Poetry Comparison Themes and Practice Questions – Edexcel IGCSE English Literature: Paper 1 Section B

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In the Edexcel IGCSE English Literature Paper 1, the Section B poetry comparison question is always shaped around a theme. This theme acts as the lens through which you’re asked to explore and compare two poems from the anthology. Whether you’re working with two named poems or selecting one of your own, understanding the kinds of themes that appear—and how they connect to the poems—is key to writing with insight and confidence.

This guide brings together a structured list of the most common themes that have appeared in real exam papers, along with a set of additional themes that have not yet been asked, but are strongly supported by the poems in the anthology. It’s designed to help you revise by theme, explore meaningful pairings, and practise comparisons that go beyond surface-level observation.

Table of Contents

Common themes

Edexcel tends to return to a group of core themes that reflect major areas of human experience. These themes offer a wide range of comparison opportunities and are deeply embedded in the anthology poems. They include topics such as memory, identity, conflict, and relationships—broad enough to invite interpretation, but focused enough to guide a structured response.

Looking closely at past paper questions, we can group these into five key areas: Emotions and Thought, Human Relationships, Social and Cultural Identity, Time and Life, and Impression and Power. Each theme below includes the types of comparisons that students have been asked to make and offers a strong foundation for preparing essay responses.

Emotions & Thought

Memory
Sadness
Personal thoughts
Emotions
Recollections of the past
Love

Human Relationships

Family relationships
Feelings about parents (especially fathers)
Romantic relationships
Power in relationships
People who want control
A woman (portrayal or influence)

Social & Cultural Identity

Language
Identity
Society
Culture
Isolation

Time & Life

Childhood
The passing of time
A moment in time
Advice
Reflections on life
Loss
Death

Impression & Power

Power
Conflict
Wonder
A story or event
Difficult situations

Reviewing past paper questions by theme can help guide your revision and help you practise meaningful comparisons.

Other Themes to Consider

While many comparison questions focus on well-established themes, the anthology contains a range of ideas that have not yet appeared in recent exams. These “other themes” are still highly relevant and could be used in future questions or as revision material for practice essays and classroom discussion.

These themes are potentially more subtle or philosophical in nature—such as freedom, fear, hope, or symbolism—and they also offer valuable opportunities for deeper analysis. Exploring these possibilities will help develop your comparative thinking process and prepare you for any thematic angle the exam might introduce.

Emotions & Thought

Fear or Emotional Uncertainty

Prayer Before Birth, Do not go gentle into that good night, The Tyger

EITHER
Re-read Prayer Before Birth and The Tyger.
Compare how the poets explore fear and emotional intensity in Prayer Before Birth and The Tyger.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

OR
Re-read Do not go gentle into that good night.
Compare the ways the writers present emotional uncertainty in Do not go gentle into that good night and one other poem from the anthology.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Self-reflection or Identity Crisis

Poem at Thirty-Nine, Search For My Tongue

EITHER
Re-read Poem at Thirty-Nine and Search For My Tongue.
Compare how the poets present personal reflection and a search for identity in Poem at Thirty-Nine and Search For My Tongue.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

OR
Re-read Poem at Thirty-Nine.
Compare the ways the writers present internal conflict and reflection in Poem at Thirty-Nine and one other poem from the anthology.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Hope and Optimism

If–, Sonnet 116, Poem at Thirty-Nine

EITHER
Re-read If– and Sonnet 116.
Compare how the poets present ideas of hope and emotional strength in If– and Sonnet 116.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

OR
Re-read Poem at Thirty-Nine.
Compare the ways the writers present hope or optimism in Poem at Thirty-Nine and one other poem from the anthology.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Nostalgia

Piano, Half-past Two, Poem at Thirty-Nine

EITHER
Re-read Piano and Half-past Two.
Compare how the poets present a sense of nostalgia in Piano and Half-past Two.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

OR
Re-read Poem at Thirty-Nine.
Compare the ways the writers present feelings of looking back in Poem at Thirty-Nine and one other poem from the anthology.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Human Relationships

Responsibility and Moral Duty

If–, Poem at Thirty-Nine, Prayer Before Birth

EITHER
Re-read If– and Prayer Before Birth.
Compare how the poets present ideas of responsibility and personal values in If– and Prayer Before Birth.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

OR
3 Re-read Poem at Thirty-Nine.
Compare the ways the writers explore moral responsibility in Poem at Thirty-Nine and one other poem from the anthology.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Parental Influence or Legacy

Poem at Thirty-Nine, If–, Do not go gentle into that good night

EITHER
Re-read Poem at Thirty-Nine and If–.
Compare how the poets explore the influence of a parent in Poem at Thirty-Nine and If–.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

OR
3 Re-read Do not go gentle into that good night.
Compare the ways the writers present relationships with parents in Do not go gentle into that good night and one other poem from the anthology.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Silence or Miscommunication in Relationships

My Last Duchess, Hide and Seek, Search For My Tongue

EITHER
Re-read My Last Duchess and Hide and Seek.
Compare how the poets explore silence and communication in My Last Duchess and Hide and Seek.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

OR
Re-read Search For My Tongue.
Compare the ways the writers explore the difficulty of expressing identity or emotion in Search For My Tongue and one other poem from the anthology.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Social & Cultural Identity

Justice and Inequality

Half-caste, Search For My Tongue, Prayer Before Birth

EITHER
Re-read Half-caste and Prayer Before Birth.
Compare how the poets present concerns about injustice and inequality in Half-caste and Prayer Before Birth.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

OR
Re-read Search For My Tongue.
Compare the ways the writers explore unequal treatment or marginalisation in Search For My Tongue and one other poem from the anthology.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Belonging and Alienation

Half-caste, Search For My Tongue, War Photographer

EITHER
Re-read Half-caste and War Photographer.
Compare how the poets explore ideas of belonging and separation in Half-caste and War Photographer.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

OR
Re-read Search For My Tongue.
Compare the ways the writers present feelings of alienation or disconnection in Search For My Tongue and one other poem from the anthology.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Time & Life

Freedom and Control

My Last Duchess, Prayer Before Birth, Do not go gentle into that good night

EITHER
Re-read My Last Duchess and Prayer Before Birth.
Compare how the poets explore power, control, and individual freedom in My Last Duchess and Prayer Before Birth.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

OR
Re-read Do not go gentle into that good night.
Compare the ways the writers present ideas of control or resistance in Do not go gentle into that good night and one other poem from the anthology.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Growing Up / Maturity

If–, Poem at Thirty-Nine, Half-past Two

Re-read If– and Poem at Thirty-Nine.
Compare how the poets explore growing up and the development of character in If– and Poem at Thirty-Nine.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

OR
Re-read Half-past Two.
Compare the ways the poets reflect on childhood and maturity in Half-past Two and one other poem from the anthology.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Power & Perception

The Supernatural or the Unknown

La Belle Dame sans Merci, The Tyger

Re-read La Belle Dame sans Merci and The Tyger.
Compare how the poets present mysterious or supernatural elements in La Belle Dame sans Merci and The Tyger.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

OR
Re-read The Tyger.
Compare the ways the writers explore the unknown or the unknowable in The Tyger and one other poem from the anthology.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Imagination or Fantasy

La Belle Dame sans Merci, The Tyger

EITHER
Re-read La Belle Dame sans Merci and The Tyger.
Compare how the poets use imagination or fantasy to present their themes in La Belle Dame sans Merci and The Tyger.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

OR
Re-read La Belle Dame sans Merci.
Compare the ways the writers use elements of fantasy in La Belle Dame sans Merci and one other poem from the anthology.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Appearance vs Reality

My Last Duchess, La Belle Dame sans Merci, The Tyger

EITHER
Re-read My Last Duchess and La Belle Dame sans Merci.
Compare how the poets explore the difference between appearance and truth in My Last Duchess and La Belle Dame sans Merci.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

OR
Re-read The Tyger.
Compare the ways the writers present contrasting surface and deeper meanings in The Tyger and one other poem from the anthology.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Setting & Symbolism

Nature as Symbol or Emotional Landscape

Blessing, The Tyger, La Belle Dame sans Merci

EITHER
Re-read Blessing and The Tyger.
Compare how the poets use natural imagery to express emotion or meaning in Blessing and The Tyger.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

OR
Re-read La Belle Dame sans Merci.
Compare the ways the writers use nature symbolically in La Belle Dame sans Merci and one other poem from the anthology.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Human Nature

The Tyger, Prayer Before Birth, La Belle Dame sans Merci

EITHER
Re-read The Tyger and Prayer Before Birth.
Compare how the poets explore aspects of human nature in The Tyger and Prayer Before Birth.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

OR
Re-read La Belle Dame sans Merci.
Compare the ways the writers explore human behaviour and emotion in La Belle Dame sans Merci and one other poem from the anthology.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Mortality and the Passage of Time

Remember, Do not go gentle into that good night, Sonnet 116

EITHER
Re-read Do not go gentle into that good night and Sonnet 116.
Compare how the poets explore time and mortality in Do not go gentle into that good night and Sonnet 116.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

OR
Re-read Remember.
Compare the ways the writers reflect on time or loss in Remember and one other poem from the anthology.
You should make reference to language, form and structure. Support your answer with examples from the poems.

Final Thoughts

Understanding the themes that shape Edexcel’s poetry comparison questions is one of the most powerful ways to prepare for the exam. Whether the question focuses on memory, identity, control, or imagination, each theme opens the door to thoughtful, layered responses—and a deeper appreciation of the poems themselves.

By exploring both past themes and those that haven’t yet appeared, you’ll strengthen your ability to make meaningful connections between texts. This kind of preparation builds flexibility and confidence so that whatever theme appears on the day, you can respond with insight and care.

Use these practice questions to sharpen your comparisons, become familiar with different poem pairings, and develop your own voice as a literary thinker.