How should you approach an unseen passage in an exam?

Unseen passages can be daunting, but they are designed as an opportunity for you to show your skills to the examiner. Try and think of them as an invitation to really engage in some close analysis of writing, and a break from learning content. The key to writing a good answer on an unseen text is to comment on how the form of the passage works with its content.When faced with an unseen passage, first ask yourself:What form of literature am I being presented with? Is this a piece of prose, poetry or drama? Is this an extract from a larger work or a complete piece? If it is an extract, have I been told whether this comes from the beginning, middle or end of a larger work?Read the passage carefully, and underline any parts that jump out at you - even if you're not sure why they have. This will help you to find an enjoyment and genuine interest in the passage that will come through in your answer. Once you've read the whole passage, come back to what you've underlined and ask yourself what you find significant about them. It is likely that the author has used particular techniques to catch your attention. For instance, there might be:A change in word choice that creates a jarring effect on the reader, contrasting with what has been said before.A fragmented line that is drawing the eye or breaking up the rhythm of the piece.Enjambement (a run-on line) that makes a reader rush or feel a bit out of breath.Alliteration (sibilance or assonance) that is creating emphasis.A change in tense that is introducing a new layer of temporality to the work.If nothing jumps out at you, don't worry! Have a look for some of the literary techniques above. Then think about how these literary techniques interact with what the passage is about. For instance, a poem about love might keep a regular rhythm in order to emphasise the stability of the relationship it discusses. A prose extract talking about disappointment might be using unexpected sentence structures so that the reader's expectations of sentence are disappointed. Often, an author is finding a way to reflect their content through their use of form.