If you know what the examiner is looking for, you can aim straight at it. The unseen poetry mark scheme is simpler than the others, because only two assessment objectives apply, and understanding exactly what they reward tells you where to put your effort. Here is the mark scheme translated into plain English.
The two assessment objectives
Only AO1 and AO2 are assessed in unseen poetry. AO1 is your response to the poem and your use of quotations to support it, so it rewards having a clear reading and backing it with well-chosen evidence. AO2 is your analysis of the poet's methods, language, form and structure, and the effects they create. Notice what is missing: AO3, context, is not assessed, because the poem is unseen, and there is no mark for spelling and grammar in this section. So every sentence you write should be doing AO1 or AO2 work.
What separates the top band
Students often think the way up is to spot more techniques. It is not. The mark scheme rewards a convincing, developed argument about what the poet is doing, supported by precise, thoughtful analysis. A top-band answer has a clear line of thought about the poet's feelings and message, chooses quotations carefully, and explains how specific methods create specific effects. A middle-band answer tends to identify techniques correctly but explains them thinly, or lists features without an argument tying them together.
How to hit it
To reach the top band, lead with meaning and let technique serve it. Make a clear point about the poet's attitude, support it with a short quotation, and analyse precisely how the language or structure creates the effect. Develop your ideas rather than jumping from spot to spot, and show you can read the whole poem, including how it changes. Depth on a few well-chosen moments beats a shallow tour of every device.
Turn this into practice with the method, the structure guide and a full model answer.