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 Sonnet 130 you are studying the Relationships anthology. The following is an example of the type of question you will get.
Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare deals with the theme of love in relationships. Look again at this poem, and at one other poem from the Relationships anthology which also deals with the theme of love in relationships.
With close reference to the ways each poet uses language, compare and contrast what the speakers in the poems say about love in relationships.
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 Sonnet 130 on the theme of love in relationships with:
To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell
How do I love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Remember by Christina Rosetti
When You Are Old by W B Yeats
Funeral Blues by W H Auden
Long Distance by Tony Harrison
Symptoms of Love by Robert Graves