Petition
Make GCSE English Literature no longer mandatory.
Rejected
10 signatures
What the petition asks
GCSE English Literature should become an optional GCSE subject for students, it is too subjective, and students only get marked based mostly on the examiner's opinion. There is no creativity and the analysis is useless.
The GCSE English Literature subject is completely useless for those who do not want to spend years analysing texts from back in the 19th century and 17th century (e.g Macbeth) and it is especially useless since Shakespearean language is not used anymore. Making it an optional subject help students who want to increase their skills in analysis, and helps the students who are going for less wordy subjects such as STEM to avoid any unnecessary overwhelming information to both remember and apply.
Why it was rejected
It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.
Decisions about whether a GCSE subject is optional or mandatory are a matter for individual schools, not the UK Government or Parliament.
Timeline
| 11 May 2025 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 5 Jun 2025 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
10
Status
Rejected
Rejected
5 Jun 2025
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 27 Aug 2026.