How do I best approach the unseen poem in IB English Literature Paper 1?

The nature of Paper 1 - that the prose and poem are unseen - means success here begins with preparation and practice. The examiner is looking for four distinct criteria: 1) interpretation and understanding of the work 2) your appreciation of the poet's literary choices, language, style and tone 3) your commentary's organization & development and 4) your written language. To start off I advise reading the poem at least twice, absorbing the action and language in synthesis: now is the time to ask yourself 'What is going on here? Who is speaking? What is this poem about?' Get a feel for the poem as a piece of writing intending to evoke a reaction in the reader, even a subtle one. The second step is to approach the poem with your critical eye. Taking it stanza by stanza, comb the work for literary devices: identify the rhyme scheme and rhythm; note alliteration, assonance, anaphora; examine the ends of lines for enjambment or end-stopping; characterise diction. Don't be hesitant to mark up the sheet, it's there for your investigative notes in the process of forming your commentary. The next question to ask yourself is 'How do these technical devices affect my understanding of the poem?' This is where your argument should take shape: create your own analysis of the impact of language on the poem's tone, the poem's key themes or the poem's most prominent images. Give yourself time to plan. The more thorough you are at the offset the easier it will be to write under pressure. Put aside 30 minutes for the crafting of your commentary's outline. Your introduction should include the poem's title, underlined, the name of the author and a very brief summary of the main action. State your thesis: the main point to be argued and substantiated by quotes from the text. Stick to the tried and true PEE format: begin your body paragraph with the point, provide evidence in the form of quotes from the poem and evaluate how this evidence supports the point you're making. Remember, a succinct, direct and developed commentary that addresses fewer key points is preferable to a commentary of greater length that sacrifices the quality of arguments for quantity. Proofread thoroughly if time allows!