Demonstrate appreciation of the writer’s craft and personal engagement with the text.

Cambridge IGCSE English Literature 0475 – Component 1: Poetry, Prose & Drama

Aims of the Course (as set out in the syllabus)

• Enjoy reading a wide range of literary texts.
• Develop an understanding of meaning, context and the writer’s craft.
• Appreciate how language, form and structure create effect.
• Explore universal ideas and issues and relate them to personal experience.

Assessment Overview (2026)

• Paper 1 – Unseen Poetry & Prose (Compulsory) – 50 % of the total mark; 1 hr 45 min; closed‑book.
• Paper 2 – Comparative Essay on Two Set Texts (Choose) – 25 % of the total mark; 1 hr 45 min; open‑book (set texts only).
• Paper 3 – Unseen Drama (Choose) – 25 % of the total mark; 1 hr 45 min; closed‑book.
• Component 5 – Written Assignment (Coursework) – 25 % of the total mark; 800‑1000 words; open‑book; submitted in the summer term (6‑8 weeks of preparation).

Only one of Paper 2 or Paper 3 is required – the other may be attempted for extra practice but does not affect the final grade.

Assessment Objectives (AO) – exact syllabus wording

Full Set‑Text List (2026)

Poetry (Paper 1)

• “The Road Not Taken” – Robert Frost (1916)
• “The Tyger” – William Blake (1794)
• “The Love‑Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” – T. S. Eliot (1915)
• “The Windhover” – Gerard Manley Hopkins (1877)
• “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” – W. B. Yeats (1893)
• “The World Is Too Much With Us” – William Wordsworth (1807)
• “A Dream Within a Dream” – Edgar Allan Poe (1849)
• “The Raven” – Edgar Allan Poe (1845)
• “The Soldier” – Rupert Brooke (1914)
• “The Man He Killed” – Thomas Hardy (1914)
• “The Lady of Shalott” (excerpt) – Alfred Lord Tennyson (1832)
• “The Man with the Hoe” – Edwin Markham (1899)

Prose (Paper 1)

• Excerpt from The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett (1911)
• Excerpt from The Monkey’s Paw – W. W. Jacobs (1902)
• Excerpt from Great Expectations – Charles Dickens (1861)
• Excerpt from To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee (1960)
• Excerpt from Animal Farm – George Orwell (1945)

Drama (Paper 2 – set‑text option)

• A Midsummer Night’s Dream (selected scenes) – William Shakespeare (1595)
• Antony and Cleopatra (selected scenes) – William Shakespeare (1606)
• A Taste of Honey (selected scenes) – Sheila Burnford (1958)
• Blues for an Alabama Sky (selected scenes) – Charles Fuller (1996)
• A Streetcar Named Desire (selected scenes) – Tennessee Williams (1947)

Always double‑check the official Cambridge syllabus for any updates or spelling variations.

1. The Writer’s Craft

1.1 Form & Structure

1.2 Language, Imagery & Diction (AO3)

• Figurative language: metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, irony, allusion.
• Sensory imagery: visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory.
• Diction: connotation, register, lexical choice – reveals attitude, social status and tone.
• Why it matters: Precise language packs meaning into a limited word‑count and shapes emotional response.

1.3 Sound Devices (Poetry only)

• Alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia – reinforce mood and rhythm.
• Rhyme (perfect, slant, internal) – bind lines, signal closure or disruption.
• Meter & Rhythm (iambic pentameter, trochaic tetrameter, anapestic trimeter, etc.) – create musicality and can echo thematic content.

1.4 Narrative & Dramatic Techniques (AO3)

• Point of View (Prose): first‑person, third‑person limited, omniscient – determines intimacy and reliability.
• Narrative Voice: tone, formality, narrator’s attitude – shapes reader alignment.
• Dialogue & Direct Speech (Prose & Drama): reveals character, advances plot, creates sub‑text.
• Characterisation: direct vs. indirect, static vs. dynamic, round vs. flat.
• Stage Directions (Drama): give clues about setting, mood, intention; can be symbolic.
• Symbol & Motif (All Forms): repeated images or ideas that develop theme.
• Why it matters: These choices are the writer’s tools for persuading, evoking and guiding the audience.

2. Personal Engagement Strategies (AO4)

1. Multiple readings: 1️⃣ for enjoyment, 2️⃣ for annotation, 3️⃣ for focused analysis.
2. Annotation symbols: “?” = question, “!” = striking language, “*” = personal resonance, “≈” = connection to another text.
3. Connect to self: Relate themes, characters or situations to personal experience, current events, or other literature.
4. Reflective journal: Write 80‑100 words describing the emotional impact and why it matters to you.
5. Peer discussion: Share observations; listening to others can reveal new angles for AO2/AO3.

3. Structured Analysis Checklist (AO2 + AO3 + AO4)

4. Unseen Commentary (Paper 1) – Step‑by‑Step

4.1 Planning (5 min)

• Quickly scan for form, tone, striking language and initial emotional reaction.
• Jot down a brief outline: introduction, 2‑3 body points, conclusion.

4.2 Annotation (10 min)

• Mark literary devices, structural shifts, and potential quotations (use the symbols from Section 3).

4.3 Writing (≈ 30 min)

1. Topic sentence that links directly to the command word.
2. Evidence – embed a short quotation (2‑3 lines max).
3. Analysis – explain how the device creates effect (AO3) and why it matters for meaning or theme (AO2).
4. Link – tie back to the question or, where appropriate, a brief personal response (AO4).

4.4 Proof‑reading (5 min)

• Check terminology (e.g., “volta”, “enjambment”, “omniscient narrator”).
• Ensure each paragraph contains a quotation and analysis.

5. Coursework (Component 5) – Written Assignment

• Choose any set‑text (poem, prose excerpt or drama scene).
• Word count: 800‑1000 words (≈ 2‑3 pages).
• Structure: introduction (≈ 80 words), 3‑5 body paragraphs, conclusion (≈ 80 words).
• Each body paragraph should focus on one major technique, theme or personal connection.
• Include at least three quotations; each must be followed by detailed AO3 analysis and a brief AO4 comment.
• Proofread for accurate literary terminology and correct citation format.

6. Comparative Essay Guidance (Paper 2) – AO2 & AO3 Focus

1. Read both set texts carefully: note similarities in theme, tone or technique and differences in form or perspective.
2. Develop a comparative framework: a two‑column table of key points (e.g., “use of nature imagery – Frost vs. Blake”).
3. Essay structure:
   • Introduction: state the two texts, the focus of comparison and a clear thesis.
   • Body: organise by point (theme, technique) or by text (alternating paragraphs). Use linking language such as “both…; however…”, “similarly… whereas…”.
   • Conclusion: summarise how the comparison deepens understanding of the central idea.
4. Command‑word checklist: “compare” → highlight similarity + contrast; “contrast” → emphasise differences; “evaluate” → judge effectiveness of each writer’s approach.

7. Sample Analysis Framework (Poem – “The Road Not Taken”)

1. Title & Context (AO1): “Road” works literally and metaphorically; Frost’s New England background and early‑20th‑century individualism.
2. Form (AO3): Four quintains, ABAAB rhyme, iambic tetrameter – regular rhythm suggests order, yet the speaker faces a “diverged” path.
3. Structure & Volta (AO3): Stanzas 1‑3 set up the decision; stanza 4 (volta) reflects on the choice and its imagined significance.
4. Language & Imagery (AO3):
   • “Yellow wood” – visual colour, autumnal mood.
   • “Both… equally lay… yet… I took the one less travelled by” – paradox and irony.
   • Consonance of /t/ in “travell’d” creates a soft, lingering sound.
5. Meaning & Theme (AO2): Exploration of choice, individuality and the construction of personal narrative.
6. Personal Response (AO4): Brief note on how the poem resonates with a recent decision in the learner’s own life.

8. Quick Reference – Terminology Cheat‑Sheet (AO3)

• Form: stanza, quatrain, sonnet, free verse, prose‑poem.
• Structure: exposition, rising action, climax, resolution, volta.
• Sound: alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, rhyme (perfect, slant, internal), meter.
• Figurative Language: metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, irony, allusion.
• Diction: connotation, register, lexical field.
• Characterisation: direct, indirect, static, dynamic, round, flat.
• Stage Directions: symbolic, practical, mood‑setting.