It is clear from the guidance on the Higher Level essay that this assignment should be set up and conducted as an independent inquiry, with students developing ideas from their learner portfolio into a final 1200 - 1500 word formal essay. As such, this work needs to be developed over "an extended period of time"and teachers need to guide students through the process of selecting and refining ideas, choosing their question and line of inquiry, followed by the planning, drafting and redrafting of their final essay.

The table below gives an overview of the assessment components for both the Standard and Higher Level Literature courses. While there are familiar elements for those who have taught the previous iterations of the IB Literature course, there are also some key differences that it is important to be aware of as you begin your planning and teaching. This table allows you to see the differences between the SL and HL courses at a glance, while some of the major points to note have also been highlighted for your attention. From this page, follow links to find further details and ideas about approaching these assessment tasks.

Another way to get to know your students when you first them is to ask for a piece of writing that they will (hopefully) not find too challenging to write, but will give you information about them and that they will enjoy doing. Our own personal reading histories say a lot - about us, about our social or cultural background, our character, the people we relate to and the way we have changed as we have got older. The questions below invite students to think about these things by writing in response to particular prompts in any way they would like.

Identity is one of 7 concepts that underpin teaching and learning in the English A: Literature Course. Linking to the 3 areas of exploration, these ideas allow students to make points of connection and comparison between works studied, as well as facilitating narratives that can take us from one work to another. It is important to introduce students to the seven concepts early on in the course so that they become familiar with them and begin the process of exploring, discussing and connecting them in the context of specific texts.

The new course invites consideration of literary works in a way that will be important to establish from the beginning. Traditional reading models locate the meaning of the work inside the text itself and encourage readers to 'find sense' in the text in front of them. More modern ways of thinking show that meaning is far less fixed and determined - existing in the space/s between the text,...

Replacing the IOP and IOC, the individual oral combines aspects of both previous assessments into one internal assessment task, which is the same for SL and HL students in terms of the nature of the task, the time allocation and assessment criteria. Like the old IOC, it is delivered and recorded as an oral examination, while it also gives students a degree of choice, control and preparation time more akin to the old IOP. This page gives an overview of the essential information and requirements for this assessment in response to some of the questions teachers and students may have as they prepare for the assignment. Click on the icon below each question to see the guidance.

One way of thinking about the seven defining concepts on the course is to see them as different lenses through which we can look at literary works; while it can be valuable and interesting to look at a text through one lens, it is when we combine lenses that we really start to deepen what we see in literature. These ideas also present the means to make points of connection and comparison between works studied, as well as to facilitate narratives that might take us from one work to another. In other words, alongside the areas of exploration with which they interact, they structure the teaching and learning on the course.

English A Literature: from August 2019 It is here! The Subject Guide for the new course was sent to schools last week and you should now be in possession of a copy. If not, please ask your IB Coordinator or download it from My IB, where you can also get hold of the new reading list and other relevant resources. As the course presents a range of quite significant changes, it is going to take a little...

While students will have experience of keeping a record of their work for English, whether in note books or on computer, the concept of the learner portfolio will be a new one for them and will require some careful explanation at the start of the course. While it is important students understand that it is a fundamental and mandatory aspect of the course, this information needs to be framed with a clear rationale for its centrality: if students understand the purpose of the learner portfolio then they are more likely to engage with it and approach it with care, rigour and creativity.

Probably the most exciting aspect of the new course is the freedom it gives to teachers in terms of planning their course, with texts no longer organised according to parts or linked to specific assessment tasks. However, this freedom also presents a challenge and, whether you are in a department of two or twenty teachers, you have probably started thinking and talking about how you might organise your course, and also possibly started to feel a little overwhelmed by the range of choices the new course presents.