Unseen poetry

A poem you have never read before, analysed in the exam. Method beats knowledge.

What it is

Most English Literature specifications include a poem, or two, that students have not studied. You read it in the exam and write about it, sometimes comparing two.

Where it applies

English Literature, and it is the part students most often skip in revision because there is nothing to memorise.

How it works

Nothing can be learned in advance except a method — which is exactly why it is worth practising. Everyone is on the same footing, so the marks go to whoever has a reliable process.

A workable one: read it twice. Work out who is speaking and to whom. Find the volta. Note the form and shape. Pick two or three images that carry the poem. Then write.

How to use it in your work

Do not summarise. A paraphrase of the poem scores almost nothing.

Start with a sentence about what the poem is doing as a whole, then evidence it. Write about the ending — students routinely run out of time and never reach it, and the ending is usually where the poem resolves its argument.

If comparing, compare all the way through rather than writing about one and then the other.

Where to get help

Practise with any poem you have not seen; the method is the point. The unseen poetry song walks the process, and the English exam survival song covers timing.