Exam Technique & Key Quotations
Key Quotations to Memorise
In the anthology comparison, you will need quotations at your fingertips. AQA prints the named poem on the question paper; your comparison poem must come from memory. Aim to memorise 2–3 quotations per poem for your “go-to” poems. Short, punchy quotations are easier to remember and more effective to analyse than long ones.
Byron (“When We Two Parted”): “In silence and tears” — secrecy intensifies grief. “Colder thy kiss” — metaphor of dying love.
Shelley (“Love’s Philosophy”): “What is all this sweet work worth / If thou kiss not me?” — rhetorical question: nature’s unity is meaningless without love.
Barrett Browning (Sonnet 29): “Rather, instantly / Renew thy presence” — the volta, putting aside thoughts of him for the real man; “I do not think of thee — I am too near thee” — the close, longing replaced by presence.
Browning (“Porphyria’s Lover”): “That moment she was mine, mine” — possessive repetition. “And yet God has not said a word!” — delusional justification.
Nagra (“Singh Song!”): “my bride she effing at my mum / in all di colours of Punjabi” — joyful, vibrant, culturally hybrid.
Heaney (“Follower”): “His shoulders globed like a full sail strung” — heroic father. “It is my father who keeps stumbling / Behind me” — role reversal.
Day-Lewis (“Walking Away”): “love is proved in the letting go” — paradox of parental love.
Armitage (“Mother, any distance”): “to fall or fly” — ambiguous independence. “You at the zero-end, me with the spool” — tape measure metaphor.
Hardy (“Neutral Tones”): “the sun was white, as though chidden of God” — drained, abandoned. “The deadest thing / Alive enough to have strength to die” — oxymoron.
Sheers (“Winter Swans”): “our hands … folded, one over the other, / like a pair of wings settling after flight” — reconciliation through nature.
Causley (“Eden Rock”): “I had not thought that it would be like this” — death as gentle surprise.
Memorise 2–3 short quotations per poem for your go-to choices. Short is better: “mine, mine” (Browning) is more analysable than a full sentence. Practise writing quotations from memory regularly — flashcards, look-cover-write, or testing with a friend.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. Writing about one poem then the other. This loses comparison marks. Both poems must be in every paragraph. 2. Retelling the poem. Do not describe what happens — analyse what it means and how the poet achieves it. 3. Identifying techniques without explaining their effect. “Shelley uses personification” earns nothing. “Shelley personifies the sunlight as ‘clasping’ the earth, giving nature the tenderness of a lover and making his argument for physical union feel instinctive and natural” earns real credit for methods analysis. 4. Bolting on context. Do not write a separate context paragraph — embed it within your analysis.
Timing under exam conditions: whatever time your exam board gives you, aim to spend roughly the first ten per cent planning (identify theme, choose poem, plan three paragraphs), the bulk of it writing (introduction, three comparative paragraphs, conclusion), and the last few minutes checking spelling, punctuation, grammar, quotation accuracy, and comparative connectives. Check your exam board’s specimen paper for the specific time allocation.
Planning approach: Draw a quick table: left column = first poem, right column = second poem. For each paragraph, write one comparison point that links both. Identify one quotation per poem per paragraph. Planning takes a few minutes but saves time and prevents the poem-by-poem trap.
Revision Plan for Poetry
Week 1: Re-read all 15 poems. For each, write a one-sentence summary and note the form, key technique, and key quotation. Week 2: Practise pairings — write comparison plans (not full essays) for 6 different question types. Week 3: Memorise quotations using flashcards. Test yourself daily. Week 4: Write 2–3 full timed essays under exam conditions. Check them against your exam board’s published assessment criteria.
The best revision strategy combines: (1) knowing all 15 poems well enough to summarise, (2) having 3–4 “go-to” poems memorised in depth, (3) practising the comparison structure under timed conditions. Do not try to memorise everything — depth on 4 poems is better than surface knowledge of 15.
Remember: the comparison essay rewards personal response. Do not repeat generic revision-guide points — develop your own interpretations. What matters is your thinking about the poems, supported by evidence and method analysis. Be bold, be specific, and always link back to the question.