How do I write an answer on an unseen passage (English GCSE)?

Whether the unseen you are presented with is a poem or an extract from something longer, it's important not to get overwhelmed when you're face with a big block of text! The first thing to do is to take a deep breath, and start reading through the passage. I would recommend reading it through at least twice, slowly, before starting to properly annotate. Once you feel like you understand what's happening in the passage, you can start to look at the language, form, and structure in more detail. You should think about broad themes, e.g. who the characters are, their relationships, and any imagery that keeps coming up - can you see any way to bring these themes together in an argument in answer to the question? You should look for techniques like narrative voice and tone, the look of the passage on the page, use of dialogue, and (especially for poetry) sound effects like alliteration, rhyme, rhythm, sibilance, and assonance. It can be helpful to have three different highlighters to annotate the passage and sort the evidence.When you feel like you have an argument based on the themes of the passage, you can start writing! Be clear in your introduction of how exactly you are answering the question - it helps to use the exact words of the question itself. At the start of each of your paragraphs, make sure you clearly state your overarching point. You can use 'P.E.E.' to remember how to structure your point(s) in your paragraph - P (Point), E (Evidence), E (Explanation). You can repeat this process a couple times per paragraph if the points are short! Make sure you link back to the question at the end of each paragraph. In your conclusion, make a summary of the points you have made, and state your argument again. If you know the context of the passage, you can talk about how this extract fits in with the rest of the play/novel. Here, you can also suggest what the overall effect, meaning, or message of the passage is - or why it's important.