What Is Paper 2? Format and Requirements
Paper 2 asks you to write a comparative essay on two studied works in response to one of two general prompts, in 90 minutes, and success depends on textual knowledge, genuine comparison, and disciplined structure.
Paper 2 is the comparative essay paper. You are given two general prompts and choose one. You then write a single essay of roughly 800–1,000 words in 90 minutes that puts two works you have studied in depth into conversation with each other. Unlike Paper 1, there is no unseen text to guide you — the raw material is entirely what you already know, which means preparation before the exam matters as much as skill in the room.
Examiners reward three things above all else in a Paper 2 response: textual knowledge (accurate, specific references to both works — not vague plot summary), comparative insight (points that actively link the two texts, showing similarity and difference, rather than two mini essays glued together), and structure & style (a clear introduction with a thesis, body paragraphs organised around ideas rather than one-text-then-the-other, and a conclusion, all expressed with precise literary/language terminology).
For example, if your two studied works are Hamlet and The Great Gatsby, a prompt on identity or self-deception might invite you to compare how each protagonist's inner turmoil is revealed — Hamlet's turmoil surfaces through soliloquy and direct address to the audience, while Gatsby's is revealed indirectly, through Nick's narration and the symbolic backstory of the green light. Neither text is discussed in isolation; every paragraph should be doing comparative work.
- Introduction: define the key term in the prompt (e.g. 'identity crisis') and state a thesis that names both works and the specific comparative claim.
- Body paragraph 1: compare the primary technique each text uses to reveal the theme (e.g. internal monologue vs. dialogue-driven revelation).
- Body paragraph 2: compare a symbolic device or motif each author uses (e.g. the skull vs. the green light).
- Body paragraph 3: compare how each text resolves — or refuses to resolve — the theme.
- Conclusion: synthesise what the comparison reveals about each work's larger purpose or context — do not simply restate the body paragraphs.
Depth in Paper 2 comes from layered analysis — moving beyond plot summary through motifs and structure to thematic resonance. A useful habit is to 'peel the onion' on each example you plan to use: identify the surface (what literally happens), the device (which technique conveys it), the function (how that technique produces its immediate effect), and the resonance (why it matters for the work's central concerns). Skipping straight from surface to resonance — without naming the device and its function — is what keeps essays descriptive instead of analytical.
- Paper 2: two prompts given, choose ONE; compare TWO studied works.
- Time and length: 90 minutes, roughly 800–1,000 words.
- Criterion C (organisation) rewards idea-based structure, not text-by-text summary.
- Every paragraph should compare, not just describe two texts side by side.
- Use the 'onion' method: surface → device → function → resonance for each example.
- Prepare comparable themes (e.g. power, identity, freedom) across your two texts before the exam.