Responding to an unseen text is perhaps the most challenging task that English literature students face. One of the highest-level skills to demonstrate is the ability to develop an ongoing comparison. One of the questions in the first AQA (A) exam invites you to do both. But the good news is that the poems are on the theme of ‘Love through the Ages’, which you will be familiar with, and, by the time you sit the exam, you can have practised using the tips and techniques outlined below.
Your study of the AQA Anthology: Love through the Ages already gives you a grounding in love poetry. Supplement this by reading a wide range of love poems. It’s sensible to read chronologically, getting to know the different styles typical of different eras. While the exam does not demand direct reference to poems from wider reading, your understanding of other love poems should help you understand the ones set on the exam paper.
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