A Level English Literature: Paper 1 - Drama and Poetry (Cambridge 9695)

This guide covers Paper 1 – Drama and Poetry, an AS Level paper for Cambridge International A Level English Literature 9695, 2024–2026 series. Literature syllabuses are organised around named papers and set texts rather than a numbered topic taxonomy, and the set-text list rotates by examination year — this guide covers the paper’s stable structure rather than any specific text, since candidates should always check the current set-text grid for their own exam series.

Where this fits in 9695

AS Level candidates take Paper 1 and Paper 2 (Prose and Unseen); A Level candidates additionally take Paper 3 (Shakespeare and Drama) and Paper 4. Paper 1 is therefore one of the two papers that make up the standalone AS Level award, and its two sections — Drama and Poetry — mirror the genre-based split used again in Papers 2 and 3. Because Paper 1 sits within the AS Level award on its own, it is also the first point at which candidates are assessed on sustained literary analysis at this level, rather than the more guided approach typical of IGCSE Literature.

Syllabus coverage

CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL A LEVEL ENGLISH LITERATURE 9695 — PAPER 1 DRAMA AND POETRY

• Section A: Drama — answering on a set drama text, testing knowledge of plot, character and dramatic technique
• Section B: Poetry — answering on a set poetry text or selection, testing close reading of poetic language, form and structure

Paper format

Paper 1 is a written paper lasting two hours and worth 50 marks, split evenly between its two sections: Section A (Drama) and Section B (Poetry) are each worth 25 marks. Candidates answer two questions in total — one from each section — and for every set text there is a choice between an (a) question, a discursive essay on the text as a whole with no extract printed, and a (b) question, anchored to a specific passage or poem printed on the question paper that requires close, line-level commentary connecting outward to the whole text. Neither option is inherently easier: (a) rewards breadth and structural control across a whole text, while (b) rewards precision on the printed material, so candidates are best served by choosing whichever plays to their strengths on the day rather than by habit. Set texts and dictionaries are not allowed in the exam room, and Paper 1 forms half of the standalone AS Level award, alongside Paper 2 (Prose and Unseen).

Assessment objectives

All four assessment objectives are tested on every question on this paper, each weighted equally at 25%: AO1 (knowledge and understanding, including relevant context), AO2 (analysis of how a writer’s choices of language, form and structure shape meaning and effect), AO3 (an informed, independent personal response), and AO4 (a relevant, structured, well-supported response). AO5 (evaluation of opinion) is deliberately not assessed on Paper 1 — it appears only on Papers 3 and 4, alongside the fuller A Level award. Because AO2 and AO3 both require going beyond description, an answer that only paraphrases a poem’s content or summarises a play’s plot, however accurately, will not access the marks available for analysis or independent interpretation.

How to approach it

Because both sections sit within a single paper, time management across Drama and Poetry matters as much as knowledge of either individually — practising full-length timed responses to both sections in one sitting, not just revising them separately, builds the pacing candidates need on the actual exam. For Drama, strong answers engage with the text’s theatricality — staging, dramatic irony, an audience’s likely response to a scene — not just plot summary or character description. For Poetry, close, line-level analysis of language and form (word choice, imagery, structure, rhythm) is what separates higher-band answers from ones that only paraphrase what a poem is “about.” As with any Literature paper, building genuine familiarity with the actual set texts — through re-reading and practising past-paper-style questions on them specifically — matters more than generic essay technique on its own — an essay with a confident structure but thin, generic textual support scores noticeably lower than one with a simpler structure but precise, well-chosen evidence from the text itself.

Section-by-section revision focus

For Drama, strong answers treat the text as something staged rather than only read — stage directions, dramatic irony, pacing, and how a scene would land with a live audience all give an answer texture that plot summary and character description alone cannot. Character is best discussed through action and dialogue rather than through a list of traits, and a strong response traces how a dramatist builds and releases tension across a scene or act, rather than treating tension as a static feature of the whole play. For Poetry, the equivalent discipline is line-level attention: word choice, imagery, sound, rhythm and metre, and form and structure all reward close reading, and naming a technique such as enjambment or caesura earns little on its own — the mark is in explaining the effect that technique has on meaning or tone at that specific point in the poem.

A note on syllabus currency

This guide is written against the Cambridge International A Level English Literature 9695 syllabus for examination in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Cambridge revises set texts and, periodically, paper structure between syllabus cycles, so before relying on this guide for a series beyond 2026, confirm you are working from the syllabus document that actually covers your candidates’ examination series.

Official syllabus

Cambridge International A Level English Literature 9695 syllabus for 2024, 2025 and 2026 — cambridgeinternational.org.

Related resources

• Paper 1: Drama and Poetry — Practice Questions — original exam-style questions on the paper’s structure, plus passage-based commentary practice using original drama and poetry extracts
• Paper 1: Drama and Poetry — Revision Notes — condensed recall notes covering the same content
• English Literature subject hub — all Marlbridge English Literature resources across IGCSE, GCSE and A Level