The Coursework Portfolio (Component 3)

The Coursework Portfolio is the school-assessed route through the writing side of First Language English. Instead of sitting Paper 2 in an exam hall, you build a folder of three pieces of your own writing over time, drafting and redrafting each one with feedback before it is finished. It is worth the same 80 marks as Paper 2, and it rewards the same skills: writing for a purpose and audience, organising ideas, and controlling vocabulary, sentences and accuracy. The difference is that you have time to plan, polish and improve, which is both the opportunity and the discipline of coursework.

This guide explains what the portfolio is, the three assignments and the different kinds of writing they require, how drafting and redrafting actually work, the reading you must show in one assignment, and how to reference texts honestly. You will see a model plan and model writing for each assignment type, plus the habits that turn a competent first draft into a high-scoring final piece.