New Gcse English Literature Aqa Poetry Guide: Love & Relationships Anthology - the Grade 9-1 Course

Good, clear over-analysis of GCSE poetry as demanded by current exam boards! Honestly, if poets really thought that much about every word they wrote, I don't think any poetry would ever be written! But, needs must for GCSE exams. A few poets probably revolving in their graves but Heigh Ho, perhaps every possible nuance and interpretation was intended (like hell). Oh dear, a little cynical? - & I'm the parent (& poetry lover!) Thank god I didn't have to over-analyse this much when I did my old O level English Lit. Teens, there is good poetry out there, they just didn't choose much of it for your GCSE study. Do try it again years later when you've recovered, and maybe you can find some poets you enjoy and just read them for your enjoyment, discovering more each time you read them.Unfortunately the Board examiners interpret every word or punctuation mark to have a deep meaning, turning all those theories into a memory test -how many can you remember? That is how you'll be marked. Parents, do have a read, I bet you'll be shocked! Anyway, enough of modern exams - the GCSE English literature poetry guide gives good, listings in clear form for all those myriad details you are expected to learn off by heart to pass your exam. I'd say it's a must for revision because reading the poems, you are never going to work out that many interpretations yourselves (largely because the poets themselves probably never even thought of them). A revision 'must have'!

Very useful book. Explanations of each poem are clear. Glad I bought it for my son.

This is my daughters opinion on this product (she has just done her GCSE for English Literature) :This revision book is really helpful for the second part of the English Literature course, paper 2. The overall quality of the product is really good and modern looking which is appealing to the eye. In simple terms this is its context;1. Inside cover contains a Table of Themes that allow an easier use to compare poems2. First section contains the Poems themselves alongside thorough annotations3. Section two contains the Themes associated with different poems and how they link4. Section three contains Poetic Techniques and how to apply them into your answer5. Section four contains Exam Advice along with tips6. Section five contains Improvements and Marking Sample AnswersI found this book really helpful, especially the annotation section of the poems as I could remember the poems better through the thorough analysis than the lyrical description of each poem. If you're worried about the remembering section of the poems, take my word of remembering the annotations, it helps you link poems together easier. I would definitely buy this book again even just for a good read of the poems. The content is so specific I find that it would be very relaxing just to read and understand the poems for the pure good of reading them.Hope this helps :)Helpful Note: This revision guide only contains content for the 'Love and Relationships' part of the 'AQA Anthology'. The 'Power and Conflict' part is found in a separate revision guide by CGP.

The detail in this book is incredible and the information provided on the pages on the right is really useful to talk about in exams. The practice questions are my favourite thing about them however because they range from simple, one-word answers that are really useful to use to jog your memory about the poems to exam-style questions which allow you to practice responses to questions you might face in an exam. This guide paired with Mr Bruff's youtube channel (type it into youtube and look at his Grade 9 responses to the the poems, they're so helpful!) are incredible resources, especially for those who don't know where to start when it comes to revising the poems. Good luck with your exams!

Great value