OCR adds new diverse set texts to English Literature syllabus

September 17th 2021

Students sitting English Literature GCSE and A Level exams with OCR will have the option of studying a more diverse range of books and authors from September 2022, as the exam board has added five new novels, a new play and a selection of new poems to its courses.

New novels at A Level:

• Girl, Woman, Other, the Booker Prize-winning novel by Bernardine Evaristo
• Passing by Nella Larsen
• The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon
• Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

New play at GCSE:

• Leave Taking by Winsome Pinnock

The changes mean that the number of texts written by writers of colour on the OCR syllabus will make up nearly a third (28%) of the texts available at both A Level and GCSE. More than half (62%) of the texts being added for 2022 students will be by women.

The changes come in response to the recent Lit in Colour campaign by Penguin Random House and The Runnymede Trust, supporting schools to diversify their teaching of English Literature. OCR have joined the campaign as a named partner, along with Pearson/Edexcel.

Pearson also updated their GCSE and A Level syllabuses with new diverse texts for this September.

Find out more about Lit in Colour.

Visit OCR website

Visit Pearson website