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Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9–1) English Language (1EN0)

Edexcel GCSE English, reading and writing.

Practise each reading question on unseen extracts, then plan and redraft your own imaginative and transactional writing. Your tutor gives feedback you can act on, without writing it for you.

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What does the synthesis question in Paper 2 (Question 7a) ask you to do?

Here’s what examiners look for:

  • It’s worth 6 marks and tests one skill: selecting and synthesising evidence from both extracts
  • Find the details each text gives on the topic in the question, then bring them together in one answer
  • Stick to what the texts say. How the writers present their ideas is the comparison question that follows, Question 7b

Examiner tip: Keep it short and precise: points from both texts, linked with words like “both” and “whereas”, with brief quotations.

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Assessment

How Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9–1) English Language is assessed

There are no tiers. Everyone takes both papers and can get grades 9–1. The Spoken Language endorsement is reported separately and doesn’t count towards the grade.

Specification 1EN0, first examined in 2017. Pearson also offers English Language 2.0 (1EN2) as a separate option; tell your tutor which one you’re taking.

All students

  • Paper 1: Fiction and Imaginative Writing

    Questions on an unseen 19th-century fiction extract of about 650 words, then one imaginative writing task from a choice of two

    Time
    1 h 45 min
    Marks
    64
    Weight
    40%

  • Paper 2: Non-fiction and Transactional Writing

    Questions on two linked unseen 20th- and 21st-century non-fiction extracts, then one transactional writing task from a choice of two

    Time
    2 h 5 min
    Marks
    96
    Weight
    60%

Reported separately

  • Spoken Language endorsement

    A prepared presentation, with questions, assessed by your teacher

    Time
    Up to 10 min
    Weight
    Pass, Merit or Distinction

There is no coursework. The Spoken Language presentation is assessed in school and shown as a separate grade on your certificate.

From the official Pearson Edexcel syllabus, checked October 2026. Read the syllabus

Syllabus content

What’s on the Pearson Edexcel GCSE English Language syllabus

  • 19th-century fiction (reading)
  • Imaginative writing
  • 20th- and 21st-century non-fiction (reading)
  • Transactional writing
  • Spoken language

Where marks are lost

Common Pearson Edexcel GCSE English Language mistakes

  • Losing the thread in 19th-century prose.

    Read the extract once just for what happens and who’s who. Long sentences and old vocabulary are easier on the second read, once you know the story.

  • Writing a transactional piece with no reader in mind.

    Name the audience and purpose before you plan. An article for teenagers, a letter to a council and a speech to parents need different tones and openings.

  • Ignoring the images in imaginative writing.

    One task offers two images. Use them for ideas if they help, but you don’t have to describe them: they’re a starting point, not the task.

Six english tutors, six ways to learn

Practise past-paper style questions with the exam coach, drill facts before a test with quick revision, or slow down with a step-by-step tutor. Switch any time.

See how each one teaches How the AI tutor works
  • OliverConcept explainer
  • RuthStep by step
  • HugoExam coach
  • TessaQuick revision
  • MalikChallenger
  • EllaConfidence builder

Recorded your English Language lesson?

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FAQ

Pearson Edexcel GCSE English Language questions, answered.

Tutors are set up to help you plan, draft and improve your own writing. Paste a paragraph and ask what would raise it, and your tutor explains why.

Yes. Call your tutor to rehearse your presentation and answer follow-up questions. Your final presentation must be your own work, following your school’s rules.

Yes, if you were at least 16 on the 31 August before the exams. Both papers are offered in November as well as May and June.

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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More Pearson Edexcel GCSE subjects

English Language in other curricula