Qualification and assessment structure exam tips

Exam tips

• Updated specification boundary A-Level Literature exam tip 1

  Open with a debatable literary argument, not a plot summary. Apply this to identify this curriculum source as the updated AQA 7717 specification for first A-level assessment in 2027..

  This protects analysis vs plot summary, keeps AO1 to AO5 accurate and prevents invented quotations or option mixing.

• Updated specification boundary A-Level Literature exam tip 1

  Open with a debatable literary argument, not a plot summary. Apply this to keep the updated 2027 optional text lists separate from the final 2026 assessment version..

  This protects analysis vs plot summary, keeps AO1 to AO5 accurate and prevents invented quotations or option mixing.

• Updated specification boundary A-Level Literature exam tip 1

  Open with a debatable literary argument, not a plot summary. Apply this to distinguish A-level English Literature B 7717 from AS English Literature B 7716..

  This protects analysis vs plot summary, keeps AO1 to AO5 accurate and prevents invented quotations or option mixing.

• Paper 1 assessment A-Level Literature exam tip 1

  Open with a debatable literary argument, not a plot summary. Apply this to describe Paper 1 as a 2 hour 30 minute closed-book written examination worth 75 marks and 40 percent of the A-level..

  This protects analysis vs plot summary, keeps AO1 to AO5 accurate and prevents invented quotations or option mixing.

• Paper 1 assessment A-Level Literature exam tip 1

  Open with a debatable literary argument, not a plot summary. Apply this to identify the choice between Aspects of tragedy and Aspects of comedy..

  This protects genre pattern vs fixed feature checklist, keeps AO1 to AO5 accurate and prevents invented quotations or option mixing.

• Paper 1 assessment A-Level Literature exam tip 1

  Open with a debatable literary argument, not a plot summary. Apply this to explain that Paper 1 requires one Shakespeare text, a second drama text and one further text, with one of the latter two written pre-1900..

  This protects connected comparison vs two separate mini-essays, keeps AO1 to AO5 accurate and prevents invented quotations or option mixing.

• Paper 1 assessment A-Level Literature exam tip 1

  Open with a debatable literary argument, not a plot summary. Apply this to distinguish the passage-based Shakespeare question, Shakespeare essay and linked-text essay..

  This protects unseen passage evidence vs prepared set-text material, keeps AO1 to AO5 accurate and prevents invented quotations or option mixing.

• Paper 2 assessment A-Level Literature exam tip 1

  Open with a debatable literary argument, not a plot summary. Apply this to describe Paper 2 as a 3 hour open-book written examination worth 75 marks and 40 percent of the A-level..

  This protects analysis vs plot summary, keeps AO1 to AO5 accurate and prevents invented quotations or option mixing.

• Paper 2 assessment A-Level Literature exam tip 1

  Open with a debatable literary argument, not a plot summary. Apply this to identify the choice between Elements of crime writing and Elements of political and social protest writing..

  This protects genre pattern vs fixed feature checklist, keeps AO1 to AO5 accurate and prevents invented quotations or option mixing.

• Paper 2 assessment A-Level Literature exam tip 1

  Open with a debatable literary argument, not a plot summary. Apply this to explain that Paper 2 requires one post-2000 prose text, one poetry text and one further text, with one text written pre-1900..

  This protects connected comparison vs two separate mini-essays, keeps AO1 to AO5 accurate and prevents invented quotations or option mixing.