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A2 Unit 3: Poetry Pre-1900 and Unseen Poetry

2 dot points across 2 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do you answer the two-part WJEC A2 Unit 3 Section A question on a set pre-1900 poetry text, moving from close analysis of one poem to the wider concerns of the collection?

Pre-1900 poetry (A2 Unit 3 Section A): the open-book two-part question on a set pre-1900 poetry text, analysing one named poem closely (AO2) and then ranging across the collection, with period context (AO3) and a sustained argument.
How to answer the WJEC A2 Unit 3 Section A two-part question on a set pre-1900 poetry text. Covers the close analysis of one named poem (AO2), ranging across the wider collection, using period context (AO3), and sustaining an argument under open-book conditions rather than paraphrasing.
14 min answer →

How do you analyse and compare two unseen poems under exam conditions in WJEC A2 Unit 3 Section B, with no prior knowledge of the texts to fall back on?

Unseen poetry comparison (A2 Unit 3 Section B): the timed comparative analysis of two previously unseen poems, reading each closely for method (AO2) and building one integrated comparative argument (AO4) without prior knowledge or context.
How to answer the WJEC A2 Unit 3 Section B unseen poetry comparison. Covers reading two previously unseen poems closely under time pressure, analysing form, structure, language and tone (AO2), and building one integrated comparative argument (AO4) with no prior knowledge to rely on.
14 min answer →