Specifications that use this resource:

Switching to AQA: from OCR

Compare our GCSE English Language (8700) to OCR.

Although the specifications are different, the Department for Education (DfE) and Ofqual state that they both need to include the following:

  • NEA in the form of a spoken language endorsement, with the same task
    and marking criteria
  • unseen non-fiction and prose fiction texts
  • unseen texts from the 19th, 20th and 21st Century
  • an assessment of critical reading and comprehension
  • an assessment of summary and synthesis skills
  • an equal weighting on the student skills in SPAG
  • a comparison of unseen texts
  • an assessment of writing for impact, purpose and audience.

Key similarities

  • The assessments are equally weighted, putting less pressure on students to do better in one paper than the other.
  • The 19th Century texts are presented alongside a 20th or 21st Century text, to make them more accessible in comparison questions.
  • All question papers have 80 marks.
  • Assessments are themed around non-fiction and prose fiction reading and writing.

Key differences

  • Each AQA question paper is 1hr 45 mins, rather than OCR’s 2 hours.
  • OCR assesses comparison on both question papers
  • AQA requires students to respond to one 19th, one 20th and one 21st Century unseen text. OCR requires students to respond to one 19th Century unseen text and three 20th or 21st Century unseen texts.
  • OCR offer students a choice of writing questions on both papers. AQA offers a choice on just one.
  • AQA assesses one reading Assessment Objective per question. OCR assesses two reading Assessment Objectives on the comparison questions.
  • The AQA creative writing tasks have a choice of a visual or written prompt. OCR only use written prompts.

Assessment comparison

Paper 1

AQA

OCR

1hr 45 mins

2hrs

80 marks

80 marks

50% of GCSE

50% of GCSE

Section A

AQA

OCR

Four questions on an unseen 20th or 21st Century prose fiction text.

Each question assesses one Assessment Objective.

Four questions - one has three parts on two unseen non-fiction texts, one from the 19th Century and a second from either the 20th or 21st Century.

The first three questions assess one Assessment Objective. The comparison question assesses two Assessment Objectives.

Section B

AQA

OCR

One extended writing task from a choice of two creative tasks. Each task has a visual or written prompt and is linked to the topic of the text in Section A.

One writing task on an extended piece of original non-fiction from a choice of two tasks.

Paper 2

AQA

OCR

1hr 45 mins

2hrs

80 marks

80 marks

50% of GCSE

50% of GCSE

Section A

AQA

OCR

Four questions on two unseen non-fiction texts, one from the 19th Century and a second from either the 20th or 21st Century.


Each question assesses one Assessment Objective. 

Four questions - one has three parts, on two unseen prose fiction texts from either the 20th or 21st Century.

The first three questions assess one Assessment Objective and the comparison question assesses two Assessment Objectives.

Section B

AQA

OCR

One extended writing task inviting students to share a perspective on a theme linked to the texts in Section A.

One extended writing task from a choice of two creative tasks. Each task has a written prompt.