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Exam skills: comparing two anthology poems

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International GCSE Paper 1 Section B asks you to compare two poems from Part 3 of the Anthology (30 marks: AO2 15, AO3 15). You choose one question from two.

What is assessed

AO2 (15 marks): analysis of language, form and structure.
AO3 (15 marks): links and connections between the poems: comparison.
The question names the two poems you must compare. If you only write about one, your mark will be limited.

Planning

Underline the focus of the question (for example, childhood, loss, identity).
Plan three or four points where the poems can be compared: ideas, language, form and structure, and endings.
For each point, find evidence in both poems.

Writing

Integrate comparison in every paragraph using connectives (both, similarly, whereas, in contrast).
Explain effects precisely. Finish with a judgement about the most important similarity or difference.
Worked example

Write a comparative sentence about the endings of Piano and Hide and Seek.

  1. Both poems end with the speaker or child overwhelmed by feelings.
  2. In Piano, the adult weeps for the past.
  3. In Hide and Seek, the child's triumph turns into loneliness.

Answer: Both poems end with a sudden emotional shift: the adult in Piano weeps like a child for the past, whereas the child in Hide and Seek finds that his triumph has turned into loneliness.

Key idea

Compare two named Part 3 poems: 30 marks, AO2 (methods) and AO3 (links between texts). Plan points with evidence from both poems and compare in every paragraph.

Check you have got it

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Practise this lesson free (6 questions)All GCSE & IGCSE English Literature lessons