How would I go about analysing a poem?

Before you go about analysing a poem formally, you should read through it a couple of times to ensure you have some sort of understanding of what it is saying as a whole. Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong answer - as long as you are able to justify your interpretation by referencing the poem, then your reading is absolutely valid. Then you have to think about how you formed this reading from the text. There are three components of this that the mark scheme will look out for: language, structure, and form. Language consists of poetic techniques such as metaphor, alliteration, etc., but also of simple word types (e.g. nouns, verbs) or the connotations of words. Words associated with love or death convey very different tones, for example, but share many different tropes also - think the noun "heart" or the adjective "red". Therefore, the way in which you read these words must be informed by other aspects of the poem. Poetic techniques may enhance a specific reading, or complicate it - recognising multiple readings allows you to explore the other interpretations, which is another thing the mark scheme will be looking out for. Form refers to what kind of poem you are reading. Different forms are associated with expressing various things, and you should use it in this way to inform your reading. Sonnets are typically used to express love; elegies to lament death; odes to celebrate. A poet that strictly follows a form is fitting their poem into this tradition. A poet that uses but alters an established form is perhaps showcasing an altered version of its typical theme, such as a sonnet exploring a broken marriage. Structure is closely intertwined with both language and form. The placement of rhymes (or lack of), the use of caesura or enjambment, the number of stanzas or the number of lines within a stanza are all elements of a poem that make up structure. Also keep in mind that poetry is both a spoken and visual art - the sound of its language (e.g. plosives) and its layout on the page (this feeds into structural analysis) can enhance your interpretation.