Cambridge IGCSE Literature in English 0475 May/June 2026 Past Papers: What Came Up and How It Was Marked
The Cambridge IGCSE Literature in English (0475) May/June 2026 papers and mark schemes are out, and they’re free. Paper 1 (0475/12) and Paper 2 (0475/22) can be downloaded and printed on the Tutopiya Learning Portal. Below is every question set on each text and how the mark scheme placed answers in bands, taken from the papers themselves.
Key points from the 2026 0475 papers
- Endings and final scenes were popular passages. The last chapter of Things Fall Apart and of Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard, Chapter 31 of To Kill a Mockingbird and Act 5 Scene 2 of Antony and Cleopatra were all set.
- Most essay questions were about one character. Nwoye, Ila Das, Sampath, Maudie Atkinson, Mrs Kingshaw, Delia, Peter and Mitch all had their own question.
- Paper 2 used “how far” statements twice. Delia “is a strong woman” and Mitch is a “natural gentleman” both asked you to weigh up a claim.
- Almost every question carries a key word such as powerfully, vividly, memorably, strikingly or movingly. It points you to the writer’s methods and their effect.
- There is no list of right answers. The mark scheme for both papers is one band grid applied to every question.
All May/June 2026 0475 papers
| Paper | Code | Duration | Marks | What it tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 Poetry and Prose | 0475/12 | 1 hour 30 minutes | 50 | One poetry question and one prose question, 25 marks each |
| Paper 2 Drama | 0475/22 | 1 hour 30 minutes | 50 | Two questions on two different plays: one passage-based, one essay, 25 marks each |
Marks are taken from the 2026 papers and mark schemes; the Paper 2 timing is from its front cover. Each paper comes with its official Cambridge mark scheme. Set texts change between exam years, so check yours against the list below. For the full list of syllabus content, see the Cambridge IGCSE syllabus pages.
Which variant is this? Cambridge sets different versions of each paper (variants) for different time zones. The papers here are variant 2: 0475/12 and 0475/22. All variants assess the same skills at the same difficulty, so variant 2 is just as good for practice as the one your school sat.
Download the 0475 May/June 2026 papers →
What came up in 0475 Paper 2 (Drama), May/June 2026?
Paper 2 had five plays, each with an (a) passage question and a (b) essay question. You answer two questions on two different plays, one (a) and one (b).
| Play | (a) Passage question | (b) Essay question |
|---|---|---|
| Pearl Cleage: Blues for an Alabama Sky | Act 1 Scene 2, Delia calls in after church: what makes the moment entertaining | ”Delia is a strong woman”: to what extent do you agree? |
| Shelagh Delaney: A Taste of Honey | Act 1 Scene 2: how Jo and Boy are portrayed | What makes Peter so dislikeable |
| Tennessee Williams: A Streetcar Named Desire | Scene 1: what makes this early moment revealing | Blanche calls Mitch a “natural gentleman”: how far do you agree? |
| Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream | Act 2 Scene 2, Lysander and Hermia in the wood: a memorable moment | How conflict is dramatised at two moments in the play |
| Shakespeare: Antony and Cleopatra | Act 5 Scene 2, Cleopatra’s final scene: what makes it moving | How Octavius Caesar and Antony are contrasted |
What made it hard: the two “how far” essays need a balanced argument with evidence on both sides. The Midsummer Night’s Dream essay asked for two moments, so you had to choose them well and compare them.
What came up in 0475 Paper 1 (Poetry and Prose)?
Paper 1 had 22 questions in two sections. You answer one from Section A (poetry) and one from Section B (prose).
Section A: Poetry. Every question printed a poem.
| Question | Anthology | Poem and focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Songs of Ourselves Volume 1 | Judith Wright, Hunting Snake: the speaker’s fascination with the snake |
| 2 | Songs of Ourselves Volume 1 | Charles Mungoshi, Before the Sun: the boy’s feelings of pleasure |
| 3 | Songs of Ourselves Volume 2, Part 3 | Elizabeth Jennings, The Enemies: what makes the poem disturbing |
| 4 | Songs of Ourselves Volume 2, Part 3 | Musaemura Zimunya, A Long Journey: the speaker’s feelings about change |
| 5 | Kayo Chingonyi, Kumukanda | The Colour of James Brown’s Scream: the power of music |
| 6 | Kayo Chingonyi, Kumukanda | Fisherman’s Song: what makes it unsettling |
Section B: Prose. Each text had a passage question and an essay question.
| Text | Passage question | Essay question |
|---|---|---|
| Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart | Q7, Chapter 25: a powerful ending | Q8, how Nwoye is portrayed |
| Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice | Q9, Chapter 18, Elizabeth dances with Darcy: a memorable moment | Q10, the use of letters |
| Anita Desai: Fire on the Mountain | Q11, Part 1 Chapter 8: how Nanda Kaul is movingly portrayed | Q12, Ila Das’s poverty |
| Kiran Desai: Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard | Q13, Chapter 25: a striking ending | Q14, Sampath before his time in the orchard |
| Harper Lee: To Kill a Mockingbird | Q15, Chapter 31: a moving moment | Q16, Maudie Atkinson as an admirable character |
| Susan Hill: I’m the King of the Castle | Q17, Chapter 3: Hooper’s cruelty | Q18, how Mrs Kingshaw is portrayed |
| H G Wells: The War of the Worlds | Q19, Book 1 Chapter 12: building tension | Q20, what makes it an exciting novel (not using the Q19 passage) |
| Stories of Ourselves Volume 2 | Q21, Margaret Atwood, When It Happens: building tension | Q22, Jane Gardam, Showing the Flag: Philip and his mother |
Watch for: Questions 19 and 21 both asked about tension. Look closely at how sentence length, pace and detail create it, not just what happens.
How the 0475 May/June 2026 mark scheme gives marks
1. One grid marks every question. Both 2026 mark schemes use the same band descriptors for all questions, each out of 25. There is no question-specific list of points. Paper 2 states this directly: all questions are marked out of 25, and the level descriptors apply to each one.
2. Four assessment objectives sit inside each level. AO1 is knowledge of the text with reference to it. AO2 is understanding meanings beyond the surface. AO3 is how the writer uses language, structure and form. AO4 is an informed personal response. Each level describes all four together.
3. There are eight levels. Level 8 is 23–25, Level 7 is 20–22, Level 6 is 17–19, Level 5 is 14–16, Level 4 is 11–13, Level 3 is 8–10, Level 2 is 5–7 and Level 1 is 1–4.
4. What moves you from Level 5 to Level 6. At Level 5 you make “some response” to the writer’s language. At Level 6 that becomes a developed response to how the writer achieves effects, with a well-developed personal response. So on the Achebe or Lee passage questions, don’t stop at naming a technique: say what it does to the reader.
5. What separates Level 7 from Level 8. Level 7 needs much well-selected reference to the text, integrated into your argument, and a clear critical understanding. Level 8 adds “individuality and insight”, a response in considerable detail to the writer’s effects, and evaluation sustained across the whole essay.
6. Retelling the story keeps you low. The examiners’ annotations include ones for narrative, no use of text, repetition and relating to the question. At Levels 3 and 4 the descriptors talk about surface meaning and “a little reference” to the writer’s language. Every paragraph should answer the question’s adverb: why is it moving, disturbing or striking?
7. Quotation is credited when it’s selected and used. The upper levels reward reference that is “well-selected” and integrated. Short, embedded quotations that you then analyse score better than long quotations followed by a summary.
8. Both questions are worth the same. On both papers the two answers are 25 marks each. Split your 90 minutes roughly evenly, as an unfinished second essay is the easiest way to lose a level.
Which papers should you sit?
Papers 1 and 2 are the two set-text papers in this set. Your school may also enter you for other 0475 components, so check your entry. Only answer on the texts you have studied: the question papers cover several options, and you only need the ones you were taught.
How to use the 2026 papers as a mock
- Find your texts first. Mark which poems, novels and plays on these papers are on your course.
- Sit each paper in 1 hour 30 minutes. Spend about 45 minutes on each answer, including a short plan.
- Practise both question types. For Paper 2, do one passage question and one essay on different plays, as the rules require.
- Mark yourself with the band grid. Highlight where you analyse the writer’s methods (AO3) and where you only retell.
- Rewrite one paragraph to move up a level. Add a closer look at a word or image, and a sentence on its effect.
More IGCSE Literature in English resources
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Frequently asked questions
Are the 0475 May/June 2026 past papers free? +
Yes. Paper 1 Poetry and Prose (0475/12), Paper 2 Drama (0475/22) and their official mark schemes are free to download and print on the Tutopiya Learning Portal.
What came up in 0475 Paper 2 Drama May/June 2026? +
Each of the five plays had a passage question and an essay question: Blues for an Alabama Sky (Delia as a strong woman), A Taste of Honey (Jo and Boy; Peter), A Streetcar Named Desire (the opening scene; Mitch as a gentleman), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Act 2 Scene 2; conflict) and Antony and Cleopatra (Cleopatra's final scene; Caesar and Antony).
How is 0475 marked? +
Every question is marked out of 25 using the same eight-level band grid, based on four assessment objectives: knowledge of the text, understanding, response to the writer's methods and personal response. There is no checklist of points, so the examiner places your whole essay in a level.
Do I have to answer a passage question and an essay question? +
On Paper 2, yes: you answer two questions on two different plays, one passage-based (a) and one essay (b). On Paper 1 you answer one poetry question and one prose question; every poetry question prints a poem, and for prose you choose either the passage question or the essay question.
Why can't I find 0475/11 or 0475/13 for 2026? +
Only variant 2 of the May/June 2026 papers is on the portal at the moment. Cambridge sets different variants for different time zones; variants 1 and 3 assess the same skills in the same format, so variant 2 prepares you just as well, as long as you check the set texts match yours.
When will the October/November 2026 0475 papers be available? +
Cambridge usually releases the October/November papers in the new year. We add them to the Learning Portal once they are published.
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Mahira Kitchil
Connect on LinkedIn →Project Head, Tutopiya
Mahira Kitchil is a Project Head at Tutopiya, where she works with Cambridge IGCSE and Edexcel A-Level teachers in more than 20 countries on how exams are set and marked. She writes practical guides that help students find the right past papers and use the mark scheme the way examiners do, so every practice paper counts.
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