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

What type of texts appear on Paper 1, and how many passages must SL and HL students analyze?

Two unseen passages of different literary forms. SL students analyze ONE of the two passages; HL students analyze BOTH passages.

What is the duration of Paper 1 at SL and HL?

SL: 1 hour 15 minutes; HL: 2 hours 15 minutes.

What accompanies each passage in Paper 1 to direct the student's analysis?

A guiding/technical question that focuses attention on a particular aspect of the passage (e.g. a stylistic or structural feature), though students should also explore beyond it.

What is Paper 2 in IB English A: Literature?

The Comparative Essay: a response to one of several general questions, requiring comparison and contrast of TWO works studied in the course, written without the texts present.

What is the duration of Paper 2 for both SL and HL?

1 hour 45 minutes (the same for SL and HL).

What is a key rule about which works may be used in the Paper 2 comparative essay?

The two works must be ones studied in class, must not have been used for the Individual Oral or HL Essay, and should be chosen to allow meaningful comparison in response to the question.

What is the Individual Oral (IO) in IB English A: Literature?

An internally assessed oral in which the student analyzes how a global issue is presented through ONE work studied in translation and ONE work originally written in the target language, using a 40-line extract from each.

State the prompt that frames the Individual Oral.

'Examine the ways in which the global issue of your choice is presented through the content and form of two of the works that you have studied.'

What is the structure and timing of the Individual Oral?

10 minutes of student presentation (analyzing the two extracts in relation to the global issue) followed by up to 5 minutes of teacher questions — 15 minutes total.

What constraints apply to the two extracts used in the Individual Oral?

Each extract is no more than 40 lines, drawn from two different works (one written originally in the language, one in translation), and the extracts must connect to the chosen global issue.

Define a 'global issue' as required for the Individual Oral.

A topic of wide/transnational significance that is relevant locally or in everyday situations and explored through the texts — it should have a wide reach, be transnational, and have everyday relevance.

Name three of the five suggested 'fields of inquiry' from which a global issue may be drawn for the Individual Oral.

Any three of: 1) Culture, identity and community; 2) Beliefs, values and education; 3) Politics, power and justice; 4) Art, creativity and the imagination; 5) Science, technology and the environment.

What is the HL Essay, and who must complete it?

A formal, 1,200–1,500 word essay developing a focused literary analysis of one studied text in relation to a line of inquiry the student develops. It is required only of Higher Level (HL) students.

State the word-count limit for the HL Essay.

1,200 to 1,500 words.

What is the difference between an internal and external assessment in IB English A, and which assessments fall into each?

Internal assessment is marked by the teacher and moderated by IB (the Individual Oral); external assessment is marked by IB examiners (Paper 1, Paper 2, and the HL Essay).

What are the four assessment criteria (A–D) used for Paper 2 and the Individual Oral?

A: Knowledge, understanding and interpretation; B: Analysis and evaluation; C: Focus and organization; D: Language.

What additional Paper 1 consideration distinguishes its criteria from Paper 2's?

Paper 1 criterion B emphasizes 'Analysis and evaluation' of authorial/stylistic choices in an UNSEEN text; criterion A focuses on understanding/interpretation of the passage rather than knowledge of a whole studied work.

Define 'reception' of a text and why it is studied (Time and space / texts over time).

Reception is how a text is interpreted, valued, and understood by readers across different times and cultures. It is studied because meaning is not fixed — a text's significance shifts with changing contexts and audiences.

Explain how 'historical and cultural context' shapes the meaning of a literary text.

The values, events, ideologies, and conventions of the time and place of writing inform a text's content and form; understanding context helps readers interpret references, assumptions, and the author's purpose more fully.

What does 'representation' mean as a course concept, especially regarding place and society?

Representation is the way texts construct and portray reality — including people, places, social groups, and ideas — through language and form, shaping how readers perceive that reality rather than neutrally reflecting it.

Define 'literary movement' and give two examples relevant to literary traditions.

A literary movement is a group of writers sharing common stylistic or thematic principles in a period. Examples: Romanticism, Modernism, Realism, Naturalism, Postmodernism, the Harlem Renaissance.

Distinguish Romanticism from Modernism as literary movements.

Romanticism (late 18th–19th c.) emphasized emotion, nature, individualism, and imagination; Modernism (early 20th c.) emphasized fragmentation, experimentation with form, interiority (stream of consciousness), and disillusionment with tradition.

What is the difference between the 'fabula' (story) and 'syuzhet' (plot/narrative structure)?

Fabula is the chronological sequence of events as they happened; syuzhet (plot) is the order and manner in which the narrative actually presents those events to the reader.

Define 'narrative perspective / point of view' and name the main types.

The vantage point from which a story is told. Main types: first person ('I'), second person ('you'), third-person limited (one character's view), and third-person omniscient (all-knowing narrator).

What is a 'dramatic convention'? Give two examples.

An accepted technique in drama that audiences understand without realism. Examples: the soliloquy (a character voicing inner thoughts aloud), the aside, dramatic irony, and the chorus.

Define 'dramatic irony'.

A situation in which the audience knows something a character does not, creating tension, humor, or pathos as the character acts in ignorance of the full reality.

In poetry, distinguish 'metre' from 'rhythm'.

Metre is the regular, measurable pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables (e.g. iambic pentameter); rhythm is the actual flow of sound in a line, which may vary against the metrical pattern.

Define 'iambic pentameter' and where it is commonly found.

A line of five iambs (an iamb = one unstressed followed by one stressed syllable), giving ten syllables. It is common in Shakespearean drama and the sonnet tradition.

What is an effective process/structure for writing the Paper 2 comparative essay?

1) Choose a question suiting two well-prepared works; 2) Form a comparative thesis; 3) Organize by point of comparison (integrated) rather than text-by-text; 4) Support with analysis of authorial choices in both works; 5) Conclude by evaluating significance — balancing both works throughout.

When comparing two works across the syllabus, what makes a comparison analytically meaningful rather than superficial?

Comparing how similar or contrasting authorial choices, contexts, and conventions produce meaning and effect — linking similarities/differences to a central idea or question — rather than merely listing parallel plot or theme points.