argument and not added as a closing paragraph.
  4. Quotations used as decoration — Quotations that support a point but are not analysed for effect keep the answer in the middle levels.
  5. Narrative retelling — Recounting events in the text, with no argument, is held at the lowest levels.

Sample papers, mark schemes and marked reports for IGCSE English Literature

Sample material

Questions teachers ask

Which set texts are covered?
Tell us the texts your school teaches; papers are written for the ones you name.
Is the coursework component marked here?
No. Coursework (Component 3) is marked at the centre.
Is the unseen poem original?
Yes. A new poem is written for each paper.
Is this official Pearson Edexcel marking?
No. Pearson Edexcel International marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for IGCSE English Literature. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.
Do you reproduce past-paper questions?
No. Every 4ET1 paper here is original and written to the specification issue 3 (august 2025), first teaching 2016, in the same structure as the real papers shown above.
Which papers are marked?
None yet are marked question by question. Practical exams sat at the centre are not marked here.
How is the next paper chosen?
From the marks a student lost: the concepts behind them are ranked by marks dropped, and the new paper weights those topics. It is the same syllabus and structure, with new questions.
When are the exams?
June and November series. Grades 9–1.

Other Pearson Edexcel International GCSE courses

Start marking English Literature scripts · See a real marked script