GCSE English Language Paper 2 2026 Predictions: What AQA’s Questions and Unseen Texts Could Be

As an English teacher in the UK, I enjoy the short period of peace between the two GCSE Language Papers. Paper 1 for 2026 has come and gone (I’m writing about the AQA exam). We now have a short respite from its brutal body blow before Paper 2 arrives in the ring and socks us squarely in the jaw for the knockout punch. OK, being an English teacher doesn’t necessarily make you much good with metaphors. However, it also gives me some time to play my annual guessing game and to try and predict what is coming at us in Paper 2. Before we look at my predictions for Paper 2, you are probably asking whether I got them right for Paper 1. You can read my predictions for Paper 1 here, but essentitally - and at the risk of sounding a little Vicky Pollard (look her up) - yeah, but no, but yeah. I did say “I am going to take a punt on the late 50s” and also this: “If they go with an American author, I am pretty sure they have been itching to use something by Shirley Jackson for years...”. As luck…