Candidate surname Other names
Centre Number Candidate Number
Pearson Edexcel Level 3 GCE
Friday 22 May 2026
Morning (Time: 2 hours 30 minutes) Paper
reference 9EL0/02 Mark Scheme (Results)
English Language and Literature
Advanced
PAPER 2: Varieties in Language and Literature
Summer 2026
You must have: Total Marks
Prescribed texts (clean copies)
Source Booklet (enclosed)
Instructions
•• Use black ink or ball-point pen.
Fill in the boxes at the top of this page with your name,
Pearson Edexcel Level 3 GCE
centre number and candidate number.
• inAnswer one question in Section A on your chosen theme and one question
Section B on your chosen texts. You must choose the same theme in
English Language and Literature
both sections.
• Answer the questions in the spaces provided
– there may be more space than you need.
Advanced Subsidiary (9EL0)
• Inforyour answers to Section B, you must not use texts that you have studied
coursework.
Paper 2: Varieties in Language and Literature
Information
•• The total mark for this paper is 50.
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 answers if you have time at the end.
Turn over
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Summer 2026
Question Paper Log Number P79730A
Publication Code 9EL0_02_2606_MS
All the material in this publication is
Pearson
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, General Marking Guidance
SECTION A
• All candidates must receive the same treatment. Examiners must mark the first candidate
Unseen Prose Non-fiction Texts
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in exactly the same way as they mark the last.
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Answer ONE question on your chosen theme. Begin your answer on page 4
• Mark schemes should be applied positively. Candidates must be rewarded for what they
EITHER have shown they can do rather than penalised for omissions.
Theme: Society and the Individual • Examiners should mark according to the mark scheme not according to their perception of
Read Text A on pages 4–5 of the source booklet. where the grade boundaries may lie.
1 Critically evaluate the ways in which Caitlin Moran expresses her feelings on the • There is no ceiling on achievement. All marks on the mark scheme should be used
importance of libraries, both in her own life and in wider society. appropriately.
In your answer, you must comment on linguistic and literary features and relevant • All the marks on the mark scheme are designed to be awarded. Examiners should always
contextual factors. award full marks if deserved, i.e. if the answer matches the mark scheme. Examiners should
(Total for Question 1 = 20 marks) also be prepared to award zero marks if the candidate’s response is not worthy of credit
OR according to the mark scheme.
Theme: Love and Loss • Where some judgement is required, mark schemes will provide the principles by which
marks will be awarded and exemplification may be limited.
Read Text B on pages 6–7 of the source booklet.
• When examiners are in doubt regarding the application of the mark scheme to a
2 Critically evaluate the ways in which Adrian Edmondson reflects upon his
friend’s death. candidate’s response, the team leader must be consulted.
• Crossed out work should be marked UNLESS the candidate has replaced it with an
In your answer, you must comment on linguistic and literary features and relevant
contextual factors. alternative response.
(Total for Question 2 = 20 marks)
OR Specific Marking Guidance
Theme: Encounters
When deciding how to reward an answer, examiners should consult both the indicative
Read Text C on pages 8–9 of the source booklet.
content and the associated marking grid(s). When using a levels-based mark scheme, the
3 Critically evaluate the ways in which Safiya Sinclair explains the significance of her ‘best fit’ approach should be used.
encounter with the poetry of Sylvia Plath.
• examiners should first decide which descriptor most closely matches the answer and
In your answer, you must comment on linguistic and literary features and relevant place it in that level
contextual factors.
• the mark awarded within the level will be decided based on the quality of the answer and
(Total for Question 3 = 20 marks)
will be modified according to how securely all bullet points are displayed at that level
OR
• in cases of uneven performance, the points above will still apply. Candidates will be
Theme: Crossing Boundaries placed in the level that best describes their answer according to each of the Assessment
Read Text D on pages 10–11 of the source booklet. Objectives described in the level. Marks will be awarded towards the top or bottom of
4 Critically evaluate the ways in which Alastair Humphreys explains the reasoning that level depending on how they have evidenced each of the descriptor bullet points
behind his latest exploration project. • examiners of Advanced GCE English should remember that all Assessment Objectives
In your answer, you must comment on linguistic and literary features and relevant within a level are equally weighed. They must consider this when making their judgements
contextual factors. • the mark grid identifies which Assessment Objective is being targeted by each bullet
(Total for Question 4 = 20 marks) point within the level descriptors
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, • indicative content is exactly that – they are factual points that candidates are likely to use
Indicate which question you are answering by marking a cross in the box . If you change your to construct their answer. It is possible for an answer to be constructed without
mind, put a line through the box and then indicate your new question with a cross . mentioning some or all of these points, as long as they provide alternative responses to
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the indicative content that fulfils the requirements of the question. It is the examiner’s
Chosen question number: Question 1 Question 2
responsibility to apply their professional judgement to the candidate’s response in
Question 3 Question 4
determining if the answer fulfils the requirements of the question.
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