40 minutes; 1 question; 25 marks; 12.5% of GCSE
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About
- The second Component 2c question tests your ability to compare two poems you probably haven’t seen before.
- The comparison question is worth 25 marks and you have around 40 minutes to complete this section.
- The comparison question is worth 12.5% of your English Literature GCSE.
- You are expected to produce a sustained response that makes precise reference to details of the poems to explain their effects.
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Guidelines
- Read the question carefully. You will be given some guidance, in the form of bullet points, about what is expected.
- Explain, comment on and analyse how poets use language, form, and structure to achieve effects and influence readers.
- Ensure you make points about both language and form and structure.
- Signpost your adherence to the mark scheme by using the words “language”, "form", and “structure” in your answer.
- In terms of language, the poet deliberately employs jargon associated with…
- In terms of form, the poet's choice of an Italian sonnet suggests...
- In terms of structure, the poet opens the second stanza with a rhetorical question which…
- Write in short paragraphs.
- Make multiple points and write at length — you should have several paragraphs about each poem.
- The balance of your answer should tip in favour of the second poem. You may make reference to points you made in the your single poem response but don't repeat yourself verbatim.
- Don't waste time trying to identify precise correlation between the the poems. Concentrate instead on similarities (and differences) in terms of theme and the poets' use of language, form, and structure.
- You may wish to write about:
- Title
- Look at the title in isolation and think about the deliberate use of language.
- What choices has the poet made in deciding upon a title?
- Think about the connotations of individual words.
- Themes and ideas
- What thoughts and ideas are being conveyed by the poem?
- How does the poet engage the reader or turn the personal into the universal?
- Form
- Does the poem adopt a specific form?
- Why might the poet have chosen this?
- How does the form of the poem link to its message or ideas?
- Structure
- How is the poem organised? Does the poet divide the poem into stanzas, use indentations, vary line length, etc?
- How does the poem look on the page? How might the way a poem appears on the page link to its meaning and effect?
- Does the poem have an identifiable rhyme scheme? Does the poem have a regular rhythm, or a regular number of syllables in each line?
- How does the poem start and end?
- How do particular parts of the poem start and end?
- Language
- What powerful, memorable or interesting words and phrases does the poet employ?
- Can you identify groups of related words? Why might the poet have chosen these?
- What imagery does the poet employ? How are words and phrases used to construct these images?
- Personal response
- How does this poem make me feel?
- Are there particular parts of the poem that stand out for me?
- What is the poet saying and how does this affect me?
- What is it about the poet's way of expressing themselves that speaks to me?
- Are there details in the poem that might cause someone else to interpret the poem in a different way?
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AO1
AO1 (i)
AO1 (ii)
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AO2
AO2