The Definitive Guide On How To Not Die in Eng LangLit PDF

The Definitive Guide on How to Not Die
in English Language & Literature

...well, you might as well try.
Written by the IB Discord English LangLit helper team:

jv#0180
michelle#1467
mythic_fci#1141
Theodore#3532
-The Definitive Guide on How to Not Die in English Language & Literature-
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
General Things to Consider 3
The Entire Course in Three Questions 3
‘PETER’ - How to Structure a Paragraph 3
Elements of Language and Their Effects 5
Stylistic & Literary Devices 5
Rhetorical Appeals & Techniques 5
The ‘Big Five' (Plus One) 6
Approaching the Four Parts of the Course 8

Part 1 - Language in Cultural Context 8
Part 2 - Language and Mass Communication 8
Part 3 - Literature: Texts and Contexts 9
Part 4 - Literature: Critical Study 9
Official Assessments and How to Not Fail Them 10

Assessment Weighting Breakdown 10
Paper 1 10
Structuring Your Response 11
General Tips & Advice 12
HL-Specific Tips for Comparing Texts 13
Paper 2 14
Structuring Your Response 14
Tips & Advice 16
Written Task 1 (HL/SL) 16
Requirements 17
Tips & Advice 18
Writing the Rationale 19
Written Task 2 (HL Only) 19
Requirements 19
Structure 20
Tips & Advice 21
Individual Oral Commentary 22
Requirements 22
Structure 22
Tips & Advice 23
Further Oral Activity 25
Requirements 25
Tips & Advice 26
Extended Essay (EE) 29
Further Resources 30
Changelog 31
By: jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 / Page 2

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General Things to Consider

There are a couple of things that apply universally to the entire English Language &
Literature (LangLit) course and everything you’ll be doing within it. Read this for some key
tips to keep in mind when approaching any part of English LangLit.
The Entire Course in Three Questions

People often struggle with understanding exactly what needs to be commented on in
language & literature analyses, but really, it isn’t black magic at all. In fact, the essential
parts of an effective analysis in any part of this course can be effectively summarized by
these three questions - answer each of them when analyzing anything in this course and
you’ll be all set.
1. What is the author trying to achieve/communicate?

2. How has the author done this?
3. What impact does this have on the audience?
Basically, just keep these questions - especially the key terms within them highlighted in
bold - in mind all the time when doing anything LangLit related. It’ll help. Trust us.
‘PETER’ - How to Structure a Paragraph

“How do I write an essay? How do I structure my IOC?!”, we hear you panic and scream five
minutes before you’re up. Don’t worry, you’re not totally screwed, though we do hope
you’re reading this a little bit before five minutes prior to your assessments.
In any case, though, even if you really do only have five minutes left to prepare, don’t panic.
So long as you follow this general format for structuring analytical paragraphs, you should
be able to cover most of what you need to. Variations of this format are often taught in
classes and in textbooks under different names - some people use PEEL, others PEE or
MEAL, but the version we’re going to be describing here is the one we believe is most
comprehensive in guiding an effective analysis: PETER (Point, Evidence, Technique,
Explanation, Relevance).

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Point - Say exactly what you’re going to discuss/argue.

- Anyone listening to you (your teacher, an IB examiner/moderator, etc.)
should be able to get an idea of your paragraph’s main argument right
from the get-go, within your first one or two sentences.
- Seriously. IB examiners nut when you clearly signpost what you’re going
to say before you really say it, so do it.
Evidence - What is it exactly in the text (or in the context related to the text) that
convinces you to argue for the position/belief you do?
- This can include:
- Quotes f rom the text (cite exact locations, e.g. page numbers, line
numbers, acts/scenes, etc.),
- Contextual information ( e.g. societal/cultural influences & norms
from when the text was originally written)
- ...and other forms of proof for why w hat you’re saying is true,
whether directly from the text or (if available) otherwise
Technique - You’ve got the evidence. Now, what is it? No point tossing in proof
without explaining what it is.
- In each quote you cite, what literary devices are being used?
Anaphora? Repetition? Rhetorical techniques?
- Obviously, stuff like historical context might not necessarily have
a ‘technique’, being matters of fact and all, but include this
wherever you can.
Explanation - Okay, you’ve stated and explained what makes you want to argue for a
certain position. What does it all mean?
- Unpack your evidence and explain its significance here.
- What is the author doing in and/or with the particular quote
you’ve scribbled down?
- What’s the impact on the audience? Does it create tone, mood, or
atmosphere?
- Is the author using a rhetorical device because they intend to
argue for something? Does this develop a theme in your text?
Relevance - Tie in what you've unpacked - your evidence and what it’s being used to
accomplish - back to your overarching argument.
- Not the argument of your paragraph, but in terms of the overall
thesis of your essay/speech/whatever your analysis is.
- This is the part that most people forget - you must e xplain everything in
terms of the overall arguments you’re making, otherwise you’re just
yeeting out completely irrelevant points, which in the context of a larger
analysis - well, this ain’t it, chief.

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Elements of Language and Their Effects

Language. Man, how confusing is it? You can never really seem to say why something stands
out so much in a piece, even if it stands out so intuitively to you. Well, guess what - there
actually are f ormal reasons as to why things seem to stand out to you! While we won’t be
going into great depth as to exactly what they are, we’ll be briefly introducing them here
and leaving links to a useful resources you can check out to learn more.
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Stylistic & Literary Devices
Writers, when writing, use certain structures (both consciously & unconsciously) in their
language to emphasize certain things to us readers and make them more meaningful - these
are called stylistic & literary devices. While there are a lot of them, each with their own
individual distinctions, most devices tend to follow one of these four patterns in how they
emphasize things:
● Repeating things to emphasize them each time they come up (e.g. anaphora).
● Using specific words/phrasing to make you feel a certain way about something (e.g.
emotive diction).
● Making words & phrases sound or look unique in some way so that they stand out
(e.g. alliteration, assonance).
● Referencing things the reader’s familiar with to help the reader better understand
the point the writer’s trying to make (e.g. simile, literary allusion).
Knowing how stylistic devices work in general will help you a lot in understanding and
looking for them in texts. While we’d love to go into more detail about every individual
stylistic & literary advice there is, it’d take us far too long, so we’ll leave you this
comprehensive guide and this one too on stylistic & literary devices to learn from (look at
the Further Resources part of this guide for more relevant resources). Enjoy!
(NOTE: There is technically a distinction between stylistic & literary devices - ‘stylistic
devices’ refers more to emphasis through language explicitly (e.g. repetition of words),
while ‘literary devices’ refers more to emphasis beyond language (e.g. allusion to
literature). However, this distinction is usually pedantic - the two overlap so much that
they can effectively be considered the same thing.)
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Rhetorical Appeals & Techniques
When trying to convince readers of certain things (beliefs, ideologies, etc.) writers often
use certain concepts to make them seem more appealing - these are known as rhetorical
techniques. These work in harmony to produce rhetorical appeals, which, by appealing to

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various aspects of a reader’s thought process, produce powerful & influential messages that
are convincing & persuasive.
There are four main types of rhetorical appeals which writers try to create, each with fancy
Greek names:
● Logos - Appeal to logic.
● Pathos - Appeal to emotion.
● Ethos - Appeal to righteousness of the argument/of the speaker’s right to convey it.
● Kairos - Appeal of the urgency of the issue, i.e. the necessity to solve it now.
You can learn more about these four core appeals here.
Rhetorical techniques, like stylistic/literary devices, come in many shapes & forms - in fact,
some of them are also stylistic/literary devices in their own right. Examples of these can
include repetition, tricolon, and polysyndeton. For a comprehensive overview of more
rhetorical techniques and what they are plus examples, click here. You can also find more
examples in the Further Resources of this guide below.
The ‘Big Five' (Plus One)

While different types of texts can seem so, well, different to each other, thankfully, any text,
no matter what, will have certain key features you can analyze. Interested? Read on.
First, we have what’s typically known amongst English teachers & textbooks as the ‘Big
Five’, which cover what a text is. These five elements are formal f eatures - as in, you can
figure them out by directly reading a text. Keep in mind, though, that this is not a recipe for
paragraph structure - analysis of these elements should be embedded throughout a n
analysis.
Name Key Considerations
Audience & Purpose - Who are the target audience(s) of the text?
- What does the author want to do in creating the text for
them?
Content & Themes - What’s the text saying?

- What are the text’s overarching main ideas?
- Are there any motifs or recurring symbols that mean
something significant?
Tone & Mood - What tone is the author conveying through their writing?

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- What mood does that give the audience?

- What atmosphere as a whole is created by all this?
Devices & Techniques - How does the author use language & references to
literature to make a point?
- How does the author, if relevant, try to convince the
reader of a belief or position?
(See above section for more details.)
Structure - How is the text formatted or laid out? Does this conform
with the usual conventions of the text’s type?
- Does the author emphasize certain things visually? For
what reason?
- Why are textual elements in the specific order they are in?
On top of this, there’s one more element not typically included in the ‘Big Five’ but which is
incredibly influential in its own right: context. While not a formal f eature since you usually
can’t identify it if you don’t know of its existence beforehand, this element influences how
works are created & interpreted quite a bit.
Context - What social, cultural, political, etc. influences may have

influenced the author in writing their text?
- What social, cultural, political, etc. influences may have
influenced readers from a given time period in
interpreting the text?
Keep these in mind at all times and you’ll be able to analyze almost all relevant aspects of
any text you encounter.

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Approaching the Four Parts of the Course

Contrary to popular belief, the English LangLit course isn’t quite a big non-distinct blob of
vaguely English resembling oof, though it may often seem that way. In fact, the course is
divided into two distinct portions - the language portion and the literature portion, with
each portion having two ‘parts’ (the language portion consists of Parts 1 & 2, while the
literature portion consists of Parts 3 & 4). Lots of students struggle with understanding
what exactly this all entails, though, so here we’re going to break each individual part of the
course down into something a bit more understandable and give some tips & advice for
approaching them.
Part 1 - Language in Cultural Context

This part of the course, the first of the language parts, focuses on how context - cultural,
societal, and historical (though they often overlap) - influences how authors write texts and
how readers from certain periods interpret the texts they read.
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Things to Consider
● The social, political, historical and cultural context of a certain time period & region
can influence an author from that time period/region in writing a text.
● Similarly, the social, political, and cultural c ontext of a reader’s ‘present-day’ (the
time period & region of the reader, e.g. 1950s America, modern-day China, etc.) can
influence the way a reader interprets a text’s message and language.
● Stylistic devices like diction, emphasis through repetition, etc. can provide key
insights into what an author wants emphasized and why t hey want it emphasized.
Part 2 - Language and Mass Communication

This part of the course, the second language part, focuses on the way language is used in
mass media - in newspapers, the internet, television, etc. - and how the use of language is
tied to the way texts are produced by said mass media, which in turn influences how they
are received by their audience.
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Things to Consider
● The way authors use language (stylistic & literary devices) can convey certain
messages to audiences implicitly.
● Authors may strengthen their arguments using rhetorical appeals & techniques.
● Authors may be biased in their arguments to serve certain purposes and convince
audiences of certain beliefs, ideologies, etc.

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Part 3 - Literature: Texts and Contexts

This part of the course, the first literature part, focuses on studying literary texts in the
contexts (social, cultural, historical, etc.) in which they were written by the author or read
by a given audience. Here, if you’re SL, you’ll be reading & critically analyzing two literary
texts, while if you’re HL you’ll be reading three; your teacher will choose your texts and
(should) go through them in-depth with your class. You’ll be doing your Paper 2 on the
texts you read in this section.
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Things to Consider
● The context in which a text is composed (context of composition - e.g. the time
period it was written/published in, cultural/social norms at the time, the author’s
personal background) influences how it is written.
● The type, form, and structure of literature are influenced by the types of context
mentioned above.
● The themes, messages or values presented in any work of literature can influence
different audiences from different contexts (context of interpretation - e.g. time
period audience lives in, cultural/social norms of audience, etc.) differently.
Part 4 - Literature: Critical Study

This part of the course, the second literature part, focuses on engaging in the close reading
of literature texts through textual analysis and critical understanding of said texts. As in
Part 3, SL students study two texts for this part, while HL students study three. Your
teacher will choose your texts and go over them in-class. The key focus here is to
understand your texts in as much depth as you can possibly can, and from as many
different angles. You’ll be doing your Individual Oral Commentary (IOC) on the texts you
read in this section.
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Things to Consider
● Texts will have overarching themes a nd messages r elating to society, ethics/morals,
and other aspects of the world we live in, determined intentionally (and sometimes,
unintentionally) by authors.
● The context in which a text is composed & read (e.g. time period, cultural/social
norms, etc.) influences the way its message is formed & interpreted.
● Texts can be explored in multiple different ways from different viewpoints - e.g.
feminism, authorial intentionalism, etc.

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Official Assessments and How to Not Fail Them

Sadly, when your IBDP coordinator said that the IB Diploma had a big emphasis on
coursework, they were lying. At both SL & HL, the majority of your grade comes from
externally assessed work, while even the internally assessed portion of your grade (i.e. the
bits your teacher marks) consists of specific assessments whose requirements and marking
criteria are set by the IB. Here’s how we suggest you deal with this astounding realization.
Assessment Weighting Breakdown

This table which was definitely not plagiarized directly from the IB syllabus details just
how much of the individual components of the LangLit course, if screwed themselves, will
screw your final grade.
Standard Level Higher Level

External Assessment - 70% Total
Paper 1 25% Paper 1 25%
Paper 2 25% Paper 2 25%
Written Task 20% Written Task 1 10%
Written Task 2 10%
Internal Assessment - 30% Total

Individual Oral Commentary 15% Individual Oral Commentary 15%
Further Oral Activity 15% Further Oral Activity 15%
Don’t be fooled by the fact that most of the assessments are named the same thing between
HL & SL - some of the HL assessments are a bit different to their SL counterparts, even if
they share names. Also, HL work is generally marked to a higher standard than SL work, so
be prepared to be roasted way h arder should you choose to take HL.
Paper 1
This is the first of two externally-marked exam papers you have to write. The requirements
for this paper differ between SL & HL - SL students have to analyze one t ext, while HL
students have to compare two. Appropriately, SL gets 1h30m while HL gets two hours. Both
SL & HL have two choices to choose from - SL students pick one text to analyze from two
choices, while HL students pick one pair of texts to analyze from two pairs.

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(Side note: There appears t o be a trend in past papers where at least one of these choices
will involve literary texts [e.g. poems, short stories/excerpts, etc.] while the other will only
involve language texts [e.g. news articles, speeches, etc.] - however, this is unconfirmed a nd
not official advice. Still best to prepare for both.)
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Structuring Your Response
Whether you’re SL and analyzing a single text or HL and comparing two, we can foresee
that you’ll be panicking roughly equally come exam time about structuring a response to
texts you’ve never even seen before (we will be too). Don’t fret - here’s a surefire strategy
for structuring a Paper 1 response, whether you’re HL or SL.
Introduction What you’ll need to do here is:

- Briefly introduce your text(s): what type they are, what their
content is, their intended audience, and some contextual info (e.g.
the time period in which they were written; usually given)
- Clearly state your thesis statement, i.e. the main, overarching
argument you’re making in your essay.
- This should establish the content of your paragraphs and
make clear the point you want to make about the
similarities and differences of each text.
- However, this shouldn’t be overly broad nor too narrow
either - include relevant information summarizing your
analysis and only that.
Body There are many ways to structure the body of your Paper 1 analysis - by
literary feature or device, by thematic ideas… Whatever you choose, it’s
completely up to you t o choose what you think makes a well-organized,
reasonable analysis of your text(s).
Generally, you should aim to have three body paragraphs commenting

on three separate, fully distinct ideas (be careful not to repeat things
between paragraphs). More is fine if you have time & can maintain
sufficient depth when talking about each idea, but try not to do less.
Remember those PETER p aragraphs from before? Put ‘em to good use
here.
At SL: Each of your body paragraphs should answer these guiding

questions:

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- What i s the idea/concept/technique you’re discussing?

- How i s this idea used/portrayed in the text? Provide examples
and explain relevant literary devices, techniques, etc. where
relevant.
- How might context i nfluence the way these ideas are portrayed in
the text?
- What effect does the use of the idea have on the audience and
how does this all support your thesis, i.e. overarching main
argument?
At HL: Each of your body paragraphs should cover:

- How is this idea used/portrayed in your first text? Provide
examples and explain relevant literary devices, techniques, etc.
where relevant.
- How i s this idea used/portrayed in your second text? Provide
examples and explain as you did for your first text.
the texts?
- In comparison, what effect do the presence & use of the idea have
on the audiences of the two texts and how do any
similarities/differences support your thesis?
Conclusion - Restate your thesis and briefly summarize each of the arguments
you make.
- Don’t introduce new evidence or points here, or even add
evidence you’ve gone through previously. This is a final
summary, not another body paragraph.
____________________________________________________________________________________
General Tips & Advice
Use your time wisely.
➔ Time management is one of the hardest things about Paper 1. Don’t spend too much
time idly thinking, but don’t rush to writing your response either after just
skimming your texts. Find your balance.
➔ Different people work best with different time management strategies. Use mocks
and trial & error to find a way of dividing up your time & effort that works for you.
◆ A general rule of thumb is to spend 20 mins analyzing your texts and
outlining your response, 1h30m actually writing the response, and 10 mins
proofreading.

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◆ Some people may need more time to analyze, while others need more to
write or to proofread - again, this all depends on how you write.
Outlines & annotations are your best friend.

➔ Don’t make the mistake of skimming your text(s) and rushing straight into your
response - always take the time to annotate your text(s) thoroughly to find every
last nuance and make an outline of your essay before you start writing.
➔ Annotate and highlight anything you can about your text(s) - be sure to write down
what features and devices you can identify. This’ll really help you when you’re
looking over your texts later.
◆ Colors, even if just blue & black pen, can help with visually grouping ideas
together so you can select evidence from throughout the text and can
immediately look to find specific devices or techniques whenever you want.
➔ Once you’re done annotating, write a brief outline of the points you’re going to talk
about in each of the (five or so) paragraphs of your essay so you don’t need to
improvise on the fly.
◆ This doesn’t have to be detailed or contain every little thing you plan to say -
it just needs to organize your thoughts so you’re not scrambling to remember
what you want to say midway through writing your response.
Toss in some context where you can (MANY people forget this - REMEMBER it!).
➔ Generally, each text will have a little information given alongside indicating the
author and the time period in which it was written - use that.
◆ For HL, you can compare these contexts & use them to explore how they
might’ve influenced the two works differently, leading to the observable
differences between the two works.
➔ If you happen to know more about a certain subject, don’t be afraid to flex that
knowledge too!
◆ E.g. If you get a speech originally delivered at the Republican National
Convention (US Republican Party), you could talk about the influence of
conservative political/social ideals & the target audience being conservatives
on the creation of the speech & its interpretation by certain audiences.
◆ Your discussion of context can complement your analysis of stylistic and
figurative devices well - blend the two together to make your points as
thorough as possible.
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HL-Specific Tips for Comparing Texts
Texts can overlap & differ simultaneously in t wo ways - theme/message and language.
➔ That is, usually texts either:

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◆ Overlap in theme/message but use different language - devices, techniques,

etc.
◆ Use similar devices or techniques but with a totally different outcome or
message
➔ Use these elements as the focus of your analysis.
Don’t just analyze text-by-text.

➔ A lot of HL students make the mistake of using one body paragraph to analyze only
their first text, another to analyze only their second, and only comparing the two
texts in their third paragraph.
➔ Don’t do this - you’ll end up with very little comparative analysis in what is, at its
core, a comparative paper. Compare both texts in each paragraph by shared ideas or
techniques instead.
Paper 2
This is the second externally-marked exam paper you have to write. The requirements for
this paper are similar between SL & HL - a single essay about two (or more, if you’re HL) of
the texts you’ve studied for Part 3 of the course. You'll get six possible essay questions, of
which you pick one to answer in the allotted time (1h30m for SL, 2h for HL). The questions
you get will vary, but they’ll always focus on the relationships between a text’s audience,
author, purpose, style and form.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Structuring Your Response
Whether you’re SL or HL, you have to talk about at least two texts you’ve studied in class
for Part 3 (SL students only study two, while HL students study three - you can choose to
talk about all three if you’d like). But how do you go about doing this? What does the
structure for such an essay look like? We recommend you try the following:
Introduction What you need to do here is:

- Briefly introduce your texts: what type they are, their authors,
and give a short summary of each text.
- Give relevant contextual information - when the texts were
published, when they’re (fictionally) set, prevalent social issues
from when they were written, the authors’ backgrounds, etc.
- Clearly state your thesis statement, i.e. the main, overarching
argument you’re making in your essay.

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make clear the point you want to make regarding your
text(s) and the similarities/differences between them.
- This shouldn’t be overly broad nor too narrow - include
relevant information summarizing your analysis and only
that.
The introduction is actually something you can prepare for quite
extensively before even stepping into the exam room, simply by
studying your texts comprehensively.
Body There are many ways to structure the body paragraphs of your Paper 2
analysis, just as in Paper 1 - you can organize your analysis by literary
feature or device, by authorial intention, or even thematically. Again, it’s
completely up to you to choose what you think makes a well-organized,
reasonable analysis of things shared between your texts.
Generally, as in Paper 1, you should aim to have three body paragraphs

commenting on three separate, fully distinct ideas (again, don’t repeat
things between paragraphs). More is fine if you have time & can
maintain sufficient depth for each idea, but try not to do less. Again,
you’ll be putting those PETER paragraphs to good use here.
Each of your body paragraphs should cover the following things:

- How is this idea/concept/technique portrayed or used in your
first text? Provide evidence & explain, including analysis of
language (devices, techniques, etc.) and its purpose.
- How is the same idea portrayed in your second text? Again,
provide evidence & explain.
- (HL only) H ow is the same idea portrayed in your third text?
Provide evidence & explain.
- Note: While HL students can do more than two texts, this
is not always necessary - don’t sacrifice depth of analysis
for the breadth of analyzing three texts.
your texts?
- How does this all link back to your thesis ( again, your
overarching argument for your whole analysis/comparison)?
Conclusion - Restate your thesis and summarize briefly each of the arguments

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you make.
- Again, don’t introduce new evidence or points here. This
is a final summary, not another body paragraph.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Tips & Advice
You need quotes, but you don’t need fifty.
➔ Yes, you need to memorize evidence from your texts - including quotes - to
effectively support your analysis.
➔ No, you don’t need to remember pages of quotes word-for-word for ‘effective
support’, and it’s not a sin to paraphrase.
➔ Keep in mind, you’re not being assessed on how well you can memorize a text but
rather your understanding of it.
Choose your evidence wisely.

➔ The quotes you do choose to memorize/use need to demonstrate that you have a
broad & deep understanding of the texts.
➔ As such, your evidence should come from multiple places within the text and
demonstrate a wide range of devices/techniques used throughout it.
➔ Don’t make the rookie mistake of choosing quotes only from the first third of the
book and ignoring everything else - there’s so much more to be found.
You don’t always need to compare.

➔ Unlike Asian parents, the IB is fine with you not always comparing things.
➔ A degree of comparison definitely strengthens your response, but you don’t always
need to comment on the two texts in constant unison.
◆ You can choose sometimes to simply focus on one at a time - how one text
approaches a given idea, then switching to the other text, before finally tying
the two together.
Written Task 1 (HL/SL)

This assessment, called the Written Task 1 (or simply the Written Task/WT if you’re SL;
this guide will refer to this assessment as ‘WT1’, though, for consistency) is a creative
writing piece. That’s right, the IB, for once, decided to pretend they actually care about
creativity. Both SL & HL have the same requirements and are marked with the same rubric
for this assessment - HL is marked more strictly, but generally, the same advice applies to
both HL & SL students.

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This is an externally marked assessment, so the IB has full say over your final marks (sorry,
being a teacher’s pet won’t help you here). Your teacher can see & give advice (not
annotate/edit, though) on one draft of each WT1 you write - the second draft you write is
final.
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Requirements
WT1s on the language portion of the course (Parts 1 & 2) can be based on anything
relevant to the part in question, while WT1s on the literature portion of the course (Parts 3
& 4) have to be based on one of the texts you’re studying for that part (though the actual
content, within the bounds of the basis text, can still be anything you want). Both HL and SL
students have to write 800-1000 words - you will be penalized two marks for going
over/under and IB examiners don’t have to read anything over 1000 words. Additionally,
students also have to write a 200-300 word rationale, which is also marked, explaining the
nature of their piece and why they chose to write it and use certain techniques in doing so -
more details further below.
The IB requires students to write a certain minimum number of Written Tasks, depending
on if you’re SL or HL; the exact requirements are as follows:
SL students-
● Write at least three WT1s: one on Part 1 or 2, one on Part 3 or 4, and one on any part
of the course; schools/teachers can ask you to write more.
● Submit one W T1 to the IB.
HL students-
● Write at least four w ritten tasks in total. This includes WT1s and Written Task 2s
(WT2s; to be discussed later).
○ There’s no requirement for how many WT1s & WT2s each you have to write,
just that the total number you write of both adds up to four or greater.
● Submit one W T1 and one W T2, one written on the language parts of the course (1 or
2) and one on the literature parts (3 or 4), to the IB.
○ Which task covers which part doesn’t matter - you can submit:
■ A WT1 on Part 1/2 and a WT2 on Part 3/4
■ A WT1 on Part 3/4 and a WT2 on Part 1/2.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Writing the Rationale
The rationale is often something people struggle with - what exactly are you meant to
include anyway? Well, an ideal rationale should consist of the following three sections:

Revision 1.1
1. Describe what you did. Did you write a letter? From who to who? What part of the
course does this piece relate to?
2. Explain what you did. Why did you use language in a certain way? What devices,
techniques etc. did you use and to what effect? Why did you choose your text type?
3. Any other relevant notes - for instance, justifying/explaining the use of
non-standard terminology or grammar for authenticity, detailing the use of the
official layout of a newspaper in your piece, etc.
You can split these sections into three separate paragraphs or you can simply write one big
paragraph. Both work, so long as you cover the relevant content.
Remember to be mindful of that 300 word limit - you will be docked points if you go over.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Tips & Advice
Be as creative as you want.
➔ There is no list of official formats or topics for you to pick from - you could make the
script for a short play or even a massive 800-word poem if you wanted to. Go wild!
◆ This is the only opportunity for creative writing you’ll get in this course, so if
you’re especially interested in writing short stories or poetry, this could be
your time to shine.
➔ There’s no defined or required structure either - so long as your piece relates well to
the part of the course in question, it’s a decent piece!
That being said… Be sensible.

➔ It might not be best to choose heavily visual text types (e.g. comic strips). Visual
elements are important, yes, but you don’t want to take too much time doing visual
stuff when it won’t help your grade as much as a well-written, non-flashy piece.
If you’re struggling to find a topic, watch the news.

➔ For Part 1/2 WT1s, reading the news can provide tons of inspiration for possible
topics you could write your WT1 on.
➔ You can even base your WT1 off of things (topics, texts, biases, etc.) you’ve seen in
the news if you feel like it - if you find something of interest, again, go wild on it!
Authenticity is great!
➔ While there’s no official requirement to do so, mimicking the formats of real-world
texts in your genre and perhaps even of the specific type you’re writing will
demonstrate an understanding of the text type.

Revision 1.1
◆ E.g. If writing a New York Times article, screenshot the website, blank out the
original text with photo editing software, copy it into your word processor
and write on top of it.
◆ E.g. If writing a diary entry from a war zone, you could include a background
image of worn/crumpled paper (without being too distracting).
Do NOT write an academic essay.

➔ Do not analyze a text/texts in your WT1 - you can base your WT1 on texts but not
analyze t hem.
◆ You’re being tested on conceptual understanding here - that you understand
the part of the course in question well enough that you can write something
not just about it, but within it. Analytical academic essays don’t prove that.
➔ Seriously, the IB’s actually letting you run free for once. Just go with it.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Relevant Resources
Click here for a more in-depth, detailed guide on approaching the WT/WT1, including
exemplars, details on what sort of text types one could choose, additional
recommendations, etc.
Click here to see the rubric used by the IB to grade WT/WT1s.
Click here for more exemplar WT/WT1s.
Written Task 2 (HL Only)

This assessment, which only HL students have to do, is an academic essay - specifically, a
critical response to a text, either literary or non-literary, of your choice. As with the WT1,
the Written Task 2 (WT2) is marked externally by the IB - your teacher can advise you on
one draft (without annotating or editing it directly), while your second draft is final, so
don’t screw it up.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Requirements
Your Written Task 2 must answer one of six questions set by the IB:
1. How could the text be read and interpreted differently by two different readers?
2. If the text had been written in a different time or place or language or for a different
audience, how and why might it differ? (some teachers have said this question is
rather tricky)
3. How and why is a social group represented in a particular way?
4. Which social groups are marginalized, excluded, or silenced within the text?
5. How does the text conform to, or deviate from, the conventions of a particular genre,
and for what purpose?

Revision 1.1
6. How has the text borrowed from other texts, and with what effects?
(Note: These questions are fixed - they do not c hange from year to year.)
For WT2s on the language parts of the course (1 & 2), your chosen text doesn’t have to be
one you’ve studied in class - you could analyze a news article found on Facebook if you
wanted. WT2s on the literary parts (3 & 4), though, do have to be based on the literary
texts your teacher’s chosen for your class to study. You’ll need to focus your analysis on a
single primary text, but it is okay to source information from a few secondary sources/texts
if it helps your analysis.
You’ll also need to write an outline for your WT2 - for more details, see below.
As mentioned prior, there are certain requirements for how many of these you’ll need to
write - just scroll up (or click on the green text, that’s a hyperlink to the part of this guide in
question) to go through them because we’re too lazy to copy them down here.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Structure
As mentioned previously, unlike the WT1, the WT2 is specifically an academic essay, unlike
the creative writing of the WT1. That means you’ll need to write it in an academic
tone/style, including the following:
● A proper introduction introducing relevant information about your text(s) and

stating your thesis (overarching argument)
● 2-4 well-developed body paragraphs detailing your arguments
● A conclusion where you wrap up your points and make a final statement about the
broader significance of your text(s)
You decide how you feel your analysis would be best structured - just make sure you have
some form of overarching main argument/thesis supported by your individual
claims/arguments. Once more, using the PETER p aragraph structure will really help you
here, especially with those body paragraphs.
You have to write an outline for your WT2 too; while there are no strict guidelines on
exactly what this outline must look like, it should include the name of your chosen text,
your chosen question and a brief summary of your essay and its arguments. You can write
your outline in point form - ideally, each point in your outline should correspond to each of
your body paragraphs’ points. Your outline should look something like this:

Revision 1.1
Outline
Selected Question: [chosen WT2 question]
Text to be Analyzed: [text title] by [author]
Relevant Part of Course: [ part of course]
This essay will focus on:

● [first point of discussion/argument/analysis]
● [second point of discussion/argument/analysis]
● …[nth point; NOTE: Recommended not to exceed 4-5 points in your WT2 to avoid
excessive length and insufficient depth]
● Thus considering how [text(s)] can be thought of as/achieve the aim(s) of
[thesis/main overarching argument]
____________________________________________________________________________________
Tips & Advice
Start with the text, not with the question.
➔ For language (Part 1/2) WT2s, look for texts (as with WT1s, the news is a great
ou write and think about how they might be used.
place to start) before y
◆ Don’t shoehorn texts into questions they don’t fit. Either find a new text that
works or switch questions.
➔ For literary (Part 3/4) WT2s, you’ll know your texts (they’re the ones your teacher
covers for those parts). Think of how the text could be explored with each question,
not how to shoehorn each question to fit your text.
Outline before you write.

➔ This doesn’t just mean ‘do the simple outline that IB wants you to do’ - try and do a
detailed outline of not just the overall points of your WT2, but every single point,
claim & counterclaim you plan to write.
➔ It’s extra effort, yes, but it helps a LOT in guiding your thoughts before you start
writing.
Evidence, evidence, evidence.

➔ Back everything you say about the text with evidence. Quotes, context (you can refer
to secondary texts/sources for this)...whatever you need to back up the claims you
make.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Relevant Resources
Click here for exemplar WT2s (including outlines) along with the marks they received.

Revision 1.1
Individual Oral Commentary

The Individual Oral Commentary (IOC) is an internally-assessed (i.e. your teacher marks it,
the IB may moderate your teacher’s mark of it) oral exam based on the works you’ve
studied in Part 4 of the course.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Requirements
You’ll be given a 40-line passage from one of the texts you have learned for Part 4 - your
teacher may give you a list of possible p assages but they cannot give you your actual
passage until you start your IOC. You get 20 minutes of preparation time, then you need to
talk about the passage for 10 minutes nonstop. After you’re done speaking, your teacher
will ask questions to follow up on the points you’ve made and further test your
understanding of the passage and text as a whole.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Structure
Remember those three questions that sum up the entire LangLit course? Keep those in
mind here - they’ll help you remember what exactly it is you should be saying. As long as
you keep asking yourself and answering those three questions with what you say, you’ll
cover most of what you have to. Also, PETER the living hell out of your outline. Remember,
PETER i sn’t just for written paragraphs, it’s for structuring any single analytical argument
focusing on one point.
While there’s no definitive way on how to structure a good IOC given the massive variety of
literary texts out there & extracts from them, you should remember to have a distinct
introduction, body, and conclusion with the following features:
Introduction - Briefly introduce your text - its type, its author, etc.
- Give relevant contextual information - when the text was
published, when it’s set, prevalent social issues from when they
were written, the author’s background, etc.
- State a clear thesis statement, i.e. the main, overarching argument
you’re making in your essay.
make clear the point you want to make your text(s)
- This shouldn’t be overly broad nor too narrow - include
relevant information summarizing your analysis and only
that.
Much like for Paper 2, you can prepare for this quite extensively before
your actual IOC simply by studying your texts extensively.

Revision 1.1
Body Just as in Paper 1 & 2, you can organize your analysis by literary feature
or device, by authorial intention, or even thematically. You c hoose
whichever you f eel makes for an effective analysis.
Although this is a spoken assessment, not a written one like Papers 1 &
2, you should still divide your outline into distinct ‘body paragraphs’
structured using PETER, each commenting on separate, fully distinct
ideas. Each ‘paragraph’ should answer the following questions:
- How i s this idea used/portrayed in the text? Provide examples
and explain relevant literary devices, techniques, etc. where
relevant.
the text?
- What effect does the use of the idea have on the audience and how
does this all support your thesis, i.e. overarching main argument?
Given how different passages & texts can be as well as the fact that the
length of the entire solo portion of the IOC is a full 10 minutes, there’s no
real rule of how many of these argumentative ‘paragraphs’ you should
make. That’s something you’ll need to figure out for yourself before your
actual IOC through practice and trial & error.
Conclusion - Restate your thesis and summarize briefly each of the arguments
you make.
- Don’t introduce new evidence or points here, or even add
evidence you’ve gone through previously. This is a final
summary, not another body paragraph.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Tips & Advice
Know. Your. Texts. Well.
➔ You don’t want to make the rookie mistake of talking about the wrong text or
themes the entire time.
◆ We most certainly do not s peak from experience here.
➔ Seriously. It’s embarrassing. If you’re going to put in the effort to study each text’s
themes, you might as well try and remember which text is which, right?

Revision 1.1
Focus on the big picture.

➔ Prepare thesis statements and/or study for devices that apply to more than one text
you’re studying and that are universal enough that they can apply to most parts of
the text.
➔ If you have core thesis statements in your back pocket all ready to go, you’ll be able
to maximize the little prep time you have.
➔ Link your thesis and overall analysis to the entirety of your book when you can. If
you see a theme in your passage that applies to other chapters of the book try to
mention those other chapters to show greater understanding of your text.
Practice, practice, practice. Oh, and practice. Did we say practice?

➔ The IOC is one of those stubborn assessments that you won’t become magically good
at overnight - you need t o familiarize yourself with how to approach it.
➔ Give yourself pages from the texts you’re studying and practice only annotating for
20 minutes to see how much you can get done. Then, try taking your annotations
and speaking for as long as you can.
➔ Have a friend ask you follow up questions right after you’ve finished your practice
analysis. This helps you develop your improvisation and make up your responses on
the spot. It’s better to spend 20 seconds thinking of a response in a practice IOC than
in your real IOC and risk losing points.
➔ Ultimately, you need to find out what pace, preparation strategies and speaking
techniques work for you best in the time you’re allotted to prepare and speak.
◆ This is something only you can find out - through trial & error. Different
strategies work for different people.
Bother your teacher.

➔ Well, not literally - but they are there to support and help you. If they’re willing to
help, send practice recordings and outlines to them and ask them about how you can
improve.
◆ You can also ask teachers to set up mock IOCs - most teachers do this
anyway, but if you & your class need more practice, most teachers will
happily do a few more.
➔ Thing is, teachers know how to play the IB game - it is their job, after all- so why not
make the most of having them available to you and ask for all the feedback you can
get?
Use your preparation time wisely. Find the balance between annotating and structuring.
➔ It can be dangerous to spend too much time annotating the passage, and not enough
time structuring your commentary with thesis statements and topic sentences. If

Revision 1.1
you know you take longer to do this, give yourself more than ten minutes to do so,
and skim over annotations instead.
➔ To streamline annotations, use different colours to group significant ideas or
recurring themes and devices.
◆ You won’t have time to write out every piece of evidence you’re going to
speak about - you should be focusing on creating opening and concluding
sentences for each of your ‘paragraphs’: the P and the R of PETER.
Breathe.
➔ Nerves over the IOC are bound to get to anyone. Talking out loud can be scary
especially when you find yourself suddenly losing your train of thought, so it’s okay
to slow down a bit, take a breath, scan over your writing and keep going.
◆ When answering teacher questions, latch onto key words they throw out.
◆ Avoid repeating pieces of evidence you’ve used before - instead go for a
quote you might not have had the time to talk about in your other arguments.
◆ Even if you don’t understand what the question is asking, take the time to
consider it, attempt to answer it and if all else fails, bring the analysis back to
something you’re familiar with.
Further Oral Activity

The FOA is an internally-assessed oral presentation based on the language parts of the
course (1 & 2) - you’ll be analyzing a primary text (or texts) in terms of how they use
language, particularly in light of secondary texts/sources which you can use to back up the
claims you argue for. Most students typically do at least two FOAs (one per part of the
language portion), though your individual teacher’s or school’s policy on this might differ.
In the end, though, you pick only one of the FOAs you’ve done to count towards your final
grade. As with the IOC, your teacher determines your FOA mark, though the IB may
moderate it in order to make your mark fair relative to everyone else’s worldwide.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Requirements
FOAs, no matter if they’re on Part 1 or 2, must be centered around:
● The attitudes and values expressed by texts.
○ Texts are written to serve a purpose - otherwise, why bother putting in the
effort to write them? Identify that purpose and talk about it.
■ Why is said purpose important? What brought about the need for said
purpose? What change would achieving said purpose accomplish?
● How audience and purpose affect the structure and content of texts.

Revision 1.1
○ Texts are usually produced for specific audiences, which impacts both the
f a text and how it is received/interpreted by different audiences.
content o
○ E.g. Ads from the 1930s promoting house cleaning equipment for women
probably would’ve been widely accepted at the time but would likely be seen
as highly sexist and demeaning to women from the POV of modern society.
● How language and meaning are shaped by culture and context.
○ Changes in society, politics, and culture o
ver time can heavily influence texts
produced and their meaning, both as originally intended b y authors and as
interpreted by a reader in a certain context regardless of authors’ intentions.
In terms of structural requirements for FOAs, there really aren’t many. Each person
participating in an FOA must speak for 10-15 minutes - that is, if you’re doing a solo FOA,
you need to speak yourself for 10-15 mins, while a two-person FOA would be 20-30 mins
long divided roughly equally between the two of you and so forth for FOAs with more
people. Plus, the FOA has to, of course, be relevant to the specific part of the course it
addresses and, no matter what format it’s in, focus on analysis of the use of language.
Other than those simple requirements, though, there’s really no formal guidelines for how
exactly to make an FOA. You can do an interview, a structured talk-show discussion, or a
UN speech - if that’s not quite your style, you can do the usual academic presentation if you
want (this isn’t the WT1, you can be academic if you want to) and still score just as well
(this guy did one and got 29/30). You choose what you w ant to do in a style that you t hink
allows you to analyze language effectively. Be creative & go wild!
____________________________________________________________________________________
Tips & Advice
Make sure you analyze language.
➔ What many people who do fancy, creative FOAs forget is that the FOA is about the
analysis of the use of language. No matter what format your FOA ends up being, you
need t o analyze language - stylistic/literary devices, rhetorical techniques, etc.
➔ While it can be tempting to simply go through your text line by line, device by
device, that might not be the most effective structure for you to really demonstrate
your understanding of the texts. Try grouping by ideas or common themes.
Keep your format authentic.

➔ While you do need to analyze language, if you’re doing a creative/roleplay-based
format like a talk show or a speech, make sure this analysis is done in a way that
would feel natural. Act naturally & realistically as your ‘character’ (theatre kids, this
is your time to shine).

Revision 1.1
◆ Don’t have the person you’re playing say “I used language to good effect by
using diction…” because that sounds plain weird and not what someone
would actually say on a talk show or speech or whatever.
◆ Instead, have them say: “I was trying to make it clear just how I felt; I didn’t
think it’d come across otherwise. I had to use those words - controversial or
not, they were strong but they made a point.”
Prepare, but do NOT read.

➔ Absolutely prepare for your FOA before you go on - make notecards, figure out
talking points, etc. - but never r ead off of a script.
◆ If you’re doing a presentation, glance a t your slides to remind yourself of
what you’re saying but don’t read o ff your slides. Your slides should contain
point form information, not huge paragraphs in size-8 font.
◆ If you’re doing a talk show/speech/etc., glance off notecards and maybe
outline a broad structure of what you (and/or your partners) plan to talk
about in what order, but don’t write a full script to read off of.
◆ No matter what format your FOA is, speak naturally & freely - don’t vomit out
memorized lines like a robot. This is the further oral activity, not the further
oral regurgitation.
➔ It’s okay if you’re nervous and need a few seconds to gather your ideas. Take a
breath, find your train of thought, and keep going. You got this.
Wherever possible, use guiding questions to guide your thoughts.

➔ Take the things to consider for Parts 1 & 2 outlined earlier in this guide and turn
them into questions which you answer over the course of your FOA.
◆ Examples of possible guiding questions:
● How do different texts/text types treat a similar topic?
● Why & how might different biases be expressed by different
sources/authors/media outlets?
● How are rhetorical devices, political campaign tools, propaganda
techniques, and advertising appeals used to accomplish certain
purposes?
● How does cultural context influence the way language’s use has
changed over time?
Relax - you got this!

➔ Don’t fear the FOA. It’s not a regurgitation where you have to get everything spot-on
for a pass. It’s a discussion.

Revision 1.1
◆ The audience are your friends and you’re sharing something cool with them.
So what if you pause or stutter? You’re just excited!
◆ The sooner you stop thinking of the FOA as a challenge a nd start thinking of it
as a chance for you to share something cool, the sooner you’ll find the
confidence to nail it.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Relevant Resources
Click here for the official IB FOA rubric.

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Extended Essay (EE)

You want more English? Voluntarily? Though we must question your sanity and apparent
preference for hardcore BDSM, you’ve come to the right place.
English A, like all Language A EEs, fall into the ‘Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature’
EE category. Don’t make the mistake of choosing a Group 1 EE just because you think it’ll be
e
easier than a Science or Humanities EE - if you don’t put in the work, you will b
committing to slow death by 4000-word analysis that will be harder than anything you’ve
ever done before. Choose an EE in English because you’re genuinely interested in English
text(s) and want to investigate them in more nuanced ways, not because it’s easy (it’s really
not).
Because this guide is focused on the English LangLit course specifically, EEs won’t be
covered in great depth here - you can find more detailed EE advice elsewhere (like in the
subject-specific EE guidance for Group 1 published by the IB). The main thing you need to
be aware of is that there are three types of Lang A EEs:
Category 1 Also known as the ‘Lit’ essay - a study of one or more literary works in
the same language as the EE itself is written in.
Category 2 Also known as the ‘Lit & Translation’ essay - A study of one or more
literary works written in the same language the EE is written in
compared with one or more literary works written in another l anguage
then translated t o the language the EE is written in.
Category 3 Also known as the ‘LangLit’ essay - the study of language based on one or
more texts written in the same language as the EE.
Choose wisely between them and remember to adhere to their specific requirements - you
don’t want to write your entire EE only to find out you’ve written an essay that doesn’t
quite fall into any of the three categories. Good luck!
____________________________________________________________________________________
Relevant Resources
Click here for marked examples of English G1 EEs.

Revision 1.1
Further Resources
On top of the relevant resources listed in each section, here are a few more useful resources
you could look at to get a better understanding of key portions of the LangLit course.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Official IB Resources
Official IBDP Language & Literature Syllabus - The official IB-published syllabus guide for
IB Diploma Group 1 Language & Literature courses (of which English LangLit is one).
____________________________________________________________________________________
Other Guides
InThinking - InThinking’s guide to English A Language & Literature (Note: Partially behind
paywall).
____________________________________________________________________________________
Devices, Techniques & Bias
‘Action Verbs’ - A non-exhaustive list of verbs that can be used to describe authorial
intentions.
Graphic Novel Conventions - A brief introduction to key terminology used when referring
to & analyzing graphic novels.
Motivational Appeals - A list of various specific motivational appeals which can emphasize
the message of a text.
Poetic Devices - A short list, with examples, of key literary devices often found in poetry.
Rhythm and Meter in English Poetry - A concise introduction to rhythm and meter in
poetry specifically.
Types of Bias - An outline of various ways bias shows up in the media.

Revision 1.1
Changelog
(dates in yyyy/mm/dd format)
1.0 - 2019/02/01 - Initial release.

1.1 - 2019/03/06 - Added more tips, advice, and clarification for each assessment as well
as additional further resources. Some overall formatting tidying.

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The Definitive Guide on How to Not Die

in English Language & Literature

Written by the IB Discord English LangLit helper team:

Approaching the Four Parts of the Course 8

Official Assessments and How to Not Fail Them 10

Extended Essay (EE) 29

By: ​jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 /​ ​Page 2

General Things to Consider

The Entire Course in Three Questions

1. What ​is the author trying to achieve/communicate?

‘PETER’ - How to Structure a Paragraph

By: ​jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 /​ ​Page 3

P​oint - Say ​exactly ​what you’re going to discuss/argue.

By: ​jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 /​ ​Page 4

Elements of Language and Their Effects

By: ​jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 /​ ​Page 5

The ‘Big Five' (Plus One)

Name Key Considerations

Content & Themes - What’s the text saying?

By: ​jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 /​ ​Page 6

- What mood does that give the audience?

(​See above section​ for more details.)

Context - What social, cultural, political, etc. influences may have

By: ​jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 /​ ​Page 7

Approaching the Four Parts of the Course

Part 1 - Language in Cultural Context

Part 2 - Language and Mass Communication

By: ​jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 /​ ​Page 8

Part 3 - Literature: Texts and Contexts

Part 4 - Literature: Critical Study

By: ​jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 /​ ​Page 9

Official Assessments and How to Not Fail Them

Assessment Weighting Breakdown

Standard Level Higher Level

Internal Assessment ​- ​30% Total

By: ​jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 /​ ​Page 10

Introduction What you’ll need to do here is:

Generally, you should aim to have three body paragraphs commenting

At SL:​ Each of your body paragraphs should answer these guiding

By: ​jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 /​ ​Page 11

- What i​ s the idea/concept/technique you’re discussing?

At HL: ​Each of your body paragraphs should cover:

By: ​jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 /​ ​Page 12

Outlines & annotations are your best friend​.

By: ​jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 /​ ​Page 13

◆ Overlap in theme/message but use different language - devices, techniques,

Don’t just analyze text-by-text.

Introduction What you need to do here is:

By: ​jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 ​/ ​Page 14

- This should establish the content of your paragraphs and

Generally, as in Paper 1, you should aim to have three body paragraphs

Each of your body paragraphs should cover the following things:

By: ​jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 ​/ ​Page 15

Choose your evidence wisely.

You don’t always need to compare.

Written Task 1 (HL/SL)

By: ​jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 ​/ ​Page 16

By: ​jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 ​/ ​Page 17

That being said… Be sensible.

If you’re struggling to find a topic, watch the news.

By: ​jv#0180, michelle#1467, mythic_fci#1141, Theodore#3532 ​/ ​Page 18

Do NOT write an academic essay.

Written Task 2 (HL Only)

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1. What is the author trying to achieve/communicate?

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Point - Say exactly what you’re going to discuss/argue.

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(See above section for more details.)

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Internal Assessment - 30% Total

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At SL: Each of your body paragraphs should answer these guiding

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- What i s the idea/concept/technique you’re discussing?

At HL: Each of your body paragraphs should cover:

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Outlines & annotations are your best friend.

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Focus on the big picture.

Practice, practice, practice. Oh, and practice. Did we say practice?

Bother your teacher.

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1.0 - 2019/02/01 - Initial release.

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