Welcome to

IBDP
English A Photo Source: Mazzone, Euginio. “Book Covered Walls.” [Link]

Language and Literature

International Baccalaureate

English A: Language and

Literature 2020

The Scope
Table of contents
1. Aims and Objectives
2. Texts: literary and non-literary
3. Assessment components
4. Inquiry Questions
5. Syllabus components: the Areas of Exploration (AoEs)
6. The 7 Concepts (Areas of Conceptual Understanding)
7. Global Issues
8. The Learner Portfolio
9. The HL Essay
10. The Individual Oral 3
 The aims of studies in language and

Aims literature are to enable students to:

 
⮚ engage with a range of texts, in a variety of media and forms,
from different periods, styles, and cultures.
⮚ develop skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing,
viewing, presenting, and performing.
⮚ develop skills in interpretation, analysis, and evaluation.
⮚ develop sensitivity to the formal and aesthetic qualities of
texts and an appreciation of how they contribute to diverse
responses and open up multiple meanings.
⮚ develop an understanding of relationships between texts and
a variety of perspectives, cultural contexts, and local and
global issues and an appreciation of how they contribute to
diverse responses and open up multiple meanings.
⮚ develop an understanding of the relationships between
studies in language and literature and other disciplines.
⮚ communicate and collaborate in a confident and creative
way.
⮚ foster a lifelong interest in and enjoyment of language and 4
literature (14-15).
Assessment Objectives
Know, understand, and interpret:
• a range of texts, works, and/or performances, and their
meanings and implications.
• contexts in which texts are written and/or received
• elements of literary, stylistic, rhetorical, visual, and/or
performance craft
• features of particular text types and literary forms.
Analyze and evaluate:
• ways in which the use of language creates meaning
• uses and effects of literary, stylistic, rhetorical, visual, or
theatrical techniques
• relationships among different texts
• ways in which texts may offer perspectives on human concerns.
Communicate:
• ideas in clear, logical, and persuasive ways
• in a range of styles, registers, and for a variety of purposes and
5
situations.
 Texts

Minimum number of texts Standard Higher

Level Level
Works in translation (PLT and PRL) 1 2
Works in the language studied 1 2
(PRL)
Free choice works 2 2
Total works studied 4 6
Per year, for example 2 3

6
Literary works: more
considerations
• No author can be studied twice within the course; avoid those studied in
other language courses
SL HL
• Can also Literary forms 2 3
consider
Time period 2 3
gender and
ethnicity or Place (countries or 2 3
regions)
race Both must touch on at least two continents

Each Area of Exploration 2 2

7
 “Texts”
• One single literary work, e.g., novel,
autobiography, biography
• Two or more shorter literary works such as
novellas
• 5-10 short stories
• 5-8 essays
• 10-15 letters
• Substantial section or the whole of a long
poem (600+ lines)
• 15-20 shorter poems
• One film 8
 Literary text types
Drama
Novel
Short story
Poetry
Possibly: essay, manifesto, speech, diary…

Non-Literary (or “language”) text types

Nearly everything else. The idea is that many of these
are from a “body of work” that we will study, rather
than being all standalone texts. 9
Non-literary
text types
A non-exhaustive, but pretty
complete list
10
Common non-literary text types
 advertisement  encyclopedia  parody
entry  pastiche
 appeal
 film/television
 biography  photographs
 guide book  radio broadcast
 blog
 infographic  report
 brochure/leaflet
 interview  screenplay
 cartoon
 letter (formal;  set of
 diagram informal) instructions
 diary  magazine article  speech
 electronic texts  manifesto  textbook
 essay  memoir  travel writing 11
 Literary Text Choices (FIS)
AoE Text Text
Might be a
Readers, The Merchant of Venice The Things They good
William Shakespeare (HL only)
Carried by Tim O’brien summer
writers and reading text.
texts
Time and The Namesake A Doll’s House
Henrik Ibsen
space Jhumpa Lahiri (HL only)

Inter- Persepolis Selected Poems by Duffy

textuality Marjane Satrapi
and Owen

PLUS A WIDE VARIETY OF NON-LITERARY TEXTS

INCLUDING: News reports, opinion writing, manifestos,
photojournalism,
political cartoons, song lyrics, advertising And some
campaigns, speeches, electronic texts documentaries
and Netflix
series and
movies along
12
HL may also study Blood Wedding
the way
Inquiry
questions
One way to organize our texts and topics, both literary
and non-literary.

These are particular to our school and the way we have determined to organize the year.
While they help to make the curriculum cohesive and manageable, and will be used in
teaching, they do not need to form a point of enquiry in any final IB assessments.

13
Inquiry A Doll’s House

questions
Persepolis

Language of
Persuasion

Language of
Obfuscation

Linguistic
Imperialism
I. In what ways is power gained,Power of
imposed and maintained? Rhetoric and
Public
Speaking
14
 The Namesake

Inquiry Poems by
Duffy and
Owen/
MOV (HL)

questions Gender
Communi-
cations
Public
Discourse

Logical
Fallacies

II. How do we communicate? Propaganda

and Political
Cartoons

15
Inquiry
questions The Things
They Carried

The Namesake

III. What happens when

Manifestos and
Protest

things don’t fit? Language

Death

Changing
Language
16
Inquiry The Things
They Carried

questions Writings about

language and
identity

Poetry of
cultural
dislocation

IV. What shapes our sense Representa-

tion in
of identity? Advertising

17
Assessment
Components in
Summary
How will students be assessed?
18
 Assessment Components 1:
Paper 1 and Paper 2

External
Non-Literary Literary
Paper 1 35% 1:15/2:15

Paper 2 35% SL/25% HL 1:15/1:45

HL Essay 20% HL

Paper 1: Guided analysis of an unseen non-literary extract pa ri

son
om
or text, including responding to a guiding question. mo re c
No
• SL: Choose one of two texts for guided analysis
• HL: Two guided analyses (each with own guiding question). No choice. p are
/
om
Not comparative: two essays. o re c trast
M con
Paper 2: Comparative essay on two works, in response to a question
(choose from four). Students should prepare at least three of the works
studied in preparation for this exam. 19
 Paper 2 Questions
Sample Paper 2 Comparative Essay questions from past papers:

1. Some say ignorance is bliss. How is “not knowing” presented in the

two works that you have studied and to what effect?

2. Looking closely at how weakness and strength are represented in the

two works you have studied, discuss the significance of the
relationship between the two.

3. How is “home” depicted in the two of the works you have studied and
what is its significance?

4. To what extent do at least two of the works you have studied show
that an individual is in control of his or her own destiny?

20
 Paper 2 Questions
Sample Paper 2 Comparative Essay questions from past papers:

1. In what ways do at least two of the works you have studied (in form
and/or content) question or subvert norms, conventions or traditions?

2. Texts originally produced in a culture or in a language different from

that of the reader’s can have a strong impact. With close reference to
at least two of the texts you have studied, show how they challenge
the reader to see the world in a new way.

3. Context – ‘historical, cultural, or social – can have an influence on the

way literary works are written or received. Discuss with reference to
at least two of the works you have studied.

21
 Assessment Components 2:
Higher Level Essay

External
Non-Literary Literary
Paper 1 35%

Paper 2 35% SL/25% HL

HL Essay 20% HL

HL Essay: A 1200-1500 word essay exploring a line of inquiry in

connection with a studied text or work selected from all works studied

• targets research, editing and citation

• differentiates further between SL and HL, asking HL candidates to
demonstrate a deeper understanding of the nature of linguistic or literary
study
22
 Assessment Components 3:
Individual Oral

Internal
Non-Literary Literary
Individual Oral 30% SL/20% HL 15:00

• Respond orally to a prompt, using one extract from a literary and one
from a non-literary work. Oral is pre-planned by the student. One guiding
question shared by HL/SL.
• Texts can be extracts or entire works, and should be approx. 40 lines in
length.
• Analyze how perspectives on a global issue are presented through the
content and form of each text. Student chooses texts and issue. Student
brings UNANNOTATED copy of the texts to the oral.
• 10:00 student oral + 5:00 teacher questions.

more on this later… 23

 Tentative Year Picture
Year 1 Year 2
You are here
°

HL Essay - Final

HL Essay – “draft”

Individual Oral Learner Portfolio

Final exams:
Paper 1 and Paper 2

It is essential to be aware that you, the student, will choose WHICH

TEXTS to use for WHICH ASSESSMENTS (except Paper 1). What
does this mean for you?
24
 Avoiding
Lit
overlapping of texts Non-Lit
Text 1 Text 1 5
HL Essay
Text 2 Text 2 6

Text 3 Individual Oral on one Text 3 7

literary and one non-lit text
Text 4 Text 4 8

HL Text 5 Paper 2 (prepare at least 3 texts) Text 9 HL

Text
HL Text 6 HL
10
How can we keep track of all this? 25
The Learner
Portfolio
• Individual collection of learner work throughout the course
—”the learners’ record of their discovery and development”
• Not directly assessed or moderated by the IB
• Must be kept on file by school to address any questions of
authenticity and a reflection of preparation for assessment

26
The Learner
Portfolio
• A place for learners to explore and reflect upon literary
works and non-literary texts
• Establish connections among texts and with the areas
of exploration and the central concepts in the subject
• Reflect on responses to the works being studied in the
corresponding areas of exploration
27
The Learner
Portfolio
• Establish connections between these works and previous ones you
have read, and between your perspectives and values as readers and
those of your peers.
•These connections are drawn between works within and across areas of
exploration
•Connections provide a foundation for construction of broader
knowledge about the transactions between texts, culture and identity

28
The Learner
Portfolio
• A space to prepare for assessment: Use portfolio to make
decisions about the most appropriate and productive
connections between the works studied and the assessment
components.

29
The Learner
Portfolio
Must consist of
1. a diversity of formal and informal responses to the
texts (literary and non-literary)
2. in a range of critical and/or creative forms
3. and in different media.

30
The Learner
Portfolio
Provides an opportunity for learners to prepare for the IO:
• keep an ongoing record of the different global issues that could be related to each
of the texts.
• explore links that could be established between different texts on the basis of
common global issues they address.
• explore how key passages in the texts represent different or similar perspectives on
one global issue through both form and content.
• reflect on the challenges that the internal assessment poses for them as individual
learners.
31
The Learner
Portfolio
Why keep it? What should go in it?
[Link]
-to-students

What should it look like?

[Link]

32
Syllabus
components
As we read texts and bodies of work (non-
literary), we will apply to them various
concepts that interrelate.
33
Syllabus
components
Three Areas of Exploration
A. Readers, writers and texts
B. Time and space
C. Intertextuality: connecting texts
34
 A. Readers, writers and texts
MOV; short stories; manifestos; speeches...

 Non-literary texts chosen from variety of sources and

media, and literature in a variety of literary forms.

 Study focuses on nature of language and communication

and the nature of literature and its study.

 Investigation includes how texts themselves operate as

well as the contexts and complexities of production and
reception.

 Focus on development of personal and critical responses to

the particulars of communication.

35
 A. Readers, writers and texts
MOV; short stories; manifestos; speeches...

 1. Why and how do we study language and literature?

 2. How are we affected by texts in various ways?

 3. In what ways is meaning constructed, negotiated,

expressed and interpreted?

 4. How does language use vary amongst text types and

amongst literary forms?

 5. How does the structure or style of a text affect meaning?

 6. How do texts offer insights and challenges?

36
 B. Time and space
The Stranger, The Crucible, photojournalism; Roots and Water poetry…

 Texts reflect range of historical and cultural perspectives.

 Study focuses on context of language use and variety of

ways texts might both reflect and shape society at large.

 Focus on consideration of personal and cultural

perspectives, the development of broader perspectives, and
an awareness of the ways in which context is tied to
meaning.

37
 B. Time and space
The Namesake, photojournalism; relevant poetry…

 1. How important is cultural or historical context to the

production and reception of a text?

 2. How do we approach texts from different times and cultures

to our own?

 3. To what extent do texts offer insight into another culture?

 4. How does the meaning and impact of a text change over

time?

 5. How do texts reflect, represent or form a part of cultural

practices?

 6. How does language represent social distinctions and

38
identities?
C. Intertextuality: connecting texts
A Doll’s House; propaganda...

 Texts chosen from variety of sources, literary forms and

media to allow opportunity to extend study and make fruitful
comparisons.

 Study focuses on intertextual relationships with possibilities

to explore various topics, thematic concerns, generic
conventions, modes or literary traditions that have been
introduced through the course.

 Focus on development of critical response grounded in an

understanding of the complex relationships among texts.

 Note intertextuality can be seen in allusion and pastiche, but

also parody, satire, quotation, and even translation and
plagiarism. 39
C. Intertextuality: connecting texts
A Doll’s House; propaganda...

 1. How do texts adhere to and deviate from conventions

associated with literary forms or text types?

 2. How do conventions and systems of reference evolve over

time?

 3. In what ways can diverse texts share points of similarity?

 4. How valid is the notion of a classic text?

 5. How can texts offer multiple perspectives of a single issue,

topic or theme?

 6. In what ways can comparison and interpretation be

transformative? 40
Areas of conceptual
understanding
(“7 concepts”)
1. Identity
2. Culture
3. Creativity
4. Communication
5. Perspective
6. Transformation
7. Representation 41
 7 Concepts: Identity

 Of author, reader, character…

 Encounter a multiplicity of perspectives, voices, characters

 Realize complex relationship between author and different

perspectives and voices assumed in the text, and the elusiveness
of identity

 Reading various texts by same author can add complexity to the

discussion

 Identity of reader comes into play at the moment of reading a text

and, therefore, is central to the analysis of the act of reading and
interpretation

42
 7 Concepts: Culture

 How a text relates to the contexts of its production and

reception, and to the respective values, beliefs and
attitudes prevalent in them.

 Relationship established between an individual text and the

writing tradition that precedes it.

 The application of this concept to the study of a text

should prompts reflection on the extent to which it is the
product of a particular cultural or literary context and
how the text interacts with this context.

43
 7 Concepts: Creativity

 Fundamental to analyze and understand the act of writing,

and the role that imagination plays.

 Applied to the act of reading, creativity highlights the

importance of the reader being able to engage in an
imaginative interaction with a text which generates a
range of potential meanings from it, above and beyond
established interpretations

 Creativity is also related to the notion of originality and to

the question of the extent to which originality is important
or desirable in the production and reception of a text.

44
 7 Concepts: Communication

 Revolves around the relationship that is established between writer

and reader by means of the text.

 Might analyze extent to which writers facilitate communication

through choices of style and language.

 Assumptions about reader’s knowledge or views (if author has an

audience in mind) might make commun-ication with some readers easier
than with others.

 Is interested in the cooperation that a text demands from a reader for

communication to take place, and the readiness of the reader to
engage.

 Even with cooperative readers, the meaning of a text is never

univocal; thus communication is both productive and problematic as a
concept for study. 45
 7 Concepts: Perspective

 A text may offer a multiplicity of perspectives that may

or may not reflect the views of the author.

 Readers bring own perspectives to any interaction with the

text.

 This variety of perspectives impacts interpretation.

 Acts of reading and writing happen in a given time and

place, leading to the need to examine the contexts of
production and reception: how have these influenced and
shaped those perspectives?

46
 7 Concepts: Transformation

 Studying the connections between texts is the focus of one Area of

Exploration: Intertextuality.

 The complex ways in which texts refer to one another,

appropriate elements from each other and transform them to suit a
different aesthetic or communicative purpose are evidence of the
importance of transformation in the creation of a text.

 The act of reading is in itself transformative for both text and

reader. Different readers may transform a text with their personal
interpretation.

 Finally, a text may have an impact on the reader leading to

action and the transformation of reality.

47
 7 Concepts: Representation

 There are always linguistic and theoretical debates about

whether literature should represent reality as accurately
as possible or instead be absolutely detached and free from
reality—and in this case, has no duty to represent it.

 This relates to the ways in which form and structure

interact with and relate to meaning.

48
Assessments in
detail

49
The Individual
Oral
Analyze how perspectives on a
global issue are presented in
each text…
50
 The Individual Oral
Student-selected texts;
1 Literary work pre-planned oral 1 Non-Literary work
40-line work or extract 40-line work or extract
Lens: Analyze how perspectives on a global issue
are presented in each text.
1. Has significance on a wide scale
2. Is transnational
Must make 3. Has impact felt in everyday local contexts Must be from a
reference to other body of work and
aspects/ areas of make reference
the work. to other works in
the body.

10:00 Oral
5:00 questions
51
 Individual Oral Global Issues

Choose from the following

Culture, identity and community
Beliefs, values and education
Politics, power and justice
Art, creativity and the imagination
Science, technology and the environment

Suggested global issues:

1. Have significance on a wide scale
2. Are transnational
3. Have an impact felt in everyday local contexts
How might we explain #3?

The Global Issues are discussed at the end of this presentation in more 52
depth.
 Back to Global Issues

Students might focus on…

Culture, identity and community

 The way in which texts explore aspects of family, class, race,

ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender and sexuality, and the
way these impact on individuals and societies.

 They might also focus on issues concerning migration,

colonialism and nationalism.

53
 Back to Global Issues

Students might focus on…

Beliefs, values and education

 The way in which texts explore beliefs and values nurtured

in particular societies and the way they shape individuals,
communities and educational systems.

 They might also explore the tensions that arise when there
are conflicts of beliefs and values, and ethics.

54
 Back to Global Issues

Students might focus on…

Pollitics, power and justice

 The way in which texts explore aspects of rights and

responsibilities, the workings and structures of governments
and institutions.

 They might also investigate hierarchies of power, the

distribution of wealth and resources, the limits of justice and
the law, equality and inequality, human rights and peace and
conflict.

55
 Back to Global Issues

Students might focus on…

Art, creativity and the imagination

 The way in which texts explore aspects of aesthetic

inspiration, creation, craft, and beauty.

 They might also focus on the shaping and challenging of

perceptions through art, and the function, value and effects
of art in society.

56
 Back to Global Issues

Students might focus on…

Science, technology and the environment

 The way in which texts explore the relationship between

humans and the environment and the implications of
technology and media for society.

 They might also consider the idea of scientific development

and progress.

57
 Back to Global Issues

With any of these topics

for the oral…

 Student must determine a specific issue for discussion that can

be reasonably explored in a 10-minute oral. The issue selected
should be significant on a wide scale, be transnational in nature,
and be an issue that has impact felt in everyday local contexts.

 Of course the issue should be clearly evidenced in the extracts

or texts chosen. The oral is only concerned with the aspects of
the global issue relevant to the two texts selected, focusing on
the two texts more or less equally.

58
The HL Essay
(Replaces the Written Tasks and Written Assignment)

Develop a particular line of inquiry with

student-chosen text from the course.
Explore a literary or language topic
over an extended period of time.

59
The HL Essay
• Formal essay
• 1200-1500 words
• Follows a student-selected line of inquiry (see next slides for examples;
generally chosen from the 7 Concepts)
• Uses citation and references
• Focuses on one non-literary text, a collection of non-literary texts by
one same author, or a literary text or work

60
The HL Essay
• Texts should have been studied within the course
• Texts should be rich enough to support a developed, focused and
analytical argument from a broad literary or linguistic perspective
• Cannot be same texts used in Individual Oral or (presumably) being
prepared for the Paper 2.

61
The HL Essay
Can be on a non-literary text…
• a number of columns by one same columnist

Ideas from [Link]

• an advertising campaign
• the body of work of a photographer
• a biography
• a collection of essays
• a TV series or a film
• a blog or any other electronic text
• a series of articles by one same writer

62
The HL Essay
…or a literary work
• a work of poetry

Ideas from [Link]

• a work of fiction
• a work of non-fiction
• a work of drama
• a graphic novel
• a group of songs by one same author
• a work of poetry in translation
• a work in translation

63
The HL Essay
As a line of inquiry, one of the seven central concepts in the course can be used as a
starting point.
Suggested concepts:
1. Identity
The representation of the identity of a particular character or group of characters in the
work, or on the way in which the work relates to the identity of the writer
2. Culture
The representation of the culture of a particular place, institution or group of people, or on
the way in which the work itself relates to a particular culture.
3. Creativity
The representation of the individual or collective creativity, or lack of creativity, within the
work, or on the way in which the work represents the creativity of the writer.
64
The HL Essay
4. Communication
The representation of acts of communication, or failures in communication, in the work, or
on the way in which the work itself represents an act of communication.
5. Transformation
The representation of transformation or transformative acts in the work, or on the way in
which the work itself is a transformative act either of other works through intertextual
reference to them or of reality by means of a transformative effect on the reader’s identity,
relationships, goals, values, and beliefs.
6. Perspective
The representation of a particular perspective or perspectives within the work, or on the
way in which the work represents the writer’s perspective.
7. Representation
The way in which the work represents different themes, attitudes and concepts, or in the 65
extent to which literature can actually represent reality.
The HL Essay
Student can also identify their own concept, as long as it is rich enough to be comparable

* See AtL Unit Planners for information.

with the ones above suggested and below summarized. Starting point might also be an
inquiry or a conceptual question*. Topic must be both suitably broad and suitably focused.

66
 The Lingo
AREAS OF EXPLORATION

PORTFOLIO
LEARNER
• Readers, Writers and Texts
• Time and Space
7 Key Concepts (of
• Intertextuality texts & HL essay)
1. Identity
2. Culture
Literary works
3. Creativity
Non-literary texts 4. Communication
5. Perspective
6. Transformation
Global Issues (oral) 7. Representation
• Culture, identity and community
• Beliefs, values and education
• Politics, power and justice
• Art, creativity and the imagination
• Science, technology and the environment 67
 Summer Activities 2021
Learning Portfolio
• Personal response to prompts on two short texts
(approx. 6-8 short answer questions).

Paper 1
• Commentary analyzing two-three texts (800-1000
words)

Oral response
• Examine each text through one of the seven key
Concepts
68