CCEA A2 2 poetry pre-1900 and unseen overview quiz quiz

Modern drama and modern poetry

Set pre-1900 poetry and unseen poetry

Shakespeare and pre-1900 prose

Coursework and a spoken examination

Open book for both sections

Closed book, with a resource booklet

Open book for the set poet only

Open book for the unseen poem only

AO3 (context) and AO5 (interpretations)

AO1 and AO2 only

AO4 (comparison) only

None; both sections reward the same objectives

Prepared context and memorised criticism

Comparison of two unseen poems for AO4

AO1 personal response and AO2 close reading of method

Knowledge of the poet's biography

Read the poem at least twice to grasp situation, speaker and any shift

Start writing about the first line immediately

Recall a prepared essay on a similar poem

Count the number of stanzas and lines

The opening line that states the subject

A rhyme that repeats at the end of each stanza

The title given to the poem by its editor

A turn where the poem changes direction in argument, mood or address

Reading the poem twice before analysing it

Building an interpretation from the evidence of method

Paraphrasing the poem line by line with no argument

Locating the turn and explaining its effect

Because the section adds AO3 and AO5, which reward revised context and criticism

Because the poet's poems are not provided in the exam

Because the section is marked entirely on memorised quotation alone

Because no analysis of method is required for the set poet

To fill the answer with as many quotations as possible

To avoid analysing any single poem closely

Because the examiner requires every set poem to be mentioned

To show how the poet's characteristic methods handle the concern in the question

As a standalone paragraph of period history at the start

As a full biography of the poet before any analysis

As the relevant strand woven in where it changes the reading

It should not be used, since the section is closed book

The set poet needs revised context and criticism; the unseen needs drilled close-reading technique

Both sections need identical preparation

The unseen poem can be revised in advance like the set poet

Neither section can be prepared for at all

Naming a device such as alliteration without comment

Stating how many lines the poem has

Guessing the identity of the poet

Explaining the effect of a method and how it shapes the experience

Draw the reading together, optionally noting an alternative interpretation

Paraphrase the poem one more time in full

Introduce a brand-new method not yet analysed

List the poetic terms used in the essay