Edexcel IGCSE English Literature (4ET1) offers Component 3 coursework (code 4ET1/03) as an alternative to examined Component 2 for 40% of the qualification. You still sit Paper 1 (poetry and modern prose). This is not the same as English Language coursework — different texts, mark grids and tasks.

Below are example task formats, essay plans and short illustrations — not full essays to copy.

Also read: 4ET1 exam trends · Free Literature notes · Literature 0475 Cambridge guide (different board).

4ET1 structure

Component	Assessment	Weight
Paper 1	Exam — poetry + modern prose	60%
Paper 2	Exam — drama + heritage (open book)	40%
Paper 3 / Component 3	Coursework — two essays	40% (instead of Paper 2)

Confirm whether your centre uses 4ET0 or 4ET1 codes on your entry — always match resources to your statement of entry.

Component 3: two assignments

Assignment	Text type	Marks	AOs	Approx. words
A	Modern drama (set list in spec)	30	AO1, AO2	650–800 each
B	Literary heritage (Shakespeare, Austen, etc.)	30	AO1, AO2, AO4 (context)	650–800

Pearson lists approved drama and heritage titles in the specification (e.g. An Inspector Calls, A View from the Bridge, Macbeth, Pride and Prejudice — use the current list).

Assignment A: example task shapes (modern drama)

Tasks must allow AO1 (understanding) and AO2 (analysis of language, form, structure). Specification-style format:

How does [playwright] present [theme/character] in [play title]?

You must consider language, form and structure in your answer.

Example themes (adapt with teacher)

Play (from spec list)	Example focus
An Inspector Calls	Responsibility, class, guilt
A View from the Bridge	Honour, conflict, Eddie’s downfall
The Curious Incident…	Perspective, isolation, truth

Essay plan (Assignment A)

Section	Content
Introduction	Play + focus + writer’s overall presentation
Body 1	Act/scene — technique + quotation + effect
Body 2	Second key moment — compare or develop
Body 3	Structural feature (staging, dialogue, contrast)
Conclusion	Evaluate how methods build the focus

Short original analytical sentence (style example only):

Priestley’s cyclical structure — returning to the dining room after the Inspector leaves — suggests society has learned nothing unless individuals change, not institutions alone.

Quote your set play, not generic statements.

Assignment B: example task shapes (heritage)

Heritage tasks also need AO4: text and context (historical, social, literary).

How does [writer] present [theme] in [heritage text]?

You must consider language, form and structure, and relevant contextual factors.

Example focuses

Text type	Context + analysis link
Macbeth	Kingship, gender, supernatural — Jacobean beliefs
Pride and Prejudice	Marriage, class — Regency society
Great Expectations	Social mobility — Victorian London

Essay plan (Assignment B)

Section	Content
Introduction	Text, focus, brief context hook
Body	Analysis + embedded quotations
Context paragraph	AO4 woven in, not bolted on at end only
Conclusion	Judgement on writer’s purpose

Language vs Literature coursework

	English Language 4EA1/03	English Literature 4ET1/03
Assignment A	Three anthology texts	One drama play
Assignment B	Imaginative writing	Heritage essay
Length	~1200 + ~700 words	~650–800 each

Submission and integrity

Same principles as Language: authentication, limited draft feedback, no plagiarism/undisclosed AI. From June 2026 series, centres submit marks on Edexcel Online and samples via Learner Work Transfer — see Pearson’s Coursework and SLE submission guidance.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Language coursework essays for Literature?

No — different subjects and criteria.

One essay on two plays?

Assignment A is one modern drama text per essay unless your teacher’s approved task says otherwise.

Where are mark schemes?

In the 4ET1 specification coursework section (Pearson cites pages in submission guidance).

Exam or coursework route?

School choice — exam route uses Paper 2 instead of Component 3.

Cambridge Literature coursework?

See 0475 guide for Cambridge options.

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Verify set texts, word counts and deadlines with your teacher and the latest Pearson 4ET1 specification.

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