#46
Literature Paper 2 — Section C: Unseen poetry
AQA English · Exam
What you need to know (unseen poetry)
- Treat it like Language analysis: select short quotes, zoom into methods, build a clear argument.
- Use structure (shifts/volta/ending) to show control.
- Keep AO3 minimal (only if genuinely inferable from text/form).
Common mistakes
- Panicking and writing a summary of the poem.
- Quoting whole lines without analysing key words.
- Ignoring structure: shifts, volta, ending.
- Making wild context guesses you can’t prove from the poem.
- Leaving the comparison question (Q2) too late / too short.
Self-check
- I can summarise the poem’s message in 1 sentence.
- I’ve selected 4–6 short quotes that cover the whole poem.
- Each paragraph has zoom-in AO2 analysis (word/phrase → effect).
- I’ve commented on structure (beginning vs end; turning point).
- For Q2 comparison: I compare theme + method + effect (not just theme).
Support videos
- Mr Bruff (unseen poetry) search: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=aqa+unseen+poetry+mr+bruff
- Mr Salles (unseen poetry) search: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=unseen+poetry+gcse+mr+salles
Practice
- Past paper practice + mark scheme: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/english/gcse