Specifications that use this resource:

GCSE English Literature 8702

Switching to AQA: from Eduqas

Compare our GCSE English Literature (8702) to Eduqas’ offering.

Although each exam board’s specification is different, the Department for Education (DfE) and Ofqual state that they all need to include the following:

at least one Shakespeare play
at least one 19th -century novel
a number of unseen texts
a comparison of unseen texts
an assessment of students’ use of vocabulary, sentence structure, spelling and punctuation (AO4).

Key similarities

Both boards have two papers, the first is worth 40% and the second is worth 60% of the GCSE.
Both boards use extract-to-whole style questions.
Both boards allocate marks for AO4 in Section A of each assessment.
Both boards include a question asking students to compare two unseen poems.
Both poetry questions print a poem from the Anthology and require the student to choose the poem they’d like to compare.

Key differences

AQA offers a wider choice of texts for the modern, 19th -century novel sections and poetry sections, increasing your chances of finding something to inspire your students.
AQA provide a choice of two clusters of poetry in their anthology; Eduqas provide one cluster of poetry in their Anthology.
AQA recognises the skills of Literature analysis are intertwined and therefore assess AO1, AO2 and AO3 holistically in every question, except the unseen poetry.
AQA offer students a choice of two questions on their chosen modern text.

Assessment comparison

Paper 1

AQA	Eduqas
1hr 45 mins	2hrs
64 marks	80 marks
40% of GCSE	40% of GCSE

Section A

AQA	Eduqas
Section A: Shakespeare	Section A: Shakespeare
One extract-based essay question. Students write about an extract from their chosen play, and the play as a whole - all within the same response.	Two essay questions. The first question focuses on an extract, the second focuses on the whole play.
AO1, AO2 and A03 are assessed holistically across Section A and Section B. AO4 is only assessed in Section A (4 marks).	Section A assesses AO1 and AO2. AO4 is only assessed in Section A (5 marks).

AQA

Eduqas

Section A: Shakespeare

One extract-based essay question. Students write about an extract from their chosen play, and the play as a whole - all within the same response.

Two essay questions. The first question focuses on an extract, the second focuses on the whole play.

AO1, AO2 and A03 are assessed holistically across Section A and Section B.

AO4 is only assessed in Section A (4 marks).

Section A assesses AO1 and AO2.

AO4 is only assessed in Section A (5 marks).

Section B

AQA	Eduqas
Section B: The 19th-century novel	Section B: Poetry from 1789 to the present day
One extract-based essay question. Students write about an extract from their chosen novel and the play as a whole.	Two essay questions. The first question is on a printed poem from the Eduqas Anthology. The second question requires students to choose a poem from the anthology and compare it to the printed poem from the first question.
AO1, AO2 and A03 are assessed holistically across Section A and Section B.	Section B assesses AO1, AO2 and AO3.

AQA

Eduqas

Section B: The 19th-century novel

Section B: Poetry from 1789 to the present day

One extract-based essay question. Students write about an extract from their chosen novel and the play as a whole.

Two essay questions. The first question is on a printed poem from the Eduqas Anthology.

The second question requires students to choose a poem from the anthology and compare it to the printed poem from the first question.

AO1, AO2 and A03 are assessed holistically across Section A and Section B.

Section B assesses AO1, AO2 and AO3.

Paper 2

AQA	Eduqas
2hrs 15 mins	2hrs 30mins
96 marks	120 marks
60% of GCSE	60% of GCSE

Section A

AQA	Eduqas
Section A: Modern texts	Section A: Post-1914 prose/drama
One essay question from a choice of two. Students write about their chosen text.	One extract-based essay question. Students are required to write about an extract from their chosen text, and the text as a whole, all within the same response.
Section A and Section B assess AO1, AO2 and AO3 holistically. AO4 is only assessed in Section A (4 marks).	Section A and assesses AO1, AO2 and AO4.

AQA

Eduqas

Section A: Modern texts

Section A: Post-1914 prose/drama

One essay question from a choice of two. Students write about their chosen text.

One extract-based essay question. Students are required to write about an extract from their chosen text, and the text as a whole, all within the same response.

Section A and Section B assess AO1, AO2 and AO3 holistically.

AO4 is only assessed in Section A (4 marks).

Section A and assesses AO1, AO2 and AO4.

Section B

AQA	Eduqas
Section B: Poetry	Section B: 19th-century prose
One question comparing two poems from the AQA Anthology. One poem will be printed on the paper. Students choose the second poem from the anthology cluster.	One extract-based essay question. Students are required to write about an extract from their chosen novel, and the play as a whole.
Section A and Section B assess AO1, AO2 and AO3 holistically.	Section B assesses AO1, AO2 and AO3.

AQA

Eduqas

Section B: Poetry

Section B: 19th-century prose

One question comparing two poems from the AQA Anthology. One poem will be printed on the paper. Students choose the second poem from the anthology cluster.

One extract-based essay question. Students are required to write about an extract from their chosen novel, and the play as a whole.

Section A and Section B assess AO1, AO2 and AO3 holistically.

Section B assesses AO1, AO2 and AO3.

Section C

AQA	Eduqas
Section C: Unseen Poetry	Unseen poetry from the 20th/21st-century
Two questions: one question on an unseen poem and one question comparing this poem with a second unseen poem.	Two questions: one on an unseen poem, one comparing the unseen poem with a second unseen poem.
The first question assesses AO1 and AO2, the second question assesses AO2.	Section C assesses AO1 and AO2.

AQA

Eduqas

Section C: Unseen Poetry

Unseen poetry from the 20th/21st-century

Two questions: one question on an unseen poem and one question comparing this poem with a second unseen poem.

Two questions: one on an unseen poem, one comparing the unseen poem with a second unseen poem.

The first question assesses AO1 and AO2, the second question assesses AO2.

Section C assesses AO1 and AO2.

Text comparison

19th-century novel

AQA	Eduqas
Jane Eyre Great Expectations The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde A Christmas Carol Pride and Prejudice Frankenstein The Sign of Four	A Christmas Carol Jane Eyre The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Pride and Prejudice Silas Marner The War of the Worlds

Modern text/Post-1914 British play or novel

AQA	Eduqas
Animal Farm An Inspector Calls Anita and Me Blood Brothers Lord of the Flies Pigeon English A Taste of Honey DNA The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (play-script) The History Boys Never Let Me Go Telling Tales (AQA only) AQA short story anthology AQA past and present poetry anthology	A taste of Honey An Inspector Calls Anita and Me Blood Brothers DNA Journey’s End Lord of the Flies My Mother Said I Never Should Never Let Me Go Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Nighttime (play-script) The History Boys The Woman In Black Eduqas poetry anthology

Love and relationships

AQA	Eduqas
When We Two Parted – Lord Byron Love’s Philosophy – Percy Bysshe Shelley Porphyria’s Lover – Robert Browning Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’ – Elizabeth Barrett Browning Neutral Tones – Thomas Hardy Letters From Yorkshire – Maura Dooley The Farmer’s Bride – Charlotte Mew Walking Away – Cecil Day-Lewis Eden Rock – Charles Causley Follower – Seamus Heaney Mother, any distance – Simon Armitage Before You Were Mine – Carol Ann Duffy Winter Swans – Owen Sheers Singh Song! – Daljit Nagra Climbing My Grandfather – Andrew Waterhouse	The Manhunt – Simon Armitage Sonnet 43 – Elizabeth Barrett Browning London – William Blake The Soldier – Rupert Brooke She Walks in Beauty – Lord Byron Living Space – Imtiaz Dharker As Imperceptibly as Grief – Emily Dickinson Cozy Apologia – Rita Dove Valentine – Carol Ann Duffy A Wife in London – Thomas Hardy Death of a Naturalist – Seamus Heaney Hawk Roosting – Ted Hughes To Autumn – John Keats Afternoons – Philip Larkin Dulce et Decorum Est – Wilfred Owen Ozymandias – Percy Bysshe Shelley Mametz Wood – Owen Sheers Excerpt from 'The Prelude' – William Wordsworth

AQA

Eduqas

When We Two Parted – Lord Byron
Love’s Philosophy – Percy Bysshe Shelley
Porphyria’s Lover – Robert Browning
Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’ – Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Neutral Tones – Thomas Hardy
Letters From Yorkshire – Maura Dooley
The Farmer’s Bride – Charlotte Mew
Walking Away – Cecil Day-Lewis
Eden Rock – Charles Causley
Follower – Seamus Heaney
Mother, any distance – Simon Armitage
Before You Were Mine – Carol Ann Duffy
Winter Swans – Owen Sheers
Singh Song! – Daljit Nagra
Climbing My Grandfather – Andrew Waterhouse

The Manhunt – Simon Armitage
Sonnet 43 – Elizabeth Barrett Browning
London – William Blake
The Soldier – Rupert Brooke
She Walks in Beauty – Lord Byron
Living Space – Imtiaz Dharker
As Imperceptibly as Grief – Emily Dickinson
Cozy Apologia – Rita Dove
Valentine – Carol Ann Duffy
A Wife in London – Thomas Hardy
Death of a Naturalist – Seamus Heaney
Hawk Roosting – Ted Hughes
To Autumn – John Keats
Afternoons – Philip Larkin
Dulce et Decorum Est – Wilfred Owen
Ozymandias – Percy Bysshe Shelley
Mametz Wood – Owen Sheers
Excerpt from 'The Prelude' – William Wordsworth

Power and conflict

AQA	Eduqas
Ozymandias – Percy Bysshe Shelley London – William Blake Extract from ‘The Prelude’ – William Wordsworth My Last Duchess – Robert Browning The Charge of the Light Brigade – Alfred Lord Tennyson Exposure – Wilfred Owen Storm on the Island – Seamus Heaney Bayonet Charge – Ted Hughes Remains – Simon Armitage Poppies – Jane Weir War Photographer – Carol Ann Duffy Tissue – Imtiaz Dharker The Emigrée – Carol Rumens Checking Out Me History – John Agard Kamikaze – Beatrice Garland

AQA

Eduqas

Ozymandias – Percy Bysshe Shelley
London – William Blake
Extract from ‘The Prelude’ – William Wordsworth
My Last Duchess – Robert Browning
The Charge of the Light Brigade – Alfred Lord Tennyson
Exposure – Wilfred Owen
Storm on the Island – Seamus Heaney
Bayonet Charge – Ted Hughes
Remains – Simon Armitage
Poppies – Jane Weir
War Photographer – Carol Ann Duffy
Tissue – Imtiaz Dharker
The Emigrée – Carol Rumens
Checking Out Me History – John Agard
Kamikaze – Beatrice Garland

If you're thinking of switching to AQA, let us know you're interested.

Specifications that use this resource:

GCSE English Literature 8702