OCR A-Level English Literature (H472): complete guide to the components and the exams

OCR A-Level English Literature (specification H472) is a two-year linear course assessed by two closed-book written papers at the end of Year 13 plus a non-exam assessment. It is built around three components spanning drama, prose and poetry, all assessed against the same five assessment objectives. This page is the index: below is a map of the three components, the five objectives, the exam structure, and how to study each part.

The three components of English Literature

The specification is built around three components, each studied through set texts and assessed on the five assessment objectives.

Component 01: Drama and poetry pre-1900

A closed-book written paper worth 60 marks (40 percent), 2 hours 30 minutes. Section 1 examines one Shakespeare play in two parts: a passage-based question analysing language and dramatic effects, and a whole-play essay responding to a critical view. Section 2 is a comparative essay on one pre-1900 drama text and one pre-1900 poetry text, focused on genre, literary tradition and context.

Component 02: Comparative and contextual study

A closed-book written paper worth 60 marks (40 percent), 2 hours 30 minutes. The student chooses one topic area (American Literature 1880 to 1940, The Gothic, Dystopia, Women in Literature, or The Immigrant Experience) and studies at least two whole texts. Section A is the close reading of an unseen prose extract from that topic; Section B is a comparative and contextual essay on the set texts.

Component 03: Literature post-1900

The non-exam assessment, worth 40 marks (20 percent). Based on three post-1900 texts (one prose, one poetry, one drama, at least one post-2000), it comprises Task 1, a close reading or re-creative writing with commentary on a single text, and Task 2, a comparative essay on two texts. Marked by the school and moderated by OCR.

The five assessment objectives

Every component is assessed against the same five objectives, so mastering them as transferable skills matters more than memorising notes on particular texts.

• AO1 - articulate an informed, personal and creative response, using literary concepts and terminology and accurate, coherent written expression.
• AO2 - analyse the ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts.
• AO3 - demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which texts are written and received.
• AO4 - explore connections across literary texts.
• AO5 - explore literary texts in the light of different interpretations.

Across the whole qualification AO2 and AO3 carry the most marks. AO2 dominates the Shakespeare passage and the unseen close reading; AO3 dominates both comparative essays; AO4 and AO5 support and deepen the work in the comparative and contextual tasks.

Exam structure

English Literature is assessed by two closed-book written papers and one non-exam assessment.

• Component 01, Drama and poetry pre-1900 (H472/01) - 60 marks, 2 hours 30 minutes, 40 percent. Section 1: Shakespeare, a passage-based question (part a) and a whole-play essay (part b). Section 2: a comparative essay on a pre-1900 drama text and a pre-1900 poetry text. Tests AO1, AO2, AO3, AO4 and AO5.
• Component 02, Comparative and contextual study (H472/02) - 60 marks, 2 hours 30 minutes, 40 percent. Section A: close reading of an unseen prose extract (AO2 dominant). Section B: a comparative and contextual essay on two set texts (AO3 dominant). Tests AO1, AO2, AO3, AO4 and AO5.
• Component 03, Literature post-1900 (H472/03) - 40 marks, 20 percent, non-exam assessment. Task 1: close reading or re-creative writing with commentary (AO2 dominant). Task 2: comparative essay (all AOs equally). Marked by the school and moderated by OCR.

How to study English Literature

This subject rewards transferable skill over memorised content.

1. Master close reading. Move from naming a technique to explaining its effect on meaning (AO2), the most heavily weighted objective and the core of the Shakespeare passage and the unseen extract.
2. Read plays as drama and novels as narrative method. Analyse the machinery a writer engineers, not the story or the characters as real people.
3. Use context precisely. Weave context in only where it changes the reading of a specific moment (AO3), the dominant objective in both comparative essays.
4. Drill integrated comparison. Structure comparison by idea, weaving texts together within paragraphs (AO4).
5. Engage with interpretations. Deploy critical readings to test and sharpen your argument, not to name-drop (AO5).
6. Write from memory. Both papers are closed book, so build banks of precise, short quotations and rehearse writing accurately under time.
7. Plan the coursework early. Choose three comparable post-1900 texts and focused tasks, and build an independent, well-evidenced response.

The components, dot point by dot point

Each component has specification-level answer pages with practice questions and cross-links, plus deep-dive overview guides. Browse the full set at /a-level-ocr/english-literature/syllabus.

For the official specification

OCR publishes the full specification (H472), set text lists, past papers, mark schemes and the NEA guidance at ocr.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and OCR's own past papers, because set texts, topic areas and question styles are board-specific.