Prose and Drama (9275): Revision Notes

Condensed for the final weeks. For the full explanation, use the Prose and Drama study guide.

Paper 1 at a glance

1 hour 30 minutes, closed book, 60 marks = 40% of the International GCSE. Common to both Route A and Route B.

Section	Focus	Marks	Choice
A	Prose fiction (set text)	30	Essay-style or passage-based
B	Drama (set text)	30	Essay-style or passage-based

Precise textual reference beats plot summary

Both sections reward embedding short, specific quotations to support an analytical point about theme, character or technique — not retelling what happens.

Know your exact edition

Set texts are drawn from a prescribed list. Different editions can differ in pagination (and occasionally content), so always confirm the exact edition your course follows.

Drama needs performance awareness

Treat the play text as something written to be staged: comment on stage directions, dialogue delivery and dramatic structure, not just the words as if they were prose.

Route A vs Route B

The 9275 specification splits into two routes beyond Paper 1, and this affects what else you are assessed on across the qualification even though Paper 1 itself is identical either way:

Route	Paper 1	Additional assessment
A	Prose and Drama (this paper)	Paper 2a, including an unseen prose section
B	Prose and Drama (this paper)	Paper 2b plus non-exam assessment (coursework)

Confirm with your teacher which route your centre follows, since Route A candidates need to build an additional skill — responding to unseen prose extracts under timed conditions — that Route B candidates do not.

Building a quotation bank

Because Paper 1 is closed book, precise textual reference has to come from memory rather than the text in front of you. Build a compact bank for both the prose text and the play covering:

• 2-3 major characters, with a short quotation illustrating each one’s development or central trait.
• 2-3 central themes, each with supporting evidence drawn from more than one point in the text.
• For the play specifically, at least one quotation per major character that also carries a clear staging note (how it might be delivered, what the stage directions imply).

A focused bank like this outperforms an attempt to memorise the whole text, and it is what makes “precise textual reference” achievable under exam pressure rather than just a mark-scheme phrase.

Choosing between the essay and passage-based options

Each section offers a choice between an essay-style question and a passage-based question — this is a genuine strategic decision, not just a formality. A passage-based question gives you a printed extract to anchor close analysis around, which suits candidates who are stronger at detailed, line-by-line reading but less confident recalling the whole text unprompted. An essay-style question requires you to select your own evidence across the whole text from memory, which rewards candidates with a well-built quotation bank and a clear command of the text’s overall shape. Practise both formats in timed conditions before the exam, since candidates who only ever practise one often make the wrong call under pressure on the day.

A revised specification is coming

OxfordAQA has published a revised 9275 specification for first teaching from September 2026, which refreshes the set-text and anthology lists. This affects cohorts starting their course from September 2026 onwards, with first exams in the May/June 2028 series — the Paper 1 structure and approach covered in these notes is unchanged, but the specific texts on the prescribed list will differ. The current Version 4.2 specification remains in force for all series up to and including May/June 2027, so most candidates using these notes should confirm which version applies to their own examination year before finalising which edition of their set texts to buy.

Exam traps

• Long plot summary instead of close, quotation-supported analysis.
• Treating the play purely as printed text, ignoring performance/staging.
• Relying on a different edition’s pagination or content by mistake.
• Not knowing whether your course follows Route A (with unseen prose) or Route B (with non-exam assessment) — this affects what else you’re assessed on beyond Paper 1.

Self-test

1. How many marks is each section worth, and how are they weighted overall?
2. What choice is offered within each section?
3. Why does edition-matching matter for this paper?
4. What should you keep in view alongside language when studying the drama text?

Answers: 1. 30 marks each, totalling 60 marks / 40% of the IGCSE. 2. A choice between an essay-style question and a passage-based question, in both Section A and Section B. 3. Because different editions of the same text can have different pagination and sometimes different content, which could mislead revision or quotation accuracy. 4. Staging and performance — stage directions, dialogue delivery and dramatic structure, since the text was written to be performed.

5. Which route (A or B) adds an unseen-prose element to the assessment, and which adds non-exam assessment?
6. What should a well-built quotation bank cover for each text?

Answers (continued): 5. Route A adds an unseen prose section (Paper 2a); Route B adds non-exam assessment (coursework) alongside Paper 2b. 6. For each text, 2-3 major characters and 2-3 central themes with supporting quotations from more than one point in the text — for the play, also a staging note on how a key line might be delivered.

Official syllabus

OxfordAQA International GCSE English Literature (9275) specification, Version 4.2, for exams May/June 2018 onwards — oxfordaqa.com.