COMPREHENSIVE ENGLISH STUDY NOTES
IGCSE, GCSE, and AS/A Level
2025/2026 Syllabus
Complete Guide to English Language and Literature
SECTION 1: IGCSE ENGLISH (9-1) 2025/2026
1.1 QUALIFICATION OVERVIEW
• Awarding Body: Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE)
• Qualification Code: English (9-1) - Grade scale 9-1
• Total Marks: 160 marks across all components
• Assessment: 100% examination-based (no coursework)
1.2 COMPONENT BREAKDOWN
Paper 1: Reading 50 marks Fiction and non-fiction reading
comprehension
Paper 2: Writing 50 marks Writing for communication and creative
writing
Paper 3: Speaking & 30 marks Individual presentation and discussion
Listening
Paper 4: Reading 30 marks Poetry and drama analysis
1.3 READING SKILLS
Key Concepts
• Comprehension: Understanding explicit and implicit meanings
• Analysis: Examining how writers use language and structure
• Inference: Reading between the lines to understand unstated ideas
• Evaluation: Making judgments about texts and their effectiveness
• Comparison: Finding similarities and differences between texts
, 1.4 WRITING SKILLS
Writing for Communication
• Letters: Formal business letters, letters of complaint, persuasive letters
• Reports: Structured reports with recommendations
• Speeches: Persuasive or informative with rhetorical devices
• Articles: Magazine or newspaper articles with engaging style
Creative Writing
• Short stories: Clear narrative, character development, engaging plot
• Descriptions: Vivid, sensory language to create atmosphere
• Imaginative pieces: Responding to visual prompts or scenarios
• Technical accuracy: Spelling, punctuation, grammar critical for marks
1.5 POETRY STUDY
Key Poetic Devices
• Rhyme: End rhyme, internal rhyme, slant rhyme
• Rhythm & Meter: Iambic, trochaic, dactylic, anapestic patterns
• Sound devices: Alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia
• Form: Sonnets, haikus, free verse, ballads
• Imagery & Symbolism: How objects/words carry deeper meaning
1.6 DRAMA STUDY
Dramatic Techniques
• Character: Development, motivation, relationships, soliloquies
• Plot: Structure, conflict, climax, resolution
• Setting: How location creates mood and atmosphere
• Dialogue: Reveals character, advances plot, creates tension
• Stage directions: Physical action, movement, blocking
SECTION 2: GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE
2025/2026
2.1 GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Overview
• Awarding Bodies: Edexcel, AQA, OCR, Pearson, Eduqas
• Grade Scale: 9-1 (9 = exceptional, 1 = minimal)
• Total Marks: 96 marks (Paper 1: 48, Paper 2: 48)
• Duration: 2 hours total
Paper 1: Reading (1 hour)
• Question 1: True/false statements (4 marks)
• Question 2: Identify a writer's methods (8 marks)
• Question 3: Explain the effect of a writer's methods (8 marks)
• Question 4: Compare two texts (20 marks)
IGCSE, GCSE, and AS/A Level
2025/2026 Syllabus
Complete Guide to English Language and Literature
SECTION 1: IGCSE ENGLISH (9-1) 2025/2026
1.1 QUALIFICATION OVERVIEW
• Awarding Body: Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE)
• Qualification Code: English (9-1) - Grade scale 9-1
• Total Marks: 160 marks across all components
• Assessment: 100% examination-based (no coursework)
1.2 COMPONENT BREAKDOWN
Paper 1: Reading 50 marks Fiction and non-fiction reading
comprehension
Paper 2: Writing 50 marks Writing for communication and creative
writing
Paper 3: Speaking & 30 marks Individual presentation and discussion
Listening
Paper 4: Reading 30 marks Poetry and drama analysis
1.3 READING SKILLS
Key Concepts
• Comprehension: Understanding explicit and implicit meanings
• Analysis: Examining how writers use language and structure
• Inference: Reading between the lines to understand unstated ideas
• Evaluation: Making judgments about texts and their effectiveness
• Comparison: Finding similarities and differences between texts
, 1.4 WRITING SKILLS
Writing for Communication
• Letters: Formal business letters, letters of complaint, persuasive letters
• Reports: Structured reports with recommendations
• Speeches: Persuasive or informative with rhetorical devices
• Articles: Magazine or newspaper articles with engaging style
Creative Writing
• Short stories: Clear narrative, character development, engaging plot
• Descriptions: Vivid, sensory language to create atmosphere
• Imaginative pieces: Responding to visual prompts or scenarios
• Technical accuracy: Spelling, punctuation, grammar critical for marks
1.5 POETRY STUDY
Key Poetic Devices
• Rhyme: End rhyme, internal rhyme, slant rhyme
• Rhythm & Meter: Iambic, trochaic, dactylic, anapestic patterns
• Sound devices: Alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia
• Form: Sonnets, haikus, free verse, ballads
• Imagery & Symbolism: How objects/words carry deeper meaning
1.6 DRAMA STUDY
Dramatic Techniques
• Character: Development, motivation, relationships, soliloquies
• Plot: Structure, conflict, climax, resolution
• Setting: How location creates mood and atmosphere
• Dialogue: Reveals character, advances plot, creates tension
• Stage directions: Physical action, movement, blocking
SECTION 2: GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE
2025/2026
2.1 GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Overview
• Awarding Bodies: Edexcel, AQA, OCR, Pearson, Eduqas
• Grade Scale: 9-1 (9 = exceptional, 1 = minimal)
• Total Marks: 96 marks (Paper 1: 48, Paper 2: 48)
• Duration: 2 hours total
Paper 1: Reading (1 hour)
• Question 1: True/false statements (4 marks)
• Question 2: Identify a writer's methods (8 marks)
• Question 3: Explain the effect of a writer's methods (8 marks)
• Question 4: Compare two texts (20 marks)
