The exam-style question
This is an unseen poem commentary question, in the style of the Literature in English papers. Read it as you would in the exam, then compare your plan with the model.
Read our original poem below, which you have not seen before. Write a commentary on how the poet presents the passing of time.
Explore language, imagery and form. This is our own teaching poem.
The Clock in the Hall
My grandmother's clock still keeps the hall, its brass face dull as an old coin, and every hour it clears its throat to say a number no one waits for. It ticked through birthdays, ticked through wars, through letters read and letters burned, and never once did it look up from the small, grey business of the seconds.
Now she is gone, and I have kept it, though it runs a little slow these days, losing a minute every week the way she lost her afternoons. I wind it on a Sunday, tight, and feel the spring resist my hand, as if it, too, would rather stop than measure out a house so quiet.
Model response: Unseen poem commentary
A strong unseen commentary starts with a clear reading of the poem. It then analyses closely how language, imagery and form create that meaning, instead of paraphrasing.
A trial lesson can compare your child's own answer with this model on Unseen poem commentary.
Common errors we see
- Paraphrasing the poem stanza by stanza instead of analysing it
- Stating the mood ('sad') without showing how language creates it
- Ignoring form, structure and sound
- Quotations dropped in without comment on their effect
- No clear line of argument about the poem as a whole
How this maps to the mark scheme
Examiners mark against assessment objectives. These are the skills the paper rewards.
For unseen poem commentary, the objectives in play are listed below. The wording is summarised for Cambridge IGCSE Literature in English (0475) on our qualification page.
- Understand the meaning of literary texts and their contexts, reading beyond surface meaning to show awareness of writers' ideas and attitudes.
- Analyse the ways writers use language, structure and form to shape meaning and create effects.
- Communicate an informed, sensitive personal response to literary texts.
Marks go to a clear reading of the poem's meaning, an explanation of how language, form and structure create effects, and a personal response backed by evidence.
Other boards word their objectives differently, but the same skills earn the marks. Your board's official syllabus gives the exact weighting.
Where to go next
Learn the method in our guide to unseen poem commentary, then try the unseen poem commentary practice tasks. You can browse every annotated model response or see how we teach this in our Literature in English tuition.
When you have written your own answer, take it to a paid one-hour trial lesson and the teacher who would continue will mark it with you.