1. English Language and Literature

150 hours - SL

240 hours - HL

Language A: English Language and Literature

Explore and closely analyse a range of literary and non-literary texts, from novels, plays and poetry to comics, infographics, thought-provoking articles, and more.

Evaluate how meaning is influenced by a writer's intentions and a reader's perspective; constructed through cultural context; and enhanced by reference to other texts.

Present your interpretations, justified by close analysis, in spoken conversation and in written analytical essay format. Support this with a reflective portfolio of your engagement with a wealth of written and multimodal texts that illuminate global issues.

Representations:

The Human Condition

What does it mean to be human? Can authors convey an accurate representation of societies, the human condition and life on Earth?

Concepts: Representation and Perspective

Area of Exploration: Time and Place; Readers, Writers, Texts; Intertextuality

Possible literary texts:

SL and HL - Novel: Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)

HL - Short stories (Jorges Luis Borges)

OR Short Playscripts (Samuel Beckett)

Possible non-literary bodies of work:

Photography (Raymond Depardon); Cartoons (Liza Donnelly / Emily Hammond); Multimedia art (Ruth Ringgold); Opinion articles (Nicolas Kristof); Advertisements (Honda); Prints (Katsushika Hokusai); Photography (Leah King-Smith)

Resistance:

Power, Protest, Progress

How can texts reflect power, protest, and a shifting cultural worldview? Can language and literature bring about real change in the world?

Concepts: Culture and Identities

Area of Exploration: Intertextuality; Time and Place

Possible literary texts:

SL and HL - Graphic Novel: Persepolis OR Persepolis II (Marjane Satrapi);

HL - Novel: Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Dai Sijie); OR Short stories (Edgar Allen Poe)

Possible non-literary bodies of work:

Street art (Banksy); Propaganda posters (various); Opinion articles (Thomas Mayo); Speeches (Emma Gonzalez); Memoir (I Am Malala); Collage art (Barbara Kruger); Paintings (Frida Kahlo); Photography (Trent White); Song lyrics (Alanis Morissette)

Reading to Relate:

the Personal as Universal

Why do we read and write? Can the personal become universal? How can disparate readers read their own reality into an author's text?

Concepts: Communication and Creativity

Area of Exploration: Readers, Writers, Texts; Time and Place

Possible literary texts: Playscript: Macbeth OR Hamlet (William Shakespeare); Poetry: Inside My Mother OR She is the Earth (Ali Cobby Eckermann); Song lyrics (Bob Dylan); Short stories: Tales from the Inner City OR Tales from Outer Suburbia (Shaun Tan)

A wide range of non-literary text types including: Feature articles; speeches; letters; essays; infographics; satirical cartoons; print advertisements; promotional material; web pages

Assessment

Internal

Individual Oral (30% SL, 20% HL) - Prepared oral response on the way that one literary work and one non-literary body of work studied have approached a common global issue.

Higher Level only - HL Essay (20% HL) - 1,200–1,500 word drafted essay on one literary work or a non-literary body of work studied.

External

Exam Paper 1 (35% SL, 35% HL) - Guided analysis of unseen non-literary passage/passages from different text types.

Exam Paper 2 (35% SL, 25% HL) - Comparative essay based on two literary works written in response to a choice of one out of four questions.

Standard Level / Higher Level

Higher Level students study an additional 2 texts (6 total)

In Paper 1, HL students must respond to both unseen texts, whereas SL students can choose one.

Only Higher Level students undertake the HL Essay

For further details, see the IB Subject Guide for Language and Literature here.

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