AQA Poetry Anthology - All 30 Poems

How the AQA Poetry Exam Works

Your school will have studied one cluster - either Power and Conflict or Love and Relationships. In the exam (Paper 2, Section B), one poem from your cluster will be printed on the paper, and you must compare it with another poem of your choice from the same cluster (from memory).

The question will ask you to compare how the poets present a particular theme, idea, or feeling. This section is worth 30 marks and you should spend approximately 45 minutes on it (including planning time).

AQA's comparison question typically follows this format:

“Compare how poets present [theme/idea] in ‘[named poem]’ and in one other poem from your anthology.”

Key Skills - What Markers Look For

1

Understanding the text (what markers look for) (12 marks)

Read, understand, and respond to texts. Use textual references (including quotations) to support and illustrate interpretations. Make critical comparisons across texts.

Tip: Use comparative connectives throughout. Embed short quotations. Every paragraph should discuss both poems.

2

Analysing language and structure (12 marks)

Analyse the language, form, and structure used by the writer to create meanings and effects. Use relevant subject terminology.

Tip: Don't just identify techniques - explain the effect on the reader. Compare how both poets use different methods to achieve similar or contrasting effects.

3

Relating to context (6 marks)

Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.

Tip: Weave context into your analysis naturally. Explain how the poet's background or historical period shapes the poem's meaning - don't bolt on a paragraph of biography.

Timing & Exam Strategy

Suggested Time Split (45 mins)

5 minsRead the printed poem carefully. Annotate it. Choose your comparison poem.
5 minsPlan your response - identify 3-4 comparison points (themes, methods, context).
30 minsWrite your comparative essay (aim for 3-4 developed paragraphs).
5 minsCheck your spelling, punctuation, and that you have compared throughout.

Key Strategies

Prepare 2-3 comparison partners for every poem so you are never caught off guard.
Write about the named poem in more detail - you have it in front of you, so quote precisely.
Use a point-by-point structure (both poems in every paragraph), not a block structure (all of poem A then all of poem B).
Open with a strong thesis that identifies an overarching similarity or difference.

Power and Conflict - All 15 Poems

15 poems exploring the abuse and loss of power, the reality of conflict, the power of nature, and the struggle for identity. Click any poem to read the full detailed analysis.

Ozymandias

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Power of natureHubrisTransience of power

London

William Blake

CorruptionOppressionSocial inequality

Extract from The Prelude

William Wordsworth

Power of natureFearGrowing up

My Last Duchess

Robert Browning

Power and controlJealousyObjectification

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Alfred Lord Tennyson

HeroismDutyFutility of war

Exposure

Wilfred Owen

SufferingNature as enemyFutility

Storm on the Island

Seamus Heaney

Power of natureFearConflict

Bayonet Charge

Ted Hughes

Terror of warLoss of identityPatriotism questioned

Remains

Simon Armitage

GuiltPTSDMemory

Poppies

Jane Weir

LossMotherhoodGrief

War Photographer

Carol Ann Duffy

SufferingDesensitisationGuilt

Tissue

Imtiaz Dharker

Power of natureFragilityIdentity

The Émigrée

Carol Rumens

IdentityMemoryConflict

Kamikaze

Beatrice Garland

HonourFamilyConflict of duty

Checking Out Me History

John Agard

IdentityColonialismAnger

Love and Relationships - All 15 Poems

15 poems exploring romantic love, family bonds, desire, memory, loss, and the complexities of human relationships across time. Click any poem to read the full detailed analysis.

When We Two Parted

Lord Byron

LossBetrayalSecrecy

Love's Philosophy

Percy Bysshe Shelley

DesirePersuasionNature and love

Porphyria's Lover

Robert Browning

ObsessionPowerMadness

Sonnet 29 - 'I think of thee!'

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

LongingRomantic loveAbsence

Neutral Tones

Thomas Hardy

Loss of loveMemoryBitterness

The Farmer's Bride

Charlotte Mew

DesireIsolationGender

Walking Away

Cecil Day-Lewis

Parental loveLetting goMemory

Letters from Yorkshire

Maura Dooley

DistanceConnectionNature

Eden Rock

Charles Causley

MemoryFamilyDeath

Follower

Seamus Heaney

AdmirationRole reversalFamily

Mother, any distance

Simon Armitage

IndependenceParental loveGrowing up

Before You Were Mine

Carol Ann Duffy

PossessivenessMemoryMother-daughter bond

Winter Swans

Owen Sheers

ReconciliationNatureLove

Singh Song!

Daljit Nagra

JoyCultural identityDevotion

Climbing My Grandfather

Andrew Waterhouse

AdmirationFamilyMemory

How to Write an AQA Poetry Comparison

Recommended Paragraph Structure

1Introduction - briefly state how both poems present the named theme. Identify a key overarching similarity or difference to give your essay a clear argument.
2Comparative paragraphs (3-4) - each paragraph should discuss both poems. Compare a specific technique, image, or idea. Use comparative connectives throughout.
3Analyse methods (analysing language and structure) - don't just compare what the poems say, but how they say it. Compare language choices, structural techniques, form, tone, and imagery. Name the technique and explain its effect.
4Integrate context (relating to context) - weave in relevant context about the poet's life, the time period, or social attitudes. Explain how context shapes the poem's meaning rather than bolting on biographical facts.
5Brief conclusion - return to your overarching argument. Which poem is more effective or striking? Or how do they complement each other?

Useful Comparison Connectives

Similarities

Similarly, [poet] also...
Both poets present...
Like ‘[poem A]’, ‘[poem B]’ also...
In the same way...
This idea is echoed in...

Differences

In contrast, [poet]...
Whereas ‘[poem A]’..., ‘[poem B]’...
However, [poet] takes a different approach...
Unlike ‘[poem A]’...
On the other hand...

Strong Comparison Pairings

Power and Conflict

Ozymandias + My Last Duchess - abuse of power, arrogance
Exposure + Bayonet Charge - reality of war, suffering
Remains + War Photographer - guilt, lasting trauma
Storm on the Island + Extract from The Prelude - power of nature, fear
Poppies + Kamikaze - family and war, personal cost
London + Checking Out Me History - anger at authority, oppression
Tissue + Ozymandias - fragility of power, impermanence

Love and Relationships

When We Two Parted + Neutral Tones - end of love, bitterness
Love's Philosophy + Sonnet 29 - desire and longing
Porphyria's Lover + The Farmer's Bride - obsession, power imbalance
Walking Away + Follower - parent-child bonds, letting go
Mother, any distance + Walking Away - growing independence
Eden Rock + Follower - memory, family bonds
Singh Song! + Love's Philosophy - joyful desire, devotion