Paper 1

Standard and higher level students receive the same Paper 1 exam, which includes two unseen passages. Each passage will be roughly one page or 30 lines long, accompanied by a question and taken from a broad range of non-literary text types, including websites, advertisements, comic strips or letters.

The only difference between standard and higher level is that SL students write only one analysis on one of the passages of their choice. HL students write two analyses, one on each of the passages. For this reason HL students have two hours and 15 minutes, whereas SL students have 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete the task. At both standard and higher level Paper 1 counts for 35% of your final grade. The assessment criteria for Paper 1 are the same for standard and higher level. They can be found at the end of this introduction. See Chapter 5 on Paper 1 for further guidance on this component, sample student responses and examiner comments.

Paper 2

Standard and higher level students of English A: Language and Literature and English A: Literature receive the same Paper 2 exam. It includes four unseen essay questions, of which you will answer one by comparing two of your literary texts. These must be literary texts that you have not used for your individual oral or higher level essay.

The essay questions will encourage you to explore theme, context, purpose, style and structure. Both SL and HL students have 1 hour and 45 minutes to write this essay. At standard level, Paper 2 counts for 35% of your final grade. At higher level, Paper 2 counts for 25% of your final grade. The assessment criteria for Paper 2 are the same for standard and higher level. They can be found at the end of this introduction. See Chapter 6 on Paper 2 for further guidance on this component, sample student responses and examiner comments.

For more Paper 2 tips, go here.

HL Essay

Higher level students write an essay of 1,200–1,500 words on one literary or non-literary text, which you have not already used for your individual oral, or plan to use for your Paper 2 exam. The essay should explore a ‘line of inquiry’ of your own choice. A line of inquiry is a kind of research question. You are advised to draw from the seven key concepts and the 18 guiding questions for inspiration when designing your line of inquiry. It helps to think of this piece of coursework as a shorter extended essay, with a research question, thesis statement and primary source. Although they are not required, you may want to include secondary sources, citations and a bibliography. The HL essay counts for 20% of your final grade at higher level. The assessment criteria for the HL essay can be found at the end of this introduction. See Chapter 7 on the HL essay for further guidance on this component, sample student essays and examiner comments.

Individual Oral

The individual oral is the only component of assessment that is assessed internally. Like all internal assessment, it is marked by your teacher using the assessment criteria and moderated by an IB moderator. You will select and prepare two extracts for your oral – one literary and one non-literary, which are connected by a common ‘global issue’ of your choice. Your teacher should be made aware of your global issue and extracts at least one week before your individual oral is conducted. You may prepare a one-page outline of no more than ten bullet-pointed notes to take with you to the oral. The oral must address the following prompt:

‘Examine the ways in which the global issue of your choice is presented through the content and form of one of the works and one of the texts that you have studied’ (IBDP Guide on Language A: Language and Literature).

In the first ten minutes of your individual oral you will analyse both extracts separately and connect them each to the common global issue of your choice. After this time, you will engage in a fiveminute discussion with your teacher in which you develop and explore further your ideas on the texts, from which the extracts are derived, and global issue. This component of assessment counts for 30% of your final grade at standard level and 20% of your final grade at higher level. The assessment criteria for the individual oral are the same at standard and higher level. They can be found at the end of this introduction. Chapter 8 provides further guidance on this component, sample student performances, their outlines and teacher comments.

The Learner Portfolio

Throughout your studies you will explore a range of texts, both literary and non-literary, on a range of global issues. A ‘global issue’ is a social, global or artistic theme, topic or area of study, such as feminism, racism or war. Your teacher will ask you to answer questions, write tasks, find texts, reflect on activities, take quizzes, write practice papers and give presentations. It is important, especially in preparation for the individual oral, that you collect your work in a portfolio and connect each entry to a global issue. You may do this in an online or offline format, such as a journal or blog. You might find it helpful to create a kind of ‘tagging’ system early in your course so that you can find additional materials later, before the final assessment.