Edexcel International GCSE English Literature
Edexcel International GCSE English Literature Kindertransport Exam Questions
Free Edexcel International GCSE English Literature practice questions for Kindertransport. Covers diane Samuels's play: Eva and Evelyn, Helga, Lil, Faith and the Ratcatcher, identity, memory, separation and motherhood.
Kindertransport practice questions
1 pack of exam-style practice questions for Kindertransport. 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 Edexcel International GCSE English Literature Kindertransport
Kindertransport is a Modern Drama text in Paper 2, Section A of the Edexcel International GCSE in English Literature. Diane Samuels's play follows Eva, a nine-year-old Jewish girl sent from Germany to England on the Kindertransport in 1939, and Evelyn, the woman she becomes, who has hidden her past even from her daughter Faith. You answer one of two essay questions worth 30 marks, assessed on AO1 and AO2. Context is not separately assessed, so focus on characters, relationships and Samuels's dramatic structure, especially the way past and present share the stage.
Key themes, characters and context
- Eva and Evelyn Eva arrives in Manchester aged nine and is taken in by Lil. She later changes her name, denies her Jewish roots and adopts English ways, becoming the anxious, guarded Evelyn.
- Helga Eva's mother sends her away to save her, teaching her to sew on a button and hiding valuables in her shoes. When Helga survives and finds Eva after the war, asking her to go to New York, Eva refuses.
- Lil Eva's English foster mother, warm, practical and down to earth. In the present she is Faith's grandmother and has helped Evelyn keep the past hidden.
- Faith Evelyn's daughter finds old papers and the Ratcatcher book in the storage room and forces the secret into the open, challenging Evelyn to face the past.
- The Ratcatcher A sinister figure from a German story book, like the Pied Piper, whose actor also plays the Nazi border official, the English organiser, the postman and the station guard. He embodies Eva's fears and the threat of losing children.
- Structure and staging The play has two acts, and scenes from Eva's childhood and the present run together on one set, so the audience sees how memory shapes Evelyn.
Common mistakes in Kindertransport
- Treating Eva and Evelyn as separate people. Show how Samuels presents one person split by trauma.
- Ignoring the structure. Analyse how overlapping time frames show the past invading the present.
- Long history paragraphs about the Holocaust. Context is not assessed here, so keep any reference brief and linked to the play.
- Seeing Lil as a simple heroine. Examine how she also keeps secrets and supports Evelyn's silence.
Try three Kindertransport practice questions
1. What kind of grandmother to Faith is Lil shown to be? (30 marks)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would analyse Lil's warmth and humour with Faith; her response when Faith discovers the papers; her loyalty to Evelyn; her role in keeping the past hidden; and analyse dialogue and staging.
2. How does Samuels present the relationship between Eva and Helga? (30 marks)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would analyse Helga's preparation of Eva for the journey, including the button and the shoes; Eva's growing sense of being sent away; the post-war reunion and Eva's refusal to go to New York; and discuss how structure shows its lasting effect on Evelyn.
3. Explore the significance of the Ratcatcher in Kindertransport. (30 marks)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would explain the story book origin; analyse his appearances as officials and the station guard; how he embodies Eva's fears; his link to the separation of children and parents; and his effect on the audience.
Kindertransport FAQs
What does Edexcel International GCSE English Literature Kindertransport cover?
It covers Samuels's play as a Modern Drama text: Eva and Evelyn, Helga, Lil and Faith, themes of identity, memory, loss and motherhood, and the play's dramatic methods.
Which paper is Kindertransport examined in?
Paper 2, Section A (Modern Drama). You answer one essay question from a choice of two, worth 30 marks and assessed on AO1 and AO2 equally. You may take a clean copy of the play into the exam.
How do I revise Kindertransport?
Make a chart of each character's relationships with the others, and note how each scene moves between past and present, so you can analyse structure as well as character.
