OxfordAQA International GCSE English Literature: Prose and Drama (9275)

This guide covers Topic 1 Prose and Drama, assessed in Paper 1 of OxfordAQA International GCSE English Literature (9275), which overlaps with AQA’s UK GCSE English Literature (8702). Two routes exist through the specification: Route A (Paper 1 plus Paper 2a, with an unseen-prose section) and Route B (Paper 1 plus Paper 2b plus non-exam assessment).

Where this fits in 9275

Prose and Drama establishes close-reading and analytical skills applied to whole studied texts – a novel and a play, drawn from the specification’s prescribed text list – that carry forward into Topic 2 (Poetry and Unseen Texts), where the same skills are applied to shorter and unseen material.

Syllabus coverage

OXFORDAQA INTERNATIONAL GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE (9275) — TOPIC 1 PROSE AND DRAMA

• Prose Fiction — close study of a set prose text, including its themes, characters and the writer’s methods
• Drama — close study of a set play text, including its themes, characters and dramatic techniques

How to approach it

Both sub-topics reward being able to write with precise textual reference rather than general plot summary – practise selecting and embedding short, specific quotations that support a clear analytical point about theme, character or technique. Because the specification draws on a prescribed text list, know the exact edition and text your course is following, since alternative editions can differ in pagination and sometimes in content. Drama benefits from attention to how meaning is created in performance – stage directions, dialogue and dramatic structure – not just the written text treated as prose, since examiners look for awareness of the text as something written to be staged. Building a short bank of well-chosen, memorised quotations for both the prose text and the play – covering major characters and themes – makes it far easier to write with precise textual evidence under timed exam conditions, rather than relying on paraphrase.

Assessment at a glance

Paper 1 (Prose and Drama) is a 1 hour 30 minute closed-book exam worth 60 marks – 40% of the International GCSE – and is common to both Route A and Route B. Section A (Prose Fiction, 30 marks) and Section B (Drama, 30 marks) each require one question on the candidate’s chosen set text, with a choice between an essay-style question and a passage-based question in both sections.

OxfordAQA has published a revised 9275 specification for first teaching from September 2026, refreshing the set-text and anthology lists – affecting cohorts starting from September 2026, with first exams in May/June 2028 – but the Paper 1 structure described above is unchanged, and the current (Version 4.2) specification remains in force through the final May/June 2027 series.

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 a candidate. A compact bank for both the prose text and the play – covering two or three major characters with a short quotation illustrating each one’s development or central trait, two or three central themes with supporting evidence drawn from more than one point in the text, and, for the play specifically, at least one quotation per major character carrying a clear staging note – outperforms an attempt to memorise either text in full, and is what makes precise textual reference genuinely achievable under exam pressure rather than remaining 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, and this is a genuine strategic decision rather than a formality. A passage-based question provides 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 instead requires selecting 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. Practising both formats under timed conditions before the exam is worthwhile, since candidates who only ever practise one format often make the wrong call under pressure on the day itself.

Route A versus Route B

The 9275 specification splits into two routes beyond Paper 1, which affects what else a candidate is assessed on across the qualification even though Paper 1 itself is identical either way: Route A pairs Paper 1 with Paper 2a, which includes an unseen prose section, while Route B pairs Paper 1 with Paper 2b and a non-exam assessment (coursework) component. Confirming which route a centre follows is worth doing early, since Route A candidates need to build an additional skill – responding to unseen prose extracts under timed conditions – that Route B candidates do not need to prepare for at all.

Confirming which specification version applies

OxfordAQA has published a revised 9275 specification for first teaching from September 2026, refreshing the set-text and anthology lists, which affects cohorts starting their course from September 2026 onwards with first exams in the May/June 2028 series. The Paper 1 structure and approach described above is unchanged between versions, but the specific prescribed texts differ, so confirming which version applies to a given examination year is essential before finalising which edition of a set text to buy – the current Version 4.2 specification remains in force for all series up to and including May/June 2027.

Official syllabus

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