OxfordAQA International GCSE English Literature
OxfordAQA International GCSE English Literature Julius Caesar Exam Questions
Free OxfordAQA International GCSE English Literature practice questions for Julius Caesar. Covers Shakespeare's Roman tragedy, Brutus, Cassius, mark Antony and Caesar, power, honour, persuasion, loyalty and betrayal.
Julius Caesar practice questions
1 pack of exam-style practice questions for Julius Caesar. 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 OxfordAQA International GCSE English Literature Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar is a drama set text in Paper 1 (Prose and Drama), Section B, of the OxfordAQA International GCSE in English Literature. Shakespeare's tragedy shows Brutus, Cassius and other Roman senators assassinating Caesar to protect the Republic, and the civil war that follows. Paper 1 is closed book. For your text you choose either an essay question or a passage-based question, worth 30 marks. Answers are judged on AO1, AO2 and AO3, so context sits inside AO1 alongside themes and ideas. Questions often focus on Brutus, Cassius, Antony, the power of rhetoric, or the play's presentation of power.
Key themes, characters and context
- Brutus An honourable man who loves Caesar but fears his ambition. Cassius manipulates him into joining the conspiracy, and his idealism leads to poor decisions, such as letting Antony speak.
- Cassius Envious and shrewd, Cassius has, in Caesar's words, 'a lean and hungry look'. He plants forged letters to persuade Brutus.
- Caesar Proud and ambitious, Caesar ignores warnings from the soothsayer ('Beware the ides of March') and Calpurnia's dream. His dying 'Et tu, Brute?' marks the betrayal.
- Rhetoric and the crowd Brutus's prose speech appeals to reason; Antony's 'Friends, Romans, countrymen' speech uses irony ('Brutus is an honourable man'), the will and Caesar's body to turn the crowd to riot.
- Context within AO1 Written around 1599, late in Elizabeth I's reign, when there were fears about succession and civil disorder. Elizabethan audiences knew Roman history and debated whether killing a ruler could be justified.
- Omens and the supernatural Storms, Calpurnia's dream and Caesar's ghost at Philippi create a sense of fate and suggest that disorder follows the assassination.
Common mistakes in Julius Caesar
- Treating the play as only about Caesar. Brutus is often seen as the tragic hero, and Caesar dies in Act 3.
- Missing the contrast between Brutus's and Antony's speeches. Analyse prose versus verse, reason versus emotion.
- Calling the conspirators simply villains. Discuss motives, honour and Antony's final praise of Brutus as 'the noblest Roman of them all'.
- Forgetting the second half of the play. The quarrel scene, the ghost and Philippi show the consequences.
Try three Julius Caesar practice questions
1. How does Shakespeare present Brutus as a tragic hero in Julius Caesar? (30 marks)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would analyse Brutus's inner conflict in his orchard soliloquy; Cassius's manipulation; his decision to spare Antony; the quarrel with Cassius; his death and Antony's tribute; link to Elizabethan ideas of honour and rebellion; give a personal judgement.
2. Read the passage from Act 3 Scene 2. How does Shakespeare present Antony's power to persuade in this passage and elsewhere in the play? (30 marks)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would analyse repetition of 'honourable man', rhetorical questions, pauses, showing the body and the will; contrast with Brutus's speech; consider Antony's later ruthlessness.
3. How does Shakespeare present the relationship between Brutus and Cassius? (30 marks)
Show what a strong answer includes
A strong answer would analyse Cassius's flattery in Act 1; their alliance; the quarrel and reconciliation in Act 4; their deaths at Philippi; link to themes of loyalty and friendship.
Julius Caesar FAQs
What does OxfordAQA International GCSE English Literature Julius Caesar cover?
It covers Shakespeare's Roman tragedy as a drama set text: Brutus, Cassius, Antony and Caesar, themes of power, honour, persuasion and betrayal, and Elizabethan context.
Which paper is Julius Caesar examined in?
It is in Paper 1 (Prose and Drama), Section B. The paper is closed book, and you choose either an essay question or a passage-based question on your text, worth 30 marks.
Which quotations should I learn for Julius Caesar?
Learn short lines such as 'Beware the ides of March', 'a lean and hungry look', 'Et tu, Brute?', 'Brutus is an honourable man' and 'the noblest Roman of them all'.
