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Home › IB Diploma Programme › IB English Language and Literature
IB ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
IB English Language and Literature tutor for HL and SL
IB English Language and Literature asks you to read an advert, a speech or a short story with the same care, and to say how each one works on its reader. IB Learning Star offers online tutoring for the IB Diploma Language A: language and literature course, at HL and SL. One-on-one lessons run live on Google Meet at times that suit your time zone, and your first class is a free trial.
HL and SL
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Where the marks go
Why strong students still lose marks in English Language and Literature
This course mixes literary works with texts from everyday life. Capable students lose marks in the same few places.
Naming devices instead of explaining them.
A line such as “the writer uses a rhetorical question and repetition” names two features and stops. The marks go to the sentence that says what each feature does to the reader and why the writer might have chosen it.
Drifting away from the guiding question.
Paper 1 gives you a guiding question. You do not have to answer it, but your analysis must stay focused. A tour of every feature in the passage reads as unfocused, however good each point is.
An oral issue that is too big.
In the Individual Oral, “gender” or “technology” is a field, not an issue. You cannot show it through 40 lines of a literary work and 40 lines of a non-literary text in ten minutes.
An HL essay that is too narrow, or too safe.
The HL essay can be about a non-literary text, a collection by one author or a literary work. Many students pick a familiar novel without asking whether a speech or a set of articles would give a sharper line of inquiry.
We work on these from the first lesson, using your own class notes, your recent essays and the texts your school has set.
Our tutors are certified IBDP tutors or have completed IBDP training, at least IB Category 2 workshops, and they teach in IB schools.
This page describes the course first examined in 2021. We will update it if the IB publishes a new Language A: language and literature guide.
The course
What the course covers: three areas, literary and non-literary texts
The course runs over 150 teaching hours at SL and 240 at HL. It is split into three areas of exploration, each given the same share of time: readers, writers and texts; time and space; and intertextuality, which means how texts connect. That is 50 hours per area at SL and 80 at HL.
Area 1
Readers, writers and texts
SL 50 h · HL 80 h
Area 2
Time and space
SL 50 h · HL 80 h
Area 3
Intertextuality
SL 50 h · HL 80 h
REQUIREMENT
SL
HL
Teaching hours
150
240
Hours per area of exploration
50
80
Works studied, at least
4
6
Works originally in the language you study, at least
1
2
Works in translation, at least
1
2
Works you choose freely
2
2
Works per area, at least
1
2
Literary forms
2
3
Periods
2
3
Places
2
3
HL 3, across at least two continents
Each area needs both literary works and non-literary texts, and the two get equal time. Non-literary texts include advertisements, speeches, blogs, cartoons, brochures, infographics, interviews and magazine articles. You study how a text type works, how its purpose and audience shape it, and how meaning changes when a text is read alongside another.
Seven central concepts run through all three areas: identity, culture, creativity, communication, perspective, transformation and representation. They are the questions to ask of any text. Who is this speaking to, and what does the form do to that message?
Every student also keeps a learner portfolio. The IB does not mark it, but it is where first reactions to texts, comparisons and notes on global issues build up. Students who keep it well find the papers and the oral far easier to prepare.
Paper 1
Paper 1: guided analysis of unseen non-literary texts
In Paper 1 you meet passages you have not seen before, and every passage is non-literary. Each comes from a different text type, and each has a guiding question on a technical or formal feature. At SL you choose one of two passages and write one guided analysis in 1 hour 15 minutes, for 20 marks. At HL you write on both, in 2 hours 15 minutes, for 40 marks. You do not have to answer the guiding question, and you may open with a different point of entry, but your analysis must stay focused.
Each analysis is marked out of 20 on four criteria worth 5 marks each: understanding and interpretation, analysis and evaluation, focus and organization, and language. Paper 1 is 35% of the final grade at SL and at HL.
A worked case: one short notice, one guiding question
Here is a short notice that we wrote ourselves for this page. It is not an IB passage, and the guiding question is our own.
OPEN LATE, OPEN TO ALL
From 1 November, Ridgeway Library stays open until 9 p.m. on weeknights.
Need a desk? We have forty.
Need a quiet hour away from your phone? We have shelves.
Need nothing at all? Come and sit. The heating is on and the kettle is free.
Nothing to sign up for. Nobody will ask why you came.
Guiding question: How does the writer use sentence length and repetition to make the library sound welcoming?
Step 1. Place the text. It is a public notice from a library. Its purpose is to announce longer hours and to invite people in. Its audience is anyone who lives nearby, including people who may feel a library is not for them. Say this in a sentence or two, then move on.
Step 2. Choose the features that answer the question. Four are enough. The headline repeats “open”. The pattern “Need …? We have …” returns three times. The replies are very short, and the third changes from a thing to an invitation. The last two sentences make no demand at all.
Step 3. Link each feature to an effect and keep going. Say what the choice does to the reader, what the writer gains by it, and what it suggests about the text as a whole. A model paragraph:
model paragraph
The notice answers a reader’s reasons for staying away before the reader raises them. “Need a desk? We have forty.” puts a question in the reader’s own voice and replies in four short words, so the library seems to be listening. The same pattern returns twice, but the third time the need is “nothing at all”, and the answer changes from an object to an invitation: “Come and sit.” The sentences shorten as the notice warms, and the last two ask for nothing. The library is presented as a place where nobody has to justify being there.
Step 4. Check the focus. If a paragraph drifts to a feature that does not touch the guiding question, cut it or tie it back. At HL one sitting covers two analyses, so there is little room for a paragraph that does not earn its place.
Paper 2
Paper 2: comparing two works you studied months apart
Paper 2 is the same at SL and HL: 1 hour 45 minutes, one comparative essay on two works from your course, chosen from four general questions, for 30 marks. It is 35% of the grade at SL and 25% at HL. You write without the books in front of you. You need detailed reference to the works, but the IB does not expect you to quote them.
The paper gets easier when you plan before the exam. The IB recommends choosing three works ahead of time, so that you can pick the question and the pair on the day. A work you use in the Individual Oral cannot be used here, and at HL a work you use for the HL essay cannot be used here either.
Our routine has three steps. First, choose three works that can answer many kinds of question, not three that share a single theme. Second, for each of the three possible pairs, write down how the works are similar, how they differ, and one choice by each writer that explains the difference. Third, practise writing under time with questions you have not seen, so that the comparison runs through every paragraph instead of arriving at the end.
The paper is marked on knowledge, understanding and interpretation (10 marks), analysis and evaluation (10), focus and organization (5) and language (5). The marks for balance sit in the focus and organization criterion, which asks whether both works are treated in a balanced way.
Individual Oral
The Individual Oral: one literary work, one non-literary text, one global issue
The Individual Oral is a 15-minute conversation with your teacher: up to 10 minutes from you, then 5 minutes of questions. It is marked out of 40 and is 30% of the grade at SL and 20% at HL. It is recorded, marked in school, and then moderated by the IB.
literary extract · up to 40 lines
non-literary extract · up to 40 lines
outline · up to 10 bullet points
The task is the same every time: examine how a global issue of your choice is presented through the content and form of the texts you have studied. You bring a clean, unmarked copy of one extract from a literary work and one extract from a non-literary text, with no more than 40 lines each, and an outline of up to 10 bullet points. You do not read from a script.
A worked narrowing: from a broad field to an issue you can speak about
The IB gives five broad fields for global issues, such as “Science, technology and the environment”. A field is too broad on its own. Take “technology”. It is still too wide for ten minutes. Narrow it: how constant online sharing changes what privacy means to young people. Now test it. Is it significant on a wide scale? Yes, because the habit has spread across many countries. Is it transnational? Yes, because the same platforms are used worldwide. Is its impact felt in everyday local life? Yes, in classrooms and in homes. The issue passes all three tests the IB sets.
Then the harder test: can you show the issue in 40 lines or fewer of a novel or a set of poems, and in 40 lines or fewer of an article, a speech or an advert, and then widen the discussion to each text as a whole? That second step is where most orals lose marks.
The marks are split into four criteria of 10 each: knowledge, understanding and interpretation; analysis and evaluation; focus and organization; and language. In lessons we help you test whether a global issue works for both of your texts, and rehearse the delivery with a timer and questions, so that the last 5 minutes feel like a discussion and not a surprise.
HL only
The HL essay: a line of inquiry you choose
Higher level students also write a formal essay of 1,200 to 1,500 words. It is marked out of 20 and is 20% of the grade. The essay follows a line of inquiry you choose, about one non-literary text, a collection of non-literary texts by one author, or a literary text or work you studied in class. It needs an argument, a clear structure and correct citation and references.
The choice of text matters. A speech, a photo essay, a set of columns by one writer or a graphic work gives you something fewer students write about, and a line of inquiry you can defend. A short text may be too thin on its own, so a second or third by the same author can help. If the text is in translation, use a professionally published translation.
The seven central concepts are a good way to start. A question such as “How does a newspaper columnist build trust with readers who disagree?” begins with a concept, perspective, and leads to a whole-text argument. A text used for the Individual Oral cannot be used here, and nor can a work you plan to use in Paper 2.
The marks are for knowledge, understanding and interpretation (5), analysis and evaluation (5), focus, organization and development (5) and language (5). In lessons we help you test a line of inquiry before you commit, and read your drafts against the four criteria. You make the choices yourself, and your teacher is consulted.
Assessment
Assessment at SL and HL
The weights add to 100% at each level.
SL
Paper 1, guided textual analysis, 1 hour 15 minutes:
35%
Paper 2, comparative essay, 1 hour 45 minutes:
35%
Individual Oral, 15 minutes:
30%
HL
Paper 1, two guided textual analyses, 2 hours 15 minutes:
35%
Paper 2, comparative essay, 1 hour 45 minutes:
25%
HL essay, 1,200 to 1,500 words:
20%
Individual Oral, 15 minutes:
20%
How it works
What an English Language and Literature lesson looks like
The first lesson is a diagnostic. You show us a recent Paper 1 answer, a Paper 2 plan or an Individual Oral outline, and we find where the marks went: in the reading, in the analysis or in the structure.
After that, each lesson takes one task. It might be an unseen advert, a speech or a magazine article, read cold and then discussed. Or it might be a comparison grid for a pair of works, a test of a global issue against your two texts, or a run-through of an oral. You leave with a short exercise before the next lesson, so the habit builds between sessions.
Students who study English Literature rather than Language and Literature will find a separate page for it. Students writing an Extended Essay in English, or working on Theory of Knowledge, can ask us to link those with the course.
Lessons are one-on-one on Google Meet, in your time zone.
FAQ
What English Language and Literature students and parents ask us
What is the difference between English Language and Literature and English Literature?
Language and literature studies literary works and non-literary texts such as advertising, speeches and articles. Literature studies literary works only. They are separate courses with their own page on this site. Paper 2 is shared between them, but Paper 1, the oral and the HL essay differ.
Does Paper 1 use poems and prose extracts?
Not in this course. Paper 1 passages are previously unseen and non-literary, and each comes from a different text type. A poem or a story extract belongs to the literature course.
Do I have to memorise quotations for Paper 2?
You need detailed knowledge of both works, but the IB does not expect quotations. Exact short phrases help when you remember them, but a precise reference to a scene, a technique or a change in tone counts. We practise recalling both.
Can I use the same text for the Individual Oral and Paper 2?
No. A work used in one assessment cannot be used in another. At HL the HL essay is also in that group. This is why we plan the pairs for Paper 2 early.
What counts as one work?
One novel or one autobiography counts as one work. So do two or more shorter novels, 5 to 10 short stories, 5 to 8 essays, 10 to 15 letters, a long poem of at least 600 lines, or 15 to 20 shorter poems. Everything in a work must come from the same writer, and a writer can be studied only once.
Do I have to study works in translation?
Yes. SL students study at least one and HL students at least two.
Is the learner portfolio marked?
No. The IB requires it, but it does not mark it. It still matters, because it is where you build the notes and comparisons that the papers and the oral depend on.
How is HL different from SL?
HL covers at least 6 works instead of 4, with three forms, periods and places rather than two. HL students write on both passages in Paper 1, write the 1,200 to 1,500 word essay, and Paper 2 and the oral count for less of the grade.
What is a global issue in the Individual Oral?
An issue that matters on a wide scale, crosses national borders, and has an effect on everyday local life. “Technology” is a field. “How constant online sharing changes what privacy means to young people” is an issue. Your teacher cannot choose it for you, but we can help you test it.
Can my HL essay be about an advert, a speech or a set of articles?
Yes. The essay can be on one non-literary text, a collection of non-literary texts by one author, or a literary work you studied. It cannot reuse a text from your oral or a work you plan to use in Paper 2.
Who teaches the lessons?
Your tutor is a certified IBDP tutor or has completed IBDP training, at least IB Category 2 workshops, and teaches in an IB school. We match the tutor to your course and level.
Will lessons fit my time zone?
Yes. Lessons are one-on-one on Google Meet and we plan them around your school day, wherever you are.
How do I start?
Book a free trial class. We use it to see where you are, then suggest a plan and a lesson schedule.
Start with a trial class for English Language and Literature
Tell us your level (SL or HL), your exam year and the part that worries you most: Paper 1, Paper 2, the oral or the HL essay. We will plan the first lesson around it.
