OxfordAQA International GCSE English Language
Mapped from the board's own specification and signed off on 23 August 2026 by Lee Woods. May and 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 | Scaling | Weighting | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Literary non-fiction and composition | 2h 00 | 80 | × 1.5 | 60% | Externally assessed |
| Paper 2: Source-based reading and directed writing | 2h 00 | 80 | 40% | Externally assessed | |
| Non-exam assessment project | coursework | 60 | 40% | Teacher assessed and board moderated | |
| Speaking and listening, optional endorsement | 0h 10 | not marked | endorsement | Teacher assessed and board moderated |
160 raw marks, scaled to 200. Board stated. Alternative routes are shown indented; a candidate takes one of them, not both.
Assessment objectives
| Objective | Paper 1 | Paper 2 or the non-exam assessment project | Speaking and listening, optional endorsement | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AO1 ReadingRead and understand texts, collate and synthesise detail, sustain interpretations, and evaluate how writers achieve effects | 30 | 20 | 0 | 50 |
| AO2 WritingCommunicate clearly and imaginatively, use a range of sentence structures, organise ideas coherently, and write accurately | 30 | 20 | 0 | 50 |
| AO3 Speaking and listeningCommunicate clearly and purposefully, prepare and develop ideas, and interact with others in shaping meaning | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Component by component
Paper 1: Literary non-fiction and composition
Section A: Literary non-fiction40 marks
A single literary non-fiction text for close study, divided into sections, with at least one whole text question
No set texts. Unseen literary non-fiction. A single teachable unit
Section B: Composition40 marks
One composition from three tasks: descriptive, imaginative, argumentative or discursive
Three board named composition types offered as three tasks
Paper 2 or the non-exam assessment project
Every candidate takes Paper 1 and then one of Paper 2 or the non-exam assessment project
The two routes carry different raw totals for the same 40 per cent. Paper 2 is 80 marks scaled by 1, the project is 60 marks scaled by 1.33
Paper 2: Source-based reading and directed writing2h 00 · 80 marks · Externally assessed
Section A: Reading40 marks
Questions on five or six stimulus texts, individually and in pairs, with at least one paired question
Five or six unseen stimulus texts. A single teachable unit
Section B: Writing40 marks
One directed writing task linked to the Section A sources, focused on audience and purpose
Two unseen tasks in the paper. A single teachable unit
Non-exam assessment project60 marks · Teacher assessed and board moderated
Reading and research30 marks
Independent research from at least five sources, with resources and processes recorded on the candidate record form
Centre set research task. A single commissionable unit
Written task and commentary30 marks
A centre set written task with a specified purpose and audience, plus a commentary on the choices made
Centre set written task. A single commissionable unit
Speaking and listening, optional endorsement
Prepared presentation and questions
A formal prepared presentation on an agreed topic, followed by questions and feedback
Optional endorsement. A single commissionable unit sold as an add on
NOT BOARD STATED. The endorsement carries a separate statement on the certificate rather than a mark
What this specification changes about the package
- Board stated scaling: Paper 1 is multiplied by 1.5, Paper 2 by 1 and the project by 1.33. A Paper 1 mark is worth half as much again as a Paper 2 mark. Revision effort should follow the scaled weighting, not the raw marks
- Paper 2 is 80 marks and the project is 60, and both are 40 per cent. The project route asks for fewer marks at the same weight, which is a real difference to explain to a school choosing a route
- The project requires at least five researched sources, recorded with note making evidence on a candidate record form. Research method is assessed, not just the writing. Source logging is a teachable, sellable process
- Paper 1 reading is literary non-fiction: autobiography, biography, letters, memoir and travel writing. A defined genre band for reading material, narrower than any domestic GCSE reading paper
- There are no set texts anywhere in the qualification. No rights exposure and no text list to maintain
- Speaking and listening is an optional endorsement carrying a separate statement on the certificate. Speaking products are sold as an add on and never inside the grade bearing package
- Board stated: for teaching and examination outside the United Kingdom. This board cannot be sold to a domestic school, which is a hard market boundary the other two boards do not draw
How we know
- Specification read
- Version 5.1, for exams May and June 2018 onwards, read from the board's own PDF. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
- Sign-off
- Lee Woods, 23 August 2026. Map oxfordaqa-9270-v1.
- Currency
- Current. No revised specification is published for 9270
What this map does not hold
- entry codes. NOT EXTRACTED. Section 6.1 of the specification carries entries and codes and was not read into this map
- ao mark split. NOT BOARD STATED at question level. The board gives component percentages only
- speaking marks. NOT BOARD STATED. The endorsement carries a certificate statement rather than a mark
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