Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Literature · specification 4ET1 · Component 1 | Section B: Anthology Poetry · Free · no account needed
Comparing poems: what AO3 actually rewards (4ET1 specification)
Edexcel's AO3 is comparison, not context. This is how to build an answer that compares continuously instead of describing two poems in turn.
Specification coverage
Component 1, Section B — Anthology Poetry
Assessment objectives: AO2, AO3. Suggested learning time: 50 minutes.
Required knowledge
- On this specification AO3 is 'explore links and connections between texts' and is worth 10% of the qualification
- All sixteen Part 3 poems are printed in the examination paper
- The question names one poem; you choose the second
Required skills
- Make comparisons between poems, including use of language, structure and form
- Sustain a comparative line rather than dealing with the poems consecutively
- Select the second poem deliberately for the argument it makes possible
How it is examined
- One 30-mark comparative essay from a choice of two
Common mistakes
- Writing about the poems one after the other and comparing only in the conclusion.
- Choosing a second poem because you know it best rather than because it argues with the first.
- Comparing subject matter only. Language, structure and form must be compared too — the specification says so explicitly.
- Importing context. Section B credits AO2 and AO3; AO4 belongs to Sections C and Component 2 Section B.
This page maps the specification. To learn the content, open the set-text notes and guides — completely free.