IGCSE English Literature: Component 5 – Coursework — Revision Notes (Cambridge 0475)

Component 5 is the optional coursework component of Cambridge IGCSE Literature in English (0475): you submit a portfolio of two assignments of 600–1200 words each, on two different complete texts, marked by your teacher out of 25 and moderated by Cambridge. It is taken only alongside Paper 1 and Paper 3 Drama (Open Text), and it is assessed on the same four assessment objectives as the exams. For the full explanation, use the Component 5 Coursework study guide.

Which route includes Component 5?

The 0475 syllabus for 2026 allows three routes. Every candidate takes Paper 1 Poetry and Prose (50%). They then take one of:

Route	Components after Paper 1	Weighting
1	Paper 2 Drama	50%
2	Paper 3 Drama (Open Text) + Paper 4 Unseen	25% + 25%
3	Paper 3 Drama (Open Text) + Component 5 Coursework	25% + 25%

So Component 5 replaces Paper 4 Unseen, not Paper 2, and it is worth a quarter of the qualification. Confirm your route with your teacher before you plan your revision.

Format at a glance

Rule (2026 syllabus)	Detail
Portfolio	Two assignments, each on a different text
Length	600–1200 words each, including quotations, excluding references and bibliography
Text basis	Study of one complete text per assignment
Text standard	Equivalent in scope and demand to the Paper 1, 2 and 3 set texts; originally written in English
Set texts	One assignment (not both) may be on a text set for Papers 1, 2 and 3
Poetry or short stories	Cover at least two poems or stories; comparison is not required
Empathic option	One assignment may be an empathic response to a prose or drama text
Titles	Must allow all four AOs to be assessed
Marking	Each assignment marked out of 25; component worth 25 marks (the syllabus does not say how the two assignment marks are combined, so do not assume a sum or an average)
Assessment	Internally assessed, externally moderated by Cambridge

The syllabus warns that candidates “may disadvantage themselves” if assignments are significantly over or under the word guidance. Aim for the middle of the range, not the edge.

Key terms

Term	What it means for you
Portfolio	The two assignments you finally submit, chosen from more pieces written during the course
Critical assignment	An analytical essay answering a title on a text
Empathic assignment	A piece written in the voice of a character from a prose or drama text, at a chosen moment
Internal assessment	Your teacher marks the work against the level descriptors
External moderation	Cambridge checks a sample of the centre’s marking and can adjust it
Individual Candidate Record Card	The form that must accompany each portfolio

The four assessment objectives

All four AOs carry equal weight (25% each) across the qualification.

AO	Wording (summarised from the syllabus)	In coursework this looks like
AO1	Detailed knowledge of the text, supported by reference	Well-chosen quotations from across the whole text
AO2	Understanding of meanings and contexts, beyond the surface	A sustained argument about ideas and attitudes
AO3	How writers use language, structure and form	Close analysis of specific choices and their effects
AO4	A sensitive and informed personal response	Your own evaluative judgement, kept up to the conclusion

In an empathic task the descriptors shift: AO1 becomes using textual detail seamlessly, and AO3 becomes sustaining a convincing voice for the character.

How the levels work

The Component 5 criteria have eight levels. Teachers choose the best-fit level, then place the work high, middle or low in the band depending on whether it “convincingly”, “adequately” or “just” meets it.

Level	Marks	Key phrases from the descriptors
8	23–25	reference used “skilfully and with flair”; “individuality and insight”; “sustains personal and evaluative engagement”
7	20–22	“much well-selected reference”; “clear critical understanding”; “perceptive, convincing” response
6	17–19	“careful and relevant reference”; “some of its deeper implications”; “developed response” to effects
5	14–16	“some thoroughness” in evidence; “some response to the way the writer uses language”
4	11–13	“some supporting textual detail”; “some understanding of meaning”
3	8–10	“a little supporting reference”; “basic understanding of surface meaning”
2	5–7	“a few straightforward comments”
1	1–4	“limited textual reference”

The jump from Level 6 to Level 7 is mainly about critical understanding and a response that is sustained across the whole essay, not only in the best paragraph.

Writing a title that works

A good title is a question, focused on the writer’s methods, and narrow enough for 1200 words.

Weak title	Why it limits marks	Stronger version
“Jealousy in Othello”	A topic, not a question; invites narration	“How does Shakespeare use Iago’s soliloquies to make the audience complicit in his plan?”
“Write about two poems”	No focus for AO2 or AO4	“How do two of the poems you have studied present memory as unreliable?”
“Tell the story from Pip’s view”	Empathic task with no moment or purpose	“You are Pip on the night after Estella’s departure. Write your thoughts.”

Note that a poetry or short-story assignment must cover at least two poems or stories, but you do not have to compare them.

Worked example: improving a paragraph

Draft: “In Great Expectations Miss Havisham stopped all her clocks, which shows she is sad about being jilted. This is very effective.”

Revised: “Dickens freezes Satis House at the moment of Miss Havisham’s humiliation: the stopped clocks make her grief physical, so the reader sees a woman who has turned a single event into a whole way of living. Because Pip describes this world with a child’s literal eye, the strangeness is shown before it is explained, and the reader feels his unease before understanding its cause.”

The revision names a method (symbolic setting, first-person retrospective narration), explains its effect (AO3), develops a reading (AO2) and shows personal engagement (AO4), using only a brief reference (AO1).

Rules you must follow

• Submit your own work. Teachers may not correct or edit drafts; they can give only brief summative comments on progress while you draft and redraft.
• Do not use online tools that act as writing assistants, meaning tools that point to sections and propose specific replacement words.
• Reference any source you use in full (author, publication, date, page; for a website, the address and date accessed).
• Proofread carefully, and keep to the 600–1200 word guidance.

Common mistakes / exam traps

• Retelling the plot. Narrative earns little above Level 3; every paragraph needs analysis of a method.
• Writing both assignments on set texts. Only one of the two may be on a Paper 1, 2 or 3 set text.
• Writing both as empathic pieces. Only one may be empathic, and only on prose or drama.
• An empathic poem response. The empathic option is limited to prose or drama texts.
• Ignoring the whole text. Assignments must show you have studied the whole text.
• One poem only. A poetry or short-story assignment must cover at least two poems or stories.
• Counting the bibliography. Quotations count towards the word total; references and bibliography do not.
• Long block quotations. They eat the word count and add little; embed short phrases instead.

Frequently asked questions

Can both coursework assignments be on the same text? No. The 0475 syllabus requires the two assignments to be on different texts, and each must be based on the study of one complete text.

Do quotations count towards the 1200 words? Yes. The word guidance includes quotations but excludes references and the bibliography, so heavy quotation leaves less room for analysis.

Is Component 5 an alternative to Paper 2? No. It is taken with Paper 3 Drama (Open Text), as an alternative to Paper 4 Unseen. Both Paper 3 and Component 5 are worth 25%.

What makes an empathic response score highly? The top level asks you to use textual detail seamlessly and to sustain an “entirely convincing voice” for the character, so the piece must sound like the character at that moment, not like a summary.

Syllabus coverage

This page covers Component 5 – Coursework of the Cambridge IGCSE Literature in English 0475 syllabus for 2026 (Version 2): the subject-content statement for Component 5, the Coursework guidance notes (format, general, texts, marking, moderation, authenticity) and the Assessment criteria for Component 5, with assessment objectives AO1–AO4.

Self-test

1. Which component does Component 5 replace on its route? (Paper 4 Unseen.)
2. What is the word guidance per assignment? (600–1200 words, including quotations.)
3. How many of the two assignments may be on a set text? (One.)
4. Which forms can an empathic assignment be based on? (Prose or drama.)
5. What is the minimum number of poems for a poetry assignment? (Two.)
6. What is the mark range for Level 7? (20–22.)

Related pages

• Component 5 Coursework study guide
• Component 5 Coursework practice questions
• Paper 3 – Drama (Open Text) revision notes

Official syllabus

Cambridge IGCSE Literature in English (0475) syllabus for exams in 2026 — cambridgeinternational.org.