Enhancing diversity: new poetry anthology launched
As part of our ongoing commitment to enhance diversity and inclusivity within our texts, we have launched a new poetry anthology to support our GCSE English Literature specification.
The new collection of 15 poems includes 8 works and 3 poets not offered by any other exam board.
The anthology includes a balanced representation of male and female poets. It features poets from across the UK and 3 contemporary Laureates - Carol Ann Duffy, Jackie Kay and Simon Armitage.
Beyond the UK, the collection also features Harlem Renaissance poet, Claude McKay, Pakistani-American poet and novelist, Zulfikar Ghose and African American sociologist, poet, and comic book author, Eve L. Ewing.
The poems were selected following a thorough and rigorous review, which was overseen by our subject experts. As part of this process, we considered the views of teaching specialists and our commitment to address the ethnicity and gender balance of set texts throughout our GCSE English Literature qualification.
Commenting on this development is our GCSE English Literature Subject Officer, Julia Harrison-Pickard: "Poetry offers learners the opportunity to explore the world from different perspectives, and to appreciate the impact of language to convey feelings, thoughts or experiences.
Our new anthology will expose learners to voices from a broad spectrum of cultural perspectives, enriching their learning experience and better reflecting their own diversity.
Initial reception has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are confident that the poems cover a range of interesting themes, offering learners materials that will engage and inspire them."
Schools and colleges can begin studying the new anthology with their classes from September 2025, with first assessment in summer 2027.
Supporting you
The new anthology has reduced the number of poems to 15 (formerly 18). We have also retained several popular poets from our existing anthology, enabling teachers and lecturers to draw upon existing contextual knowledge.
Furthermore, our team of English experts will be expanding our package of FREE digital resources, and these will also be published in spring 2025.
Accessing our new anthology
The poems in the new anthology are listed in the updated specification. Centres can download a printable PDF copy and will be able to order copies of the anthology for their cohorts in spring 2025. Guidance on how to order the new anthology will be announced in due course.
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Contact the team
If you have any further queries, please contact our GCSE English Literature Team today: gcseenglish@eduqas.co.uk or 029 2240 4290.