WJEC GCSE English Literature How to create an A* Poetry response

Structure of the exam paper Unit 1: Prose and Poetry – 35% of final Literature grade – 2 hour paper Section A: Prose from different cultures (OMAM) – An extract question (10 marks) – A choice of two essay questions (20 marks) Section B: A comparison of two unseen poems – 20 marks

So what do you need to do? What do you need to do within a poetry comparison question in order to achieve 20/20 (A*)? What method should you use in order to accomplish (do) this?

Poetry Comparison: The Method Remember: Engage with your thoughts and feelings in relation to the poems 1.Intro: Basic overview of the two poems (you can immediately compare the two) 2.Focus on poem 1: – Analyse the title – Begin to analyse the poem by working your way through it like an extract question (quote, comment, top to bottom), making sure to explore whether that view changes as you work through and why/how the poet has made that change. – As you move through the stanzas and your reaction to them considering how the poet has made you feel; you should analyse language, structure (punctuation, sentences, stanza lengths), form (voice, type of poem). 3.Move onto poem 2: Repeat the process used in poem 1, but after each analysis of poem 2, compare it to the first poem. 4.Conclude by commenting on which poem had the greater effect on you and explain why.

In the first of the following poems, The Schoolboy, the child speaker and then the poet refer to their views on education. In the second, Among the school children, the poet also explores their view of education Write about both poems and their effect on you. Show how they are similar and how they are different. You may write about each poem separately and then compare them, or make comparisons where appropriate in your answer as a whole (20)

A B A B B