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OCR A-level English Literature

H472

Specification H472. "Paper" and "Mark scheme" open the exam board's official PDF directly — we don't host any files.

About this qualification

OCR A-level English Literature (H472)

OCR A-level English Literature (H472) requires the study of at least eight texts, including at least two each of prose, poetry and drama. It has two closed-text written exams, each 2 hours 30 minutes, 60 marks and 40% of the A-level: Paper 1, Drama and poetry pre-1900, covers a Shakespeare play and a comparison of a pre-1900 drama text with a pre-1900 poetry text; Paper 2, Comparative and contextual study, covers one topic area, with an unseen prose extract and a comparative essay on two texts. The non-exam assessment, Literature post-1900 (40 marks, 20%), covers three post-1900 texts.

PaperWhat it coversTimeMarksWeight
H472/01 Paper 1: Drama and poetry pre-1900Section 1, Shakespeare: one two-part question on the studied play (30 marks): close analysis of an extract (15 marks) and a response to a proposition about the play as a whole (15 marks). Section 2, Drama and poetry pre-1900: one comparative essay, chosen from six questions, discussing one pre-1900 drama text and one pre-1900 poetry text (30 marks). Closed text.2h 30m6040%
H472/02 Paper 2: Comparative and contextual studyOne topic from American Literature 1880–1940, The Gothic, Dystopia, Women in Literature or The Immigrant Experience. Task 1: close reading of an unseen prose extract (30 marks). Task 2: one comparative essay, chosen from three questions, on two whole texts, at least one from the topic's core set text list (30 marks). Closed text.2h 30m6040%

Official specification · verified October 2026 ↗

June 20252 papers

H472/01Paper 1 (Drama and poetry pre-1900)

H472/02Paper 2 (Comparative and contextual study)

June 20242 papers

H472/01Paper 1 (Drama and poetry pre-1900)

H472/02Paper 2 (Comparative and contextual study)

June 20232 papers

H472/01Paper 1 (Drama and poetry pre-1900)

H472/02Paper 2 (Comparative and contextual study)

June 20222 papers

H472/01Paper 1 (Drama and poetry pre-1900)

H472/02Paper 2 (Comparative and contextual study)

November 20212 papers

H472/01Paper 1 (Drama and poetry pre-1900)

H472/02Paper 2 (Comparative and contextual study)

June 20172 papers

H472/01Paper 1 (Drama and poetry pre-1900)

H472/02Paper 2 (Comparative and contextual study)

Specimen papers2 papers

H472/01Paper 1 (Drama and poetry pre-1900)

H472/02Paper 2 (Comparative and contextual study)

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