CCEA GCSE English Literature
CCEA GCSE English Literature Journey's End Exam Questions
Free CCEA GCSE English Literature practice questions for Journey's End. Covers r c sherriff's Journey's end: war, heroism, fear, friendship, class, Stanhope, Raleigh, Osborne, Trotter and Hibbert in the trenches.
Journey's End practice questions
1 pack of exam-style practice questions for Journey's End. 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 CCEA GCSE English Literature Journey's End
Journey's End is a set play for CCEA GCSE English Literature Unit 2: The Study of Drama and Poetry, Section A, answered from a choice of two questions with an unannotated copy of the play. Sherriff, who served in the First World War, sets the play in a single dugout in March 1918 as British officers wait for a German attack. CCEA rewards analysis of how Sherriff uses the confined setting, sound effects, dialogue and the passing of time to build tension, and how characters show different responses to fear, duty and loss.
Key themes, characters and context
- Stanhope Stanhope is a young company commander, admired by his men but drinking heavily to cope. He fears that Raleigh will tell his sister Madge how he has changed.
- Raleigh Raleigh hero-worships Stanhope from school. His innocence is lost on the raid, and his death at the end devastates Stanhope.
- Osborne Osborne, an older schoolmaster called 'Uncle', is calm and kind. Before the raid he and Raleigh talk about home to avoid thinking about danger, and Osborne is killed.
- Trotter and Hibbert Trotter, a working-class officer, copes through food and routine. Hibbert tries to escape with neuralgia, and Stanhope confronts his fear.
- Setting and structure The cramped dugout, candlelight and growing sounds of shelling create claustrophobia. The play counts down to the attack.
- Context The play was first staged in 1928, a decade after the war, and presents ordinary officers rather than glorified heroes.
Common mistakes in Journey's End
- Calling Stanhope a coward for drinking. Show how Sherriff presents it as a response to trauma and responsibility.
- Ignoring sound and staging. Shelling, candles and the final collapse of the dugout are key methods.
- Forgetting the minor characters. Trotter, Hibbert and Mason show class and different ways of coping.
- Writing about the war in general. Link context to the dugout and the March 1918 offensive.
- Using long quotations from your open text. Select short, focused references.
Try three Journey's End practice questions
1. How does Sherriff present Stanhope as a leader? (extended response)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would discuss his care for his men, his drinking, his treatment of Hibbert, his anger over Raleigh's letter and his grief, analysing how Sherriff shows the pressure of command.
2. How does Sherriff present the relationship between Stanhope and Raleigh? (extended response)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would examine Raleigh's hero worship, Stanhope's fear of exposure, the letter scene, the conflict after Osborne's death and the final scene, showing how war damages friendship.
3. How does Sherriff create tension in Journey's End? (extended response)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would analyse the countdown to the attack, the raid, sound effects and lighting, short dialogue and the ending, explaining their effect on the audience.
Journey's End FAQs
What does CCEA GCSE English Literature Journey's End cover?
It covers the whole play, including Stanhope, Raleigh, Osborne, Trotter, Hibbert and Mason, and themes of war, heroism, fear, friendship and class.
Which unit is Journey's End examined in?
It is examined in Unit 2: The Study of Drama and Poetry, Section A (drama), where you answer one question from a choice of two on your set play and may bring an unannotated copy of the play.
How do I revise Journey's End?
Learn the order of events across the three acts, note key stage directions about sound and light, and practise questions on Stanhope, Raleigh and Osborne.
