P2.CSection C — Unseen poetry (24 marks)

Section C of Paper 2 tests two poems you have never studied before. There is no preparation possible beyond developing the skills and vocabulary to read any poem analytically. This section has two questions with no choice.

Question format (32 marks total)

Q27.1 — First unseen poem (24 marks)

"In this poem, the poet writes about [topic]. How does the poet present [topic]?"

• AO1 = 12 marks; AO2 = 12 marks.
• No AO3, no AO4.
• Recommended time: 25 minutes (5 mins reading/planning, 20 mins writing).

Q27.2 — Compare both unseen poems (8 marks)

"In [Poem 2], the poet also writes about [topic]. What are the similarities and/or differences between the methods used in the two poems?"

• AO2 = 8 marks only. This is a methods-only question.
• No AO1 (themes and feelings), no AO3, no AO4.
• Recommended time: 10 minutes (2 mins reading Poem 2, 8 mins writing).

Reading an unseen poem

Step 1 — Gist: What is happening? Who is the speaker? What is the situation or central feeling? Step 2 — Annotation: Circle unusual words. Mark tone shifts. Note the form (sonnet? free verse? ballad?). Note where the poem turns. Step 3 — Arc: What has the speaker understood or felt by the end? How does the poem change from beginning to end?

Planning Q27.1

Draft a thesis before writing. A strong thesis:

• Claims HOW (not just WHAT) the theme is presented.
• References a specific technique or image.
• Implies the speaker's relationship to the theme.

Plan 3–4 analytical points. Each point: technique → quote → effect. Prioritise: one structural observation + two or three language observations.

Writing Q27.2

Q27.2 is an AO2-only question — it asks only about methods (form, structure, language). Do not discuss themes or feelings without tying them to technique.

Comparative structure:

• Open with a comparative statement about the most significant methodological similarity or difference.
• Then compare: form (free verse vs. sonnet?), imagery (what kind?), tone, structure (how is the poem organised?), voice (first/third person?).
• Quote from BOTH poems.
• Close with the fundamental difference in approach.

A common error is to write a full thematic essay for Q27.2 — this earns only AO1 marks, but there are no AO1 marks in Q27.2.

Subject terminology for Section C

Form: free verse, sonnet, ballad, ode, elegy, dramatic monologue, lyric. Structure: stanza, volta, enjambment, caesura, end-stopped line, line break, refrain. Language: metaphor, simile, extended metaphor, personification, pathetic fallacy, sibilance, alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, juxtaposition, oxymoron, anaphora, repetition, direct address. Tone: elegiac, sardonic, wistful, celebratory, rueful, defiant, ambivalent, tender, bitter, melancholic. Voice: first-person lyric, third-person observer, dramatic monologue, second-person address.

Time management for Section C

Section C = 35 minutes. Strict discipline required:

• 5 minutes: read Poem 1, annotate, plan Q27.1.
• 20 minutes: write Q27.1.
• 2 minutes: read Poem 2.
• 8 minutes: write Q27.2.

The most common mistake is spending 30+ minutes on Q27.1 and having no time for Q27.2's 8 marks.

What makes a Level 6 Q27.1 response

• A perceptive, convincing thesis that develops across the response.
• Close analysis of specific language choices — not technique-spotting but effect-explaining.
• At least one structural observation (enjambment, caesura, form, turn).
• Tone shift tracked across the poem.
• Subject terminology used accurately and naturally, not forced.