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CIE · IGCSE · Literature in English

Free CIE IGCSE Literature in English
Practice Paper

8 mixed-difficulty practice questions in the style of real CIE IGCSE papers — answers, mark-scheme-style explanations, and the official exam structure all on one page.

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What the real CIE IGCSE Literature in English paper looks like

Paper 1 (Multiple Choice)
40 multiple-choice questions, 1 mark each. 45 minutes. Tests breadth of knowledge.
Paper 2 (Core) / Paper 4 (Extended)
Structured written paper. 1 hour 30 minutes (Core) or 1 hour 45 minutes (Extended). Tests depth of understanding and application.
Paper 6 (Alternative to Practical)
Written paper assessing practical skills for candidates without lab access. 1 hour. Worth ~20% of the total.
Total exam time: ~3 hours, depending on tier (Core vs Extended).
Grading: Grades: A* (highest) to G (lowest), with U (ungraded). Most universities require C or above.

Mini practice paper: 8 questions

Mixed-difficulty questions from across the Literature in English syllabus. Tap "Show answer" after each to check yourself.

Q1 · Difficulty 1/3

What is dialogue in prose?

  1. The description of a place or setting
  2. The words characters speak to each other
  3. The narrator's summary of past events
  4. The thoughts a character keeps private
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — The words characters speak to each other
Award 1 mark. Dialogue is direct speech, usually shown in speech marks; it reveals character and moves the plot along.
Q2 · Difficulty 1/3

In drama, which term describes a speech delivered by a character alone on stage, revealing their inner thoughts directly to the audience?

  1. A monologue directed at a group of characters
  2. An aside spoken quietly to another character
  3. A soliloquy addressed to the audience or self
  4. A prologue spoken before the action begins
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: C — A soliloquy addressed to the audience or self
A soliloquy is delivered by a character alone on stage (or acting as if alone), allowing the audience privileged access to private thoughts. An aside is a brief remark to the audience while other characters are present. A prologue introduces the play before the main action. A monologue is a long speech but is directed at other characters who are present.
Q3 · Difficulty 1/3

Which line uses personification?

  1. The wind was cold and wet that night
  2. The wind tugged at my sleeve, begging me to stay
  3. The wind blew at forty miles an hour
  4. The wind was as sharp as broken glass
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — The wind tugged at my sleeve, begging me to stay
Award 1 mark. Tugging and begging are human actions given to the wind. "As sharp as broken glass" is a simile, and the other lines are literal description.
Q4 · Difficulty 1/3

Which line contains a metaphor?

  1. Grief is as heavy as a stone in the pocket
  2. Grief is a locked room without a window
  3. Grief came slowly after the funeral
  4. Grief made her quiet for many weeks
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Grief is a locked room without a window
Award 1 mark. The metaphor states that grief is a locked room, suggesting entrapment. The first distractor uses "as", so it is a simile.
Q5 · Difficulty 1/3

A playwright chooses to use a soliloquy at a pivotal moment in a drama. What is the primary structural function of a soliloquy?

  1. To show two characters debating a moral dilemma with each other on stage
  2. To allow one character to reveal their inner thoughts directly to the audience
  3. To summarise the events of a previous scene for the audience's benefit
  4. To provide comic relief through misunderstanding between characters
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — To allow one character to reveal their inner thoughts directly to the audience
Award 1 mark. A soliloquy is spoken by a character alone, revealing private thoughts directly to the audience. Two characters debating is dialogue, a summary of events suits a chorus or prologue, and comic misunderstanding is a different device.
Q6 · Difficulty 1/3

Which sentence uses pathetic fallacy?

  1. The sky was blue and the grass was green
  2. The forecast said rain was due at noon
  3. The sky was clear when the plane took off
  4. The sky darkened as her hopes faded
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: D — The sky darkened as her hopes faded
Award 1 mark. Pathetic fallacy uses weather or nature to reflect human emotion, here the darkening sky mirroring her fading hope.
Q7 · Difficulty 1/3

Which of the following best describes the term 'narrator' in a prose text?

  1. The voice that tells the story to the reader
  2. The author who physically wrote the novel
  3. The character who appears most frequently in the text
  4. The main character who drives the plot forward
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — The voice that tells the story to the reader
The narrator is the voice constructed by the author to tell the story; this is distinct from the author themselves. The protagonist drives the plot but is not necessarily the narrator, and frequency of appearance does not define a narrator.
Q8 · Difficulty 1/3

What is prolepsis in a narrative?

  1. A flash-forward to a later event
  2. A flashback to an earlier event
  3. A pause in the middle of a line
  4. A speech to the audience
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — A flash-forward to a later event
Award 1 mark. Telling readers what will happen later shifts interest to how and why.
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CIE IGCSE Literature in English FAQ

What does the CIE IGCSE Literature in English exam look like?
The CIE IGCSE Literature in English exam is structured across 3 components. Paper 1 (Multiple Choice): 40 multiple-choice questions, 1 mark each. 45 minutes. Tests breadth of knowledge. Paper 2 (Core) / Paper 4 (Extended): Structured written paper. 1 hour 30 minutes (Core) or 1 hour 45 minutes (Extended). Tests depth of understanding and application. Paper 6 (Alternative to Practical): Written paper assessing practical skills for candidates without lab access. 1 hour. Worth ~20% of the total. Total exam time: ~3 hours, depending on tier (Core vs Extended).
Can I download a free CIE IGCSE Literature in English past paper?
Real CIE past papers are published directly by CIE on their official website. Kramizo doesn't redistribute copyrighted past papers, but we do generate free AI-written practice papers in the exact same style — same command words, same difficulty tier, same mark conventions. Use this practice paper as warm-up, then time yourself on official past papers before exam day.
How is CIE IGCSE Literature in English graded?
Grades: A* (highest) to G (lowest), with U (ungraded). Most universities require C or above. Kramizo's practice questions are tagged with difficulty 1-3 mapping roughly to the lower, middle, and top grade boundaries you'll encounter in the real exam.