Exam Preparation — Paper 2 Section B Part 1

This final lesson assembles everything. You know all 15 poems. You know how to compare. You now need to see exactly what separates a Grade 4 response from a Grade 9 response, how a single quotation can be deployed under closed-book conditions, and how to walk into the exam and deliver 30 minutes of focused writing.

Paper 2 Section B Part 1 — The Question Format

You will meet one question. It names one of the 15 anthology poems and prints it on the page. It then asks you to compare that poem with one other of your choice from the cluster.

Typical Question Stems

"Re-read [Named Poem]. Compare the way that conflict is presented in [Named Poem] and in one other poem from the Conflict anthology."
"Compare how the poet presents ideas about [theme, e.g. loss / identity / power] in [Named Poem] and in one other poem from the Conflict anthology."
"Compare the ways conflict is presented in [Named Poem] and one other poem from the Conflict anthology."

The word that changes across papers is usually the theme ("conflict" / "loss" / "identity" / "power" / "memory"). The structure of the question is fixed.

What the Marks Are For

Assessment Objective	Marks	What it rewards
AO1	12	Knowledge and personal response; thematic understanding
AO2	8	Language, form and structure; effects on the reader
Total	20	~30 minutes

No AO3 (context). No separate SPaG marks. This is closed-book on the chosen poem — you must memorise quotations.

The 30-Minute Plan (Detailed)

Minute	Task	Why
0:00–0:03	Read the named poem twice; underline 4 features	First read for meaning, second for technique
0:03–0:04	Confirm chosen poem from your pairing map	Do not hesitate; trust your map
0:04–0:07	Plan 3 comparative points on scrap paper	One thematic, one language, one form
0:07–0:10	Write opening paragraph (80 words)	States both poems + thesis + previews contrast
0:10–0:14	Paragraph 2 — shared theme	Point-by-point comparison
0:14–0:18	Paragraph 3 — contrasting method	Point-by-point comparison
0:18–0:22	Paragraph 4 — form / structure	Named forms linked to meaning
0:22–0:26	Closing paragraph (80 words)	Deepest shared concern + comparative judgement
0:26–0:30	Check: 4+ quotations each poem? Connectives dense enough?	Polish pass

The single biggest exam mistake is spending too long on one paragraph. Treat each body paragraph as a 4-minute sprint.

flowchart TD
    A[0-3: Read twice] --> B[3-4: Choose partner]
    B --> C[4-7: Plan]
    C --> D[7-10: Opening]
    D --> E[10-14: Theme]
    E --> F[14-18: Method]
    F --> G[18-22: Form]
    G --> H[22-26: Closing]
    H --> I[26-30: Check]

Closed-Book Quotation Strategy

You cannot open the anthology in the exam for the chosen poem. This means you must memorise enough quotation to sustain a 15-minute analysis.

Quotation Budget per Poem

Aim to memorise 5–6 quotations per poem. You will only use 2–3 in any given answer, but the surplus gives you flexibility depending on the question's theme.

What Makes a Good Exam Quotation

Short (3–10 words).
Contains an identifiable device (image, metaphor, rhyme, repetition).
Can be commented on for multiple themes.
Is easy to spell correctly.

Embedded vs Block Quotation

Always embed short quotations into your own sentence. Do not set them on a separate line.

Bad: "Blake uses the line 'my wrath did grow' to show anger." Good: "Blake's speaker reports that his 'wrath did grow,' framing suppressed anger as an organic process."

Embedded quotation lets you analyse in the same sentence and scores more efficiently.

Memorisation Technique

Write each quotation 5 times.
Say it aloud.
Write it without looking.
Put the list on your phone wallpaper or mirror.
Practise by theme, not by poem, so you can retrieve under pressure.

Grade 4 vs Grade 6 vs Grade 9 Response

Below are three versions of a single paragraph on the same question:

Compare the way conflict is presented in A Poison Tree and one other poem from the Conflict anthology.

Chosen partner: Cousin Kate.

Grade 4 Response — "Limited"

Blake's poem A Poison Tree is about anger. The speaker is angry with his friend and tells him, so the anger goes away. Then he is angry with his foe and does not tell him, so the anger grows. He waters the tree with his tears and sunnes it with smiles. In the end the foe is dead under the tree. The poem is about keeping your feelings secret.

Cousin Kate is also about conflict. A woman is taken by a lord and then dropped. Her cousin Kate marries him. The woman has a baby but Kate does not. She is angry with Kate at the end.

Examiner's reading: Recall only. Retells both poems. No AO2. No comparison. No personal response. Grade band: "limited understanding; a little relevant material" — low AO1, almost no AO2.

Grade 6 Response — "Clear Understanding"

Blake and Rossetti both present speakers whose feelings are hidden or suppressed, and both use regular rhyme to contain the voice. In A Poison Tree, Blake writes in AABB couplets with a simple nursery-rhyme feel, but the content is murderous: "I told it not, my wrath did grow." The tight form contrasts with the dangerous feeling, which shows that hidden anger can become violent. Rossetti's Cousin Kate uses a ballad stanza (ABCB) to contain the speaker's bitterness at being "an unclean thing." She addresses Kate directly — "O Lady Kate, my cousin Kate" — and the regularity of the ballad gives her voice a strong, controlled force.

Both poems show that a speaker whose feeling has been silenced or hidden can still use the poem itself as a form of confrontation. Blake's speaker ends with a dead foe "outstretchd beneath the tree"; Rossetti's speaker ends with the power of having "a gift [Kate] ha[s] not got." The difference is that Blake's speaker acts on his feeling violently, whereas Rossetti's speaker uses the poem as her one available action.

Examiner's reading: Clear understanding. Some AO2 (form naming, embedded quotation). Comparison is present but surface-level. Grade band: "clear understanding; some supporting details." Mid-range AO1 and AO2.

Exam Preparation and Grade Comparison