Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in English Language (Specification A)

Specification 4EA1 · Pearson Edexcel · International GCSE · first assessment June 2018 · graded 9–1

Half reading and half writing. Component 1 puts an anthology non-fiction text beside an unseen extract and then asks for a piece of transactional writing; Component 2 asks for one essay on an anthology poetry or prose text and one piece of imaginative writing. Reading and writing carry 50% each across the qualification.

Papers and components

• Component 1: Non-fiction Texts and Transactional Writing (4EA1/01) — 60% of the qualification, 90 marks, 135 minutes. Section A Non-fiction Reading — AO1, AO2, AO3; Section B Transactional Writing — AO4, AO5
• Component 2: Poetry and Prose Texts and Imaginative Writing (4EA1/02) — 40% of the qualification, 60 marks, 90 minutes. Section A Reading — AO1, AO2; Section B Imaginative Writing — AO4, AO5
• Component 3: Poetry and Prose Texts and Imaginative Writing (non-examined) (4EA1/03) — 40% of the qualification, 60 marks, non-examined. Assignment A Poetry and prose texts — AO1, AO2; Assignment B Imaginative writing — AO4, AO5

Assessment objectives

• AO1 (15%) — Read and understand a variety of texts, selecting and interpreting information, ideas and perspectives.
• AO2 (20%) — Understand and analyse how writers use linguistic and structural devices to achieve their effects.
• AO3 (15%) — Explore links and connections between writers' ideas and perspectives, as well as how these are conveyed.
• AO4 (30%) — Communicate effectively and imaginatively, adapting form, tone and register of writing for specific purposes and audiences.
• AO5 (20%) — Write clearly, using a range of vocabulary and sentence structures, with appropriate paragraphing and accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• AO6 (Not applicable — reported separately%) — Speaking and listening skills: demonstrate presentation skills in a formal setting; listen and respond appropriately to spoken language; use spoken Standard English effectively.

What to know about this specification

• This is Specification A (4EA1). Specification B (4EB1) is a different qualification — check your entry code before using any resource.
• You take Component 1 plus EITHER Component 2 (examined) OR Component 3 (coursework).
• AO3, comparison, is assessed on Component 1 only. There are no comparison marks in Component 2.
• AO4 alone is 30% of the qualification — the largest single objective. Writing is not the smaller half of this course.
• AO5 is 20%: spelling, punctuation, grammar, paragraphing and range of sentence structures are directly assessed.
• The anthology texts are provided in the examination, so knowing them means knowing how they work, not memorising them.
• There is an optional Spoken Language endorsement, graded separately as Not Classified, Pass, Merit or Distinction.
• Graded 9–1, so condensed revision notes on this course are called Grade 9 Notes.

Options on this specification

• From The Danger of a Single Story — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (built in Incandio)
• From A Passage to Africa — George Alagiah (built in Incandio)
• From The Explorer's Daughter — Kari Herbert (built in Incandio)
• Explorers, or boys messing about? Either way, taxpayer gets rescue bill — Steven Morris (built in Incandio)
• From 127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place — Aron Ralston (built in Incandio)
• Young and Dyslexic? You've got it going on — Benjamin Zephaniah (built in Incandio)
• From A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat — Emma Levine (built in Incandio)
• From Beyond the Sky and Earth: A Journey into Bhutan — Jamie Zeppa (built in Incandio)
• From H is for Hawk — Helen Macdonald (built in Incandio)
• From Chinese Cinderella — Adeline Yen Mah (built in Incandio)
• Disabled — Wilfred Owen — poetry (built in Incandio)
• 'Out, Out—' — Robert Frost — poetry (built in Incandio)
• An Unknown Girl — Moniza Alvi — poetry (built in Incandio)
• The Bright Lights of Sarajevo — Tony Harrison — poetry (built in Incandio)
• Still I Rise — Maya Angelou — poetry (built in Incandio)
• The Story of an Hour — Kate Chopin — prose (built in Incandio)
• The Necklace — Guy de Maupassant — prose (built in Incandio)
• Significant Cigarettes (from The Road Home) — Rose Tremain — prose (built in Incandio)
• Whistle and I'll Come to You (from The Woman in Black) — Susan Hill — prose (built in Incandio)
• Night — Alice Munro — prose (built in Incandio)

Topics (12)

• Reading comprehension: selecting and interpreting (AO1) — Component 1 | Section A: Non-fiction Reading; AO1
• Analysing language and structure (AO2) — Component 1 | Section A: Non-fiction Reading; AO2
• Comparing ideas and perspectives (AO3) — Component 1 | Section A: Non-fiction Reading; AO3
• Article for a magazine or newspaper — Component 1 | Section B: Transactional Writing; AO4, AO5
• Speech — Component 1 | Section B: Transactional Writing; AO4, AO5
• Letter — Component 1 | Section B: Transactional Writing; AO4, AO5
• Guide — Component 1 | Section B: Transactional Writing; AO4, AO5
• Review — Component 1 | Section B: Transactional Writing; AO4, AO5
• Text of a leaflet — Component 1 | Section B: Transactional Writing; AO4, AO5
• Imaginative writing — Component 2 | Section B: Imaginative Writing; AO4, AO5
• The anthology Part 2 texts: poetry and prose — Component 2 | Section A: Reading; AO1, AO2
• Timed practice and the shape of both papers — Component 1; AO1, AO2, AO3, AO4, AO5

Condensed revision notes on this course are called Grade 9 Notes, because it is graded 9–1.

Built from the official specification (Issue 7 — August 2025, read 2026-08-02).