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How to get an a* in unseen poetry

gemmacav

any tips and tricks on how to prepare for an unseen poetry exam questions ?????

Reply 1

cookiemonster15

Original post by gemmacav

any tips and tricks on how to prepare for an unseen poetry exam questions ?????

Practice comparing poems

Comment on structure of the poem, the rhyme scheme, rhythm of the poems, the descriptions used ie what makes them similar but also what aspects make them different.

Also, pick out words

So ie. Both Poems focus primarily on nature/ natural theme whilst poem A conveys this by including words such as 'woods' , 'leaves' to show imagery of a natural forest scene, Poem B does this by using an abab rhyming pattern which lets the peom flow naturally and effortlessly.

(or something like that- I think that's what I did, mind you, it has been two years...)

Reply 2

Babs Posh

Briefly look over notes you've made previously to remind you of how to analyse poems. It's incredibly important to know the poetic devices and their significance and effect in the poem, and I recommend memorising them.

Also if possible analyse the structure of the poem and try link it to the running theme that it creates, not many students will be able to do this so you'll get higher marks for it.

For practice it would be good for you to search online for various poems to practice analysing so you're more comfortable with it. However I didn't do this and just focuses on the poetic devices and still managed to get full marks in the unseen poetry exam so it's personal preference I guess!

Good luck :smile: