Paper 1 Section A: Answering Poetry Questions

How many questions do you choose from in Section A of Paper 1, and how many marks is the poetry question worth?

You answer one question from a choice of two. Each option prints one of the poems you have studied, and the question is worth 25 marks.

How long should you spend on the Section A poetry question, and how is that time divided?

45 minutes in total: 10 minutes choosing the question, highlighting key words, re-reading and annotating the poem and making a brief plan; 30 minutes writing; 5 minutes re-reading and checking your response.

Which Assessment Objectives does the Section A poetry question assess?

All four Assessment Objectives, and they are assessed equally.

What is the most common mistake students make in this exam, according to the guidance?

Not thoroughly understanding the question. Paying close attention to the exact wording of the question significantly improves exam performance.

What should you do with the key words of the question before you start writing?

Highlight them, then annotate the poem with key words and phrases directly relevant to that focus, so your answer maintains a clear focus on what the question asks.

How many quotations should you aim to select, and what kind?

Aim for 6–7 relevant quotations containing a range of language and/or structure devices that you can comment on and analyse.

How should quotations be used in a strong answer?

They should support your points, not be points in themselves, and should be embedded into your sentences rather than introduced with phrases like “This is shown by the quote…”.

Give an example of embedding a quotation rather than announcing it.

Instead of “This is shown by the quote…”, write something like: “Atwood expresses her belief that nature will overcome the suburbs by referring to the ‘future cracks in the plaster’.”

Why must you not ignore the final stanza of the poem?

It is often where the poet emphasises their message or attitude, so it is essential to respond to every section of the poem.

What does AO1 require you to demonstrate?

Knowledge of the poem’s content through reference to specific sections of the text, working out what is going on in terms of content, structure and word choice.

What does AO2 require you to do?

Go beyond surface meaning and story to look for underlying ideas and attitudes — the poet’s and your own — asking why the author made the choices they did.

What does AO3 require?

Critical engagement and evaluation of how the text works, recognising that language, structure and form contribute to multiple meanings — not just listing literary techniques.

What does AO4 require?

Shaping your writing to communicate your engagement with the text, including a personal response supported by evidence, which may include comparisons with your own experiences or reading.

Why is “feature-spotting” a problem in a poetry answer?

Listing techniques a poet has used without analysis will not get you marks. It is more important to explore the effects of the writer’s choices than to use over-complicated terminology.

What should your analysis start with — the poet’s methods or the poet’s ideas?

Start with the poet’s meaning and ideas in relation to the question, then use the methods as evidence that illustrates those ideas. Starting with a method often fails to link convincingly to the theme.

Rewrite this weak opening in the recommended style: “The poet uses caesura in line 13. This caesura could show how…”

Lead with meaning, e.g. “The poet presents marriage as something challenging, which requires mutual respect. The poet shows this when…”

What is tone in poetry, and why does it work well as evidence?

Tone is the “mood” of a poem — the mood a speaker expresses, the poet’s attitude to the speaker, or the mood created by setting or subject matter. It is created by language, pace, rhythm, symbolism and grammar, so it works perfectly as evidence.

Why is a tonal shift a useful thing to analyse?

It lets you say something relevant about structure, and it prompts you to explain why the poet created the shift and how their poetic choices achieve it.

What is a persona, and how does it differ from the poet?

A persona, or speaker, is the invented character through which the poem is narrated. It is not the same as the poet, and this separation allows poets to explore ideas with more nuance and subtlety.

Why does perspective count as a writer’s method?

Perspective — first person, third person, or a fictional persona — is a deliberate choice made to convey the poet’s ideas and message, so it links directly to intention and serves as strong evidence.

Why does the tense a poet chooses matter?

Tense contributes to the speaker’s perspective and creates a different tone. Ask whether the speaker is looking back (past), speaking about now (present) or looking forward (future), and why the poet chose that.

Are direct quotations the only acceptable evidence?

No. References to things that happen in the poem, or to the choices and methods the poet uses, are just as valuable as direct quotations, provided they relate directly to the ideas and themes you are exploring.

What is the difference between denotation and connotation?

Denotation is the literal meaning of a word or phrase; connotation is its associations or implied meanings. Considering both adds depth to your analysis.

Name the four main forms of poetry and one defining feature of each.

Sonnet — traditionally 14 lines, usually about love; epic — a lengthy narrative poem about heroic deeds; free verse — defined by a lack of rules; villanelle — 19 lines with five tercets and a final quatrain, only two rhyming sounds and much repetition.

What is the difference between a Petrarchan and a Shakespearean sonnet rhyme scheme?

Petrarchan (Italian) sonnets typically follow ABBA, ABBA, CDE, CDE; Shakespearean (English) sonnets typically follow ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GG.

What is an ode, and what is a ballad?

An ode is one of the oldest forms, originally performed with a musical instrument, typically praising a person, event or thing, and usually quite short. A ballad is an old traditional form telling a dramatic or emotional story, typically in quatrains with ABAB or ABCB rhyme.

When writing about form, what key question should you ask?

Why the poet chose that particular form — and especially whether they altered the rules of that form and why. It is also useful to consider how the form reflects the poem’s themes.

What does structure refer to in a poem?

How the poem has been put together in its form: stanza length, repetition and refrains, circular structure, punctuation such as caesura, enjambment, rhyme scheme and changes in line length. These choices can affect meaning or message.

What is caesura, and what is enjambment?

Caesura is a pause or break within a line of poetry; enjambment is the lack of punctuation at the end of a line, so the sentence runs on into the next line.

How should your introduction demonstrate understanding of the task?

Define the focus of the question and summarise the main themes of the poem, using the wording of the question. Avoid being too general or vague, and avoid simply re-telling the poem.

What should your conclusion do?

It should be relevant, summarise your personal response to the poem and the task, and focus directly on the key words of the question — without simply repeating points you have already made.

How much should you discuss the poet’s historical context?

Avoid lengthy discussion of the writer’s historical context: context is not explicitly assessed in this IGCSE. Wider background knowledge should only inform your personal response, never be the main focus.

What does a Band 8 (23–25 marks) answer look like?

It incorporates well-selected references skilfully and with flair (AO1), sustains critical understanding with individuality and insight (AO2), responds sensitively and in detail to how the writer achieves effects (AO3), and sustains a personal, evaluative engagement with the task and text (AO4).

What are the four steps for success in planning your answer?

1) Read and highlight the focus of the question. 2) Read the poem with that focus in mind, annotating. 3) Make a brief plan of 3–4 points linked to your quotations. 4) Start your answer using the wording of the question.

Why should you avoid writing about other poems in the anthology?

You must stick to the given poem and the focus of the question. Referring to or commenting on other poems in the anthology will not help your answer.

What does the examiner say about addressing structure at the end of a response?

Students often address structure at the end as though they must mention it, but all too often it adds nothing. You do not get more marks for addressing language, structure and form separately, and irrelevant analysis could lose marks.