Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Literature · specification 4ET1 · Component 1 | Section B: Anthology Poetry · Free · no account needed
Half-caste — John Agard (4ET1 specification)
A direct challenge to the phrase 'half-caste', dismantling it by taking it literally until it collapses.
Specification coverage
Component 1, Section B — Anthology Poetry (Part 3 of the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Anthology)
Assessment objectives: AO2, AO3. Suggested learning time: 60 minutes.
Required knowledge
- The poem interrogates a racial term by pushing its logic to absurdity
- It draws on painting and music — mixed colours, mixed keys — as counter-examples
- The ending demands the listener return with their whole attention
Required skills
- Analyse how language, form and structure create meanings and effects (AO2)
- Compare this poem with another from Part 3, including language, structure and form (AO3)
- Use appropriate literary terminology accurately
- Select relevant, short examples from the poem — it is printed in the paper, so precision is expected
How it is examined
- One 30-mark comparative essay, from a choice of two, comparing this poem with one other from Part 3
Common mistakes
- Calling the spelling 'incorrect'. It is a deliberate political choice — say so.
- Summarising the argument without analysing the humour, which is the poem's sharpest weapon.
This page maps the specification. To learn the content, open the set-text notes and guides — completely free.