Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in English Literature
Mapped from the board's own specification and signed off on 23 August 2026 by Lee Woods. June and November. Graded 9 to 1.
- Full scheme of work, lesson by lesson
- Lesson decks in the house template
- Knowledge organiser
- Retrieval grids
- Assessment pack with mark schemes
This specification offers alternative routes, marked route above, and a candidate is entered for one of them. The full curriculum price follows the route you pick: 5 topics on this one. Change the route and the price changes with it.
Structure
| Component | Time | Marks | Weighting | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Component 1: Poetry and Modern Prose4ET1/01Closed book. Texts are not allowed in the examination, but the anthology poems are supplied in the paper | 2h 00 | 90 | 60% | Externally assessed |
| Component 2: Modern Drama and Literary Heritage TextsOpen book. Prescribed editions only, and they must be completely unmarked | 1h 30 | 60 | 40% | Externally assessed |
| Component 3: Modern Drama and Literary Heritage Texts, non-examined | coursework | 60 | 40% | Internally assessed and externally moderated |
150 raw marks, no scaling: every component is exactly proportional to its weighting. Alternative routes are shown indented; a candidate takes one of them, not both.
Assessment objectives
| Objective | Component 1 | Component 2 or Component 3 | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| AO1 Knowledge and personal engagementDemonstrate close knowledge and understanding of texts, maintaining a critical style and an informed personal engagement | 13.3333 | 16.6667 | 30 |
| AO2 Analysis of language, form and structureAnalyse the language, form and structure a writer uses to create meanings and effects | 23.3333 | 16.6667 | 40 |
| AO3 Links and connectionsExplore links and connections between texts | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| AO4 ContextsShow understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written | 13.3333 | 6.6667 | 20 |
The board's own tables disagree. The board prints its component grid rounded to whole numbers, with the note that some figures have been rounded up or down. Component 1 sums to 59 and Component 2 to 41 as printed. The map carries the exact figures derived from the board's own raw marks, which sum to 60 and 40 and reconcile in both directions. The printed rounded grid is recorded here unaltered
Component by component
Component 1: Poetry and Modern Prose
Section A: Unseen Poetry20 marks
One essay on the meaning and effects of an unseen poem, printed in the question paper
Board stated mark split: AO2 20
No set texts. The board advises studying a selection of modern poetry to prepare. A single teachable unit
Section B: Anthology Poetry30 marks
One essay comparing two poems from Part 3 of the anthology
Board stated mark split: AO2 15, AO3 15
- Ifpublic domain
- Prayer Before Birth
- Blessing
- Search For My Tongue
- Half-past Two
- Pianopublic domain
- Hide and Seek
- Sonnet 116public domain
- La Belle Dame sans Mercipublic domain
- Poem at Thirty-Nine
- War Photographer
- The Tygerpublic domain
- My Last Duchesspublic domain
- Half-caste
- Do not go gentle into that good nightpublic domain
- Rememberpublic domain
Section C: Modern Prose40 marks
One essay on the chosen modern prose set text
Board stated mark split: AO1 20, AO4 20
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- Of Mice and Men
- The Whale Rider
- The Joy Luck Club
- Things Fall Apart
- Klara and the Sun
- Western Lane
Component 2 or Component 3: the candidate's second component
Every candidate takes Component 1 and then one of Component 2 or Component 3
Component 2: Modern Drama and Literary Heritage Texts1h 30 · 60 marks · Externally assessed · Open book. Prescribed editions only, and they must be completely unmarked
Section A: Modern Drama30 marks
One essay on the chosen modern drama set text
Board stated mark split: AO1 15, AO2 15
- A View from the Bridge
- An Inspector Calls
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
- Kindertransport
- Death and the King's Horseman
Section B: Literary Heritage Texts30 marks
One essay on the chosen literary heritage set text
Board stated mark split: AO1 10, AO2 10, AO4 10
- Romeo and Julietpublic domain
- Macbethpublic domain
- The Merchant of Venicepublic domain
- Pride and Prejudicepublic domain
- Great Expectationspublic domain
- The Scarlet Letterpublic domain
Component 3: Modern Drama and Literary Heritage Texts, non-examined60 marks · Internally assessed and externally moderated
Assignment A: Modern Drama30 marks
One essay on a teacher devised assignment on the studied modern drama text
Board stated mark split: AO1 15, AO2 15
- A View from the Bridge
- An Inspector Calls
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
- Kindertransport
- Death and the King's Horseman
Assignment B: Literary Heritage Texts30 marks
One essay on a teacher devised assignment on the studied literary heritage text
Board stated mark split: AO1 10, AO2 10, AO4 10
- Romeo and Julietpublic domain
- Macbethpublic domain
- The Merchant of Venicepublic domain
- Pride and Prejudicepublic domain
- Great Expectationspublic domain
- The Scarlet Letterpublic domain
What this specification changes about the package
- Component 1 is closed book with the anthology poems supplied; Component 2 is open book with prescribed unmarked editions. One qualification, two opposite revision models. Memorisation for the prose, clean text navigation for the drama and heritage texts
- Component 2 requires a prescribed edition of each set text, purchased at the start of the course and left completely unmarked. Annotation cannot be taught in the book. Separate note taking is a product requirement, not a preference
- Component 3 offers a 40 per cent non-examined route in place of Component 2, on the same texts. A coursework product category with teacher devised tasks on the same five drama and six heritage texts
- Component 1 Section A is an unseen poem worth 20 marks, assessing AO2 alone. A single objective section, so unseen poetry material can be built and sold on its own
- AO3, links and connections, sits entirely in the anthology poetry comparison. Comparison skills belong to one 30 mark section and to nothing else in the qualification
- Klara and the Sun and Western Lane are first taught 2024 and first assessed May 2026. Two prose packages are new and have no legacy past papers behind them
- Components 1 and 2 are available as onscreen assessments as well as on paper. Exam technique material must cover onscreen response
How we know
- Specification read
- Issue 3, August 2025, read from the cover of the board's own PDF. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
- Sign-off
- Lee Woods, 23 August 2026. Map pearson-4et1-v1.
- Currency
- Current at retrieval. Issue 2 is still served from the same directory under a different filename, so the cover must be re-read at sign-off
- Set texts held
- 34 texts, each with a rights status derived from the author's death date. The board states none of them.
What this map does not hold
- prescribed editions. NOT EXTRACTED. Appendix 4 lists the prescribed editions required for the open book Component 2. Needed before any Component 2 product ships
- copyright statuses. DERIVED BY PLATFORM, NOT BOARD STATED
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