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ENGLISH-LITERATURE-H072 · Cambridge OCR AS Level

ENGLISH-LITERATURE-H072/21

Drama

English Literature · June 2022 · Variant 1

Relative difficulty

Standard · 3.0/5

Analysis source: OCR

Analysis aligned to the official syllabus and assessment design.

Relative difficulty

3.0 / 5

Total marks

120

Duration

195 min

Most tested topic

Linguistic analysis of poetry extracts and thematic comparison of modern prose with unseen literary contexts.

Cohort performance

Session statistics from official examination reports

Total marks

120

Duration

195 min

Session difficulty

3.0 / 5

Key examiner messages

Top priorities from the principal examiner before you revise

1

The 2022 AS Level English Literature exam presents a fair but intellectually rigorous assessment.

2

H072/01 challenges students with close textual detail in poetry extracts, while H072/02 demands sophisticated comparative skills by pairing core modern texts with complex unseen historical prose.

3

Overall, the papers reward candidates who move beyond plot summary to engage directly with structural and dramatic mechanics.

Question difficulty map

How candidates performed on each question in this series

No data available in official reports

Assessment objectives

Skill and AO weighting from official examiner commentary

AO2 (Analysis of AO1 (Coherent7
LitAO3 (Historical aAO4 (Comparative AO5 (Engaging wit4

Skill weighting

Shows the skill mix this paper tested most heavily.

AO2 (Analysis of AO1 (CoherentAO2 (Analysis ofAO1 (CoherentLitAO3 (Historical aAO4 (Comparative AO5 (Engaging witLitAO3(Historical aAO4
SkillWeightShare
  • AO2 (Analysis of AO1 (Coherent

    Weight: 7100%
  • LitAO3 (Historical aAO4 (Comparative AO5 (Engaging wit

    Weight: 457%

Method marks watchlist

Where working, steps, or method marks were commonly lost

No data available in official reports

Recurring mistakes across years

Themes examiners flag in multiple recent sessions for this subject

No data available in official reports

Question choice intelligence

Mean scores and popularity for optional questions (HKDSE electives)

No data available in official reports

Level exemplars

What candidate scripts at each grade level looked like

No data available in official reports

Grade & admission context

How marks relate to grade thresholds and entry standards

Report type

Examiner report — national grade boundaries and question-level commentary

Deep insights

What top candidates did

Techniques and approaches examiners rewarded in this series

No data available in official reports

Command word playbook

How to match each command word to the expected response style

DiscussFrequency: 16

Present multiple perspectives with evidence; balance breadth and depth.

ExploreFrequency: 11

Match the expected response style for “Explore” questions.

connectionsFrequency: 5

Match the expected response style for “connections” questions.

Time traps

Sections where candidates spent disproportionate time relative to marks

No data available in official reports

Syllabus traceability

Topics linked to questions and mark weighting in this session

Hamlet (

Shakespeare) 5.

45 marks this session

Christina

Rossetti:

Selected

Poems 5.

45 marks this session

Tennessee

Williams:

Streetcar

Named

Desire 5.

45 marks this session

Scott

MCQ trap analytics

Commonly chosen wrong options from examiner commentary

No data available in official reports

Topic heatmap across years

Mark concentration by topic and exam year for this subject

Mark intensity

LowHigh
Topic
2022
2023
2024
Σ

Hamlet (Shakespeare)

30
30
60

Christina Rossetti: Selected Poems

30
30
60

Tennessee Williams: A Streetcar Named Desire

30
30
60

F Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby

30
30
60

Shakespeare) 5.

45
45

Poems 5.

45
45

Desire 5.

45
45

Gatsby 5.

45
45

Difficulty trend

How session difficulty has shifted across recent years

202220232024
2022 June 2022 · 3.0/52023 June 2023 · 3.8/52024 June 2024 · 3.5/5

Paper comparison

Marks and duration breakdown across papers in this session

H072/01 Shakespeare and poetry pre-1900: H072/02 Drama and prose post-1900:

60 marks90 min

Marks you can still earn

Where valid approaches outside the mark scheme may still gain credit

No data available in official reports

Practise what examiners flagged

Target weak topics from this report inside the Revui app

Self-diagnostic checklist

Key actions before you sit this paper — copy and tick off as you revise

  • 1Message

    The 2022 AS Level English Literature exam presents a fair but intellectually rigorous assessment.

  • 2Message

    H072/01 challenges students with close textual detail in poetry extracts, while H072/02 demands sophisticated comparative skills by pairing core modern texts with complex unseen historical prose.

  • 3Message

    Overall, the papers reward candidates who move beyond plot summary to engage directly with structural and dramatic mechanics.

Teacher briefing pack

One-page session summary for tutors and classroom review

June 2022 2022

English Literature

The 2022 AS Level English Literature exam presents a fair but intellectually rigorous assessment. H072/01 challenges students with close textual detail in poetry extracts, while H072/02 demands sophisticated comparative skills by pairing core modern texts with complex unseen hist

  • The 2022 AS Level English Literature exam presents a fair but intellectually rigorous assessment.

  • H072/01 challenges students with close textual detail in poetry extracts, while H072/02 demands sophisticated comparative skills by pairing core modern texts with complex unseen historical prose.

  • Overall, the papers reward candidates who move beyond plot summary to engage directly with structural and dramatic mechanics.

Total marks
120
Duration
195 min
Session difficulty
3.0 / 5

Session analysis

The 2022 AS Level English Literature exam presents a fair but intellectually rigorous assessment. H072/01 challenges students with close textual detail in poetry extracts, while H072/02 demands sophisticated comparative skills by pairing core modern texts with complex unseen historical prose. Overall, the papers reward candidates who move beyond plot summary to engage directly with structural and dramatic mechanics.

Updated Jun 14, 2026

Paper breakdown

H072/01 Shakespeare and poetry pre-1900: H072/02 Drama and prose post-1900:

60 marks90 min

Top chapters

Hamlet (
Shakespeare) 5.45 marks
Christina
Rossetti:
Selected
Poems 5.45 marks
Tennessee
Williams:
Streetcar
Named
Desire 5.45 marks
Scott
Fitzgerald:
The
Great
Gatsby 5.45 marks

Exam structure insights

Marks by chapter

See where the marks were concentrated so revision time goes to the highest-value topics.

Hamlet5.45 marks
Richard III5.45 marks
The Tempest5.45 marks
Geoffrey Chaucer: The Merchant’5.45 marks
John Milton: Paradise Lost Book5.45 marks
Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Select5.45 marks
Alfred, Lord Tennyson: Maud5.45 marks
Christina Rossetti: Selected Po5.45 marks

Mark accessibility

Estimate which marks were basic, mid-level, or high-difficulty.

75% within easy or medium reach

40
50
30
Easy: 40 marksMedium: 50 marksHard: 30 marks

Command word frequency

Spot common command words so answers match the expected response style.

Discuss16 times
Explore11 times
connections5 times

Question type mix

Compare the mark share of each paper section and question type.

120Marks
  • Shakespeare Essay

    (H072/01 Sec 1)

    30·1·25%

  • Pre-1900 Poetry Extract Essay

    (H072/01 Sec 2)

    30·1·25%

  • Post-1900 Drama Essay

    (H072/02 Sec 1)

    30·1·25%

  • Post-1900 Comparative Prose Essay

    (H072/02 Sec 2)

    30·1·25%

Study ROI

Bigger bubbles recur more often; higher bubbles carry more marks, helping you rank revision priorities.

DifficultyRecurrence %Hamlet (Shakespeare)Christina Rossetti…Tennessee Williams…F Scott Fitzgerald…

Next-year prediction

Topics worth watching next year, with the reason shown directly below each bar.

Hamlet: Madness and Deception

85%

85%

The Great Gatsby: Wealth and Class Stratification

80%

80%

Goblin Market: Female Agency and Sibling Devotion

75%

75%

Difficulty Verdict

The 2022 AS Level English Literature exam presents a fair but intellectually rigorous assessment. H072/01 challenges students with close textual detail in poetry extracts, while H072/02 demands sophisticated comparative skills by pairing core modern texts with complex unseen historical prose. Overall, the papers reward candidates who move beyond plot summary to engage directly with structural and dramatic mechanics.

Examiner notes & key calculations

  • Pre-packaged Context: Sweeping biographical summaries about John Milton or Christina Rossetti that fail to illuminate the specific extract provided.
  • Weak Comparative Balance: In the prose section, giving the unseen passage token attention rather than executing a balanced, side-by-side thematic analysis with the studied text (e.g., comparing The Great Gatsby's green light to Willa Cather's winking waterfront lights).
  • Neglecting Form: Analyzing poetry extracts purely through thematic content while completely ignoring the verse form and rhythm.

Exam tips

Analysis is paraphrased for study purposes. Always verify against the official examiner report and mark scheme.

ENGLISH-LITERATURE-H072/21 — Cambridge OCR AS Level English Literature (June 2022) | Revui