Sample question
If you are studying poetry with CCEA your examination will be 'open book'. This means you will have an unannotated copy of the poems and you will be asked to compare two poems from your chosen anthology.
If you are studying Clearances 7: In the last minutes you are studying the Relationships anthology. The following is an example of the type of question you will get.
Clearances 7: In the last minutes by Seamus Heaney deals with the loss of a loved one. Look again at this poem, and at one other poem from the Relationships anthology which also deals with the theme of the loss of a loved one.
With close reference to the ways each poet uses language, compare and contrast what the speakers in the poems say about the loss of a loved one.
You should include relevant contextual material.
It will be up to you to choose a poem that deals with the same theme.
You must read the question carefully to ensure you understand exactly what you are being asked about relationships as all the poems in the anthology differ in their approach and message.
For example, you could compare Clearances 7: In the last minutes on the theme of the loss of a loved one with:
Funeral Blues by WH Auden
On my First Son by Ben Jonson
Remember by Christina Rossetti
Long Distance II by Tony Harrison