Make Your Own Ted Hughes Cambridge IGCSE Poetry Exam Questions!
Studying Ted Hughes’ poetry for the Cambridge IGCSE can be both fascinating and challenging. His intense imagery, deep connections to nature, and powerful themes offer a lot to explore. To prepare effectively for the exam, creating your own practice questions is a fantastic way to test comprehension and analytical skills. Here’s a guide to crafting high-quality exam questions based on Hughes’ poetry.
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Understanding the Exam Format
The Cambridge IGCSE Literature exam typically includes two types of poetry questions:
Unseen Poetry Analysis – where students analyse a poem they haven’t studied before.
Set Text Poetry Questions – where students answer questions on poems they have studied in class.
When creating your own questions, focus on the second type, making sure they align with the format of past papers.
Key Aspects to Consider
Before writing a question, think about the following aspects of Hughes’ poetry:
Themes – Nature, violence, survival, power, the animal kingdom, human struggle, etc.
Imagery & Language – Vivid descriptions, metaphors, similes, alliteration, etc.
Structure & Form – Free verse, enjambment, stanza structure, punctuation use.
Tone & Mood – Dark, intense, foreboding, contemplative.
Poetic Voice – Who is speaking? What perspective is used?
Step-by-Step Guide to Writing an Exam Question
1. Choose a Poem
Select a poem from Hughes’ collection that is part of the IGCSE syllabus (e.g., The Jaguar, Hawk Roosting, Pike, Wind, Thistles).
2. Decide the Focus
Your question should guide students toward analysing a specific aspect of the poem. Common question types include:
Thematic Exploration: How does Hughes explore the theme of power in Hawk Roosting?
Imagery and Language: How does Hughes use imagery to depict the natural world in Pike?
Poetic Techniques: How does Hughes’ use of structure contribute to the poem’s meaning in Wind?
3. Structure the Question
Cambridge IGCSE poetry questions usually follow this format:
Part (a): A close reading prompt that asks about a specific part of the poem.
Part (b): A broader question that connects the poem to a wider theme or Hughes’ poetic style.
Example Exam Question
Question on Hawk Roosting
a) Explore how Hughes presents the hawk’s perspective in the poem.
b) How does Hughes use the natural world to explore themes of dominance and control in his poetry? Refer to Hawk Roosting and at least one other poem you have studied.
This format encourages both close textual analysis and wider comparative thinking.
Practice Makes Perfect!
Try creating more questions using this structure for different Hughes poems. The more you practice, the more confident you’ll become in analysing and writing about poetry in the exam!
Thanks for reading!
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