To herald the UV’s return to poetry in their English classes this term, the UV attended the GCSE Poetry Live event in Bath. We had the wonderful opportunity to listen to poets, such as Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, Imtiaz Dharker and Daljit Nagra, recite their poems and share their writing process.

Our favourite poet was John Agard, who recited Checking Out Me History and Half-Caste, while Armitage’s Remains left a deep emotional impact on us.

The Poetry Live conference was particularly useful for us, as some of the poems are part of the Relationships Anthology in the upcoming GCSE Literature paper and the two Examiner’s Sessions included Chief Examiner Tony Childs sharing tips and tricks for answering questions about unseen poems. In all,  it was a very interesting and fulfilling trip.

Emma, UV