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Genre - GCSE English Language Definition

Reviewed by: Nick Redgrove

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What is genre?

In GCSE English Literature and GCSE English Language, genre refers to the type or style of a particular text. These different types of texts have their own features and characteristics, and grouping texts according to these features allows texts to be categorised.

What are the different types of genre?

There are many, many different types of genre, both in fiction and non-fiction. For example, even within poetry (just one type of fictional text) there are dozens of genres; elegy, ode, epic poem, lyric and sonnet are just a few that you may come across at GCSE. Non-fiction texts can be sorted into genres too: article, letter, diary entry and speech are all separate genres that you might be asked to write in your Language exam.

Genre examples

Here are some examples of genres that you may study as part of your GCSE:

Genre

Example texts

Tragedy

Macbeth

Bildungsroman

Great Expectations

Allegorical fiction

Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies

Sonnet

Ozymandias

Dramatic Monologue

My Last Duchess

Revision resources to ace your exams

Explore the genres included in your GCSE course, and how to analyse a writer's choice and use of genre in both your Literature and Language exams, by using our detailed GCSE revision notes.

GCSE English Literature Revision Notes

GCSE English Language Revision Notes

For more literary techniques, check out our list of 127 top literary devices, complete with student-friendly definitions.

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Nick Redgrove

Reviewer: Nick Redgrove

Expertise: English Senior Content Creator

Nick is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. He started his career in journalism and publishing, working as an editor on a political magazine and a number of books, before training as an English teacher. After nearly 10 years working in London schools, where he held leadership positions in English departments and within a Sixth Form, he moved on to become an examiner and education consultant. With more than a decade of experience as a tutor, Nick specialises in English, but has also taught Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.

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