Please check the examination details below before entering your candidate information
Candidate surname Other names
Centre Number Candidate Number
Pearson Edexcel Level 3 GCE
Friday 22 May 2026
Morning (Time: 1 hour 15 minutes) Paper
reference 8ET0/02
English Literature
Advanced Subsidiary
PAPER 2: Prose
You must have: Total Marks
Prescribed texts (clean copies)
Instructions
•• Use black ink or ball-point pen.
Fill in the boxes at the top of this page with your name,
centre number and candidate number.
•• Answer one question.
Answer the questions in the space provided
– there may be more space than you need.
Information
•• The total mark for this paper is 44.
The marks for each question are shown in brackets
– use this as a guide as to how much time to spend on each question.
Advice
•• Read each question carefully before you start to answer it.
Check your answer if you have time at the end.
Turn over
P79572A
©2026 Pearson Education Ltd.
P:1/1/1/
*P79572A0120*
, Answer ONE question on your chosen texts, one of which must be pre-1900.
Begin your answer on page 8.
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
Childhood
Texts
Pre-1900: What Maisie Knew, Henry James; Hard Times, Charles Dickens
Post-1900: Atonement, Ian McEwan; The Color Purple, Alice Walker
EITHER
1 Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present characters
who make mistakes.
In your answer you must consider the following:
• the writers’ methods
• links between the texts
• relevant contextual factors.
(Total for Question 1 = 44 marks)
OR
2 Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present how
characters respond to authority.
In your answer you must consider the following:
• the writers’ methods
• links between the texts
• relevant contextual factors.
(Total for Question 2 = 44 marks)
2
*P79572A0220*
, Answer ONE question on your chosen texts, one of which must be pre-1900.
Begin your answer on page 8.
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
Colonisation and its Aftermath
Texts
Pre-1900: Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
Post-1900: Home Fire, Kamila Shamsie; The Lonely Londoners, Sam Selvon
EITHER
3 Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present characters
experiencing new beginnings.
In your answer you must consider the following:
• the writers’ methods
• links between the texts
• relevant contextual factors.
(Total for Question 3 = 44 marks)
OR
4 Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts make use
of uncertainty.
In your answer you must consider the following:
• the writers’ methods
• links between the texts
• relevant contextual factors.
(Total for Question 4 = 44 marks)
3
*P79572A0320* Turn over
Candidate surname Other names
Centre Number Candidate Number
Pearson Edexcel Level 3 GCE
Friday 22 May 2026
Morning (Time: 1 hour 15 minutes) Paper
reference 8ET0/02
English Literature
Advanced Subsidiary
PAPER 2: Prose
You must have: Total Marks
Prescribed texts (clean copies)
Instructions
•• Use black ink or ball-point pen.
Fill in the boxes at the top of this page with your name,
centre number and candidate number.
•• Answer one question.
Answer the questions in the space provided
– there may be more space than you need.
Information
•• The total mark for this paper is 44.
The marks for each question are shown in brackets
– use this as a guide as to how much time to spend on each question.
Advice
•• Read each question carefully before you start to answer it.
Check your answer if you have time at the end.
Turn over
P79572A
©2026 Pearson Education Ltd.
P:1/1/1/
*P79572A0120*
, Answer ONE question on your chosen texts, one of which must be pre-1900.
Begin your answer on page 8.
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
Childhood
Texts
Pre-1900: What Maisie Knew, Henry James; Hard Times, Charles Dickens
Post-1900: Atonement, Ian McEwan; The Color Purple, Alice Walker
EITHER
1 Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present characters
who make mistakes.
In your answer you must consider the following:
• the writers’ methods
• links between the texts
• relevant contextual factors.
(Total for Question 1 = 44 marks)
OR
2 Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present how
characters respond to authority.
In your answer you must consider the following:
• the writers’ methods
• links between the texts
• relevant contextual factors.
(Total for Question 2 = 44 marks)
2
*P79572A0220*
, Answer ONE question on your chosen texts, one of which must be pre-1900.
Begin your answer on page 8.
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA
Colonisation and its Aftermath
Texts
Pre-1900: Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
Post-1900: Home Fire, Kamila Shamsie; The Lonely Londoners, Sam Selvon
EITHER
3 Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present characters
experiencing new beginnings.
In your answer you must consider the following:
• the writers’ methods
• links between the texts
• relevant contextual factors.
(Total for Question 3 = 44 marks)
OR
4 Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts make use
of uncertainty.
In your answer you must consider the following:
• the writers’ methods
• links between the texts
• relevant contextual factors.
(Total for Question 4 = 44 marks)
3
*P79572A0320* Turn over
