Cambridge International AS & A Level English Language
Mapped from the board's own specification and signed off on 23 August 2026 by Lee Woods. June and November, with a March series in India. Graded A* to E at A Level, a to e at AS Level.
- Full scheme of work, lesson by lesson
- Lesson decks in the house template
- Knowledge organiser
- Retrieval grids
- Assessment pack with mark schemes
Structure
| Component | Time | Marks | Weighting | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Reading | 2h 15 | 50 | 25% | Externally assessed |
| Paper 2: Writing | 2h 00 | 50 | 25% | Externally assessed |
| Paper 3: Language Analysis | 2h 15 | 50 | 25% | Externally assessed |
| Paper 4: Language Topics | 2h 15 | 50 | 25% | Externally assessed |
200 raw marks, no scaling: every component is exactly proportional to its weighting.
Routes
- AS Level only, Papers 1 and 2 in the same seriesGrades a to e
- A Level staged over two years, AS Level marks carried forwardGrades A* to E. AS Level marks carry forward subject to the rules and time limits in the Cambridge Handbook
- A Level with all four papers in the same seriesGrades A* to E
Cambridge International AS Level English Language, Papers 1 and 2 only. Papers 3 and 4 carry the whole of AO4 and AO5, so an AS Level candidate is never assessed on linguistics topics
Assessment objectives
| Objective | Paper 1 | Paper 2 | Paper 3 | Paper 4 | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AO1 ReadingRead and demonstrate understanding of a wide variety of texts | 7.5 | 0 | 2.5 | 10 | 20 |
| AO2 WritingWrite effectively, creatively, accurately and appropriately for a range of audiences and purposes | 2.5 | 20 | 2.5 | 5 | 30 |
| AO3 Analysis of choicesAnalyse how the choices writers and speakers make about form, structure and language produce meaning and style | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| AO4 Linguistic understandingDemonstrate understanding of linguistic issues, concepts, methods and approaches | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 20 |
| AO5 Language dataAnalyse and synthesise language data from a variety of sources | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Component by component
Paper 1: Reading
Section A: Directed response25 marks
A directed response of 150 to 200 words to an unseen text, then a comparison of both texts
- 1(a) directed writing task10 marks
- 1(b) comparison of form, structure and language15 marks
Compulsory unseen question. A single teachable unit, not an option tree
Section B: Text analysis25 marks
Commentary on the form, structure and language of an unseen text of about 550 to 750 words
Compulsory unseen question. A single teachable unit
Paper 2: Writing
Section A: Shorter writing and reflective commentary25 marks
A text of no more than 400 words to a brief, then a reflective commentary on the choices made
- 1(a) short text to a prompt15 marks
- 1(b) reflective commentary10 marks
Compulsory two part question. A single teachable unit
Section B: Extended writing25 marks
One continuous piece of 600 to 900 words in one of three categories
- imaginative or descriptive
- discursive or argumentative
- review or critical
Three board named categories, one question each. Three teachable units
Paper 3: Language Analysis
Section A: Language change25 marks
Analysis of a prose text from 1500 onwards against an n-gram graph and a table of corpus data
Compulsory topic area. A single teachable unit
Section B: Child language acquisition25 marks
Analysis of a transcript of a child aged 0 to 8, related to wider study of acquisition
Compulsory topic area. A single teachable unit
Paper 4: Language Topics
Section A: English in the world25 marks
An essay on 400 to 500 words of text about the role and status of English in the world
Compulsory topic area. A single teachable unit
Section B: Language and the self25 marks
An essay on 400 to 500 words of text about the relationship between language and the self
Compulsory topic area. A single teachable unit
What this specification changes about the package
- Papers 1 and 2 make the AS Level; Papers 3 and 4 complete the A Level. Two sellable products, an AS package and an A2 completion package, not one A Level package
- Three entry routes: AS only, A Level staged over two years, or all four papers in one series. An order must name the route, because a staged candidate needs the AS material a year before the rest
- AO4 and AO5 sit entirely in Papers 3 and 4. Language change, acquisition, English in the world and language and the self are A2 only content and have no AS equivalent
- There are no set texts; every examination text is unseen and printed in the paper. Schemes are skills led and teacher chosen, so no rights exposure and no text list to maintain
- Paper 3 supplies an n-gram graph, a corpus word table and a child language transcript. Data handling and transcript reading are teachable skills the domestic A-level does not assess this way
- The syllabus supplies an IPA reference table and a transcription key. Phonemic transcription is examinable and belongs in the taught sequence
- Dictionaries may not be used in any paper. Vocabulary work belongs in the taught sequence, not in exam technique
How we know
- Specification read
- Version 1, published September 2024, for exams in 2027 and 2028, read from the cover of the board's own PDF. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
- Sign-off
- Lee Woods, 23 August 2026. Map cie-9093-v1.
- Currency
- Current. The 2024 to 2026 syllabus, Version 2, remains live to the November 2026 series
What this map does not hold
- entry codes. NOT BOARD STATED in the syllabus; component entry codes sit in the Guide to Making Entries
- ao mark split. DERIVED at qualification level from the board's per component percentages. The board publishes no per question mark split, and none has been invented
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