International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB) Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature (English A: Literature) Syllabus

Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature (English A: Literature) syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature (English A: Literature) in International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Readers, Writers and Texts

   4 topics

   • Approaches to reading literature
     • Close reading and annotation strategies
     • Denotation, connotation and figurative language
     • The reader's role in constructing meaning
   • Literary genres and conventions
     • Poetry: form, metre and imagery
     • Prose fiction: narrative voice and structure
     • Drama: dialogue, stagecraft and dramatic irony
   • Authorial choices and purpose
     • Style, diction and register
     • Structure, sequencing and pacing
   • Guiding conceptual questions
     • Identity, culture and creativity
     • Communication and transformation through texts
2. 2

   Time and Space

   4 topics

   • Historical and cultural context of texts
     • Situating a work in its period
     • Author biography versus the text
   • Literature in translation
     • Reading works from other cultures
     • The translator's influence on meaning
   • Representation of place and society
     • Setting as a thematic device
     • Social class, power and marginalisation in texts
   • Texts and their reception over time
3. 3

   Intertextuality: Connecting Texts

   4 topics

   • Comparing works across the syllabus
     • Shared themes and divergent treatments
     • Convergent and contrasting techniques
   • Literary movements and traditions
     • Allusion and influence between writers
     • Genre evolution and subversion
   • The learner portfolio as connective tool
   • Building a personal interpretive framework
4. 4

   Assessment Components

   4 topics

   • Paper 1: Guided literary analysis
     • Unseen prose and poetry passages
     • Responding to a guiding question (HL: two passages)
   • Paper 2: Comparative essay
     • Comparing two studied works
     • Responding to an unseen prompt
   • Individual Oral
     • Global issue across two works (one in translation)
     • Use of guiding extracts
   • HL Essay (Higher Level only)
     • 1200-1500 word formal essay on one work
     • Developing a line of inquiry

Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature (English A: Literature) flashcards for International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB)

20 of 50 cards from the Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature (English A: Literature) deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the seven 'central concepts' that frame the study of all texts in IB English A: Literature?

   Identity, Culture, Creativity, Communication, Perspective, Transformation, and Representation. These guide inquiry and connect texts across the course.

2. What are the three 'areas of exploration' in IB English A: Literature?

   1) Readers, writers and texts; 2) Time and space; 3) Intertextuality: connecting texts. Each area is organized around a set of guiding conceptual questions.

3. Which area of exploration focuses on the relationship between a text, its reader, and the writer's choices?

   'Readers, writers and texts' — it examines how meaning is constructed through the interaction of authorial choices and the reader's response.

4. Which area of exploration considers the historical, cultural and social contexts in which texts are written and read?

   'Time and space' — it explores how context shapes a text's production and reception, including representation of place and society.

5. Which area of exploration focuses on comparing works and the ways texts speak to one another?

   'Intertextuality: connecting texts' — it examines similarities, differences, conventions, and how texts build on or respond to other texts.

6. In IB English A: Literature, what is meant by a 'guiding conceptual question'?

   An open, inquiry-based question (one of a set per area of exploration) that frames study, e.g. 'How does the structure of a text affect meaning?' — used to drive interpretation rather than yield a single answer.

7. Define 'literary genre' as used in IB English A: Literature.

   A category of literary composition defined by shared conventions of form, style, and content — the four broad literary forms studied are prose fiction, prose non-fiction, poetry, and drama.

8. What four literary forms (genres) must be represented across the texts studied in IB English A: Literature?

   Prose fiction (e.g. novels, short stories), prose non-fiction (e.g. essays, memoir), poetry, and drama.

9. What is meant by 'authorial choices' in literary analysis?

   The deliberate decisions a writer makes about elements such as structure, narrative perspective, diction, imagery, tone, characterization, and form in order to create meaning and effect.

10. Define 'literature in translation' in the IB context and why it matters.

    Works originally written in another language and read in translation. It matters because the translator's choices shape meaning, and studying it broadens cultural perspective; IB requires texts in translation in the course.

11. How many texts must a Standard Level (SL) student study in IB English A: Literature?

    Nine works (texts).

12. How many texts must a Higher Level (HL) student study in IB English A: Literature?

    Thirteen works (texts).

13. What is the minimum number of works that must be studied in translation at SL and HL?

    SL: at least 3 works in translation; HL: at least 4 works in translation.

14. From how many different literary forms must SL and HL students study works?

    SL: works from at least 3 of the 4 literary forms; HL: works from all 4 literary forms.

15. What is the Prescribed Reading List (PRL) in IB English A: Literature?

    An IB-curated database of authors and works from which a portion of the studied texts must be selected, ensuring range of period, place, gender, and form.

16. What is a 'freely chosen' work in the IB English A reading requirements?

    A work chosen by the teacher/school that need not be on the Prescribed Reading List, allowing flexibility while other works must come from the PRL.

17. What is the 'learner portfolio' in IB English A: Literature?

    A mandatory ongoing collection of the student's reflections, notes, and responses to texts, used to develop ideas across the course and serve as a connective tool preparing for assessments.

18. Name three functions the learner portfolio serves across the course.

    1) Records developing responses and reflections on each text; 2) Connects texts, concepts, and areas of exploration; 3) Prepares and generates material for the Individual Oral, HL Essay, and exam responses.

19. What is meant by building a 'personal interpretive framework' in IB English A: Literature?

    Developing one's own consistent set of critical approaches, concepts, and questions for reading texts, enabling independent, justified interpretations rather than reliance on received readings.

20. What is Paper 1 in IB English A: Literature?

    The Guided Literary Analysis: an analysis of a previously unseen literary passage (or passages), each accompanied by a guiding question, demonstrating close reading skills.

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