Differences
IB English A Lang. and Lit.
- You take a look at a wide variety of English language that isn’t necessarily focused on the given few texts in the course.
- Language is explored in terms of social and cultural development over the years.
- This includes taking a look at how modern language is utilized and perceived
- Studying and analysis of literary texts along with non-literary texts. The latter includes advertisements, music lyrics, campaigns, articles, web comics, graphic media, infographics, speeches, letters, journal entries.
IB English A Literature
- Has a pure focus on a set number of literary texts within the course only
- Includes novels, poetry, short stories, novellas, and drama.
- Students are essentially shown and develop an appreciation for the artistic relevance behind the texts they study
Similarities
- Both subjects focus on exploring language in cultural contexts. This could include looking at how culture and society has affected language or vice versa.
- Both subjects have key focuses on how to critically analyze English and evaluate their impact on society or otherwise.
- Both subjects focus on expanding the creativity of IB students so that they can confidently explore their own ideas through skills developed in both subjects
Assessment Components
Assessment Timeline
IB English A literature was a lot harder because it was so intrinsically focused on the specific texts they studied. In IB English A Lang and Lit we had to chance to explore different avenues of how language was used.
In both subjects you’ll be learning to analyze and evaluate English language with the only major difference being how far you can extend and apply your knowledge to (so for example Twitter and Facebook again).
For both IB English A Lang. and Lit. and for IB English A Lit. that there are two papers, Paper 1 and 2. The Paper 1’s for both subjects are unseen while Paper 2 is focused on the texts done in class. Try doing it at SL too unless you need it at HL since HL is marked more critically and has more work.
Paper 1
Paper 1
Question 1 consists of two texts for comparative analysis. y
Question 2 consists of two texts for comparative analysis. y
Choose either question 1 or question 2. Write one comparative textual analysis. y
The maximum mark for this examination paper is [20 marks].
Paper 2
The Paper 2 exam consists of six essay questions only one of which must be answered during the timed period. The essay is to be written about the Part 3 literary texts. Therefore, it is a test of understanding literature in context.
