PAPER 1: The Anthology Poetry question Writing for IGCSE PAPER 1: The Anthology Poetry question

Where to start? BEFORE THE TEST: Prepare DURING THE TEST: Think Plan Write Review

Before the test: PREPARE Get other interpretations Link poems together Re-read all of your poems again

A. Getting other interpretations Read guides to your poem where available. Imagine this poem from an alien perspective or an alternative perspective to your own. Set up a study group and discuss the ideas in the poems.

B. Link poems together Time Fill out the tables and activities provided by your teacher and textbook. Use flashcards to match poems and themes together. TIP: Play ‘Snap’ with a study-buddy!! (see below) THEME: Time Half-past Two by U.A. Fanthorpe Sonnet 116 by W. Shakespeare

C. Re-read all of your poems Without taking any notes, read each of your poems aloud again. This will help you recognise sound and rhythm patterns in the poems. It might help you get new ideas. Look up any difficult words or references you don’t fully understand.

You have 40 minutes for this question and it is worth 30 marks. During the test: You have 40 minutes for this question and it is worth 30 marks.

During the test: Think 2 minutes Plan 5 minutes Write 30 minutes Review 3 minutes

1. THINK 2 mins Brainstorm your own ideas about the poems and theme. Ask yourself what you have learned from the poem. Link your ideas to other poems. Think about similarities and differences.

2. PLAN 5 mins Brainstorm, bullet point, or mind-map your ideas for the answer. You should plan your – points and conections between the poems examples/quotes techniques

3. WRITE 30mins Pay attention to – vocabulary choices (see handout), paragraph and essay structure and, (see slide 13) punctuation, phrasing, and grammar (see next slide).

Structure Short introduction 4 to 5 PEE paragraphs (2 PEEs per poem minimun) Short conclusion

4. REVIEW 3 mins Make sure you – used key words from the question, used examples or quotations and put them in quotation marks and, used the correct punctuation (e.g. capital letters, commas and full stops) in the right places

Essay structure – Suggestion 1 A short introduction 4 PEEs PEE 1: Poem A – Language/techniques used in a decriptive way PEE 2: Poem B - Language/techniques used in a decriptive way PEE 3: Poem A – Structure and form used PEE 4: Poem B – Structure and form used A short conclusion

Essay structure – Suggestion 2 A short introduction 6 PEEs PEE 1: Poem A – Language used PEE 2: Poem B - Language used PEE 3: Poem A – Techniques used in a decriptive way PEE 4: Poem B - Techniques used in a decriptive way PEE 5: Poem A – Structure and form used PEE 6: Poem B – Structure and form used A short conclusion

Sample Paragraph Structure Point: Make a point about the theme in a poem. Evidence: Find evidence to support your point. Explanation: Explain how the evidence supports the point. Comment on the use of literary techniques used to help influence the meaning. Connect your idea for this paragraph to another poem in your anthology. You could use this as a lead-in to your next paragraph.

My answer is based on Question 2 at the bottom of page 92. My Sample Paragraph My answer is based on Question 2 at the bottom of page 92.

Planning a sample paragraph Point: In ‘Blessing’, Dharker illustrates the overwhelming sensory experience of people joyfully receiving water in a drought. Evidence: The poet uses onomatopoeia in “splash”, “echo”, “roar”, and “screaming” to describe an auditory sensation. Explanation: The sounds are loud and aggressive but they also bring joy as the children “screaming in the liquid sun” remind us that they were suffering but are now happy.. These onomatopoeic words emphasize how alien the sound of water is in this dry region. In a similar way, the child in “Half-past Two” is overwhelmed by time and uses onomatopoeia to convey this experience as he become lost in his aural sense with the “silent noise his hangnail made”.

Putting it together In ‘Blessing’, Dharker illustrates the overwhelming sensory experience of people joyfully receiving water in a drought. The poet utilizes onomatopoeia in “splash”, “echo”, “roar”, and “screaming” to describe an auditory sensation. The sounds are loud and aggressive but they also bring joy as the children “screaming in the liquid sun” remind us that they were suffering but are now happy. These onomatopoeic words emphasize how alien the sound of water is in this dry region. Fanthorpe also uses sound to present sense experience. In a similar way, the child in “Half-past Two” is overwhelmed by time and uses onomatopoeia to convey this experience as he becomes lost in sound with the “silent noise his hangnail made” unable to “click” the language of the clock. However, unlike Dharker’s children who are experiencing loud joyful noises of water, Fanthorpe’s confused child is lost in the usually quieter noises of a hangnail and clock.

Writing You may now work on your essay. It is due next week (the same day as the test). You have a choice between two questions on p. 89 in your textbook.