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Paper 02 · 2 hours · 80 marks · 50% of GCSE
Paper 2 covers Shakespeare and poetry. It is split into three sections:
| Section | Focus | Marks | Time Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Shakespeare (extract-based + essay) | 40 marks | 50 minutes |
| B | Poetry anthology (comparison) | 24 marks | 40 minutes |
| C | Unseen poetry | 16 marks | 30 minutes |
Key information
Section A (Shakespeare) is a closed-book exam, but you will be given a short extract to respond to. Section B provides a printed poem from the anthology. Section C provides the unseen poem(s).
OCR offers a choice of Shakespeare plays. Common choices include:
You will be given a short extract from your studied Shakespeare play. The question will ask you to analyse the extract and then explore the same theme or idea across the wider play.
This means your response must do two things:
Shakespeare’s language is rich and densely packed with meaning. Here are key features to look for:
Shakespeare uses vivid imagery - metaphors, similes, and personification - to convey complex ideas. In Macbeth, for example, blood imagery recurs throughout the play, symbolising guilt, violence, and the irreversibility of Macbeth’s actions. Look for patterns of imagery (semantic fields) across the extract and the wider play.
Shakespeare deliberately switches between verse (poetry) and prose (ordinary speech). Verse is typically used by noble characters or in moments of heightened emotion. Prose is often used by lower-status characters, for comic scenes, or to indicate a character’s disturbed mental state (e.g., Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking scene).
Shakespeare’s verse typically follows iambic pentameter — ten syllables per line with alternating unstressed and stressed syllables (da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM). When this rhythm is broken, it often signals emotional disturbance, conflict, or a shift in power.
A soliloquy is a speech delivered alone on stage, revealing a character’s inner thoughts. An aside is a brief remark directed at the audience that other characters cannot hear. Both create dramatic irony and offer insight into a character’s true feelings.
When the audience knows something that characters on stage do not. This creates tension, suspense, and engagement. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony extensively — for example, in Macbeth, Duncan’s praise of Macbeth’s castle is deeply ironic because the audience knows Macbeth plans to murder him there.
Written accuracy is assessed in this section
Section A is the only part of the English Literature exam where your spelling, punctuation, and grammar (SPaG) are formally assessed. Write clearly, accurately, and with varied vocabulary and sentence structures.
You will be given one poem from the OCR poetry anthology, printed on the exam paper. You must compare this poem with another poem of your choice from the same anthology cluster. The question will focus on a theme, such as conflict, identity, belonging, or relationships.
This means you must know all the poems in your cluster well enough to choose the best comparison and write about it from memory.
Pick a poem that offers rich comparison possibilities — ideally one with both similarities and differences in theme, methods, or perspective. A nuanced comparison is more rewarding than two poems that say the same thing.
Do not write about one poem and then the other. Compare throughout your response. Every paragraph should discuss both poems. Use comparative language: “Similarly”, “In contrast”, “Whereas”, “Both poets”, “Unlike”.
It is not enough to say “Both poems are about conflict.” You must compare how the poets present conflict: their use of imagery, form, structure, tone, and perspective. This is where the marks lie.
For the printed poem, quote directly and analyse specific word choices. For your comparison poem (from memory), you can paraphrase or use approximate quotations, but try to recall key phrases. Even 2–3 words quoted from memory are powerful.
“Both poets explore the destructive nature of conflict, yet they do so through contrasting methods. In [Poem A], the poet uses the extended metaphor of a storm to convey the violence of war, with the verb ‘ravaged’ suggesting uncontrollable, indiscriminate destruction. In contrast, [Poem B] presents conflict through the intimate, domestic image of a ‘locked door,’ using the adjective ‘locked’ to imply deliberate exclusion and emotional warfare. While [Poem A] depicts conflict as a vast, external force, [Poem B] reveals that conflict can be equally devastating on a personal, internal level. This difference in scale serves to highlight the universal nature of conflict — it operates at every level of human experience.”
Introduction
Introduce both poems and state the key similarity and/or difference in how they approach the theme.
Paragraph 1: First point of comparison
Compare how both poets present the theme using a specific method (e.g., imagery, tone). Close language analysis of both poems.
Paragraph 2: Second point of comparison
Compare a different method (e.g., structure, form, perspective). Continue to analyse specific language choices.
Paragraph 3: Third point of comparison
Consider the overall effect or message of each poem. How do they differ in their conclusions about the theme?
Conclusion
Which poem do you find more effective and why? Offer a final evaluative judgement.
You will be given a poem (or poems) you have never seen before and asked to analyse it. This tests your ability to respond independently to unfamiliar texts — a skill that can be developed with practice.
Enjambment
A sentence or phrase that runs over from one line to the next without a pause. Creates flow, momentum, or a sense of urgency.
Caesura
A pause in the middle of a line, often created by punctuation. Creates a dramatic break or shift in thought.
Stanza
A group of lines forming a unit within a poem (the poetic equivalent of a paragraph). Stanza breaks can signal shifts in time, tone, or focus.
Volta
A turn or shift in a poem’s argument, mood, or subject. Common in sonnets (often at line 9 or the final couplet).
Free verse
Poetry without a regular rhyme scheme or metre. Can suggest freedom, chaos, or a conversational tone.
Rhyme scheme
The pattern of rhyming words at the end of lines (ABAB, ABBA, etc.). Can create rhythm, connection, or tension when broken.
Persona
The voice or character adopted by the poet. The speaker of the poem is not necessarily the poet themselves.
Tone
The attitude or feeling conveyed by the poem (angry, nostalgic, bitter, celebratory, mournful, etc.). Can shift within a poem.
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