OCR GCSE & IGCSE English Literature
J352
Specification J352. "Paper" and "Mark scheme" open the exam board's official PDF directly — we don't host any files.
OCR GCSE (9–1) English Literature (J352)
OCR GCSE English Literature (J352) is assessed by two untiered, closed-text papers, each 2 hours, 80 marks and 50% of the GCSE. Paper 1, Exploring modern and literary heritage texts, covers one modern prose or drama set text, compared with an unseen same-genre extract, and one 19th-century prose set text. Paper 2, Exploring poetry and Shakespeare, covers one themed cluster from the OCR Poetry Anthology, compared with an unseen poem, and one Shakespeare play. For the 2021 and 2022 series these were split into four 40-mark papers (components 11, 12, 21 and 22), with Shakespeare compulsory plus two of the other three.
| Paper | What it covers | Time | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J352/01 Exploring modern and literary heritage texts | Closed text. Section A (40 marks): one modern prose or drama set text, comparing an extract with an unseen modern same-genre extract plus a related question; Section B (40 marks): one 19th-century prose set text, choosing an extract-based or a discursive question. | 2h | 80 | 50% |
| J352/02 Exploring poetry and Shakespeare | Closed text. Section A (40 marks): one themed cluster from the OCR Poetry Anthology, comparing a named anthology poem with an unseen poem plus a question on another anthology poem; Section B (40 marks): one Shakespeare play, choosing an extract-based or a discursive question. | 2h | 80 | 50% |
| J352/11 Modern prose or drama (adapted component) | Adapted component used in the November 2021 and June 2022 series in place of J352/01 Section A, as an optional component: one studied modern prose or drama text compared with an unseen same-genre extract, plus a related question. Closed text. | 1h 15m | 40 | 33.3% |
| J352/12 19th century prose (adapted component) | Adapted component used in the November 2021 and June 2022 series in place of J352/01 Section B, as an optional component: one studied 19th-century prose text, choosing an extract-based or a discursive question. Closed text. | 50m | 40 | 33.3% |
| J352/21 Poetry across time (adapted component) | Adapted component used in the November 2021 and June 2022 series in place of J352/02 Section A, as an optional component: one studied thematic cluster from the OCR Poetry Anthology, including comparison with an unseen poem. Closed text. | 1h 15m | 40 | 33.3% |
| J352/22 Shakespeare (adapted component) | Adapted compulsory component used in the November 2021 and June 2022 series in place of J352/02 Section B: one studied Shakespeare play, choosing an extract-based or a discursive question; in this arrangement it carried all the AO4 marks. Closed text. | 50m | 40 | 33.3% |
June 20252 papers
J352/01Paper 1 (Exploring modern and literary heritage texts)
J352/02Paper 2 (Exploring poetry and Shakespeare)
June 20242 papers
J352/01Paper 1 (Exploring modern and literary heritage texts)
J352/02Paper 2 (Exploring poetry and Shakespeare)
June 20232 papers
J352/01Paper 1 (Exploring modern and literary heritage texts)
J352/02Paper 2 (Exploring poetry and Shakespeare)
June 20224 papers
J352/11Paper 11 (Modern prose or drama)
J352/12Paper 12 (19th century prose)
J352/21Paper 21 (Poetry across time)
J352/22Paper 22 (Shakespeare)
November 20214 papers
J352/11Paper 11 (Modern prose or drama)
J352/12Paper 12 (19th century prose)
J352/21Paper 21 (Poetry across time)
J352/22Paper 22 (Shakespeare)
June 20172 papers
J352/01Paper 1 (Exploring modern and literary heritage texts)
J352/02Paper 2 (Exploring poetry and Shakespeare)
Every link above points to a PDF published by OCR. The most recent series is usually teacher-only until the board releases it publicly. Broken link? Tell us.
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