How to Write a Grade 9 Unseen Poetry Essay (Edexcel IGCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
Written by: Kate Lee
Reviewed by: Jenna Quinn
How to Write a Grade 9 Unseen Poetry Essay
To get a Grade 9 in the Unseen Poetry section of the exam, you need to know how to write an effective essay. In Section A, you are assessed on one assessment objective (AO2): your ability to comment on the poet’s use of language, form and structure.
Find out how to approach the exam question:
Exam skill 1: Analysing form and structure (AO2)
Exam skill 2: Analysing language (AO2)
How to integrate language, structure and form
Exam skill 1: Analysing form and structure (AO2)
When analysing the form and structure of a poem, it’s essential to explore the reasons behind the poet’s selection of a specific form or structure and how these choices influence the poem’s meaning.
Form
When writing about form, it is important to consider why the poet has chosen that particular form, and especially if they have altered the rules of that particular poetry form and why. It is also useful to consider how the form reflects the theme of the poem.
Some of the primary forms of poetry are:
Form | Explanation |
Sonnet |
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Epic |
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Free verse |
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Villanelle |
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Ode |
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Ballad |
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Pay particular attention to the type of verse used in your unseen poem: for example, is the poem written in free verse? Then consider why you think the poet has chosen to use this particular form.
Structure
Think about how the poem has been put together in its particular form. A poet might make use of structural devices such as juxtaposition, enjambment, caesura or stanza length for example, or the poem’s rhyme scheme and meter.
How do these structural devices impact the meaning of the poem? What other aspects of structure do you notice as you read the poem? How does the structure link to the opening and final lines of the poem? Can you spot any changes in mood or tone as the poem progresses?
Let’s take a look at an example. The following poem is ‘Slow Reader’ by Vicki Feaver. In this poem, the speaker describes a boy who is talented at many things but struggles to read.
‘Slow Reader’ by Vicki Feaver | Form and structure features |
He can make sculptures And fabulous machines Invent games, tell jokes Give solemn, adult advice But he is slow to read. When I take him on my knee With his Ladybird book* He gazes into the air Sighing and shaking his head Like an old man Who knows the mountains Are impassable.
He toys with words Letting them grow cold As gristly* meat Until I relent And let him wriggle free – A fish returning To its element Or a white-eyed colt* Shying from the bit* As if he sees That if he takes it In his mouth He’ll never run Quite free again.
Glossary *Ladybird book – a popular series of books for children *gristly – chewy or hard to digest *colt – a young horse *bit – the part of a horse’s harness that fits in the mouth |
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The examiner expects you to comment on how the poet uses form and structure for effect. Throughout your response, add your own interpretation and ensure that all of your points are fully developed. Consider this model answer which explores form and structure in Feaver’s poem.
Question focus | Analysis of form and structure (Grade 9) |
Explore how the writer presents a child who is slow at learning to read in this poem.
| In ‘Slow Reader’ Vicki Feaver empathically depicts a child who is struggling to read. This free verse poem consists of two stanzas and is recounted from an adult speaker’s point of view. The first stanza is one of detached observation and explores the boy’s proficiency in many activities. This is briefly juxtaposed with his difficulty in reading: he is “slow to read”. The first stanza positively highlights the boy’s remarkable abilities, how he can “make sculptures and give “solemn, adult advice”. The speaker in the second stanza becomes more involved and empathetic towards the child who is struggling to read and conveys how he wishes to escape from the situation. Indeed, the short lines in the second stanza seem to reflect the boy’s restlessness. Furthermore, the use of free verse and frequent use of enjambment throughout the poem conveys how the boy does not wish to be constrained by his struggles with reading and thus reflects his desire to break free. It symbolises the boy’s rejection of the rigid boundaries and rules which are generally connected to reading. |
Exam skill 2: Analysing language (AO2)
Analysing language means that you consider the deliberate choices the poet has made to include specific words or phrases in their poem. Scan the poem and look for any repeated words, linked words, phrases, images, or any other connections that you can make in relation to language choices. Can you identify any particular vivid words or phrases, or any that stand out to you? Can you identify any emotive words? Can you find examples of imagery? How does the imagery help you to understand the ideas in the poem? What patterns can you see?
When commenting on words and phrases from the text, consider why you think the poet has chosen that particular word to use. Being familiar with key literary terms can also help to support your analysis of the unseen poem. As an example, we will explore some specific literary techniques and consider Vicki Feaver’s intentions using the same poem.
Language technique(s) | Quotes | Language comments |
listing, adjectives, simile, hyperbole | “make sculptures”, “invent games”, “Give solemn, adult advice”, “slow to read”, “mountains/Are impassable” |
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The examiner expects you to comment on how the poet uses language for effect. Throughout your response, add your own interpretation and ensure that all of your points are fully developed. Review this model paragraph to see how to use literary terms in your analysis:
Question focus | Analysis of language (Grade 9) |
Explore how the writer presents a child who is slow at learning to read in this poem.
| In ‘Slow Reader’ Vicki Feaver depicts a child who is struggling to read. Initially, the poet offers a list of the skills the boy has mastered. The speaker states that he can “make sculptures”, “Invent games, tell jokes / Give solemn, adult advice” which suggests that he is artistic and inventive. However, these skills are contrasted with his reading struggles: “he is slow to read”. The use of the simile “Like an old man” suggests that reading is a physical barrier or challenge that cannot be overcome. Feaver uses hyperbole to emphasise the scale of his challenge, describing the the “mountains” that “Are impassable”, suggesting that there are insuperable barriers in his way to learning to read. |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Give your own personal, unique and alternative ideas and interpretations of the poem. For example, in Vicki Feaver’s poem, you could comment on the implications of a formal or traditional education and its limiting effects on the artistic freedom of the child. You could question the child’s willingness to learn to read as it could be interpreted as interfering with the boy’s true self and expression.
How to integrate form, structure and language comments
You need to take an integrated approach to AO2 by focusing on the main themes of the poem and then evaluate the poet’s choices of form, structure and language.
The question in Section A will always have three separate bullet points for you to address in your answer. The bullet points provide a helpful guide and prompts for your response. Review this model paragraph to see how to write an integrated and coherent paragraph which addresses all of the skills required for AO2:
IGCSE Edexcel English Literature Unseen Poetry |
Explore how the writer presents a child who is slow at learning to read in this poem. In your answer, you should consider the writer’s:
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In ‘Slow Reader’ Vicki Feaver empathically describes a child who is struggling to read. The poem consists of two stanzas and is recounted from an adult’s point of view. The first stanza is one of detached observation and explores the boy’s proficiency in many activities. The poet begins by listing the skills that the boy does well: he can “make sculptures”, “Invent games, tell jokes / Give solemn, adult advice” which suggests that he is artistic and inventive. The description of him, using the adjectives “fabulous” and “solemn”, suggest that the boy is also both intelligent and sincere. However, the list of what the boy is good at is juxtaposed with his difficulty in reading: he is “slow to read”. In the second stanza the speaker becomes more involved and empathetic towards the child who is struggling to read and conveys how he wishes to escape from the situation. Indeed, the short lines in the second stanza reflect the boy’s restlessness. Furthermore, the use of free verse and frequent use of enjambment throughout the poem illustrates how the boy does not wish to be constrained by his struggles with reading and thus reflects his desire to break free. It symbolises the boy’s rejection of the rigid boundaries and rules which are generally connected to reading. The use of the simile “Like an old man” facing mountains highlights how the boy believes that reading is impossible for him. Here Feaver uses hyperbole to stress that the boy believes his difficulties cannot be overcome as she describes them as “mountains” that “Are impassable”, suggesting that there are insuperable barriers in his way. |
This paragraph integrates comments about form, structure and language throughout.
Find out more about how you can write a Grade 9 answer.
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