Specifications that use this resource:

GCSE English Literature 8702

Switching to AQA: from OCR

Compare our GCSE English Literature (8702) to OCR’s 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 exams, one lasting 1hr 45min, one lasting 2hrs 15min.
Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel questions are both extract based.
Shakespeare and the 19th-century novel text choices are almost identical.
Both boards include a question which asks 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 modern texts, increasing your chances of finding something to inspire your students.
AQA recognises that skills of literature analysis are intertwined, and assesses AO1, AO2 and AO3 holistically in every question (except the unseen poetry).
AQA assess AO4 in the first section of each paper, when students are freshest and writing at their best.

Assessment comparison

Paper 1

AQA	OCR
1hr 45 mins	2hrs
64 marks	80 marks
40% of GCSE	50% of GCSE

Section A

AQA	Edexcel
Section A: Shakespeare	Section A: Modern prose or drama
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.	One question with two essay parts. Part A requires students to compare an extract from their chosen text with an unseen text. Part B focuses on the whole chosen text.
AO1, AO2 and A03 are assessed holistically across Section A and Section B. AO4 is only assessed in Section A (4 marks).	Section A, part A and Section B assess AO1, AO2 and AO3 holistically. Section A Part B assesses AO1 and AO2. AO4 is only assessed in Section B (4 marks).

AQA

Edexcel

Section A: Shakespeare

Section A: Modern prose or drama

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.

One question with two essay parts.

Part A requires students to compare an extract from their chosen text with an unseen text.

Part B focuses on the whole chosen text.

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

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

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

Section A Part B assesses AO1 and AO2. AO4 is only assessed in Section B (4 marks).

Section B

AQA	OCR
Section B: The 19th-century novel	Section B: 19th-century prose
One extract-based essay question. Students write about an extract from their chosen novel and the play as a whole.	One essay question from a choice of two. One question requires students to write about an extract from their chosen text, and the text as a whole, all within the same response. The alternative non-extract question requires students to write about two moments from the text in their response.
AO1, AO2 and A03 are assessed holistically across Section A and Section B.	Section B assesses AO1, AO2 and AO3 holistically. AO4 is only assessed in Section B (4 marks).).

AQA

OCR

Section B: The 19th-century novel

Section B: 19th-century prose

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

One essay question from a choice of two. One question requires students to write about an extract from their chosen text, and the text as a whole, all within the same response. The alternative non-extract question requires students to write about two moments from the text in their response.

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

Section B assesses AO1, AO2 and AO3 holistically.

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

Paper 2

AQA	OCR
2hrs 15 mins	2hrs
96 marks	80 marks
60% of GCSE	80% of GCSE

Section A

AQA	OCR
Section A: Modern texts	Section A: Poetry across Time
One essay question from a choice of two. Students write about their chosen text.	One question with two essay parts. Part A requires students to compare a printed poem from the Anthology cluster with an unseen poem. Part B requires students to write about a poem of their choice from the Anthology cluster.
Section A and Section B assess AO1, AO2 and AO3 holistically. AO4 is only assessed in Section A (4 marks).	Section A assesses AO1 and AO2.

AQA

OCR

Section A: Modern texts

Section A: Poetry across Time

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

One question with two essay parts. Part A requires students to compare a printed poem from the Anthology cluster with an unseen poem.

Part B requires students to write about a poem of their choice from the Anthology cluster.

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

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

Section A assesses AO1 and AO2.

Section B

AQA	OCR
Section B: Poetry	Section B: Shakespeare
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 essay question from a choice of two. One question requires students to write about an extract from their chosen play, and the play as a whole, all in the same response. The alternative non-extract question requires students to write about two moments from the play in their response.
Section A and Section B assess AO1, AO2 and AO3 holistically.	Section B assesses AO1, AO2 and AO3 holistically Section B assesses AO1, AO2 and AO3 holistically.

AQA

OCR

Section B: Poetry

Section B: Shakespeare

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 essay question from a choice of two. One question requires students to write about an extract from their chosen play, and the play as a whole, all in the same response.

The alternative non-extract question requires students to write about two moments from the play in their response.

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

Section B assesses AO1, AO2 and AO3 holistically

Section B assesses AO1, AO2 and AO3 holistically.

Section C

AQA	OCR
Section C: Unseen Poetry	No Section C
Two questions: one question on an unseen poem and one question comparing this poem with a second unseen poem.	n/a
The first question assesses AO1 and AO2, the second question assesses AO2.	n/a

Text comparison

Shakespeare

AQA	OCR
Macbeth The Tempest Romeo and Juliet Much Ado About Nothing The Merchant of Venice Julius Caesar (AQA only)	Macbeth Much Ado About Nothing Romeo and Juliet The Merchant of Venice

AQA

OCR

Macbeth
The Tempest
Romeo and Juliet
Much Ado About Nothing
The Merchant of Venice
Julius Caesar (AQA only)

Macbeth
Much Ado About Nothing
Romeo and Juliet
The Merchant of Venice

19th-century novel

AQA	OCR
Jane Eyre Great Expectations The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde A Christmas Carol Pride and Prejudice Frankenstein The Sign of Four (AQA only)	Jane Eyre Great Expectations The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Pride and Prejudice The War of the Worlds

AQA

OCR

Jane Eyre
Great Expectations
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
A Christmas Carol
Pride and Prejudice
Frankenstein
The Sign of Four (AQA only)

Jane Eyre
Great Expectations
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Pride and Prejudice
The War of the Worlds

Modern texts/Post-1914 British play or novel

AQA	OCR
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	Animal Farm An Inspector Calls Blood Brothers DNA Journey’s End My Mother Said I Never Should OCR poetry anthology collections

Love and relationships

AQA	OCR
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	A song – Helen Maria Williams Bright star – John Keats Now – Robert Browning Love and Friendship – Emily Bronte A Broken Appointment – Thomas Hardy Fin de Fete – Charlotte Mew The Sorrow of True Love – Edward Thomas An Arundel Tomb – Philip Larken Love after Love – Derek Walcott Morning Song – Sylvia Plath Long Distance ll – Tony Harrison I Wouldn’t Thank You for a Valentine – Liz Lochhead Warming her Pearls – Carol Ann Duffy Dusting the Phone – Jackie Kay

AQA

OCR

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

A song – Helen Maria Williams
Bright star – John Keats
Now – Robert Browning
Love and Friendship – Emily Bronte
A Broken Appointment – Thomas Hardy
Fin de Fete – Charlotte Mew
The Sorrow of True Love – Edward Thomas
An Arundel Tomb – Philip Larken
Love after Love – Derek Walcott
Morning Song – Sylvia Plath
Long Distance ll – Tony Harrison
I Wouldn’t Thank You for a Valentine – Liz Lochhead
Warming her Pearls – Carol Ann Duffy
Dusting the Phone – Jackie Kay

Power and conflict

AQA	OCR
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	A Poison Tree – William Blake Envy – Mary Lamb Boat Stealing (from 1799 Prelude) – William Wordsworth The Destruction of Sennacherib – Lord Byron There’s a Certain Slant of Light – Emily Dickinson The Man he Killed - Thomas Hardy Anthem for Doomed Youth - Wilfred Owen Vergissmeinnicht – Keith Douglas What Were They Like? Denise Levertov Lament – Gillian Clarke Punishment – Seamus Heaney Flag – John Agard Phrase Book – Jo Shapcott Honour Killing – Imtiaz Dharker Partition – Sujata Bhatt

AQA

OCR

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

A Poison Tree – William Blake

Envy – Mary Lamb

Boat Stealing (from 1799 Prelude) – William Wordsworth
The Destruction of Sennacherib – Lord Byron
There’s a Certain Slant of Light – Emily Dickinson
The Man he Killed - Thomas Hardy
Anthem for Doomed Youth - Wilfred Owen
Vergissmeinnicht – Keith Douglas
What Were They Like? Denise Levertov
Lament – Gillian Clarke
Punishment – Seamus Heaney
Flag – John Agard
Phrase Book – Jo Shapcott
Honour Killing – Imtiaz Dharker
Partition – Sujata Bhatt

Youth and age

AQA	OCR
N/A	Holy Thursday – William Blake When I have Fears that I may cease to be – John Keats The Bluebell – Anne Bronte Midnight on the Great Western – Thomas Hardy Holy Thursday – William Blake When I have Fears that I may cease to be – John Keats The Bluebell – Anne Bronte Midnight on the Great Western – Thomas Hardy Spring and Fall: to a Young Child – Gerard Manley Hopkins Ode – Arthur O’Shaughnessy Out, Out – Robert Frost Red Roses – Anne Sexton Baby Song – Thorn Gunn You’re – Sylvia Path Cold Knapp Lake – Gillian Clarke My First Weeks – Sharon Olds Venus’s-flytraps – Yusef Komunyakaa Love – Kate Clanchy Farther – Owen Sheers

AQA

OCR

N/A

Holy Thursday – William Blake
When I have Fears that I may cease to be – John Keats
The Bluebell – Anne Bronte
Midnight on the Great Western – Thomas Hardy
Holy Thursday – William Blake
When I have Fears that I may cease to be – John Keats
The Bluebell – Anne Bronte
Midnight on the Great Western – Thomas Hardy
Spring and Fall: to a Young Child – Gerard Manley Hopkins
Ode – Arthur O’Shaughnessy
Out, Out – Robert Frost
Red Roses – Anne Sexton
Baby Song – Thorn Gunn
You’re – Sylvia Path
Cold Knapp Lake – Gillian Clarke
My First Weeks – Sharon Olds
Venus’s-flytraps – Yusef Komunyakaa
Love – Kate Clanchy
Farther – Owen Sheers

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

Specifications that use this resource:

GCSE English Literature 8702