How To Write An Essay For IB English A Literature

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How to write Essay for IB English A Literature?

HL Essay of the IB English A assessment is writing an 1200 to 1500-word Essay based on the literary texts studied in part 3 of the subject. It is a very crucial part of the examination as it carries 20 Marks i.e 20% weightage for Higher Level (HL) students.

Students find this part of the external examination quite daunting. So, we have created the perfect guide for students who are going to write their IB English HL essay.

What are the categories of the IB English A Essay?

The examination is divided into several categories namely,

Poetry
Prose: The Novel and Short Story
Drama
Questions on Literature
Prose: Other than the Novel and Short Story

Each part accommodates 2 questions, with the exception of Questions of Literature which includes 4.

How many works should you write about?

The examination mandates students to write at least 2 works of literature from different authors

But it is not advocated to write on more than 3 as the range of the topic becomes too comprehensive.

What is the structure of IB English Literature Essay?

How to write the Introduction?

Introduce the passage

This Includes the name of the passage, the author and a brief summary.

Example, The Ballad of Birmingham is a poem by dudley randall, all about a young girl that wants to participate in a civil rights march in 1960s Alabama.

Introduce some integral details

About the passage, important plot points or any deeper meaning which is evident.

Example, Throughout the poem, the mother tries to keep her daughter safe by sending her to the church and to avoid the danger of protesting. Randall conveys that staying neutral is ineffective in the context of oppression.

Thesis

Thesis conveys the deeper meaning of the poem and how it is conveyed.

You can use the following Formula:

Through: Paragraph topic + Paragraph 2 topic + Paragraph 3 topic, the author conveys/establishes the deeper meaning of the passage.

Example, through the use of lullaby -like rhyme scheme and structure;use of imagery; and the mother daughter’s relationship, Randall creates a strong sense of irony in the poem and conveys that neutrally.

How to write the Body?

Topic sentence

This part has to introduce one of the themes from the introduction, and must say how it subscribes to the comprehensive meaning of the poem.

Example, Through contrasting the concern of the mother with the daughter’s carefree attitude, Randall creates a strong sense of irony as the mother’s attempt to protect her daughter ultimately leads to her death.

PQAL (Point Quote Analysis Link)

Students must have approximately 3-4 PQAL. If your Analysis of the paragraph is sequential, make sure you have these PQALs ordered appropriately.

Concluding sentences

This is summing up the points you have previously made which shall grant the cavernous meaning of the poem. In this case, it’s about standing up to oppression.

How to write the Conclusion?

Reiterate your Thesis

Commute the phrase to avoid repetition but keep its central message

Briefly render the argument

Example, The mother’s attempt to protect her child is in vain, and her death contrasts sharply with the intimacy of their relationship. This irony reiterates this irony to the reader.

End by highlighting why the central meaning is significant

Examples of IB English Literature Essays

Example	LINK
English A: literature SL paper 2	Example 1
English A: literature SL paper 2	Example 2
English A: literature SL paper 2	Example 3
English A: literature HL paper 2	Example 4
English A: literature HL paper 2	Example 5
English A: literature HL paper 2	Example 6
English A: literature SL written assignment	Example 7
English A: literature SL written assignment	Example 8
English A: literature HL written assignment	Example 9
English A: literature HL written assignment	Example 10
English A: literature HL written assignment	Example 11
English A: literature HL written assignment	Example 12