Welcome to the wonderful world of English A: Language and Literature for the IB Diploma Programme. This Support Site, created by Brad Philpot, offers teachers and students support by providing access to thematic units, practice papers, student examples and discussion groups. This site is not endorsed by the IB. Access is free. To participate in the forums you can create an account.  

This section includes a summary of the guide to English A: Language and Literature for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and a course outline, as used by Mr. Philpot with his classes. For a detailed understanding of the guide, see the official, copyrighted document by the IB. 

The learner portfolio is a space for you to showcase your best work, keep rough notes or reflect on classroom activities. You can build your portfolio using all kinds of tools and platforms such as MS Word, Wordpress or Evernote. The point of the portfolio is to make your learning visible. Below you can find ideas for entries to your portfolio, entry templates and even a portfolio rubric, designed by Brad Philpot for his classes. 

Throughout the Language and Literature course you will engage with a range of texts by doing many activities both in and out of the classroom. You may take notes or make mind maps. You may write a short story or annotate a short story. At some point, you have to decide what to put into your portfolio and where to put it in your portfolio. Here examples of portfolio activities for you to explore.

These units explore a range themes and issues, from racism to poverty, through a range of texts, from posters to poems. The lessons and activities in these units help students develop the skills that are useful for the forms of assessment. Each unit begins with a series of guiding questions. Lessons encourage conceptual understanding. 

Why study language and literature? What does it mean to 'analyse' non-literary texts and literary works? This unit serves as a good starting point for understanding the wonderful world of language and literature. 

This unit of inquiry explores how race, language and privilege help shape and express one's sense of identity. It encourages to you explore a range of global issues related to racism through the study of non-literary bodies of works and literary works. The activities draw on questions from  the areas of exploration and help you understand the concepts from this course, while developing skills that are useful for all forms of assessment.

This unit of inquiry explores how language is used to shape and challenge social constructs of 'beauty'. It encourages to you explore a range of global issues related to the beauty industry and beauty myths through the study of non-literary (bodies of) works, poems, lyrics and short stories. Furthermore, you are encouraged to use these texts to make connections to the areas of exploration and concepts from this course, while developing the skills that are useful for Paper 1, Paper 2, the HL Essay and the individual oral. 

This series of lessons is designed to introduce students to Paper 1 and the analysis of visual texts, such as websites, comics and graphic novels, magazine covers and opinion columns. The central themes of all the texts - and there are several to choose from - revolve around inequality and protest. Students are encouraged to comment critically on the cultures and economies that instigate such wealth inequality. Students come away with a solid understanding of the Paper 1 exam and the skills required to succeed on it. 

This unit of inquiry explores how language is used to shape and challenge people's understanding of immigration. It encourages to you explore a range of global issues related to immigration through the study of non-literary (bodies of) works, poems, lyrics and short stories. Furthermore, you are encouraged to use these texts to make connections to the areas of exploration and concepts from this course, while developing the skills that are useful for Paper 1, the HL Essay and the individual oral. 

How is language used to create social constructs on masculinity? How is language used to challenge these social constructs? This unit encourages to you explore a range of global issues related to masculinity through the study of literary and non-literary texts, such as poems, lyrics and speeches. Furthermore, you are encouraged to use these texts to make connections to the areas of exploration and concepts from this course, while developing the skills that are useful for Paper 1, the HL Essay and the individual oral. 

How is language used to justify war? How is language used to protest war? This unit encourages to you explore a range of global issues related to war and conflict through the study of non-literary (bodies of) works, such as poems, lyrics and speeches. Furthermore, you are encouraged to use these texts to make connections to the areas of exploration and concepts from this course, while developing the skills that are useful for Paper 1, the HL Essay and the individual oral. 

How has language been used to construct and deconstruct notions of 'empire' and colonialism? This unit encourages to you explore a range of global issues related to colonialism through the study of non-literary (bodies of) works, poems, lyrics and short stories. Furthermore, you are encouraged to use these texts to make connections to the areas of exploration and concepts from this course, while developing the skills that are useful for Paper 1, the HL Essay and the individual oral. 

What does it mean to be a 'girl', a 'lady', a 'wife' or a 'woman'? How are female gender roles constructed and challenged by the media? This unit explores femininity through a range of texts and activities. 

What does it mean to have 'political power'? How are notions of political power constructed by the media? How do newspapers play a role in shaping public opinion? This unit explores the language of politics, through a series of texts, including magazine covers, debates, poems and song lyrics. 

People have always had a desire to create, build and make things. What do our creations tell us about who we are? How do we use language to communicate about our ambitions? How is our understanding of civilisation and technology constructed through language? The texts and activities in these lessons provide you with inspiration for reading and writing about technology. Through an exploration of these texts you can explore various global issues and develop the skills that you will need for the individual oral, Paper 1 and the HL Essay. 

Are you looking for a good non-literary body of work for an individual oral? Are you studying a literary work in class and looking for materials? Are you seeking to understand a particular text type? Are you looking for a carefully curated collection of texts on a particular global issue? You've come to the right place. This section offers a range of texts and works with ideas on how to engage with them.

This section includes several curious collections of texts. While these may not meet the IB's criteria for literary works or bodies of works, they are interesting to explore. These collections of 'one offs' may help you prepare for Paper 1. They may give you inspiration for an HL Essay. You may find a poem that points you toward a collection of poetry that you study for an individual oral. In brief, this section brings together a range of texts on interesting topics. 

Half of the Language and Literature course is devoted to the study of non-literary texts, such as advertisements, posters, comic strips and websites. You may study a few non-literary texts as 'one offs', especially in preparation for Paper 1. For the individual oral and the HL Essay, however, you are encouraged to explore non-literary bodies of work (BOWs). A body of work is a collection of non-literary texts with a common sense of authorship and text type. Here are several of BOWs which may help you explore a global issue or topic of interest. 

Every non-literary text or literary work that you study is an example of a text type, which follows or breaks the conventions of its text type to some extent. In preparation for assessment, it helps to understand the conventions of various text types, so that you can evaluate writers' choices of style and structure. The pages of this Support Site provide you with points of reference for developing an understanding of a range of text types. 

Paper 1 is an unseen, externally assessed exam. At standard level (SL) you have 1 hour and 15 minutes to write an analysis on 1 of the 2 unseen, non-literary texts. At higher level (HL) you have 2 hours and 15 minutes write 2 separate analyses, one on each of the 2 stimulus texts. At both HL and SL, each text is accompanied by a 'guiding question' which encourages you - but does not limit you - to explore both the style and theme of the stimulus text. At SL and HL, Paper 1 counts toward 35% of your final grade. This section of the Support Site offers you examples of (marked) student work, skills and practice activities, and general guidance. 

The following pages include examples of student 'scripts', many of which were written by students under exam conditions. They have been marked according to the assessment criteria by an experienced examiner. Study these examples to gain a better sense of what is expected from you. 

To prepare for Paper 1, you will need to practice effectively and frequently. The following pages provide you with several skill-building activities that you can do as a class, with classmates or individually in preparation for your Paper 1 exam. 

Practice makes perfect! Paper 1 requires a level of skill that is best acquired through a lot of practice and meaningful feedback. Below are the instructions for Paper (at SL and HL) and several practice Paper 1 stimulus texts for you to choose from. You can mix and match them to make your own Paper 1. You can take a mock exams on your own time, using a text-editing software, or under timed exam conditions, writing by hand. 

Paper 2 is an externally assessed, comparative essay on two works of literature and 1 of 4 unseen essay questions. Both higher and standard level students of the Language and Literature course and the Literature course receive the same 4 essay questions and have 1 hour and 45 minutes to write their essay. At SL, Paper 2 counts toward 35% of your final grade. At higher level, Paper 2 counts toward 25% of your final grade. The assessment criteria are the same at SL and HL. This section offers you examples of (marked) student scripts, skills and practice activities, practice papers and guidance. 

The following pages include examples of student 'scripts', many of which were written by students under exam conditions. They have been marked according to the assessment criteria by an experienced examiner. Study these examples to gain a better sense of what is expected from you. 

Paper 2 may be one of the most challenging forms of assessment in the Language and Literature course. Even though the exam questions are unknown, you needn't go to the exam room unprepared. There is a lot that you can do to prepare for this exam. These skill-building activities help you prepare for your Paper 2 exam. 

Here are several practice Paper 2s for you to use in class, at home or under exam conditions. Each practice paper consists of essay 4 questions. Essay questions are generally are about literary  themes (what writers write), techniques (how writers write), purpose (why writers write) and context (when and where writer write and how readers read). 

As the title suggest, the HL Essay is only for higher level students. It is a 1,200-1,500-word essay on a literary work or non-literary body of work, which has not been used for another form of assessment. The essay must explore a 'line of inquiry' of choice. The line of inquiry may explore one or more of the seven concepts from this course. 20 Marks are available for this component of assessment (5 marks x 4 criteria) for 20% of the student's final grade. 

The following pages include examples of HL essays. They have been marked according to the assessment criteria by an experienced examiner. Study these examples to gain a better sense of what is expected from you. 

What kinds of skills are needed to write a good HL Essay? Many of the skills that you have learned for your Paper 1 and Paper 2 are also relevant for the HL Essay. You will need to have a strong thesis statement, coherent paragraphs and relevant examples from primary texts. But it's important to design a good line of inquiry, conduct research and cite sources. The following pages help you develop these skills and more. 

The individual oral (IO) is a 10-minute presentation on 1 literary and 1 non-literary text and a global issue, followed by a 5 minute discussion between the student and the teacher. Students speak for 5 minutes on each (extract from a) text, showing how the author of each text explores a global issue. Students select the texts and the global issue and prepare a one-page outline of no more than 10 bullet points. During the exam with their teacher, students must bring the outline and unannotated copies of the extracts. Students must notify teachers of their choices of texts and issues at least one week before the exam. The IO is internally assessed by students' teachers, using the assessment criteria. At SL the IO counts toward 30% of your final grade. At HL the IO counts toward 20% of your final grade. This section offers you (marked) examples of student performances, skills and practice activities and guidance. 

The following pages include recordings of example individual orals (IOs). They have been marked according to the assessment criteria by an experienced examiner. Study these examples to gain a better sense of what is expected from you.

The individual oral is a performance. As with any performance, there are many skills that contribute to a good performance. What do you need to work on before your individual oral is ready to perform? These pages offer you activities to help you develop your skills for the individual oral.  

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