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I B E N G L I S HL A N G U A G E A N DL I T E R A T U R E

A S T U D E N T

c o u r s e c o m p a n i o n

F i r s t exa m s : 2021

Adapted from

Language A: language & literature guide (ibo, 2019)

Developed by the English A team at the ISF Academy

I N T R O D U C T I O N

This course companion aims to recognise and buildon your work in English in MYP/other programmes. It provides information necessary for understandingthe IB Diploma English Language and Literaturecourse, its structure and assessments. The coursecompanion also makes clear what you need to do tobe successful in the subject. The most important task for you as a student of theIB language and literature course is to read, readwidely and think critically about what you read. Ifyou engage with the texts you encounter, respondpersonally and participate in class discussion, youwill improve as a student and user of English. In order to achieve the greatest success, acommitment from you is required in terms ofmeeting deadlines, preparing for lessons andreading widely. The student contract agreementoutlines the minimum expectations required. Please complete this contract and return to yourteacher.

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T A R G E T S E T T I N G :

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES AHEAD?

“We do not learn fromexperience... we learn fromreflecting on experience."

The English Language and Literature course willbuild on skills you developed as a student. Think back on your work in previous grades andidentify areas you found challenging. It may helpyour teacher to know what you need help with. The list below may be a good starting point:

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1. Structuring essays

2. Introducing essays

3. Writing strong arguments

4. Concluding essays

5. Developing ideas

6. Oral assessments

7. Commenting on quotations/texts

8. Explaining effects of stylistic devices

9. Developing a personal response to texts

10. Writing for purpose and audience

11. Media analysis

13. Poetry analysis

14. Grammatical accuracy

15. Clarity and sophistication of language

S T U D E N T A G R E E M E N T

Complete all assignments set in a timely manner Bring all necessary texts & equipment to lessons Keep notes in a tidy and organised manner Catch up on missed work using Moodle Seek assistance when needed Prepare thoroughly for key assessments Maintain a well-organised & reflective learnerportfolio Work hard to excel

S I G N A T U R E

Sign here:

Read the following expectations carefully andsign below.

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A S S E S S M E N T

A REMINDER

You will have fun with and be inspired by the ideasand texts you encounter in the English Languageand Literature course. As a Diploma studentassessment is unavoidable, however. Yourcommunication skills, knowledge and understandingof the English language and its literature will bemeasured against the criteria you can find at theend of this guide. The best advice we can give is to remember that theassessments have been designed to give you achance to demonstrate what you have discoveredand enjoyed. The assessments are about offeringopportunities to explore ideas that interest you.They are not about repeating knowledge transmittedby your teacher. Ultimately, the best writing and speaking in thiscourse is bound to be fresh, personal and based onyour discoveries about the English language and itsliterature. Read widely, think about your readingand engage in class discussion to test out your ideasbefore any assessment.

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I N D I V I D U A L O R A L

TALKING ABOUT TEXTS 30% SL 20% HL15 MINUTES

This assessment occurs at the end of year one. TheIndividual Oral is an opportunity to evaluate oneliterary text and one non-literary text studied in termsof a relevant global issue. You will analyse andevaluate how their unique perspectives areconstructed by means of the authors’ choices. You willdecide what texts to use and you will speak for tenminutes. A five minute discussion with your teacherwill then follow. You will choose one of the following Global Issuesthrough which to evaluate your two texts: Culture, identity and community Students might focus on the way in which textsexplore aspects of family, class, race, ethnicity,nationality, religion, gender and sexuality, and theway these impact on individuals and societies. Theymight also focus on issues concerning migration,colonialism and nationalism. Beliefs, values and education Students might focus on the way in which textsexplore the beliefs and values nurtured in particularsocieties and the ways they shape individuals,communities and educational systems. They might alsoexplore the tensions that arise when there areconflicts of beliefs and values, and ethics.

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G L O B A L I S S U E S C O N T ' D

Politics, power and justice Students might focus on the ways in which textsexplore aspects of rights and responsibilities, theworkings and structures of governments andinstitutions. They might also investigate hierarchies ofpower, the distribution of wealth and resources, thelimits of justice and the law, equality and inequality,human rights and peace and conflict. Art, creativity and the imagination Students might focus on the ways in which textsexplore aspects of aesthetic inspiration, creation,craft, and beauty. They might also focus on theshaping and challenging of perceptions through art,and the function, value and effects of art in society. Science, technology and the natural world Students might focus on the ways in which textsexplore the relationship between humans and theenvironment and the implications of technology andmedia for society. They might also consider the idea ofscientific development and progress.

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E S S A Y ( H L O N L Y )

The essay is undertaken by higher level students onlyand it is submitted at the start of the second year ofthe programme. 1200 to 1500 words long, the essayshould explore a line of inquiry in connection with astudied text or work - literary or non-literary. Textsshould be by the same author, however. The line ofenquiry and the essay question will be decided inconsultation with your teacher. The essay should be formal, well-structured andshould provide evidence of citation and referencingskills. We use MLA 8 for referencing in EnglishLanguage and Literature.

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P A P E R 1

UNSEEN NON-LITERARY ANALYSIS HL 35% (2 HOURS 15 MINUTES)SL 35% (1 HOUR 15 MINUTES)

Paper 1 is the response to a previously unseen non-literary extract or extracts. You are required to showyour knowledge and understanding of texts and texttypes and your ability to establish your owninterpretation from the text and to come toconclusions about it/them. Standard level students respond to one text; higherlevel students respond to two. Likely text types are (not an exhaustive list): Advertisement EssayEncyclopedia entry TextbookAppeal ManifestoFilm/television SpeechBiography ArticleGuide book DiaryPhotographs DiagramBlog ScreenplayInfographic LetterRadio broadcast WebsiteBrochure/leaflet InterviewReport Cartoon

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P A P E R 2

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TWO LITERARY TEXTS HL 25% (1 HOURS 45 MINUTES)SL 35% (1 HOURS 45 MINUTES) The paper comprises four general questions. Inresponse to one question you will write acomparative essay based on two literary worksstudied in the course. You will choose which twoliterary texts to use in this assessment; it is likelythat these two texts will come from study in yeartwo of the course, however. You must not write ona text used in a previous assessment in thisexamination. Attention should be paid to the relevance of theargument to the question chosen and to theappropriateness of the works selected by thestudent to address the question. You are expected tomake detailed reference to the works in youranswer. Under no circumstances should you use for Paper 2a work that has been already used for anotherassessment component, be it the Individual Oral orthe HL essay. Questions are the same for HL and SL.

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A R E A S O F E X P L O R A T I O N

The course is divided into three Areas ofExploration: the exploration of the nature of theinteractions between readers, writers and texts;the exploration of how texts interact with timeand space and the exploration of intertextualityand how texts connect with each other. Althoughthese three areas seem to offer an orderedapproach to progression through the course, theywill overlap and you should seek to makeconnections between the three areas in yourstudy.

1 . R E A D E R S , W R I T E R S &

T E X T S

Non-literary texts are chosen from a variety ofsources and media to represent as wide a rangeof text types as possible, and works are chosenfrom a variety of literary forms. Their studyfocuses on the nature of language andcommunication and the nature of literature, andtheir study. This study includes the investigationof how texts themselves operate as well as thecontexts and complexities of production andreception. Focus is on the development ofpersonal and critical responses to the particularsof communication.

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2 . T I M E A N D S P A C E

Non-literary texts and literary works are chosenfrom a variety of sources literary forms andmedia that reflect a range of historical and/orcultural perspectives. Their study focuses on thecontexts of language use and the variety of waysliterary and non-literary texts might both reflectand shape society at large. The focus is on theconsideration of personal and culturalperspectives, the development of broaderperspectives, and an awareness of relationsbetween text and context. For example, wecould focus on the tragic tradition in Westernliterature for this Area of Exploration.

3 . I N T E R T E X T U A L I T Y

Non-literary texts and literary works are chosenfrom a variety of sources, literary forms andmedia in a way that provides you with anopportunity to extend your study and makeinteresting comparisons and connectionsbetween texts. Your study will focus onintertextual relationships and you will explorehow writers borrow from other texts. The focus ison the development of critical response groundedin an understanding of the complex relationshipsbetween texts.

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C O N C E P T U A L U N D E R S T A N D I N G

Concepts help to organise and guide the study of textsacross the three Areas of Exploration. The conceptsinteract with the three Areas of Exploration andcontribute a sense of continuity in the transition fromone area to the next. There are seven concepts that youwill explore.

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Identity When reading texts, you will encounter and interact with amultiplicity of perspectives, voices and characters. It is usual whenreading and interpreting a text to assume that the views are tosome extent representative of the writer’s identity. However, therelationship between an author and the different perspectives andvoices they assume in the texts is frequently complex, and thismakes the concept of identity an elusive one. The figure thatemerges from the reading of various texts by the same author addsto the complexity of the discussion. Conversely, the ways in whichthe identity of a reader comes into play at the moment of reading atext are equally central to the analysis of the act of reading andinterpretation.


C O N T ' D

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Culture The concept of culture is central to the study of language andliterature. It raises the question of how a text relates to the context ofits production and reception, and to the respective values, beliefs andattitudes prevalent in them. This concept also plays an important rolewith regards to the relationship that is established between anindividual text and the writing tradition that precedes it. In bothsenses, the application of this concept to the study of a text shouldprompt reflection on the extent to which it is the product of aparticular cultural Creativity Creativity plays an important part in the experience of reading andwriting. The concept is fundamental to analyse and understand the actof writing, and the role that imagination plays. When applied to the actof reading, creativity highlights the importance of the reader beingable to engage in an imaginative interaction with a text whichgenerates a range of potential meanings from it, above and beyondestablished interpretations. Creativity is also related to the notion oforiginality and to the question of the extent to which it is important ordesirable in the production and reception of a text.


C O N T ' D

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Communication The concept of communication is concerned with the question of therelationship that is established between a writer and a reader by meansof a text. The extent to which writers facilitate communication throughtheir choices of style and structure may be an aspect to analyse in thisexploration. The writer may also have a particular audience in mindwhich may mean assumptions have been made about the reader’sknowledge or views which might make communication with somereaders easier than with others. Alternatively, the amount of cooperationthat a text demands from a reader for communication to take place, andthe readiness of the reader to engage is also important as a topic fordiscussion. Even with cooperative readers, the meaning of a text isnever univocal, which makes the concept of communication aparticularly productive, and potentially problematic one. Perspective A text may offer a multiplicity of perspectives which may, or may not,reflect the views of its author. Readers have also their own perspectiveswhich they bring to their interaction with the text. This variety ofperspectives impacts on the interpretation of a text and thereforedeserves critical attention and discussion. The fact that the acts ofreading and writing happen in a given time and place poses theadditional question of how contexts influence perspectives and viceversa


C O N T ' D

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Transformation The study of the connections among texts constitutes the focus of oneof three areas of exploration, namely intertextuality: connecting texts. The complex ways in which texts refer to each another, appropriateelements from each other and transform them to suit a differentaesthetic or communicative purpose, are evidence of the importance oftransformation in the process of creating a text. Additionally, the act ofreading is potentially transformative in itself, both for the text and thereader. Different readers may transform a text with their personalinterpretation. The text can also have an impact on the reader whichpotentially might lead to action and to the transformation of reality. Representation The way in which language and literature relate to reality has been thesubject of long running debate among linguists and literary theorists.Statements and manifestos by writers have made claims about thisrelationship which range from affirming that literature should representreality as accurately as possible, to claiming art’s absolute detachmentand freedom from reality and any duty to represent it in the work of art.Irrespective of such a discussion, the concept is a central one to thesubject in connection with the way in which form and structure interactwith, and relate to, meaning.

T H E L E A R N E R P O R T F O L I O

A PLACE TO RECORD YOUR THOUGHTS ANDPROGRESS DURING THE COURSE

Assessment is both process-oriented and product-oriented in English Language and Literature. Assessment will be sometimes be teacher-led;however, your teacher will provide opportunities forinformal self-or peer assessment so that you canreflect on your own and each other’s learning in orderto develop as a learner and student of English. Activities undertaken in class and which you record inyour learner portfolio will provide you withopportunities to undertake ongoing informal self-assessment of your understanding of the texts youread, the connections between them, the culturalvalues that frame your and others' responses. The learner portfolio is not formally assessed but theIB can request it for checking the validity of yourwork. Your teacher will will be interested in itsdevelopment as it will be a key indicator of yourcommitment to learning.

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C R I T E R I A : P A P E R 1

ALWAYS KNOW THE CRITERIA AGAINST WHICHYOUR WORK WILL BE ASSESSED

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C R I T E R I A : P A P E R 1 C O N T ' D


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C R I T E R I A : P A P E R 2


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C R I T E R I A : H L E S S A Y


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C R I T E R I A : H L E S S A Y


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C R I T E R I A : H L E S S A Y C O N T ' D


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C R I T E R I A : I N D I V I D U A L O R A L


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C R I T E R I A : I N D I V I D U A L O R A L C O N T ' D


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C R I T E R I A : I N D I V I D U A L O R A L C O N T ' D


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H L / S L D I F F E R E N C E S

2 9 C R I T E R I A : I N D I V I D U A L O R A L C O N T ' D ALWAYS KNOW THE CRITERIA AGAINST WHICHYOUR WORK WILL BE ASSESSED

C O U R S E O U T L I N E : S T U D E N T N O T E S

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