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Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Language A (4EA1)

Edexcel IGCSE English, from anthology to your own writing.

Practise reading the anthology and unseen texts, and get feedback on your transactional and imaginative writing. Your tutor helps you improve your writing without writing it for you.

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How do I plan the transactional writing task in Paper 1?

Here’s what examiners look for:

  • Pick the prompt you have most to say about, then underline the form, audience and purpose it sets
  • Use the features of that form: a headline for an article, a greeting and sign-off for a letter, direct address for a speech
  • Plan four or five paragraphs that build to a clear ending, and keep the tone right for the audience all the way through

Examiner tip: Write for the reader the task names. A speech to younger students should sound different from a letter to a newspaper editor.

See how it works

Watch a tutor work through a question.

Say what you're studying, choose a tutor, then work through your homework step by step, take a quick quiz or call your tutor. This one is IGCSE Maths, and every subject works the same way.

Assessment

How Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Language A is assessed

There are no tiers. Everyone takes Paper 1, plus either the Paper 2 exam or the Component 3 coursework. The Spoken Language Endorsement is optional and reported separately.

Specification 4EA1 (Issue 7, August 2025), for exams from November 2025.

Everyone

  • Paper 1: Non-fiction Texts and Transactional Writing

    Reading questions on an anthology text and an unseen extract, then one writing task from a choice of two

    Time
    2 h 15 min
    Marks
    90
    Weight
    60%

Then one of

  • Paper 2: Poetry and Prose Texts and Imaginative Writing

    An essay on an anthology poem or prose text, then one imaginative writing task from a choice of three

    Time
    1 h 30 min
    Marks
    60
    Weight
    40%

  • Component 3: Coursework

    An essay on three anthology texts and an imaginative writing task, marked by your school

    Time
    Coursework
    Marks
    60
    Weight
    40%

Optional

  • Spoken Language Endorsement

    A presentation followed by questions, assessed by your teacher

    Time
    Up to 10 min
    Weight
    Reported separately (Pass, Merit or Distinction)

Your school chooses between the Paper 2 exam and the Component 3 coursework. The anthology texts are printed in the exam papers.

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

Syllabus content

What’s on the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English syllabus

Anthology Part 1: non-fiction

  • Ten non-fiction texts, including A Passage to Africa, The Danger of a Single Story and H is for Hawk

Anthology Part 2: poetry and prose

  • Ten poems and stories, including Disabled, Still I Rise, The Necklace and The Story of an Hour

Writing

  • Transactional: articles, speeches, letters, guides, reviews and leaflets
  • Imaginative writing

Where marks are lost

Common Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English mistakes

  • Writing about one text, then the other.

    When you compare texts, link them throughout with words like “whereas” and “similarly”, rather than two separate essays.

  • Spotting features without explaining them.

    Naming a simile earns little. Say what the words suggest and how they shape the reader’s view.

  • Starting imaginative writing with no ending in mind.

    Plan the ending before you write the first line, so the piece builds towards it instead of running out of time.

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

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FAQ

Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English questions, answered.

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

Yes. Ask your tutor about a text’s ideas, language and structure, or ask a quick-revision tutor to quiz you on how writers create effects.

It can help you plan and give feedback on your drafts. Your coursework must be your own work, so follow your school’s rules on help.

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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