Pearson Edexcel · GCSE · 1ET0
Edexcel GCSE English Literature past papers
20 Edexcel GCSE English Literature papers from 2017 to 2025, 20 with a mark scheme and 20 with an examiners' report. Every link opens the document on Pearson Edexcel's own website; we list them in one place and show which topics each series tested.
Which topics come up most
The topics that have carried the most marks across the Edexcel GCSE English Literature papers we have tagged question by question. Topics with a revision guide link to it.
| Topic | Questions | Marks | Papers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Literature: Modern Prose Essay (themes only) | 52 | 2080 | 8 of 14 |
| Literature: Drama and Tragedy | 25 | 1000 | 4 of 14 |
| Literature: Poetry Comparison | 27 | 540 | 7 of 14 |
| Literature: Animal Farm (George Orwell) | 12 | 480 | 6 of 14 |
| Literature: Blood Brothers (Willy Russell) | 12 | 480 | 6 of 14 |
| Literature: Lord of the Flies (William Golding) | 12 | 480 | 6 of 14 |
| Literature: The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare) | 12 | 480 | 6 of 14 |
| Literature: Great Expectations (Charles Dickens) | 9 | 360 | 7 of 14 |
| Literature: Prose Analysis | 9 | 360 | 4 of 14 |
| Literature: A Christmas Carol | 7 | 280 | 7 of 14 |
| Literature: Frankenstein (Mary Shelley) | 7 | 280 | 7 of 14 |
| Literature: Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) | 7 | 280 | 7 of 14 |
| Literature: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde | 7 | 280 | 7 of 14 |
| Literature: An Inspector Calls - Themes in Depth | 6 | 240 | 5 of 14 |
| Literature: Romeo and Juliet | 6 | 240 | 6 of 14 |
Counted from our own question-by-question tagging of 14 papers. A question that tests two topics counts towards both, so the marks column ranks topics rather than adding up to a paper total. Showing the top 15 of 23 topics.
All Edexcel GCSE English Literature papers by year
June 2025
| Paper | Official documents (Edexcel) |
|---|---|
| Paper 1: Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
| Paper 2: 19th-Century Novel and Poetry since 1789 | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
June 2024
| Paper | Official documents (Edexcel) |
|---|---|
| Paper 1: Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
| Paper 2: 19th-Century Novel and Poetry since 1789 | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
June 2023
| Paper | Official documents (Edexcel) |
|---|---|
| Paper 1: Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
| Paper 2: 19th-Century Novel and Poetry since 1789 | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
June 2022
| Paper | Official documents (Edexcel) |
|---|---|
| Paper 1: Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
| Paper 2N | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
| Paper 2P | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
November 2021
| Paper | Official documents (Edexcel) |
|---|---|
| Paper 1: Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
| Paper 2N | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
| Paper 2P | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
November 2020
| Paper | Official documents (Edexcel) |
|---|---|
| Paper 1: Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
| Paper 2: 19th-Century Novel and Poetry since 1789 | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
June 2019
| Paper | Official documents (Edexcel) |
|---|---|
| Paper 1: Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
| Paper 2: 19th-Century Novel and Poetry since 1789 | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
June 2018
| Paper | Official documents (Edexcel) |
|---|---|
| Paper 1: Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
| Paper 2: 19th-Century Novel and Poetry since 1789 | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
June 2017
| Paper | Official documents (Edexcel) |
|---|---|
| Paper 1: Shakespeare and Post-1914 Literature | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
| Paper 2: 19th-Century Novel and Poetry since 1789 | Question paperMark schemeExaminers' report |
Revise before you sit one
GCSE English Literature past papers from other boards
- AQA GCSE English Literature16 papers
- CCEA GCSE English Literature15 papers
- Eduqas GCSE English Literature19 papers
- OCR GCSE English Literature14 papers
- WJEC GCSE English Literature58 papers
Other Edexcel GCSE past papers
Practise the questions, not just the papers.
The past-paper tool lists every indexed English Literature question by topic, with its paper, question number, marks and page, so you can sit only the ones you need.