Exploring modern and literary heritage texts - J352/01 - GCSE English Literature Paper (Section A & B)

Sep 5, 2026

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GCSE English Literature (OCR J352/01) explores how writers present memories and formative experiences across modern prose or drama and 19th-century prose. Section A requires comparing two extracts and then extending the study to another memorable childhood moment from the novel/drama selected. Section B asks students to answer one question on a 19th-century text. The paper totals 80 marks, with question marks shown in brackets and extended responses assessed for quality.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Section A - Modern prose or drama

Anita and Me by Meera Syal and The Woman Who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle

Question 1 - (a) Compare extracts about early childhood

Question 1 - (b) Explore another childhood moment in Anita and Me

Section B - 19th century prose

Great Expectations

Pride and Prejudice

The War of the Worlds

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Jane Eyre

A Christmas Carol

Oxford Cambridge and RSA Wednesday 17 May 2023 – Morning GCSE English Literature J352/01 Exploring modern and literary heritage texts Time allowed: 2 hours You must have: • the OCR 12‑page Answer Booklet Do not use: • copies of the text INSTRUCTIONS • Use black ink. • Write your answer to each question in the Answer Booklet. The question numbers must be clearly shown. • Fill in the boxes on the front of the Answer Booklet. • All the questions in Section A have two parts,(a) and (b) . Answer both parts of the question on the text you have studied. • Answer one question on the text you have studied in Section B. INFORMATION • The total mark for this paper is 80. • The marks for each question are shown in brackets [ ] . • Quality of extended response will be assessed in questions marked with an asterisk (*) . • This document has 24 pages. ADVICE • Read each question carefully before you start your answer. © OCR 2023 [601/4872/X] DC (NF) 300894/5 OCR is an exempt Charity Turn over 2 BLANK PAGE © OCR 2023 J352/01 Jun23 3 Contents Page | Section A – Modern prose or drama | Question | Page | | --- | --- | --- | | Anita and Me by Meera Syal | 1 | 4 | | Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro | 2 | 6 | | Animal Farm by George Orwell | 3 | 8 | | An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley | 4 | 10 | | My Mother Said I Never Should by Charlotte Keatley | 5 | 12 | | DNA by Dennis Kelly | 6 | 14 | | Section B – 19th century prose | Questions | Page | | --- | --- | --- | | Great Expectations by Charles Dickens | 7/8 | 17 | | Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen | 9/10 | 18 | | The War of the Worlds by H G Wells | 11/12 | 19 | | The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson | 13/14 | 20 | | Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë | 15/16 | 21 | | A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens | 17/18 | 22 | © OCR 2023 J352/01 Jun23 Turn over 4 Section A Modern prose or drama Answer one question from this section. 1 Anita and Me by Meera Syal and The Woman Who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle Read the two extracts below and then answer both part a) and part b) . You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on part a) and 30 minutes on part b) . For part a), you should focus only on the extracts here rather than referring to the rest of your studied text. a) Compare how these two extracts present memories of early childhood. You should consider: • the situations and experiences faced by the characters • how the characters react to these situations and experiences • how the writers’ use of language and techniques creates effects. [20] AND b) Explore another moment in Anita and Me where childhood is memorably described. [20] Extract 1 from: Anita and Me by Meera Syal Meena is remembering her seventh birthday trip to Wolverhampton. My father showed he was sorry by buying me a hot dog on the way home. I sat in the back of the Mini and concentrated on licking the tomato sauce off my fingertips whilst singing‘Bobbing Along on the Bottom of the Beautiful Briney Sea’ in between slurps. Mummy and papa were talking again, soft whispers, sss sss sss, my mother’s bracelets jingled as she 5 seemed to wipe something from her face. This was my birthday and they were leaving me out again. I squeezed my hot dog and suddenly the sausage shot into my mouth and lodged firmly in my windpipe. I was too shocked to move, my fingers curled uselessly into my fists. They were still talking, engrossed, I could see papa’s eyes in the mirror, darting from my mother’s face to the unfolding road. I thought of writing SAUSAGE STUCK on the 10 windscreen and then realised I could not spell sausage. I was going to die in the back of the car and somewhere inside me, I felt thrilled. It was so dramatic. This was by far the most exciting thing that had ever happened to me. The car went over a bump in the road and the offending chipolata slipped out of my mouth and into my lap, leaving a red str

FAQs

What are the requirements for Section A in the J352/01 paper?

Section A contains one question with two parts, (a) and (b). Students must compare the two provided extracts in (a) and then explore another moment in the chosen text in (b).

How should students respond regarding the extracts for part (a)?

For part (a), students should focus only on the given extracts when writing their comparison, rather than referring to the rest of the studied text.

How many marks does the paper award, and how are marks allocated?

The total mark for the paper is 80. The marks for each question are shown in brackets, and quality of extended response is assessed for questions marked with an asterisk.

Sep 5, 2026

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