GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE — Actual May 2025 PAST PAPER: Exploring Modern and
Literary Heritage Texts All Assessment Questions & Mark Scheme [OCR J352/01]
Exam Resource Summary
The GCSE (9–1) English Literature May 2025 Exploring Modern and Literary Heritage Texts Paper
(OCR J352/01) merges the full official examination paper with its detailed mark scheme to provide a
structured and comprehensive revision resource. This paper assesses students’ ability to analyse,
interpret, and evaluate a range of literary texts, including modern prose, poetry, and classic literary
heritage works. Candidates are expected to explore themes, characterisation, stylistic features, and
contextual influences while constructing well-supported and coherent responses. By presenting each
question alongside its marking criteria, the resource clarifies examiner expectations, highlights the
analytical and evaluative skills required for high-band responses, and guides learners in producing
precise, well-structured answers. This integrated format strengthens literary analysis, supports targeted
revision, and prepares students thoroughly for the 2026 OCR GCSE English Literature Exploring
Modern and Literary Heritage Texts examination.
OCR is an exempt Charity
Turn over
, 2
Contents Page
Section A – Modern prose or drama Question Page
Anita and Me by Meera Syal 1 4
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro 2 6
Animal Farm by George Orwell 3 8
An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley 4 10
Leave Taking by Winsome Pinnock 5 12
DNA by Dennis Kelly 6 14
Section B – 19th century prose Questions Page
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 7/8 16
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 9/10 18
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells 11/12 19
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert
13/14 20
Louis Stevenson
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 15/16 21
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 17/18 22
© OCR 2025 J352/01 Jun25
, 3
Section A – Modern prose or drama
Answer one question from this section.
1 Anita and Me by Meera Syal and The Boy with the Topknot by Sathnam Sanghera
Read the two extracts below and then answer both part (a) and part (b).
You should spend about 45 minutes on part (a) and 30 minutes on part (b).
For part (a), you should focus only on the extracts here rather than referring to the rest of your
studied text.
(a) Compare how the characters’ feelings about family life are presented in these two extracts.
You should consider:
• the situations and experiences faced by the characters
• how the characters react to these situations and experiences
• how the writers’ use of language and techniques creates effects.
[20]
AND
(b) Explore another moment in Anita and Me where Meena becomes aware of differences between
her family’s life and others in Tollington.
[20]
Extract 1 from: Anita and Me by Meera Syal
In this extract, Meena thinks about her mother’s cooking.
My mother would right now be standing in a haze of spicy steam, crowded by huge
bubbling saucepans where onions and tomatoes simmered and spat, molehills of
chopped vegetables and fresh herbs jostling for space with bitter, bright heaps of
turmeric, masala, cumin and coarse black pepper whilst a softly breathing mound of
dough would be waiting in a china bowl, ready to be divided and flattened into round, 5
grainy chapatti. And she, sweaty and absorbed, would move from one chaotic work
surface to another, preparing the fresh, home‑ made meal that my father expected,
needed like air, after a day at the office about which he never talked.
From the moment mama stepped in from her teaching job, swapping saris for M & S
separates, she was in that kitchen; it would never occur to her, at least not for many 10
years, to suggest instant or take‑ away food which would give her a precious few
hours to sit, think, smell the roses – that would be tantamount to spouse abuse.
This food was not just something to fill a hole, it was soul food, it was the food their
far‑ away mothers made and came seasoned with memory and longing, this was the
nearest they would get for many years, to home. 15
So far, I had resisted all my mother’s attempts to teach me the rudiments of
Indian cuisine; she’d often pull me in from the yard and ask me to stand with her
while she prepared a simple sabzi or rolled out a chapatti before making it dance
and blow out over a naked gas flame. ‘Just watch, it is so easy, beti,’ she’d say
encouragingly. I did not see what was easy about peeling, grinding, kneading and 20
burning your fingers in this culinary Turkish bath, only to present your masterpiece
and have my father wolf it down in ten minutes flat in front of the nine o’ clock
© OCR 2025 J352/01 Jun25 Turn over
, 4
news whilst sitting cross‑ legged on the floor surrounded by spread sheets from
yesterday’s Daily Telegraph.
Once she made the fatal mistake of saying, ‘You are going to have to learn to cook if 25
you want to get married, aren’t you?’
I reeled back, horrified…
Extract 2 from: The Boy with the Topknot by Sathnam Sanghera
In this extract, Sathnam is visiting his parents.
Mum had produced a lunch consisting of aubergine curry, lentil curry, mango pickle,
chapattis, Indian salad, concentrated orange juice, and a Penguin bar. She watched
as I began to eat and halfway through the first chapatti asked how many more I would
like. I said one, knowing she would give me at least two more than I asked for, and
she went into the kitchen and came back with three, knowing that I would have asked 5
for two fewer than I actually wanted. As I ate, she attempted to increase the number
of chapattis that ended up in my belly (‘You’re fading away!’) by taking some away
while I was part‑ way through them (‘That one’s gone cold,’ ‘Oh dear, forgot to smear
butter on that one’) – until the sum of the fractions amounted to seven chapattis.
Thus weakened, and unable to move from the pink sofa because of the bolus1 10
dilating my intestine, I listened as Mum began listing her latest maladies (a new crick
in her neck, a throb in her knee), bringing me up to date with what she had been up
to (a combination of visits to the temple and looking after the adored grandchildren),
handing over the day’s mail for translation into Punjabi (a letter from the dentist, a
leaflet from the Jehovah’s Witnesses), and asking whether I’d called or liked any of 15
the nice Sikh girls whose telephone numbers had been sent to me in recent months.
On receiving the inevitable ‘Not really,’ she sighed long‑ sufferingly.
1bolus – a rounded mass of food
© OCR 2025 J352/01 Jun25
Literary Heritage Texts All Assessment Questions & Mark Scheme [OCR J352/01]
Exam Resource Summary
The GCSE (9–1) English Literature May 2025 Exploring Modern and Literary Heritage Texts Paper
(OCR J352/01) merges the full official examination paper with its detailed mark scheme to provide a
structured and comprehensive revision resource. This paper assesses students’ ability to analyse,
interpret, and evaluate a range of literary texts, including modern prose, poetry, and classic literary
heritage works. Candidates are expected to explore themes, characterisation, stylistic features, and
contextual influences while constructing well-supported and coherent responses. By presenting each
question alongside its marking criteria, the resource clarifies examiner expectations, highlights the
analytical and evaluative skills required for high-band responses, and guides learners in producing
precise, well-structured answers. This integrated format strengthens literary analysis, supports targeted
revision, and prepares students thoroughly for the 2026 OCR GCSE English Literature Exploring
Modern and Literary Heritage Texts examination.
OCR is an exempt Charity
Turn over
, 2
Contents Page
Section A – Modern prose or drama Question Page
Anita and Me by Meera Syal 1 4
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro 2 6
Animal Farm by George Orwell 3 8
An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley 4 10
Leave Taking by Winsome Pinnock 5 12
DNA by Dennis Kelly 6 14
Section B – 19th century prose Questions Page
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 7/8 16
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 9/10 18
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells 11/12 19
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert
13/14 20
Louis Stevenson
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 15/16 21
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 17/18 22
© OCR 2025 J352/01 Jun25
, 3
Section A – Modern prose or drama
Answer one question from this section.
1 Anita and Me by Meera Syal and The Boy with the Topknot by Sathnam Sanghera
Read the two extracts below and then answer both part (a) and part (b).
You should spend about 45 minutes on part (a) and 30 minutes on part (b).
For part (a), you should focus only on the extracts here rather than referring to the rest of your
studied text.
(a) Compare how the characters’ feelings about family life are presented in these two extracts.
You should consider:
• the situations and experiences faced by the characters
• how the characters react to these situations and experiences
• how the writers’ use of language and techniques creates effects.
[20]
AND
(b) Explore another moment in Anita and Me where Meena becomes aware of differences between
her family’s life and others in Tollington.
[20]
Extract 1 from: Anita and Me by Meera Syal
In this extract, Meena thinks about her mother’s cooking.
My mother would right now be standing in a haze of spicy steam, crowded by huge
bubbling saucepans where onions and tomatoes simmered and spat, molehills of
chopped vegetables and fresh herbs jostling for space with bitter, bright heaps of
turmeric, masala, cumin and coarse black pepper whilst a softly breathing mound of
dough would be waiting in a china bowl, ready to be divided and flattened into round, 5
grainy chapatti. And she, sweaty and absorbed, would move from one chaotic work
surface to another, preparing the fresh, home‑ made meal that my father expected,
needed like air, after a day at the office about which he never talked.
From the moment mama stepped in from her teaching job, swapping saris for M & S
separates, she was in that kitchen; it would never occur to her, at least not for many 10
years, to suggest instant or take‑ away food which would give her a precious few
hours to sit, think, smell the roses – that would be tantamount to spouse abuse.
This food was not just something to fill a hole, it was soul food, it was the food their
far‑ away mothers made and came seasoned with memory and longing, this was the
nearest they would get for many years, to home. 15
So far, I had resisted all my mother’s attempts to teach me the rudiments of
Indian cuisine; she’d often pull me in from the yard and ask me to stand with her
while she prepared a simple sabzi or rolled out a chapatti before making it dance
and blow out over a naked gas flame. ‘Just watch, it is so easy, beti,’ she’d say
encouragingly. I did not see what was easy about peeling, grinding, kneading and 20
burning your fingers in this culinary Turkish bath, only to present your masterpiece
and have my father wolf it down in ten minutes flat in front of the nine o’ clock
© OCR 2025 J352/01 Jun25 Turn over
, 4
news whilst sitting cross‑ legged on the floor surrounded by spread sheets from
yesterday’s Daily Telegraph.
Once she made the fatal mistake of saying, ‘You are going to have to learn to cook if 25
you want to get married, aren’t you?’
I reeled back, horrified…
Extract 2 from: The Boy with the Topknot by Sathnam Sanghera
In this extract, Sathnam is visiting his parents.
Mum had produced a lunch consisting of aubergine curry, lentil curry, mango pickle,
chapattis, Indian salad, concentrated orange juice, and a Penguin bar. She watched
as I began to eat and halfway through the first chapatti asked how many more I would
like. I said one, knowing she would give me at least two more than I asked for, and
she went into the kitchen and came back with three, knowing that I would have asked 5
for two fewer than I actually wanted. As I ate, she attempted to increase the number
of chapattis that ended up in my belly (‘You’re fading away!’) by taking some away
while I was part‑ way through them (‘That one’s gone cold,’ ‘Oh dear, forgot to smear
butter on that one’) – until the sum of the fractions amounted to seven chapattis.
Thus weakened, and unable to move from the pink sofa because of the bolus1 10
dilating my intestine, I listened as Mum began listing her latest maladies (a new crick
in her neck, a throb in her knee), bringing me up to date with what she had been up
to (a combination of visits to the temple and looking after the adored grandchildren),
handing over the day’s mail for translation into Punjabi (a letter from the dentist, a
leaflet from the Jehovah’s Witnesses), and asking whether I’d called or liked any of 15
the nice Sikh girls whose telephone numbers had been sent to me in recent months.
On receiving the inevitable ‘Not really,’ she sighed long‑ sufferingly.
1bolus – a rounded mass of food
© OCR 2025 J352/01 Jun25
