AQA GCSE English Literature
AQA GCSE English Literature My Name Is Leon Exam Questions
Free AQA GCSE English Literature practice questions for My Name Is Leon. Covers kit de waal's My Name is Leon: family, the care system, race, belonging, Leon, Jake, Carol, Maureen, Sylvia and Tufty.
My Name Is Leon practice questions
1 pack of exam-style practice questions for My Name Is Leon. Plan and write as many answers as you can under timed conditions, then compare them with the guidance on this page and your notes.
About AQA GCSE English Literature My Name Is Leon
My Name Is Leon is a modern prose option on AQA GCSE English Literature Paper 2, Section A, answered from a choice of two essay questions with no extract. Set in Birmingham in the early 1980s, the novel follows Leon, a mixed-race boy in foster care, after his white baby brother Jake is adopted and Leon is not. Told in the third person but closely through Leon's eyes, it explores loss, family and racism. Examiners reward analysis of how de Waal uses a child's limited viewpoint, and context about the care system and racial tension in 1981.
Key themes, characters and context
- Leon Leon is loving and protective of Jake, but anger grows as adults fail him. Seeing events through a child's understanding lets the reader notice what Leon does not.
- Carol Leon's mother struggles with mental health and cannot care for her children. Leon still longs for her, showing his need for family.
- Maureen and Sylvia Leon's foster carer Maureen offers warmth and stability. When she falls ill, her sister Sylvia looks after him, and both become a form of family.
- Tufty and the allotments At the allotments Leon meets Tufty, a Black man who shows him care and a sense of identity, and Mr Devlin. The allotments offer a place of growth and belonging.
- Race and the care system Jake is adopted because he is white and a baby, while Leon is seen as harder to place. De Waal draws on her own experience of fostering and adoption work.
- Context Birmingham in 1981 saw unrest, racist policing and economic hardship. These events shape the adults around Leon and the novel's climax.
Common mistakes in My Name Is Leon
- Treating Leon's view as fully reliable. Explain what he misunderstands and how this creates sympathy.
- Writing about race only in general. Link to specific events, such as the separation from Jake and the treatment of Tufty.
- Ignoring the adults' perspectives. Maureen, Sylvia and Tufty each show different kinds of care.
- Retelling events. Focus on how de Waal presents ideas through viewpoint, dialogue and setting.
- Leaving context vague. Be specific about the early 1980s, policing and the care system.
Try three My Name Is Leon practice questions
1. How does de Waal present Leon's feelings about his family? Write about what Leon thinks and does and how de Waal presents him by the way she writes. (30 marks + 4 marks for SPaG)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would discuss his care for Jake, his loyalty to Carol, his anger and confusion at the adoption and his growing bond with Maureen and Sylvia, analysing how the child's-eye viewpoint creates sympathy.
2. How does de Waal explore ideas about belonging in My Name Is Leon? (30 marks + 4 marks for SPaG)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would examine Leon's place in foster care, the allotments and his friendship with Tufty, his search for Jake and the ending, linking to race and the care system in 1980s Britain.
3. How does de Waal present the character of Maureen? (30 marks + 4 marks for SPaG)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would discuss her humour, warmth and honesty, her illness and its effect on Leon, and her role as a substitute mother, considering what she shows about care.
My Name Is Leon FAQs
What does AQA GCSE English Literature My Name Is Leon cover?
It covers the whole novel, including Leon, Jake, Carol, Maureen, Sylvia and Tufty, and themes of family, race, identity and the care system.
Which paper is My Name Is Leon examined in?
It is examined in Paper 2, Section A, where you choose one of two essay questions with no extract, worth 30 marks plus 4 for spelling, punctuation and grammar.
How do I revise My Name Is Leon?
Make a timeline of Leon's homes and key events, learn short quotations for Leon and the adults around him, and practise explaining the effect of the child's viewpoint.
