OCR GCSE English Literature (J352) is a closed-book course assessed by two 2-hour exams covering modern and 19th-century texts, poetry and Shakespeare. Our OCR GCSE English Literature course follows the J352 specification and covers modern prose or drama, the 19th-century novel, the poetry anthology, unseen poetry and Shakespeare. You prepare for Paper 1 (modern and literary heritage texts) and Paper 2 (poetry and Shakespeare), with essay plans and timed practice. Lessons are live and one-to-one with a verified subject tutor, who works through exam-style questions with you, marks your answers against the OCR mark scheme and shows you where marks are won and lost. Your tutor gives written feedback on full essays using the assessment objectives. Suitable for Year 10 and Year 11 students and resit candidates.
Reviewed by S. Chakraborty, M.Sc. and B.Ed., University of Calcutta; English Language and Literature specialistLast updated
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What you will learn
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Course structure
In short: this course gives one-to-one online tutoring for OCR GCSE English Literature (J352). A verified English tutor teaches your modern text, 19th-century prose, poetry cluster and Shakespeare play, closed-book quotation skills and comparison, with feedback on practice essays.
OCR GCSE English Literature (J352) is a closed-book GCSE in which you study a modern prose or drama text, a 19th-century literary heritage prose text, a poetry anthology cluster and a Shakespeare play. It is graded 9 to 1 and assessed by two exams worth 50% each.
This course prepares you one to one with a verified English tutor, who marks your essays against the OCR assessment objectives.
Official specification: OCR GCSE English Literature J352.
For wider support, see our English literature tutoring page, or the AQA GCSE English Literature course if your school follows AQA.
There are two closed-book components, each 2 hours, worth 80 marks and 50% of the GCSE.
| Component | Section A | Section B | Time and marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exploring modern and literary heritage texts (01) | One modern prose or drama set text | One 19th-century prose set text | 2 hours, 80 marks, 50% |
| Exploring poetry and Shakespeare (02) | A themed poetry cluster from the OCR anthology | One set Shakespeare play | 2 hours, 80 marks, 50% |
A top-grade essay answers the question directly, builds a clear argument and backs every point with short, precise quotations. You then analyse the writer's methods and link them to context.
Here is an illustrative example on Hyde in Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, showing argument, quotation, analysis and context working together.
| Element | Example |
|---|---|
| Point | Stevenson presents Hyde as inhuman and evil from his first appearance. |
| Quotation | Enfield says Hyde seemed "like Satan". |
| Analysis | The simile links Hyde to the devil, suggesting pure evil. |
| Context | Victorian readers, shaped by religious ideas of sin, would see Hyde as a warning. |
| Link | This raises the novel's question of whether evil lies within respectable men. |
Students most often lose marks by retelling the plot, comparing texts only at the end, using long quotations without analysis, naming techniques without explaining their effect and bolting on context.
| Mark-loser | What to do instead |
|---|---|
| Retelling the plot | Make an argument in every paragraph |
| Comparison left to the end | Compare throughout, point by point |
| Long quotations | Embed short quotations |
| Feature-spotting | Explain each method's effect |
| Bolted-on context | Link context to your point |
OCR rewards comparison in both components, including comparing extracts from your 19th-century text and comparing poems. Tutors teach a clear comparison structure and the linking language that keeps your answer focused.
Tutors help you choose a small set of flexible quotations for each character and theme, then test you with retrieval practice and timed planning.
Lessons are live and one to one on video. Your tutor covers your set texts, plans answers with you and marks timed essays against the OCR mark scheme. See also our English Literature subject page and Edexcel GCSE English Literature.
An OCR GCSE English Literature tutor online gives you live 1-to-1 lessons on your J352 set texts and poetry, with marked essays and help learning quotations for the closed-book exam.
This course suits Year 10 and Year 11 students taking OCR GCSE English Literature.
Prerequisites: basic reading and essay-writing skills.
Course length: 40 one-hour lessons.
| Stage | Topics | What you can do afterwards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Modern prose or drama | Analyse character, theme and context |
| 2 | 19th-century novel | Write analytical essays with quotations |
| 3 | Poetry anthology; unseen poetry | Compare poems and analyse unseen poems |
| 4 | Shakespeare | Analyse language and structure in your play |
Where it leads: see the essay writing course for essay structure, or the AQA GCSE English Literature course if your school follows AQA.
The specification code is J352.
Yes. You can't take your texts into either exam.
Two components, each 2 hours and worth 80 marks (50%).
A modern prose or drama text and a 19th-century literary heritage prose text.
Anthology poetry, unseen poetry and a Shakespeare play.
Yes. You compare extracts and poems.
Yes. Tutors work on the texts your school has chosen.
Yes. Tutors mark your essays against the OCR mark scheme and explain how to move up a level.
The price depends on the tutor and session length. You see the hourly rate before booking, with no subscription.
Build a clear argument, use precise quotations, analyse methods in detail, compare confidently and integrate context.
Choose eight to ten short, flexible quotations per text rather than long passages, and link each to two or three themes. Test yourself with flashcards, write each quotation from memory, then explain one word choice. Your tutor checks that you use quotations to support analysis of language and structure, not just to show recall.
Both components are 2 hours and 80 marks, each worth 50%.
Zoom in on single words and techniques, name the method, then explain its effect on the reader and link it to the writer's purpose and context. Avoid listing techniques without explanation. Your tutor models short analytical paragraphs with you, then gives line-by-line feedback until you can write them confidently in timed conditions.
OCR sets new grade boundaries after every exam series, depending on how hard that year's papers were, so the marks needed for each grade change every year. Use past boundaries only as a rough guide. Your tutor marks your timed essays against recent boundaries and the mark scheme so you can see where you stand.
Split your time by the marks available: plan for about five minutes, spend most of the time writing your analysis, and leave a few minutes to check. Practise timed answers with past papers so the timing feels natural on the day. Your tutor gives feedback on structure as well as content so each answer stays focused.
Compare point by point throughout, linking ideas, language, structure and form in both poems.
OCR publishes recent OCR GCSE English Literature past papers, mark schemes and examiner reports on its website, and schools can access more through their secure portals. Use them under timed conditions, then mark your answers carefully with the mark scheme. Your tutor sets past-paper questions topic by topic, then full timed papers closer to your exam.
Link context directly to your point and quotation, explaining how it shapes meaning.
OCR's GCSE poetry anthology, Towards a World Unknown, groups poems into themed clusters such as Love and Relationships, Conflict, and Youth and Age. You study one cluster, compare a named poem with another from it in the exam, and also answer an unseen poetry question. Your tutor helps you build comparison plans for every poem.
Yes. Lessons are online, so you can book times that suit your time zone.
Yes. You can learn with a 1-to-1 OCR GCSE English Literature tutor online through live video lessons. Your tutor works through your own set texts, helps you learn quotations for the closed-book exam, and marks your essays against the assessment objectives so you know how to improve.
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