GCSE English literature: a head-scratching conundrum
As English teachers, we repeatedly grapple with the complexity of the literature GCSE, pondering over the best way to simplify its challenges for our students, particularly our most vulnerable. We are acutely aware of the consequences for these students of not passing their English GCSE, and therefore spend large parts of the year thinking, debating and head-scratching, trying to decide on the best bets when it comes to making the most of limited lesson time.
As experts, we often underestimate the difficulty of our subjects. This is certainly not unique to English, but one of the challenges in English is that the knowledge within our subject is, at times, more contentious. Questions such as ‘which are the best five quotations to teach in relation to x character?’ spark a heated debate among a group of eager and passionate English teachers as they argue the case for the other 25 quotations that they would also love to include! Yet knowledge selection for GCSE texts is vital if we are to make time in lessons for modelling and practice, and give students the best chance of remembering, as I explore here.
The poetry question is, arguably, the most complex of all and is certainly no exception to this rule. Students are expected to remember 15 poems in-depth and from memory, before selecting from the other 14 the best comparison in relation to a thematic question. All of this is under time pressure in an exam! For many students, this seems like an insurmountable task. This is where a paired approach to the poems can help.
What is a paired approach to the poems?
Very simply, the poems are paired with one other poem that is its best thematic match. They are taught within these pairings, and students are encouraged to use the pairings in the exam. These are the pairings that were, after much deliberation, reached:
Extract from the Prelude and Storm on the Island (power of nature)
Ozymandias and My Last Duchess (misuse of power)
London and Ozymandias (misuse of power)
Tissue and London (power)
The Charge of the Light Brigade and Bayonet Charge (war)
Exposure and The Charge of the Light Brigade (war)
Poppies and Kamikaze (war and family)
War Photographer and Remains (war, memories and guilt)
The Emigree and Checking Out Me History (identity)
Exposure and Storm on the Island (nature)
Some students who engage at a high level with the thematic ideas in the poem will, of course, begin to make other links and connections, which can be encouraged through extension tasks, wider reading at home, masterclasses and and homework tasks. But within the 1-2 lessons of curriculum time in which these poems are taught, time is dedicated to teaching the thematic links within the pairings.
Why approach the poems in pairings?
First, overload: trying to remember the content of 15 poems is already a challenge. Trying to remember which poem to compare with out of 14 possible options becomes almost impossible. Although some poems appear in more than one pairing, pairing the poems still reduces the possible options from 196 (14 poems x 14 different options for comparison) to 10.
Second, selection: we’ve all had moments marking GCSE papers where we’ve put our face in our hands, wondering why our student chose to write about how war is presented within ‘Extract from the Prelude’, for example. Teaching the pairings avoids students making a poor selection, which makes it almost impossible to draw any meaningful comparisons.
Third, remembering: teaching explicit comparisons between paired poems gives students the best chance of remembering the thematic comparisons.
Fourth, versatility: lots of collective time and thinking has gone into testing out the pairings against multiple exam questions. The pairings and content selection are versatile and can be applied to almost any exam question.
Fifth, simplicity: achieving coherence around this strategy makes it simpler to facilitate group changes, teacher changes and additional tutoring, as students will have been taught using the same approach.
Is this really the best approach?
Testing out an approach like this involves trial and error, time, patience and an open mind. A strategy like this doesn’t just develop overnight, but rather is a stepped process with several stages:
Draft the pairings
List out as many possible different thematic essay questions from past papers
Test out the pairings: would they work with this question?
If a question is an anomaly (e.g. a question about nature in Exposure), is an additional pairing needed?
Work out which poems are best used more than once (e.g. The Charge of the Light Brigade is an easier poem than Bayonet Charge, so has been used twice: once in a pairing with Bayonet Charge, and once in a pairing with Exposure)
Select three quotations and one key contextual idea per poem
Write essays for the main thematic questions using this knowledge: would it work?
Write grade 9 essays for each pairing: would it still work?
Teach the poems using this content: does it work?
Refine the knowledge, swapping and changing where needed
Teach them again using this content: does it work?
Refine the knowledge, swapping and changing where needed
Like with any curriculum development, the work is never complete. There is always more we can learn each year from testing out the strategy, discussing and debating how it works in the classroom, and measuring its impact through staff and student views, books and results. As such, over the years, the knowledge has been tweaked and changed. But the pairings, for now, have stuck.
Pairings in full and additional resources
Below are the pairings, with the core knowledge for each, in full.
The core knowledge is the minimum that all students should know about each poem in order to make a meaningful comparison between the poems.
What this blog doesn’t do is explore ways to bring this knowledge to life in English lessons, instil a love and appreciation for the poems, and guide students in their own interpretations. The core knowledge is simply the starting point. But here is a poetry booklet that can be edited and adapted for use in lessons, also available on my resources page:
Pairings in full with core knowledge
1. Extract from the Prelude and Storm on the Island
Wordsworth was a Romantic poet and celebrates the power and beauty of nature.
Heaney was from rural Ireland and experienced the power of nature.
Both poems explore the power of nature.
The moonlight looks magical as it reflects in the water: ‘glittering…sparkling’ (imagery)
The sea is familiar but becomes violent during the storm: ‘spits like a tame cat turned savage’ (imagery/simile)
Both poems explore the danger of nature.
The mountain appears like a terrifying monster:. ‘Upreared its head…strode after me’ (personification)
The storm attacks the islanders: ‘exploding...bombarded...pummels’ (imagery)
Both poems explore an emotional journey.
The boy begins feeling nature is magical but ends feeling frightened: ‘a trouble to my dreams’
The islanders begin feeling frightened but end feeling reassured: ‘Strange. It is a huge nothing that we fear’ (contrast)
2. My Last Duchess and Ozymandias
Browning criticises men who abused their power over women in Victorian society.
Shelley criticises rulers like King George and Ramses II, who abused their power.
Both poems explore rulers looking down on people.
The Duke won’t discuss his jealousy with his wife because he looks down on her: ‘I choose never to stoop’
Ozymandias looks down upon the people he rules: ‘sneer of cold command’ (imagery)
Both poems explore arrogance.
The Duke believes his wife should feel grateful to be married to someone so rich and powerful: ‘my gift of a nine-hundred year old name’.
Ozymandias sees himself as the mightiest and best ruler: ‘king of kings’.(repetition)
Both poems explore misuse of power.
The Duke has his wife killed and keeps a painting of her: ‘gave commands, then all smiles stopped’.
Ozymandias’s statue is destroyed and symbolises his loss of power: ‘colossal wreck’ (imagery).
3. London and Ozymandias
Blake criticises the church and the monarchy for not helping the poorest people in London.
Shelley criticises rulers like King George and Ramses II, who abused their power.
Both poems explore cruelty.
Rulers in London leave people trapped in poverty, unable to break free: ‘mind-forged manacles’ (imagery)
Ozymandias looks down upon the people he rules: ‘sneer of cold command’ (imagery)
Both poems explore misuse of power.
The church in London is powerful but ignores mistreatment of children: ‘blackening church’ (imagery)
Ozymandias sees himself as the powerful and best ruler, not caring about his people: ‘king of kings’ (repetition)
Both poems explore nature and humankind.
The streets and the river in London are owned by the rich, while the poor have nothing: ‘chartered’ (repetition)
Ozymandias’s statue is destroyed by nature and symbolises his loss of power: ‘colossal wreck’ (imagery and contrast).
4. London and Tissue
Blake criticises the church and the monarchy for not helping the poorest people in London.
Dharker encourages everyone to be kinder to each other and not just think about money or power.
Both poems explore division.
The streets and the river in London are owned by the rich, while the poor have nothing: ‘chartered’ (repetition)
Maps have been used to divide land and divide people, making some people more powerful. ‘Maps’ (imagery)
Both poems explore misuse of power.
The church in London is powerful but ignores mistreatment of children: ‘blackening church’ (imagery)
Money has become very powerful in our lives and controls what we can and can’t do. ‘What was paid for by credit card might fly our lives like paper kites’
Both poems ask for freedom.
Rulers in London leave people trapped in poverty, unable to break free: ‘mind-forged manacles’ (imagery)
Kindness can cut through power, land and money, and people can be free and happy: ‘let the daylight break through capitals and monoliths’ (symbolism)
5. The Charge of the Light Brigade and Exposure
Tennyson celebrates British soldiers during the Crimean War in his role as Poet Laureate for Queen Victoria.
Owen reveals the harsh conditions he experiences while fighting in World War One.
Both poems explore danger.
The British soldiers are surrounded by Russian enemy gunfire: ‘cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them, cannon in front of them’ (imagery/repetition)
Brutally cold weather in the trenches is dangerous for the soldiers: ‘the merciless iced east winds that knive us’
Both poems explore duty.
Tennyson’s soldiers don’t question - they follow orders and do their duty to their country: ‘theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die’ (repetition)
Owen’s soldiers wait dutifully for instructions even though nothing is happening: ‘but nothing happens’ (repetition)
Both poems explore glory.
Tennyson asks his readers to remember the soldiers’ bravery: ‘when can their glory fade?’ (rhetorical question)
Owen’ soldiers ask why they were told lies about war: ‘what are we doing here?’ (rhetorical question)
6. The Charge of the Light Brigade and Bayonet Charge
Tennyson celebrates British soldiers during the Crimean War in his role as Poet Laureate for Queen Victoria.
Hughes reveals the dangerous and frightening conditions soldiers faced in World War One.
Both poems explore danger.
The British soldiers are surrounded by Russian enemy gunfire: ‘cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them, cannon in front of them’ (imagery/repetition)
Hughes’s soldier runs through danger: ‘bullets smacking the belly out of the air’ (imagery/onomatopoeia)
Both poems explore duty.
Tennyson’s soldiers don’t question - they follow orders and do their duty to their country: ‘theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die’ (repetition)
Hughes’s soldier dutifully follows instructions, acting like a machine: ‘cold clockwork’ (imagery/metaphor)
Both poems explore glory.
Tennyson asks his readers never to forget the soldiers’ bravery: ‘when can their glory fade?’ (rhetorical question)
Hughes’s soldier questions lies they were told about war: ‘king, honour…dropped like luxuries’ (imagery)
7. Poppies and Kamikaze
Weir creates sympathy for anyone who loses family in war.
Garland creates sympathy for Kamikaze pilots who had to choose between their family and country in Japan.
Both poems explore loss.
The mother loses her son he goes off to war: ‘released a songbird from its cage’ (symbolism)
The children lose their father when he returns: ‘we too learned to be silent’
Both poems explore sadness.
The mother feels sad that her son will not return: ‘hoping to hear your playground voice’ (imagery)
The pilot feels sad that he has been ignored by his family: ‘wondered which had been the better way to die’
Both poems explore struggle.
The mother struggles when her son leaves: ‘I was brave’
Remembering family fishing trips, the pilot struggles to choose between country and family: ‘father’s boat’ (imagery)
8. War Photographer and Remains
Armitage draws upon film interviews with real soldiers to create sympathy for traumatised soldiers.
Duffy draws on conversations with a war photographer friend to create sympathy for people affected by war.
Both poems explore memories.
The photographer cannot forget people’s pain: ‘running children in a nightmare heat’ (imagery)
The soldier cannot forget that the looter might not have been armed: ‘probably armed, possibly not’ (repetition)
Both poems explore guilt.
The photographer feels guilty after watching people die: ‘half-formed ghost’ (imagery/metaphor)
The soldier feels guilty after killing someone: ‘his bloody life in my bloody hands’ (imagery)
Both poems explore struggle.
The photographer struggles with how little his readers care: ‘readers eyeballs prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers’ (imagery)
The soldier struggles to forget: ‘the drink and the drugs won’t flush him out’ (symbolism)
9. Checking Out Me History and The Emigree
Agard criticises British schools for not teaching enough black history.
Rumens explores the difficult experiences of people forced to emigrate from their home country.
Both poems explore pride.
Agard contrasts ‘Florence Nightingale’, a nurse who is taught about in British schools with ‘Mary Seacole’, a black nurse who he is proud of who is not taught about. (contrast)
The emigree has happy and proud memories of her home country: ‘sunlight’ (imagery)
Both poems explore being outsiders.
Agard criticises British schools for not telling him about his own history: ‘dem tell me’ (repetition)
The emigree feels like an outsider in her new country: ‘they circle me…they accuse me of being dark’ (imagery)
Both poems explore distance.
Agard feels he has been kept distant from his own history: ‘bandage up me eye’ (imagery/metaphor)
The emigree feels that there is a huge physical distance between her and her home country: ‘the frontiers rise between us’ (imagery)
10. Exposure and Storm on the Island
Both poems explore the power of nature.
Brutally cold weather in the trenches is dangerous for the soldiers: ‘the merciless iced east winds that knive us’ (imagery)
The storm attacks the islanders: ‘exploding...bombarded...pummels’ (imagery)
Both poems explore the danger of nature.
Brutally cold weather in the trenches kills the soldiers: ‘all their eyes are ice’ (imagery)
The sea is familiar but becomes a threat during the storm: ‘spits like a tame cat turned savage’ (imagery/simile)
Both poems explore an emotional journey.
Owen’ soldiers ask why they were told lies about war: ‘is it that we are dying?’ (rhetorical question)
The islanders begin feeling frightened but end feeling reassured: ‘Strange. It is a huge nothing that we fear’.
Structure
Thank you very much for reading!
I am so glad to have discovered this site, this blog has really helped with the way in which I approach revision of the anthology poems with my students. Thank you.
Another amazing blog. Do you have a list for Love and Relationships?