Please note:  The purpose of this information is to elaborate on the nature of the IB assessment tasks, define and explain the assessment criteria and their implications, share observed challenges in students’ submitted assessment work, and offer strategies and approaches for assessment preparation. 

This post is not meant to replace a reading of the IB Language A Subject Guides or the Teacher Support Materials available on MY IB.  Those resources should always be a first stop for teachers in checking the requirements of each assessment task and how the task should be facilitated.

Paper 2 Overview

35% at SL; 25% at HL

Nature of the task

• Students are asked to compare and contrast two literary works studied in the course in response to one of four general questions on literature. 
• The assessment task, time (1 hour and 45 minutes), and criteria are the same for SL and HL in both Language A courses.[1]  Students do not have access to the works during the exam.
• The focus of the essay’s analysis and evaluation is on comparing and contrasting the ways in which authorial choices shape significant meaning in two works.
• In the marking of the assessment task, there is more quantitative value placed on the ideas presented in the essay (20 marks) than on the essay’s organization and use of language (10 marks).  Maximum: 30 marks.

Nature of the questions

• The questions will have a conceptual, literary focus.  They may ask about: (1) a specific concept, idea or issue developed in the works, (2) an authorial choice (that is not form/genre specific), or (3) a mix of both.[2]
• The four questions must be suitable for a range of works.  However, it is possible that some questions will not be applicable to one or more of the works the student has studied.   
• For examples of “General Questions on Literature”, teachers may consult IB English A1 past Paper 2 exams from 2000-2012; these questions are located at the end of the examination paper.

Selection of works

• Students are not allowed to write about a work they used for their IB Individual Oral exam and HL Essay submissions.[3] 
• Students must focus their response on two literary works.  Language and Literature students may not use the non-literary works they have studied in the course for this assessment.
• Students can compare two different literary forms (i.e., genres) in the essay.
• The subject guide recommends that students prepare three works studied in the course for the exam, even though students are only writing about two.   This will ensure students have more options when choosing a suitable question.[4]
• The pre-selection of Paper 2 works might be done as a class, in small groups, or individually.

What is the Paper 2 assessing?

Criterion A:  Knowledge, understanding, and interpretation (10 marks)

Defined Terms

Knowledge	Knowledge of a work is shown by recalling details (related to plot, characters, conflicts, setting, use of language, etc.) from a work or specific detail about a work (such as its genre, era, style, etc.).  These details are clearly evident and verifiable in the work.
Understanding	Understanding may be demonstrated through summary, interpretations, inferences, and explanations because they require students to construct meaning from the work.  In this construction, students use their general knowledge and understanding (of people, relationships, cultures, literary principles, etc.) to process or infer meaning that is communicated explicitly, heavily implied, or self-evident.
Interpretation	An “interpretation” is an argument about a work’s implicit meaning.  Sometimes this “meaning” is thought of as the “author’s purpose” but works might also communicate meaning to a reader unintended by the author.  Interpretive arguments identify complex ideas and issues developed by an author and usually pay close attention to ambiguities in a work.  Because the communication and deconstruction of implicit meanings is a complex process, interpretations tend to appreciate tensions and contradictions in a work as well as the ways in which a work’s culture or the reader’s culture might influence interpretive conclusions.  In all cases, interpretations are persuasive arguments that need to be supported with clear references to the work.
Implications	Implications refer to the ideas the works may be suggesting without explicitly stating them or feelings the works may be evoking without explicitly telling the viewer or audience to feel them.
Compare/Contrast	Students are required to formulate an interpretation that is highlighted through the comparative (or contrasting) analysis of the works in response to the question.  The comparative or contrasting interpretation might not be as apparent when considering the works individually or as part of a different pairing.
In relation to the question	The question is asking students to write about a specific concept and/or authorial choice.  Therefore, all knowledge, understanding, interpretations, and comparisons are evaluated in light of the question.

Notes

• The heart of the essay is to compare and contrast two works in response to an unseen question. 
• The task requires flexible thinking and invites the student to consider the works in new and enlightening ways.  The most effective essays use the question and the comparative and contrasting analysis to achieve new insight into the works. 
• The conclusions the student draws in response to the question might be the same for both works, or they might differ.  An essay exploring contrasts can be just as enlightening as an essay exploring comparisons, especially when students are comparing different literary forms.
• Students need to understand the difference between demonstrating understanding of the works and offering interpretations of the works’ meanings in response to the question.  An essay must offer interpretations of the works’ implications to score at least a “satisfactory” mark in this criterion.
• Good to excellent knowledge and understanding comes from knowing the works very well which usually requires multiple readings.  Clear references, explanations, and detailed analysis in support of asserted interpretations are a more effective demonstration of knowledge and understanding than summary.  There is no need to memorize quotes for this exam.[5]
• When a literary work contains multiple texts (such as collections of poetry, short stories, and essays), students should refer to at least 2-3 texts in the work.[6]

Activities and protocols that develop skills related to knowledge, understanding, and interpretation

Criterion B:  Analysis and Evaluation (10 marks)

Defined Terms

Textual features	Textual features are aspects of the work that enhance the reading experience.  These include aesthetic features (images, graphs, bold, italics, etc.), organizational features (such as a table of contents, headings, index, etc.), supplemental features (such as a glossary, footnotes, primary source material, captions, etc.), literary features (such as figurative language, analogies, conceits, etc.), and linguistic features (such as rhetoric, sentence structure, ellipses, parentheses, etc.).   While aesthetic, organizational, and supplemental features generally apply more to non-literary texts, teachers need to be mindful that these were more common features of pre-20th century literary texts and authors are using these features more commonly in 21st century works of literature. The use of letters, emails, text messages, epigrams, illustrations, emojis, italicized interior monologue, etc. could be considered “textual features”.
Broader authorial choices	“Broader” authorial choices are embedded throughout the work and effect the work as a whole.  These might include choices in structure, narrative perspective, genre, style, setting, characters, repeated patterns of imagery or figurative language, motifs, etc.    Note: Textual features may also be considered a broader authorial choice if the textual feature is repeated throughout the work or embedded in a work’s structure.  (e.g., Morrison’s inclusion of the Dick and Jane primer might be discussed as a textual feature since each entry differs in its aesthetic look, but Morrison’s repeated use of the allusion might be discussed as a broader authorial choice).
Analysis	To analyze is to separate and identify the parts of a whole to discover their interrelationships. The “whole” is the work.  One can begin to breakdown the parts of a literary work by considering its form, mode, structure, features, and use of language.
Evaluation	When students “evaluate”, they are appraising the author’s choices in the context of their interpretations.  Students show appreciation for the features that play a significant role in developing interpretive meaning and producing relevant effects by critically examining the strengths and limitations of choices made within the work.
Meaning	Meaning can refer to the ideas the author consciously or unconsciously conveys to the reader or audience as well as the feelings created for the reader or audience in relation to those ideas.
Compare/Contrast	Students compare and contrast the use of textual features and broader authorial choices in both works, arriving at conclusions about the ways in which authorial choices produce similar and differing effects in thought, feeling, and/or reader experience.  The discussion of authorial choices needs to relate to the question.

Notes

• This criterion asks students to critically analyze, evaluate, and compare how meaning is constructed and communicated in two works. 
• The discussion and analysis of literary features must contain clear links to the question.  This is a common shortcoming in student essays.
• The interrelationships of authorial choices and their effects may be complex, which requires careful planning. 
• Assertions that make judgements about a writer’s competency or simply state a preference for an author or style are not literary evaluations.
• An insightful literary analysis usually includes an appreciation of form-specific features.
• When comparing and contrasting the features of two works, students tend to compare more than contrast.  Contrasting two works’ features and effects can yield just as much insight as a comparative analysis, especially when students are analyzing different forms (or genres) of literature. 

Activities and protocols that develop skills related to analysis and evaluation

Criterion C:  Focus and organization (5 marks)

Defined Terms

Focus	A focused essay sustains its attention on the question and on the task of comparing and contrasting the works.
Balance	The essay gives equal attention to the two works.
Logical structure and development	It is evident there are sound reasons for how the essay is structured, how and when the works are compared and contrasted, and how references are used to support interpretive claims.  These choices make the essay clear and coherent as the argument develops in response to the question.
Connected ideas	Ideas are “connected” when claims, details, references, explanations, and analysis build upon one another to produce a clear response to the question.

Notes

• The thesis (or argument) for the essay is an answer to the question that should be clearly communicated in the introductory paragraph.
• Encouraging “logical development” helps students maintain focus and achieve cohesion.  This means considering the most effective way to present the argument and its supporting evidence and analysis (chronologically, most persuasive evidence first, cause and effect, first impressions vs. later reflections, claims and counter claims, etc.).
• Each paragraph should be a point of development that supports the argument.  The nature of the argument and the substance of the analysis should determine the number of paragraphs, their length, and their order.  Students should not force an argument into a formulaic essay structure.[7]
• While using formulaic comparative structures might help students achieve balance (e.g., block v. alternating method), this is not a requirement of the task. 
• Essays organized by authorial choices tend to be limiting because they struggle to appreciate the interdependency of features’ effects.

Activities and protocols that develop skills related to organization and development

Criterion D:  Language (5 marks)

Defined Terms

Clear language	Language is clear when the selection of words and the arrangement of words effectively articulate meaning.
Varied language	Language is varied when the student uses different words to acutely communicate knowledge, understanding, and meaning.
Accuracy	Language is accurate when it uses grammatically correct structures, spelling, and capitalization.
Register	The “register” refers to the style of the written language.

Notes

• A wider vocabulary and knowledge of sentence structures gives students more language tools to express abstract and complex thoughts. 
• Correct use of literary terminology may be considered in awarding marks in this criterion; however, jargon is not the sole focus. 
• When students use vocabulary and sentence structures that are comfortably in their repertoire, they usually express their thinking more clearly.  When students stretch to use words or sentences structures with which they are not familiar, they risk miscommunication.
• An essay does not need to be flawless to earn top marks in this criterion. 
• Voice is welcomed in all IB assessment tasks: formal writing does not need to be turgid.

Activities and protocols that develop skills related to use of language

---

[1]Language A: Literature Guide, First assessment 2021, IBO: 2019. pp. 38.  Language A: Language and Literature Guide, First assessment 2021, IBO: 2019. pp. 37.

[2] Language A Teacher Support Material, First assessment 2021, IBO: 2019 (updated February 2022).  pp. 47-48.

[3] Language A: Literature Guide, First assessment 2021, IBO: 2019. pp. 38.  Language A: Language and Literature Guide, First assessment 2021, IBO: 2019. pp. 37.

[4] Language A: Literature Guide, First assessment 2021, IBO: 2019. pp. 44.  Language A: Language and Literature Guide, First assessment 2021, IBO: 2019. pp. 42-43.

[5] Language A: Literature Guide, First assessment 2021, IBO: 2019. pp. 44.  Language A: Language and Literature Guide, First assessment 2021, IBO: 2019. pp. 43.

[6] “10 tips for schools & teachers for the Paper 2”. My IB Website, IBO: 2020.

[7] “10 tips for schools & teachers for the Paper 2”. My IB Website, IBO: 2020.

Photo by Ann H