Finnish A: literature Higher Level and Standard Level 

Language A: literature Standard Level (SELF-TAUGHT) 

English A: language and literature Higher Level and Standard Level 

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General 

Students can choose two languages in Group 1, but not the same language twice. All Language A courses are designed for students from a variety of linguistic and cultural backgrounds who have experience of using the language of the course in an educational context.  

The language profile of students taking these courses will vary, but their receptive, productive and interactive skills should be strong and the expectation is that the course will consolidate them further. Students are expected to develop their proficiency, fluency and linguistic range, and to acquire the vocabulary appropriate to the analysis of texts. They will also deepen their understanding of a wide variety of concepts explored through literary and non-literary texts in order to interpret, analyse, evaluate and then communicate this understanding in clear, organized and developed products. 

The three studies in language and literature courses each have their own identity and are designed to support future academic study or career-related paths by developing social, aesthetic and cultural literacy, as well as improving language competence and communication skills. 

All Language A courses explore elements of language, literature and performance and focus on: 

• the relationships between readers, writers and texts 

• the range and functions of texts across geographical space and historical time 

• aspects of intertextuality 

Studies in language and literature aims 

The aims of all subjects in studies in language and literature are to enable students to: 

1. engage with a range of texts, in a variety of media and forms, from different periods, styles, and cultures 

2. develop skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, presenting and performing 

3. develop skills in interpretation, analysis and evaluation 

4. develop sensitivity to the formal and aesthetic qualities of texts and an appreciation of how they contribute to diverse responses and open up multiple meanings 

5. develop an understanding of relationships between texts and a variety of perspectives, cultural 

contexts, and local and global issues, and an appreciation of how they contribute to diverse responses and open up multiple meanings 

6. develop an understanding of the relationships between studies in language and literature and other disciplines 

7. communicate and collaborate in a confident and creative way 

8. foster a lifelong interest in and enjoyment of language and literature. 

An important aim of studies in language and literature courses is to link the reading experience to aspects of the students’ lives. The internal assessment, for example, with its emphasis on the connection between themes and attitudes in the texts and current global issues, encourages students to meaningfully apply and transfer the understanding gained in the classroom to the reality of their world. This might translate into a willingness to commit themselves to a CAS experience or project that addresses a global issue in a local context. Embarking on a CAS experience or project might in turn enrich the course by helping students better understand the situations portrayed in the texts. 

A global issue incorporates the following three properties. 

• It has significance on a wide/large scale. 

• It is transnational. 

• Its impact is felt in everyday local contexts. 

Assessment objectives 

1. Know, understand and interpret: 

• a range of texts, works and/or performances, and their meanings and implications 

• contexts in which texts are written and/or received 

• elements of literary, stylistic, rhetorical, visual and/or performance craft 

• features of particular text types and literary forms. 

2. Analyse and evaluate: 

• ways in which the use of language creates meaning 

• uses and effects of literary, stylistic, rhetorical, visual or theatrical techniques 

• relationships among different texts 

• ways in which texts may offer perspectives on human concerns. 

3. Communicate 

• ideas in clear, logical and persuasive ways 

• in a range of styles, registers and for a variety of purposes and situations 

In addition to graded assessment, students are required to create a learner portfolio that will support the development of skills needed in the formal assessment. 

The Language A courses are built upon the following core elements:  

           AREAS OF EXPLORATION 

• Readers, writers and texts  

• Time and space  

• Intertextuality: connecting texts.   

           SEVEN CENTRAL CONCEPTS 

• Identity  

• Culture  

• Creativity  

• Communication  

• Perspective  

• Transformation  

• Representation  

           FIELDS OF INQUIRY 

• Culture, identity and community  

• Beliefs, values and education 

• Politics, power and justice  

• Art, creativity and the imagination 

• Science, technology and the environment  

TOK LINKS   

Students should be able to reflect critically on the various ways of knowing and on knowledge issues. The questions noted below highlight the relationship between TOK and the language A courses.  

•What do we learn about through the study of a literary text? How is this different from what we learn through the study of a non-literary text? 

• In what ways is the kind of knowledge we gain from the study of language and literature different from the kind we gain through the study of other disciplines? Can the study of language and of literature be considered scientific? 

• How much of the knowledge we construct through reading a text is determined by authorial intention, by the reader’s cultural assumptions and by the purpose valued for a text in a community of readers? 

• Are some interpretations of a text better than others? How are multiple interpretations best negotiated? 

• In what ways do interpretive strategies vary when reading a literary work and when reading a non- literary text? 

• How far can a reader understand a text that was written in a context different from their own and which may have addressed a different audience? 

• Is not sharing a world view with an author an obstacle to understand their text? 

• What is lost in translation from one language to another? 

• How might the approaches to a given time and place of a poet, a cartoonist or a diary-writer and a historian differ? 

• Is the notion of a canon helpful in the study and understanding of literature? How does a canon get established? What factors influence its expansion or change over time? 

• What are the boundaries between a literary text and a non-literary text, and how are these boundaries determined? 

• What kind of knowledge about a text is gained when compared and contrasted with other texts? 

• Does knowledge of conventions of form, text type and of literary and rhetorical techniques allow for a better and deeper understanding of a text? 

• How are judgements made about the merit of a text? What makes a text better than others? 

• Is the study of texts better approached by means of a temporal perspective, grouping texts according to when they were written, or by means of a thematic approach, grouping them according to the theme or concern they share? What impact does each one of them have on knowledge of the discipline? 

• How useful are classifications of texts according to form, text type and period? How do they contribute 

to the understanding of communication and its development?