Pearson Edexcel IGCSE English Language: Component 3 Non-Examined Assessment (4EA1)

This guide covers Component 3: Poetry and Prose Texts and Imaginative Writing (Non-Examined Assessment), for Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Language A (4EA1), first teaching 2016, current specification Issue 7, August 2025. Component 3 is the coursework alternative to Component 2: centres choose one route or the other for their candidates, not both, and both routes assess the same 40% weighting and the same broad content area – poetry and prose reading paired with imaginative writing.

Where this fits in 4EA1

Component 1 (Non-fiction Texts and Transactional Writing) is compulsory for every candidate. Centres then choose between Component 2, a timed written exam on unseen extracts and Anthology material, and Component 3, covered here: two pieces of coursework, completed under supervised conditions over the course, then submitted for internal assessment and external moderation by Pearson. The two routes test the same assessment objectives (AO1, AO2, AO4, AO5) and cover the same Anthology content, but Component 3 removes the exam-hall time pressure in exchange for a formal, marked, resubmission-limited coursework process.

Specification coverage

PEARSON EDEXCEL INTERNATIONAL GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE A (4EA1) — COMPONENT 3

• Overall weighting — Component 3 represents 40% of the qualification, 60 raw marks, split evenly between Assignment A (30 marks) and Assignment B (30 marks); it is internally assessed by the centre and externally moderated by Pearson, available in the June and November series
• Assignment A: Poetry and Prose Texts (30 marks) — a written response based on three or more texts selected from Part 2 of the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Anthology, with the requirement that the selection includes at least one poetry text and at least one prose text; an advisory word count of approximately 1,200 words; assessed against AO1 (12 marks, reading and understanding, selecting and interpreting information, ideas and perspectives) and AO2 (18 marks, analysing how writers use linguistic and structural devices to achieve their effects)
• Assignment B: Imaginative Writing (30 marks) — a single piece of imaginative writing set to narrate, describe or entertain, with an advisory word count of approximately 700 words; assessed against AO4 (18 marks, communicating effectively and imaginatively, adapting form, tone and register for audience and purpose) and AO5 (12 marks, writing clearly and accurately, with a range of vocabulary and sentence structures and accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation)
• Conditions of assessment — both assignments are completed under supervised, controlled conditions specified by Pearson, using the centre’s own set or chosen titles/tasks within the framework the specification allows, and are subject to the board’s rules on authentication, retention of candidate work, and resubmission

How to approach it

Assignment A rewards genuine comparison, not three separate mini-essays stapled together. Because the requirement is “at least one poetry text and one prose text,” the strongest responses choose a small, deliberate combination – often two poems and one prose extract, or one poem and two prose extracts – built around a single clear focus (for example, how each writer presents conflict, or how setting shapes mood) that can be tracked across all three texts in a connected argument, rather than three unconnected close readings.

For Assignment B, the 700-word advisory length is deliberately short: examiners reward precision and control over quantity. A single vivid, well-structured piece with a clear narrative or descriptive arc, carefully chosen vocabulary, and accurate technical control (AO5) will outperform a longer piece that loses shape or accuracy. Since candidates usually have more drafting time than in a timed exam, use it for real redrafting – tightening word choice and sentence variety – rather than simply lengthening the piece.

Because Component 3 is internally assessed, centres set their own exact titles or tasks within Pearson’s framework and mark against Pearson’s criteria before moderation; candidates preparing for Component 3 should check their own centre’s set titles and submission deadlines directly, since these are not fixed by the specification itself.

Worked example: planning Assignment A’s comparison

A candidate chooses two Anthology poems and one prose extract, focused on how each writer presents loss.

Poem 1:    loss shown through a controlling extended metaphor
Poem 2:    loss shown through fragmented, non-chronological structure
Prose:     loss shown through a first-person narrator's understatement
Argument:  each writer chooses a different technique (metaphor,
           structure, narrative voice) to control the reader's
           emotional distance from loss -- this becomes the essay's
           connecting thread across all three texts, rather than three
           separate technique lists

Building the comparison around one connecting thread like this, stated early and returned to across all three texts, is what distinguishes a genuinely comparative AO1/AO2 response from three separate analyses.

Common mistakes

Treating the three texts in Assignment A as three separate essays with no connecting argument, which loses marks against both AO1 and AO2’s comparative expectations. Ignoring the “at least one poetry, one prose” requirement when choosing texts. Writing well beyond the advisory word counts in Assignment B, which typically weakens control and precision rather than improving marks. Forgetting that Component 3 is internally set – assuming the Anthology alone determines the exact task, rather than checking the specific title or brief the centre has set.

Quick revision checklist

• Choose Assignment A’s three texts around one clear, statable connecting focus before drafting.
• Confirm the poetry-and-prose mix requirement is met before finalising text choices.
• Treat the 700-word Assignment B limit as a control target, not a minimum to exceed.
• Check the centre’s own set titles and deadlines directly, since Component 3 tasks are set internally within Pearson’s framework.

Official syllabus

Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Language A (4EA1) specification, Issue 7 — qualifications.pearson.com.