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Cambridge IGCSE Literature in English (0475)

IGCSE Literature, beyond the plot.

Every paper rewards the same thing: what the writer does with language, structure and form, and why. Your tutor helps you find the evidence, explore the effects and plan an argued answer.

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Cambridge suggests about 20 minutes of reading and planning in Paper 4 (Unseen). How should you use them?

Here’s what examiners look for:

  • Read the question first, then the text twice: once for what happens, once for how it’s written
  • Mark three or four key moments and the words, images or structural choices that create their effect
  • Plan a line of argument that answers the question, moving through the text from opening to ending

Examiner tip: A commentary explains how the writer creates effects. Retelling what happens in the passage isn’t a commentary.

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Assessment

How Cambridge IGCSE Literature in English is assessed

There are no tiers. Everyone takes Paper 1, then one of three routes: Paper 2; Paper 3 and Paper 4; or Paper 3 and Component 5. Grades are A*–G.

Syllabus 0475, for exams in 2027. A revised syllabus starts in 2028, with different papers and set texts listed for each year.

Everyone

  • Paper 1: Poetry and Prose

    One question on set poetry and one on a set prose text, closed book

    Time
    1 h 30 min
    Marks
    50
    Weight
    50%

Then either

  • Paper 2: Drama

    Two questions on two set plays, one passage-based and one essay, closed book

    Time
    1 h 30 min
    Marks
    50
    Weight
    50%

Or Paper 3, plus Paper 4 or Component 5

  • Paper 3: Drama (Open Text)

    One question on a set play, with a clean copy of the text allowed

    Time
    45 min
    Marks
    25
    Weight
    25%

  • Paper 4: Unseen

    A critical commentary on an unseen prose passage or poem

    Time
    1 h 15 min
    Marks
    25
    Weight
    25%

  • Component 5: Coursework

    Two assignments of 600–1200 words on different texts, marked by your school and moderated by Cambridge

    Time
    Coursework
    Marks
    25
    Weight
    25%

Coursework is optional: Component 5 is one of the three routes, if your school offers it. Set texts change from one exam year to the next, so check the list for your year.

From the official Cambridge International syllabus, checked October 2026. Read the syllabus

Syllabus content

What’s on the Cambridge IGCSE English Literature syllabus

Paper 1

  • Poetry: one of three groups of 15 set poems
  • Prose: one set novel, collection or group of stories

Paper 2 or Paper 3

  • Drama: five set plays, two of them by Shakespeare

Paper 4

  • An unseen prose passage or poem, first seen in the exam

Where marks are lost

Common Cambridge IGCSE English Literature mistakes

  • Writing about characters as real people.

    Characters are the writer’s creations. Write “the writer presents…” and say why the writer makes those choices, not just what the character does.

  • Arriving without quotations.

    Papers 1 and 2 are closed book. Learn short, flexible quotations for each set text, a few words each, that you can use for different questions.

  • Leaving the printed extract.

    In a passage-based question, build your answer on the extract on the paper. Bring in the rest of the text only where it sharpens a point.

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FAQ

Cambridge IGCSE English Literature questions, answered.

Tell your tutor your texts and exam year, since they change from year to year. It can then quiz you on themes, characters and key quotations, and help you plan essays.

No. Coursework must be your own work, and the syllabus treats inappropriate use of AI as plagiarism. Your tutor can talk through ideas and give feedback on drafts, within your school’s rules.

Yes. Ask for an unseen poem or prose passage with a Paper 4-style question, write your commentary, and get feedback on what it does well and what would lift it.

Yes. The free plan includes 5 tutor messages and 15 minutes of calls a day. Pro and Max give you more when exams get close.

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