What Paper 3 assesses
An open-text drama paper. Candidates may take a clean copy of the set drama text into the exam. Routes 2 and 3 sit it.
- Time: 45 minutes
- Marks: 25
- Weight: 25% of Cambridge International 0475 (2027 syllabus)
- How it is assessed: External
- Who takes it: Routes 2 and 3
Paper 3 is worth 25% of the 0475 grade and carries 25 marks. Each mark moves the qualification by about 1.00%. The qualification is graded A*–G.
What the examiners reward in Paper 3
Reading
- AO3: Recognise and appreciate ways in which writers use language, structure and form to create and shape meanings and effects
This is one of the objectives. The 0475 overview lists the full set.
Question types we practise for Paper 3
- Literature essay structure: Structuring a clear, arguable literature essay. Skills guide · annotated model response · practice
- Embedding quotations: Weaving short quotations neatly into analysis. Skills guide · annotated model response · practice
- Character analysis: Tracing how a character is built and changes. Skills guide · annotated model response · practice
Preparing for Cambridge International 0475 Paper 3? The paid trial hour can start with a timed look at that paper.
A timing plan for Paper 3
The syllabus gives 25 marks and 45 minutes for Paper 3. That is about 1.8 minutes per mark. A 10-mark answer therefore earns about 18 minutes.
At the halfway point of 22.5 minutes, check that you have covered about 12.5 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 3
Writing a literature essay introduction: A plot-summary opening. The first paragraph retells a story the examiner knows. Read the full guide.
Writing about a theme: Staying at topic level. The student notes a subject appears but never says what the text says about it. Read the full guide.
Preparing for Paper 3 with us
A teacher works through Paper 3 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 3 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.