At a glance
- Group
- Group 1: Studies in language and literature
- Exams
- Paper 1 (unseen texts), Paper 2 (comparative essay)
- Oral
- Individual Oral, 10 min plus 5 min questions
- HL only
- HL essay, 1,200 to 1,500 words, 20%
- Grades
- 1 to 7
Assessment at SL and HL
| Component | SL | HL | What the student does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: guided textual analysis | 1 h 15 min, one text, 35% | 2 h 15 min, two texts, 35% | Analyses unseen non-literary texts, each with a guiding question |
| Paper 2: comparative essay | 1 h 45 min, 35% | 1 h 45 min, 25% | Answers one of four general questions comparing two literary works studied |
| Individual Oral | 15 min, 30% | 15 min, 20% | Explores a global issue through an extract from a literary work and one from a non-literary body of work |
| HL essay | Not taken | 1,200 to 1,500 words, 20% | A formal, externally assessed essay on one studied work or body of work |
From May 2026, Paper 2's criteria were revised: knowledge and interpretation is worth fewer marks, and comparison is now rewarded as its own part of the analysis criterion.
What the course asks of students
The course is organised around three areas of exploration: readers, writers and texts; time and space; and intertextuality: connecting texts. Through these, students study a set number of literary works, more at HL than SL, alongside a wide range of non-literary texts. They keep a learner portfolio throughout, which is not marked but feeds the oral and the HL essay.
The defining skill is close analysis of how a text creates meaning for an audience: structure, tone, visual features, rhetorical choices and context. Students coming from IGCSE First Language English often have the reading habits but not the precision. They describe what a text says rather than how and why it says it.
Where students lose marks
- Paper 1 answers that list techniques. Naming a metaphor or a camera angle earns little; explaining its effect on the reader and linking it to the guiding question earns the marks.
- Ignoring the text type. An advert, an op-ed and an infographic work differently. Students who analyse them all like a poem miss the conventions examiners look for.
- Paper 2 essays that are two separate essays. The comparison has to run through the whole answer, not appear in the last paragraph, and the revised criteria reward it directly.
- Over-scripted orals. Students who memorise a speech struggle in the five minutes of questions and lose the sense of a live discussion of the global issue.
- A late HL essay. Choosing a narrow, arguable line of inquiry early is what lifts the essay; a broad topic chosen in a hurry produces a summary.
How one-to-one lessons help
A tutor who teaches Language and Literature works on unseen texts every week: the student annotates on the shared whiteboard, plans an answer to the guiding question, and writes a timed paragraph that the tutor marks against the criteria. Over a term the student builds a bank of text types they can read confidently.
For Paper 2, lessons focus on the student's actual works and on building flexible comparisons that can answer any of the four questions. For the oral and the HL essay, the tutor helps choose extracts and a line of inquiry and gives feedback on plans and practice runs. The final essay and the oral itself must be the student's own work, which is an IB rule.
Lang Lit or Literature?
If your child enjoys analysing media, speeches and visual texts as much as novels, Language and Literature suits them. If they want to read more literature in depth, including works in translation, IB English A Literature is the better fit. Both carry the same weight in the Diploma.
Common questions
What is the difference between Lang Lit and Literature?
Language and Literature mixes literary works with non-literary texts, and its Paper 1 uses unseen non-literary texts. Literature studies only literary works, including works in translation, and its Paper 1 uses unseen literary passages. The assessment structure and weightings are the same.
How long is the Individual Oral?
Fifteen minutes: ten minutes of prepared analysis of two extracts through a global issue, then five minutes of questions from the teacher. It is worth 30% at SL and 20% at HL.
Can a tutor help with the HL essay?
Yes, with choosing a line of inquiry, planning, and general feedback on drafts, within the IB's rules. The essay must be the student's own writing.
My child writes well but scores 4s. Why?
Usually because the writing describes content instead of analysing effects, or because answers drift from the guiding question. Both are fixable with targeted practice and close feedback on timed paragraphs.
How do LiveTutor lessons work for IB English, and what is the cost?
Lessons are 60 minutes, one to one, online with video and a shared whiteboard, with a tutor who teaches IB English A. Every subject costs $15 a lesson on a weekly plan billed monthly, and the first lesson is a free trial.
Sources
Dates and figures on this page come from these official and published sources. Always confirm deadlines on the official page before acting on them.