GCE English Literature

Further information regarding the AS Level Unseen Extract (H072/02)

There will be an unseen extract featured in each of the H072/02 questions on the post–1900 prose texts, from first assessment in 2016. We are not permitted to divulge likely content for this section of the paper; however, we would like to clarify the parameters used when setting the unseen extract to be paired with each of the set prose texts.

The AS Level unseen extracts will be chosen from the wider topic area set for A Level, as indicated below:  

• The Great Gatsby: American Literature 1880-1940
• The Bloody Chamber: The Gothic
• Mrs Dalloway: Women in Literature
• Nineteen Eighty-Four: Dystopia
• The Reluctant Fundamentalist: The Immigrant Experience

The unseen extract chosen to be paired with the AS Level set text may have been first published prior to 1900. Candidates may therefore compare a post–1900 set text with an unseen extract of an earlier date. This does not breach the post–1900 identity of the paper as all the set texts fulfil the criterion. There is no requirement for candidates to offer contextual insights (AO3) for the unseen passage as context can relate exclusively to the set text. The main purpose of the unseen passage is to enable access to AO4 (connections).

If you have any queries about this notice, please call our Customer Contact Centre 01223 553998.

Qualifications

• English Literature - H072, H472 (from 2015)