1. Edexcel Level 3 GCE Advanced Subsidiary English Language and Literature Paper 2 (8EL0/02) May 2023, 1 hour 30 minutes, 50 marks total, two sections: Section A (Prose Fiction Extract) and Section B (Exploring Text and Theme)
2. Section A: choice among eight prose fiction extracts under themes: Society and the Individual, Love and Loss, Encounters, Crossing Boundaries; texts include The Great Gatsby, Great Expectations, A Single Man, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, A Room with a View, Wuthering Heights, Wide Sargasso Sea, Dracula
3. Section A emphasis on detailed analysis of linguistic and literary techniques, thematic development (e.g., status, time, honesty, blame, vulnerability, weather), character dynamics, and relevant social, historical, and cultural contexts
4. Section B: essay questions on a different text from Section A, focused on themes like social status, reputation, love and loss, influence, guilt, vulnerability, and the supernatural, requiring coherent argument, textual support, and contextual insight
5. Focus on critical evaluation, precise literary terminology, thematic interpretation, and contextual understanding aligned with AS English Literature standards
6. Skills assessed include literary feature identification, thematic and character analysis, contextual relevance, structured academic writing, and synthesis of text and context