Cambridge & Pearson Edexcel Past Paper Questions

How far do you think Gwendolen’s personality resembles that of her mother? Support your ideas with details from Wilde’s writing.

You are Jack Worthing. You have left London and are on your way to your home in the country. Write your thoughts.

Read these two parts of In Memoriam, and then answer the question that follows: L Be near me when my light is low, When the blood creeps, and the n...

Explore the ways in which Tennyson makes the story so compelling in either Mariana or The Lady of Shalott.

How does Tennyson movingly convey the feelings of Ulysses contemplating his last journey?

Read this poem, and then answer the question that follows: Pied Beauty Glory be to God for dappled things – For skies of couple-colour as a brinded...

How does Elizabeth Brewster strikingly convey the contrasts between city and country life in Where I Come From?

Choose two poems from this selection from Songs of Ourselves which contrast natural and man-made things. Explore in detail how the poems you have c...

Read this extract, and then answer the question that follows it: I took a seat at the end of the hearthstone opposite that towards which my landlor...

Explore the ways in which Brontë makes the contrast between Heathcliff and Edgar Linton such a compelling part of the novel.

You are Catherine Linton the night before your marriage to Hareton. Write your thoughts.

Read this extract, and then answer the question that follows it: Nyasha was losing weight steadily, constantly, rapidly. It dropped off her body al...

How far do you think Dangarembga makes the narrator’s life before she moves to the town seem attractive? Support your ideas with details from the w...

You are Lucia, just after Babamukuru has told you he has found you a job. Write your thoughts.

Read this extract, and then answer the question that follows it: After the last of the school examinations – the most frenzied, the most panic-stri...

Explore the ways in which Desai makes the preparation and eating of food so significant in the ‘Feasting’ part of the novel.

You are Aruna. Your father is on his way to rescue Uma from Harish and his family. Write your thoughts.

Read this extract, and then answer the question that follows it: And so the post office stood in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Shahkot. Sc...

Before Sampath runs away, how does Desai amusingly portray the lack of understanding between Sampath and his father?

You are Grandmother Ammaji on the day the monkey stole your false teeth. It is near the end of the day. Write your thoughts.

Read this extract, and then answer the question that follows it: Under the dripping bare lilac-trees a large open car was coming up the drive. It s...

A moving love story. A story of self-deception. Which of these descriptions is closer to your view of the novel? Support your ideas by close refer...

You are Jordan Baker. You have just telephoned Nick before going to Southampton (towards the end of the novel) and he has turned down your suggesti...

Read this extract from The Custody of the Pumpkin (by P.G. Wodehouse), and then answer the question that follows it: Two new arrivals had just join...

How does the writer of one of the following stories memorably portray the power that one character has over another? The Son’s Veto (by Thomas Har...

You are Mr Thomas in The Destructors. You have just finished showing Trevor (T.) around your house. Write your thoughts.

Read this extract, and then answer the question that follows it: Willy: I could build two guest houses, so they'd both come. Did he decide how much...

How do you think Miller makes Bernard such a dramatically effective contrast to the Loman brothers? Support your ideas with details from Miller's w...

You are Willy, sitting outside Howard Wagner's office waiting to see him. Write your thoughts.

Read this extract, and then answer the question that follows it: Cassius: I think we are too bold upon your rest. Good morrow, Brutus. Do we troubl...

To what extent does Shakespeare suggest that the triumvirate (Antony, Octavius and Lepidus) is suited to govern Rome? Support your ideas with detai...

You are Calphurnia. You have just heard of Caesar's assassination. Write your thoughts.

Read this extract, and then answer the question that follows it: Sebastian: I remember You did supplant your brother Prospero. Antonio: True. And l...

A wise counsellor. Naive and gullible. Which of these is nearer to your view of Shakespeare's portrayal of Gonzalo? Support your ideas with details...

You are Caliban at the end of the play. Prospero has just sent you to his cell. Write your thoughts.

Read this extract, and then answer the question that follows it: Jack: I have lost both my parents. Lady Bracknell: To lose one parent, Mr. Worthin...

Explore two moments in the play in which Wilde surprises the audience. (Do not use the passage printed in Question 10.)

You are Lady Bracknell travelling to the Manor House in Hertfordshire. Write your thoughts.

Read this extract from The Lady of Shalott, and then answer the question that follows it: A bow-shot from her bower-eaves, He rode between the barl...

How does Tennyson movingly convey his changing feelings about the death of Hallam to you in any two of the extracts that you have studied from In M...

How does Tennyson's use of rhythm and sound add to your enjoyment of Mariana and Maud (from 'Dead, long dead,' to 'Is enough to drive one mad')? Su...

Read this poem, and then answer the question that follows it: The Planners They plan. They build. All spaces are gridded, filled with permutations ...

Explore the ways in which Norman MacCaig memorably depicts the relationship between man and nature in Summer Farm.

How does the poet effectively make use of the sonnet form in either The Cockroach (by Kevin Halligan) or Sonnet Composed Upon Westminster Bridge (b...

Read this extract, and then answer the question that follows it: Heathcliff was hard to discover, at first – If he were careless, and uncared for, ...

What do you think Nelly Dean contributes to the impact of the novel? Support your ideas with details from Brontë's writing.

You are Edgar Linton on your death bed. You have just heard that Catherine, your daughter, has married Linton Heathcliff. Write your thoughts.

Read this extract, and then answer the question that follows it: Smiling brightly I held two cobs out while my stomach rolled itself into tight, ne...

In what ways does Dangarembga make you feel that Lucia is an admirable character? Support your ideas with details from the novel.

You are Nyasha. You have just met your cousins for the first time since your return from England with your family. Write your thoughts.