Comparative Guide: IGCSE & O-Level English Literature in Bangladesh

For schools and teachers in Bangladesh, English Literature choices determine the novels, plays and poems your students will live with for two years. Differences in text lists, assessment structure and open/closed-book policy shape timetable planning, resourcing, staff expertise, and student engagement. This guide compares the main international options available locally: Cambridge O Level, Pearson Edexcel International GCSE (Linear & Modular), and OxfordAQA International GCSE.

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Cambridge O Level Literature in English (2010)

Content & Structure
Two components, equally weighted:
• Paper 1: Poetry & Prose (open text) ~1h30 — one poetry Q + one prose Q
• Paper 2: Drama & Unseen (open text) ~2h — one drama Q + one unseen (poetry or prose)

Set Texts (by exam year)
Cambridge publishes year-specific lists for 2028/2029/2030 across Poetry, Prose, Drama and the Unseen component. Insert your chosen year’s full lists here (e.g., anthology selections from Songs of Ourselves plus the specified prose/drama titles for the cohort year).

• 2028 — Poetry (e.g., selections from Songs of Ourselves Vol. 1/3); Prose (two set texts chosen); Drama (one set text chosen); Unseen (poetry/prose extract provided in paper).
• 2029 — (add year list here)
• 2030 — (add year list here)

Implications for Teaching
Plan long-term reading sequences for the selected texts; teach passage-based analysis and whole-text essays; build explicit routines for the Unseen task (poetry and prose) with focus on writer’s methods and effects.

Implications for Students
Expect close reading, quotation control, and comparative perspectives across genres; open-text format for set texts supports depth of reference, while Unseen rewards flexible analytical skills.

Opportunities
Established international recognition; broad choice of texts allows cultural/contextual fit; extensive teacher support ecosystem.

Official Cambridge O Level Literature in English (2010)

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Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Literature (Linear) — 4ET1

Content & Structure
Linear route with two examined components (or one examined plus NEA option):
• Component 1: Poetry & Modern Prose (2h, 60%) — Unseen Poetry; Anthology Poetry (Part 3); one Modern Prose text
• Component 2: Modern Drama & Literary Heritage (1h30, 40%) — one Modern Drama; one Literary Heritage text
(Alternative: Component 3 NEA replaces Component 2)

Set Texts — Anthology Poetry (Part 3)

• If— (Kipling); Prayer Before Birth (MacNeice); Blessing (Dharker); Search for My Tongue (Bhatt); Half-past Two (Fanthorpe); Piano (Lawrence); Hide and Seek (Scannell); Sonnet 116 (Shakespeare); La Belle Dame sans Merci (Keats); Poem at Thirty-Nine (Walker); War Photographer (Duffy); The Tyger (Blake); My Last Duchess (Browning); Half-caste (Agard); Do not go gentle into that good night (Thomas); Remember (Rossetti)

Set Texts — Modern Prose (choose one)

• To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee); Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck); The Whale Rider (Ihimaera); The Joy Luck Club (Tan); Things Fall Apart (Achebe); Klara and the Sun (Ishiguro); Western Lane (Maroo)

Set Texts — Modern Drama (choose one)

• A View from the Bridge (Miller); An Inspector Calls (Priestley); The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Haddon/Stephens); Kindertransport (Samuels); Death and the King’s Horseman (Soyinka)

Set Texts — Literary Heritage (choose one)

• Romeo and Juliet; Macbeth; The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare); Pride and Prejudice (Austen); Great Expectations (Dickens); The Scarlet Letter (Hawthorne)

Implications for Teaching
Interleave anthology comparison, unseen poetry technique, and whole-text essay craft; if using NEA, schedule drafting/moderation windows; for open-book Component 2, use prescribed editions.

Implications for Students
Need balance of close analysis (poetry) and extended argument (prose/drama); NEA route suits independent study strengths; open-book component emphasises precise textual navigation.

Opportunities
Very wide resource base and analytics (ResultsPlus, examWizard); onscreen exam option.

Official Edexcel IGCSE English Literature (Linear)

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Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Literature (Modular) — 4XET1

Content & Structure
Two modular units (available June/Nov; resits allowed; cash-in for overall grade):
• Unit 1: Poetry & Modern Prose (2h, 60%) — Unseen Poetry; Anthology Part 3 (comparison); one Modern Prose text
• Unit 2: Modern Drama & Literary Heritage (1h30, 40%) — one Modern Drama; one Literary Heritage text (open book with prescribed editions)

Set Texts — Anthology Poetry (Part 3)
Same list as Linear (see above).

Set Texts — Modern Prose (choose one)
To Kill a Mockingbird; Of Mice and Men; The Whale Rider; The Joy Luck Club; Things Fall Apart; Klara and the Sun; Western Lane (Klara/Western Lane first assessed May 2026).

Set Texts — Modern Drama (choose one)
A View from the Bridge; An Inspector Calls; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time; Kindertransport; Death and the King’s Horseman.

Set Texts — Literary Heritage (choose one)
Romeo and Juliet; Macbeth; The Merchant of Venice; Pride and Prejudice; Great Expectations; The Scarlet Letter.

Implications for Teaching
Staged assessment enables targeted intervention between units; keep cumulative skills alive (e.g., poetry comparison & unseen) across the year.

Implications for Students
Modular pacing reduces single-season pressure; open-book Unit 2 rewards edition-based annotation practice during teaching (exams require clean copies).

Opportunities
Flexibility of resit; onscreen availability; strong continuity with Linear text list/resources.

Official Edexcel IGCSE English Literature (Modular)

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OxfordAQA International GCSE English Literature (9275)

Content & Structure
Two possible routes:
• Route A: Paper 1 (Prose & Drama, 1h30, closed book) + Paper 2a (Poetry & Unseen Prose, 2h15, open book for anthology)
• Route B: Paper 1 (as above) + Paper 2b (Poetry, 1h30, open book for anthology) + NEA extended response on a chosen prose text (20%)

Texts & Anthology
• Poetry: OxfordAQA anthology People and Places (open book on relevant paper)
• Set Prose & Drama: centres select from OxfordAQA’s published lists (choose one Prose and one Drama for Paper 1).
• Route B NEA: one extended study of a prose text not taken from the prescribed lists.

Implications for Teaching
Model comparative poetry responses from the anthology; build timed practice for unseen poetry/prose; if choosing NEA route, plan supervision/authentication windows.

Implications for Students
Clear AO mapping (analysis, response, context where relevant); open-book anthology encourages precise reference and exploration of effects.

Opportunities
Choice of examined-only (Route A) or examined + NEA (Route B); contemporary anthology focus; strong support package.

Official OxfordAQA IGCSE English Literature

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Key Comparisons at a Glance

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Conclusion

Across boards, Literature specifications combine poetry, prose and drama, with different balances of unseen analysis and open/closed-book study. The text list you adopt is the key driver of classroom experience. Use the tables above and the official links below to finalise a text pathway that aligns with teacher expertise, student interests, and assessment logistics.

Further Reading — Official Pages

• Cambridge O Level Literature in English (2010)
• Pearson Edexcel IGCSE English Literature (Linear)
• Pearson Edexcel IGCSE English Literature (Modular)
• OxfordAQA International GCSE English Literature