How do I approach an unseen poem?

First of all you will need to read through the poem to try and understand its literal meaning, take your time and read through again if needed. You will be marked on form, structure and language so now it is a good idea to go through the poem and look for any poetic devices such as similes, sibilance and metaphors (and what effect does this create). Analyse the structure; what is the rhyme scheme? How many stanzas are there? Are all the stanzas the same length? - and what meaning does this create Does the poem have a particular form such as a dramatic monologue or a sonnet? Now you have begun to analyse the poem, you should think about building up an argument for the plan of your answer as this is what will receive top band marks.