Mr Bruff
Free with paid upgrade (eBooks from £5.99) · videos and eBooks
Long-running free videos on each AQA English Language question.
GCSE English Language: past papers and revision
The exam boards for GCSE English Language, where to find their official past papers, and the revision sites teachers recommend most.
Exam boards and past papers
| Exam board | Qualification | Code | Official links |
|---|---|---|---|
| AQA | GCSE English Language | 8700 | Past papers · Specification |
| Pearson Edexcel | GCSE English Language | 1EN0 | Past papers · Specification |
| Pearson Edexcel | GCSE English Language 2.0 | 1EN2 | Past papers · Specification |
| OCR | GCSE English Language | J351 | Past papers · Specification |
| WJEC Eduqas | GCSE English Language | C700QS | Past papers · Specification |
Which board does my child's school use? Schools choose a board for each subject, and it can differ between subjects. It's usually in the GCSE or A-level options booklet or on the subject's page of the school website, and the front of any mock exam paper shows it. If not, ask the subject teacher. The specification code on the paper matches the code in this table.
Our top picks
Mr Salles Teaches English
Free with paid upgrade (revision packs from £3.99) · videos and revision packs
Free videos focused on how top-grade answers are written.
BBC Bitesize
Free · short guides, videos and quizzes
Free guides for reading and writing skills by exam board.
More revision sites
Cognito
Free · videos, quizzes, flashcards and exam questions
Short video lessons with quizzes and exam-style questions, strongest for GCSE sciences and maths.
Save My Exams
Free with paid upgrade (from £12 a month, or £48 a year) · revision notes, topic questions, past papers and mock exams
Revision notes and exam questions sorted by topic and exam board, written by teachers and examiners.
Physics & Maths Tutor
Free · past papers by topic and revision notes
Past papers and exam questions by topic with mark schemes, plus concise revision notes.
Stacey Reay
Free · videos
Videos analysing GCSE poems and set texts with key quotations.
Exam QA
Paid · topic questions and video solutions
Exam questions by topic with video solutions for maths, science and English.
IXL
Paid (from £7.99 for one subject) · adaptive practice
Large bank of skill-by-skill practice questions mapped to UK year groups.
Also worth a look
- Sparx (Maths, Reader, Science): Personalised weekly homework set by the school, so parents mainly need to check it gets done. (School subscription only (free to pupils whose school uses it))
Best YouTube channels
Free video lessons. Watching is a start: pausing to try the questions is what makes it stick.
Mr Bruff
464k subscribers · AQA
The most-watched UK GCSE English channel, built around the AQA exam.
Mr Salles Teaches English
209k subscribers · AQA
Teachers recommend his model answers and set text summaries.
Stacey Reay
38.7k subscribers · AQA
Short revision videos on GCSE set texts and AQA poetry anthologies, aimed at grades 7 to 9.
Mr Everything English
258k subscribers
Explanations of language and structural devices plus GCSE literature text guides.
First Rate Tutors
159k subscribers · AQA
How AQA GCSE English papers are marked, with graded example answers and mock exam walkthroughs.
Primrose Kitten Academy
268k subscribers · AQA
Long-form revision sessions across GCSE sciences, maths and English, and A-level Biology exam technique.
Good for every subject
BBC Bitesize
Free · short guides, videos and quizzes
Covers almost every school subject from primary to GCSE in short guides matched to the curriculum.
Oak National Academy
Free · video lessons with quizzes
Full video lessons that follow the national curriculum, useful for catching up on a missed topic.
Seneca Learning
Free with paid upgrade · adaptive interactive courses and quizzes
Short interactive courses for most GCSE and A-level specifications, free to use without limits.
Mr Barton Maths
Free · worksheets, starters and exam resources
Teacher-made maths resources including KS2 SATs and GCSE exam material, mainly aimed at teachers.
Quizlet
Free with paid upgrade (Quizlet Plus; UK App Store options £9.99 or £44.99) · flashcards
Making and testing flashcards, especially for language vocabulary and key terms.
Anki
Free (iPhone app AnkiMobile £24.99 one-off) · flashcards (spaced repetition)
Spaced-repetition flashcards for older students willing to make their own cards.
Using past papers well
- Start with topic questions, then move to full papers in the last few months.
- Do papers to time, then mark them with the official mark scheme. The mark scheme shows what examiners reward.
- Read the examiner's report for the same paper: it lists the mistakes most students made.
- Make sure the paper matches your child's board, specification code and tier.
We aren't paid by any of these sites. Prices were checked on each site's own pages and can change. Suggest a site.