IB Lang Lit HL study guide
IB Lang Lit HL · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
IB Language A: Language and Literature HL is the higher-level course in the IB Diploma Programme's studies in language and literature group. It is built for students who want to study how meaning is made in language and literature, not just to read texts. The IB Lang Lit HL study guide has 6 sections and about 1,899 words.
01Readers, writers and texts
This area of exploration examines how meaning is produced in the relationship between a writer, a text and a reader. In Paper 1 and Paper 2, examiners reward analysis of authorial choice rather than plot summary: name the choice, explain its likely effect on an identified audience, and link that effect to purpose, context and the question.
307 words, about 2 min02Time and space
This area of exploration asks how texts are shaped by the time and place of their production and reception, and how they represent time and space. Paper 1 may test a text’s immediate context; Paper 2 and the HL essay reward comparison of how contexts shape form and meaning.
323 words, about 2 min03Intertextuality: connecting texts
This area of exploration studies how texts echo, adapt, challenge or transform other texts and genres. Paper 2 is explicitly comparative, and the HL essay often benefits from a carefully chosen intertextual frame.
295 words, about 1 min04Guided textual analysis (Paper 1)
Paper 1 presents unseen non-literary material with a guiding question. SL candidates have 1 hour 15 minutes; HL candidates have 2 hours 15 minutes and are expected to sustain a more developed analysis.
307 words, about 2 min05Comparative essay (Paper 2)
Paper 2 is a timed comparative essay on two literary works studied in the course. You choose one question from the paper and compare the works in relation to it.
313 words, about 2 min06Higher level essay
The HL essay is an externally assessed 1,200–1,500-word essay on a literary or non-literary text studied in the course. You develop a focused line of inquiry, usually with teacher supervision, and sustain an argument through close analysis.
354 words, about 2 min