How should I approach an unseen text?

Firstly, approach the text with confidence. It is important that you believe in your own ideas and trust your response to the text. Once you've got that in mind, read through the entire text once, carefully, to get familiar with it as a whole. After this first reading, write down your basic preliminary observations, based on questions such as:

Is it prose, poetry, drama, non-fiction? Who is the author/What is the date? Do you know any of the literary/cultural/political context? What is the tone of the piece? What is the voice? - Questions such as these will help you understand the text, and help you out in your second reading.

After you've written down these first thoughts, give the piece a second read, highlighting imagery and interesting language. When you come to write, it is key to remember to not only notice and comment on the things you see, but to relate it to the text as a whole. It is also useful to note down a summary of each section of the text as you go, just a short sentence to help you clarify your thoughts, particularly if it is a longer extract.

After this you should be ready to start writing. Write down a brief bulletpoint plan to help you stay on track, and get writing using the notes you've made during your readings!