What Paper 2 assesses
A closed-text drama paper. Route 1 candidates take it with Paper 1 to complete the qualification. Texts cannot be taken into the exam.
- Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Marks: 50
- Weight: 50% of Cambridge International 0475 (2027 syllabus)
- How it is assessed: External
- Who takes it: Route 1 only
Paper 2 is worth 50% of the 0475 grade and carries 50 marks. Each mark moves the qualification by about 1.00%. The qualification is graded A*–G.
What the examiners reward in Paper 2
Reading
- AO2: Understand the meanings of literary texts and their contexts, and explore texts beyond surface meanings to show deeper awareness of ideas and attitudes
This is one of the objectives. The 0475 overview lists the full set.
Drama answers earn marks for the same three strengths the qualification rewards throughout, shaped for the stage. Your child should understand the play securely and place any extract within the whole action. They should analyse dramatic method: how dialogue, pace, stage directions, entrances and silences create tension and steer an audience's response.
They should also offer an informed personal view, argued and supported with brief, exact reference. Good work imagines the moment in performance and explains the effect a choice would have on those watching. We coach your child to write about subtext and staging rather than retelling scenes.
For more detail, see 0475 drama in the syllabus.
Preparing for Cambridge International 0475 Paper 2? The paid trial hour can start with a timed look at that paper.
Question types we practise for Paper 2
- Character analysis: Tracing how a character is built and changes. Skills guide · annotated model response · practice
- Theme analysis: Following a theme across a whole text. Skills guide · annotated model response · practice
- Literature essay structure: Structuring a clear, arguable literature essay. Skills guide · annotated model response · practice
A timing plan for Paper 2
The syllabus gives 50 marks and 1 hour 30 minutes for Paper 2. That is about 1.8 minutes per mark. A 10-mark answer therefore earns about 18 minutes.
At the halfway point of 45 minutes, check that you have covered about 25 marks' worth of the paper. This is a practice guide built from the stated totals. The paper's own instructions come first.
Where marks are lost on Paper 2
Analysing a dramatic scene: The most common fault is treating the script as prose: studying the spoken words and ignoring the stage directions. The second is missing subtext and taking lines at face value. Read the full guide.
Writing about a character: Treating the character as real. The student guesses at feelings the text does not support. Read the full guide.
Preparing for Paper 2 with us
A teacher works through Paper 2 question types with your child under timed conditions, against the criteria in the mark scheme. See Literature in English tuition for how a session runs.
Paper 2 is one component of Cambridge International 0475, graded on the A*–G scale. Check the current arrangement for your exam year with your school or the board.