The plot in six lines
After strange lights appear on Mars, Ogilvy finds a cylinder on Horsell Common, and the narrator sees a Martian emerge.
The Martians burn people approaching with a white flag, while soldiers surround the common and many neighbours fail to recognise the danger.
The narrator takes his wife to Leatherhead, then returns as Martian tripods defeat the army and force whole towns to flee.
The narrator's brother escapes London with two women and reaches a steamer, while the navy ship Thunder Child confronts the Martians.
Trapped with the curate in a ruined house, the narrator studies the Martians, then later questions the artilleryman's plans for rebuilding humanity underground.
The Martians die from earthly germs rather than military force, and the narrator returns to Woking to find his wife alive.
Themes
Empire: The invasion makes English people experience conquest from beneath, exposing the suffering that imperial power causes elsewhere.
Nature and survival: The Martians' defeat by germs shows that intelligence and powerful weapons cannot protect a species from every natural threat.
Fear and society: Crowded roads and panic in London show how fear breaks ordinary rules and turns people against each other.
Human responses: The narrator, the curate and the artilleryman respond differently to disaster, revealing the gap between steady action, distress and bold talk.
Knowledge and belief: The narrator recognises the danger before his neighbours, showing how people resist facts that threaten their familiar lives.
Characters
- The narratorAn unnamed writer living in Woking who sees the first landing and tells the whole story afterward, trying to survive and to find his wife.
- OgilvyAn astronomer at Ottershaw who sees the gas bursts on Mars and is the first to find the cylinder on Horsell Common.
- The narrator's wifeShe is taken by her husband to relatives at Leatherhead for safety, and his wish to return to her drives much of his journey.
- The narrator's brotherA medical student in London who must lead two women through the panic of the capital toward the sea.
- The curateA frightened clergyman who shelters with the narrator in a ruined house, and whose nerves threaten them both.
- The artillerymanA soldier the narrator meets in the ruined countryside, full of bold plans to rebuild a human world underground.
For the GCSE English Literature exams, summer 2027
- The summer 2027 GCSE exams run from 10 May to 18 June 2027.
- OCR: Paper 1 (J352/01), Section B (19th-century prose), Wednesday 12 May 2027, morning, 2 hours.
- WJEC Eduqas: Component 2, Section B (19th-century prose), Wednesday 19 May 2027, morning, 2 hours 30 minutes.
A two-week plan
- Day oneRead the 15-minute summary of The War of the Worlds from start to finish, then tell the story back to yourself in five sentences.
- Days two to threeStrange lights on Mars come before the landing: Notice how ordinary curiosity at the cylinder gives way to fear when the Martian emerges.
- Day fourA white flag is answered with fire: Watch the gap between the narrator's knowledge of danger and his neighbours' belief that life can continue.
- Day fiveTripods stride over the Thames valley: Follow how familiar roads and rivers become places of danger as the old order breaks apart.
- Day sixIn London, panic spreads faster than the Martians: Notice how the brother's viewpoint widens the invasion while keeping attention on individual acts of help.
- Day sevenBuried in a ruined house, the narrator watches and waits: Compare the narrator's watchfulness with the curate's distress and the artilleryman's confident but unsupported plans.
- Day eightEmpire, nature and a narrator who only reports: Watch how exact places and a steady reporting voice connect the invasion with questions about empire and survival.
- Day nineThe cast: The narrator, Ogilvy, The narrator's wife, The narrator's brother and The curate. Write one line on what each of them wants.
- Day tenThemes: Empire; Nature and survival; Fear and society; Human responses; Knowledge and belief. Pick one moment in the story for each.
- Day elevenForm: study how the story is told: the narrator, the order of events and the settings.
- Day twelvePractice: plan an essay on one theme, write it in full, then check it against your notes.
- Day thirteenPractice: answer a question about a character or an extract in the same way.
- Day fourteenRecap: reread your notes and the summary, say the plot out loud once, then rest.
From the boards' published specifications and final summer 2027 timetables, read on 23 October 2026. Ask your school which board and papers you sit.
Questions
What is The War of the Worlds about?
The War of the Worlds is about a Martian invasion that overturns ordinary life in southern England. An unnamed writer describes people fleeing, the collapse of familiar rules and his own efforts to survive.
Who are the main characters in The War of the Worlds?
The main characters are the narrator, his wife, his brother, Ogilvy, the curate and the artilleryman. The narrator witnesses the landing, while his brother's escape reveals the panic in London.
What are the main themes of The War of the Worlds?
The main themes are empire, nature and survival, fear, human responses to disaster, and the gap between knowledge and belief. The invasion challenges human confidence by showing how quickly power and ordinary security can disappear.
Is The War of the Worlds a set text for GCSE English Literature?
Yes. OCR lists it in Paper 1 (J352/01), Section B (19th-century prose). WJEC Eduqas lists it in Component 2, Section B (19th-century prose).
When are the GCSE English Literature exams in 2027?
The summer 2027 GCSE exams run from 10 May to 18 June 2027. OCR: Paper 1 (J352/01), Wednesday 12 May 2027, morning. WJEC Eduqas: Component 2, Wednesday 19 May 2027, morning.
