Approaches to unseen poetry
Approaching the unseen poems

WJEC EDUQAS

Put the missing words/phrases into the following pieces of advice about approaching the unseen poetry question.

 
  • Read any information given about the  . There will be an explanation saying what   the poems. It is important to read this and use it to help your  . An   may read: “In both of these poems the poets write about the effect animals have on people.”
  • Read the poems   times. You may like to read both poems through once, then read the first poem several times before writing about it. Then read the   poem several times before writing about it in question 3.2 (along with the  ).
  • Don’t  ! Poems are often not very clear on the first reading but if you slow down and think about them, they often become clearer. There may be a line or section you find less clear than the rest: don’t worry, focus on the sections you do understand and often the more difficult sections become easier.
  • Sometimes, the meaning of a word will be given. There will be an   (*) and a definition near the poem. This does   mean this is an important section, it simply means the examiner has tried to be helpful by giving you the meaning of a   piece of vocabulary.
  • Thinking time is important. Spend about five minutes annotating the poem to   your thoughts and ideas. This will involve   or underlining   parts and adding a word or two to note what you may say about it.
  • Remember that it is your response to the poems that the   is interested in. Support what you say with   and discuss what some of the details of the poem make you think about. There is no need to get bogged down in   – this should support your answer, not lead it.
  • A rule of thumb is to ask these questions of any poem. What is the poem about? What is it REALLY about? How do we know.