lit paper 2 edexcel

GCSE Edexcel English Literature Paper 2: A Christmas Carol Exam Booklet

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English Literature GCSE Past Papers

This section includes recent GCSE English Literature past papers from AQA, Edexcel, Eduqas, OCR, WJEC and CIE IGCSE. If you are not sure which exam board you are studying ask your teacher. Past exam papers are a fantastic way to prepare for an exam as you can practise the questions in your own time. You can download each of the exam board's papers by clicking the links below.

• AQA GCSE English Literature Past Papers
• CIE IGCSE English Literature Past Papers
• Edexcel GCSE English Literature Past Papers
• Eduqas GCSE English Literature Past Papers
• OCR GCSE English Literature Past Papers
• Pearson Edexcel IGCSE English Literature Past Papers
• WJEC GCSE English Literature Past Papers

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Lit Paper 2 – Edexcel

Lit Paper 2 – Unseen Poetry (Edexcel)

So, you are preparing for the final literature paper and AQA have decided to settle for two poems, one by a very well known poet and the other by a lesser known one, which is typical. The first has a question, based on a certain thing and the last one in the exam is a compare and contrast to the first. That is typical and you have completed all the other texts in the Lit component and now, you have to do this task which to most students, seems daunting. 

I have to ask why this is the case. I really do, for they are nothing but words on a page. 

To show you what I mean, have a look at this below. 

Warning Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me. And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter. I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells And run my stick along the public railings And make up for the sobriety of my youth. I shall go out in my slippers in the rain And pick flowers in other people’s gardens And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat And eat three pounds of sausages at a go Or only bread and pickle for a week And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry And pay our rent and not swear in the street And set a good example for the children. We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practise a little now? So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Pushing Forty Alison Fell

Just before winter we see the trees show their true colours: the mad yellow of chestnuts two maples like blood sisters the orange beech braver than lipstick

Pushing forty, we vow that when the time comes rather than wither ladylike and white we will henna our hair like Colette, we too will be gold and red and go out in a last wild blaze

At the end of the day, when you stop seeing such as these as a poem, what you see is a bit of writing that shares some ideas about getting older in life. At 62 nearly, I can see how this might appear daunting for the modern fifteen year old man or woman, but as a student, you need to see the words for what they are, mere words with meaning. 

Poetry tends to turn students right off for some reason and even though I am a multi published writer and poet, I fail to see why poetry is elevated into such a position as it is. 

Try this for me and see what I mean. 

Read this text, out loud…

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple, with a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me. And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves and satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter. I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired and gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells and run my stick along the public railings and make up for the sobriety of my youth.   I shall go out in my slippers in the rain and pick flowers in other people’s gardens and learn to spit. You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat and eat three pounds of sausages at a go, or only bread and pickle for a week and hoard pens and pencils and beer mats and things in boxes.   But now we must have clothes that keep us dry and pay our rent and not swear in the street and set a good example for the children. We must have friends to dinner and read the papers. But maybe I ought to practice a little now? So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised when suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Likewise, try reading this out loud now…

Just before winter we see the trees show their true colours: the mad yellow of chestnuts, two maples like blood sisters, the orange beech, braver than lipstick. Pushing forty, we vow that when the time comes rather than wither, ladylike and white, we will henna our hair like Colette. We too will be gold and red and go out in a last wild blaze.

Nothing has been changed!

In the end, both of these pieces of writing (poems) are simple thoughts written onto a page to make the shape we know to be a poem and that is it, but the examinations ask us to then look at things like meanings and intent of writer and stylistic techniques. 

Yawn! 

So, what does each one actually mean? What things would you expect to see in the exam answer? Well, the question was based on the idea of how ‘Warning’ presents ideas of growing old.

As a GCSE marker, I would expect the following…  

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2020 Edexcel GCSE English Literature Paper 2 1ET0/02 Mark Scheme

The 2020 Edexcel GCSE English Literature Paper 2 1ET0/02 Mark Scheme. The exam date for the 1ET0/02 Edexcel GCSE English Literature paper was 21st May 2020. View and download the Edexcel GCSE English Literature past papers.

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