Pearson Edexcel A-Level Persian Past Papers & Mark Schemes

Pearson Edexcel A-Level Persian (specification 9PE0) examines modern standard Persian (Farsi) through its modified Arabic script, opening access to one of the world's oldest and richest literary traditions — from Hafez and Rumi through to contemporary Iranian cinema and literature. Persian is grammatically simpler than Arabic (no grammatical gender, no case system, relatively regular verb conjugation) but presents challenges in its script, extensive Arabic-origin vocabulary, and the formal-informal register divide. Paper 1 (Listening, Reading and Translation — 2 hours, 80 marks, 40%) tests comprehension of spoken Persian at native speed. The Perso-Arabic script — which omits short vowels in standard text — means that reading comprehension demands vocabulary knowledge to disambiguate words. Translation sections test the 'ezafe' construction (the unstressed '-e' linking nouns to their modifiers, unmarked in script), compound verbs (Persian forms most verbs by combining a light verb with a noun or adjective, e.g., کار کردن 'kār kardan' = to work), and the distinction between formal written Persian and colloquial spoken forms. Paper 2 (Written Response to Works and Translation — 2 hours 40 minutes, 120 marks, 30%) engages with Persian literature and Iranian cinema — including works exploring revolution, exile, censorship, and the tension between tradition and modernity. Set films may include works by Kiarostami, Panahi, or Farhadi. Essays must be written in formal standard Persian, requiring command of Arabic-origin vocabulary for abstract concepts and literary criticism. Paper 3 (Speaking — approximately 30 minutes, 72 marks, 30%) covers themes including Iranian society and culture, the Persian-speaking diaspora, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, and contemporary social issues in the Persian-speaking world. This archive of 42 resources spans both current and legacy specification papers.