Pearson Edexcel IGCSE English Literature: Component 3 Non-Examined Assessment — Revision Notes

Component 3 is the coursework alternative to Component 2 in Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Literature (4ET1). You write two essays, each out of 30: Assignment A on a modern drama set text (AO1 15, AO2 15) and Assignment B on a literary heritage set text (AO1 10, AO2 10, AO4 10). The two marks combine to 60, worth 40% of the qualification, and the advisory length is 650–800 words per assignment. For the full explanation, use the Component 3 study guide.

Route check

Every learner takes Component 1, Poetry and Modern Prose (2-hour exam, 90 marks, 60%). Learners then take either Component 2 (the open-book exam on the same two kinds of text) or Component 3. The qualification is linear: all components are taken at the end of the course.

Format at a glance

Detail	Assignment A: Modern Drama	Assignment B: Literary Heritage Texts
Marks	30	30
AOs	AO1 15, AO2 15	AO1 10, AO2 10, AO4 10
Text	One modern drama set text	One literary heritage set text
Task	Teacher-devised or self-generated	Teacher-devised or self-generated
Advisory length	650–800 words	650–800 words
Must include	Language, form and structure	Language, form and structure and context

The word count is advisory: there is no prescribed length and no penalty for exceeding it.

Set texts for Component 3 (Issue 3)

Modern drama	Literary heritage
A View from the Bridge, Arthur Miller	Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare
An Inspector Calls, J B Priestley	Macbeth, Shakespeare
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon, adapted by Simon Stephens	The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare
Kindertransport, Diane Samuels	Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Death and the King’s Horseman, Wole Soyinka	Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
	The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne

The assessment objectives

AO	Wording	In practice
AO1	Demonstrate a close knowledge and understanding of texts, maintaining a critical style and presenting an informed personal engagement	Knowing the whole text; an argued, personal response in an analytical register
AO2	Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects	Dramatic methods (stage directions, dialogue, entrances, dramatic irony) and narrative methods
AO4	Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written	Assignment B only: how context shapes the text and its reception

Which contexts count for AO4?

The specification lists the kinds of context teaching should cover:

• the writer’s own life and situation, only where these relate to the text
• the historical setting, time and location of the text
• social and cultural contexts, such as attitudes in society
• the literary context, such as movements or genres
• how texts are received by different audiences at different times, for example a 21st-century reading

The levels (both assignments)

Level	Marks	Key words from the grids
1	1–6	“Limited” knowledge; “minimal identification” of language, form and structure
2	7–12	“Some” knowledge; response “may be largely narrative”; “some comment”
3	13–18	“Sound” knowledge; “appropriate critical style”; “clearly relevant examples”
4	19–24	“Thorough” knowledge; “sustained critical style”; “sustained analysis”; for B, “detailed awareness” of context
5	25–30	“Assured”; “perceptive critical style”; “cohesive evaluation”; for B, context “integrated convincingly”

Marks are awarded on a best-fit basis, balancing strengths and weaknesses. An essay with a Level 4 passage but mostly Level 3 qualities might receive a high Level 3.

Setting a task: the specification’s models

• Assignment A: “Explore the ways in which Priestley presents women in An Inspector Calls. You must consider language, form and structure.”
• Assignment B: “How does Dickens portray city life in Great Expectations? You must consider language, form and structure and refer to the context of the novel.”

A good task names one focus, invites argument (“explore the ways”, “to what extent”) and includes the required AOs in its wording.

Worked example: integrating context (Assignment B)

Bolt-on context (Level 2–3): “In the 1600s people believed in witches. In Macbeth there are witches.”

Integrated context (Level 5 direction): “Shakespeare makes the witches speak in a chanting rhythm that sets them apart from the play’s human characters, and for an audience that believed witchcraft was real and dangerous this difference would have marked them as a threat, not a curiosity. A modern audience may instead read them as an outward picture of Macbeth’s own ambition, which shows how the play’s meaning shifts with its reception.”

The second version links context to a method (AO2) and an argument (AO1), and it uses two kinds of context from the specification’s list: social and cultural belief, and reception by different audiences.

Drama-specific methods for Assignment A

Method	What to look for
Stage directions	Lighting (Priestley’s change from “pink and intimate” to “brighter and harder”), entrances, exits
Dramatic irony	Birling’s confident predictions in An Inspector Calls
Structure	Act divisions, cliffhangers, the narrator-chorus Alfieri in A View from the Bridge
Form	Tragedy, the “well-made play”, non-naturalistic staging in Curious Incident
Dialogue	Who interrupts, who stays silent, shifts in register

Rules you must follow

• Work independently; you and your teacher sign the authentication sheet.
• Teachers may suggest general improvements at draft stage; corrections are your responsibility.
• Work must not be rewritten after marking.
• Acknowledge sources; teachers watch for essays derived from the internet or AI.

Common mistakes / exam traps

• Retelling the play. “Largely narrative” is a Level 2 descriptor.
• Forgetting form in drama. Write about the text as a play: staging, audience and performance.
• Context in Assignment A only. AO4 is assessed only in Assignment B, so put context where it scores.
• A biographical paragraph. The writer’s life counts only where it relates to the text.
• Two essays on the same kind of text. One must be modern drama, one literary heritage.
• Ignoring the task wording. Both model tasks require language, form and structure.

Frequently asked questions

How long should each Component 3 essay be? The advisory length is 650–800 words per assignment. There is no penalty for exceeding it, but a focused essay usually scores better than a long one.

Is context assessed in the drama assignment? No. Assignment A assesses AO1 and AO2 only. Context (AO4) carries 10 marks in Assignment B.

Can our whole class write on the same play? Yes. The specification says learners may all write on the same text.

Is Component 3 marked by Pearson? It is marked by your teacher and moderated by Pearson, which receives a digital sample of work.

Syllabus coverage

Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Literature (4ET1), specification Issue 3 (August 2025), section 4: Component 3 Modern Drama and Literary Heritage Texts (non-examined) — Assignment A Modern drama and Assignment B Literary heritage texts, the context guidance for AO4, assignment taking and marking, and the assessment grids.

Self-test

1. What is the AO split in Assignment B? (AO1 10, AO2 10, AO4 10.)
2. What is the advisory word count? (650–800 words per assignment.)
3. What weighting does Component 3 carry? (40%.)
4. What does Level 5 require for context? (Context “integrated convincingly” into the response.)
5. Which component does Component 3 replace? (Component 2.)

Related pages

• Component 3 study guide
• Component 3 practice questions
• Component 2 revision notes

Official specification

Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in English Literature (4ET1), Issue 3 — qualifications.pearson.com.