GCSE English Literature tutors
23 UK tutors who teach English Literature at GCSE. £15–£150/hr · median £50
English Literature at GCSE and A-level is taught around set texts: a Shakespeare, a 19th-century novel, a modern play or novel, and an anthology of poetry at GCSE; longer set texts and a coursework component at A-level. Tutoring helps most where students can discuss a text fluently but struggle to write to the assessment objectives: context, language analysis, structural analysis, comparison. Boards (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, WJEC) prescribe different texts; tutor familiarity with the specific texts matters more here than in most subjects. For A-level, look for tutors comfortable with critical theory and unseen analysis under timed conditions.
GCSE English Literature is a closed-book exam for most texts, so students quote from memory. That single fact shapes how the subject is taught and where tutoring helps. The set list covers a Shakespeare play, a nineteenth-century novel, modern prose or drama, and an anthology of poetry with an unseen poetry question attached. Which texts a student sits varies by school, so it is worth checking a tutor has taught the specific ones rather than the subject in general. Most marks are lost in the same two places: quotations recalled loosely enough to weaken the analysis, and answers that retell the plot instead of arguing about the writer's choices.
GCSEs are sat in Year 11 (age 15-16), with most students taking 8-10 subjects. They're the main UK school qualification at 16: the 9-1 graded exams that drive sixth-form admission, apprenticeship eligibility, and (via maths and English at grade 4 or 5) university and many job prerequisites. Tutoring demand peaks here. The biggest grade gains tend to come from exam-paper technique rather than further content. Students often know more than they show. Boards (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, WJEC, CIE) diverge on content and assessment, so tutor familiarity with the specific spec is meaningful in most subjects.
73.8% got grade 4 or above in 2026 across the UK (JCQ). Exam boards, dates and past papers
Dr Will G.
University of London Academic | Expert A-Level, EPQ & Essay Coaching in English, History & Theatre Studies | Uni Admissions & Short Courses
- English Literature
- History
- Theatre Studies
- +4 more
Dr Sally M.
Cambridge educated Doctor of Education (EdD), qualified teacher with 12 years of experience, experienced GCSE examiner for multiple boards.
- English Language
- English Literature
- SpLD
- Autism
- ADHD & EF
- +3 more
About the GCSE English Literature exam
Which exam board?
Your child's school will know which board they sit.
AQA · 8702
Exam dates, summer 2027
- Wednesday, 12 May 2027 Paper 1: Shakespeare and the 19th century novel, morning
- Wednesday, 19 May 2027 Paper 2: Modern texts and poetry, morning
Past papers, June 2022
- Paper 1M Question paper Mark scheme Examiners' report
- Paper 1N Question paper Mark scheme Examiners' report
- Paper 1P Question paper Mark scheme Examiners' report
- Paper 2 Question paper Mark scheme Examiners' report
Grade boundaries, every series
Grade boundaries
| Series | Grade 4 | Grade 7 |
|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | 66/160 41% | 113/160 71% |
| June 2025 | 62/160 39% | 108/160 68% |
The total marks needed across all the papers. From AQA GCSE grade boundaries, June 2026 and AQA GCSE grade boundaries, June 2025.
How students do
Share of UK entries who got grade 4 or above, and who got grade 7 or above, all boards.
- 2019 73.7%·20.5%
- 2020 80.1%·24.8%
- 2021 80.3%·26%
- 2022 77.6%·24.1%
- 2023 74.3%·21.1%
- 2024 74%·20.4%
- 2025 74.3%·20.5%
- 2026 73.8%·20.1%
2020 and 2021 were teacher-assessed grades, which is why they run higher. All ages, including students resitting. From GCSE (full course) results summer, all UK candidates.
Read up before you book
Plain-English guides
About GCSE
Year groups, exam timing, and how GCSE fits into the UK qualification ladder.
Exam boards
AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA, SQA (now Qualifications Scotland) and Cambridge International: what each is known for.
Parent guides
Cost benchmarks, online vs in-person, when to start, choosing a tutor, and knowing if it's working.
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