IB English Literature Internal Assessment: Best Tips For Success

There’s been a lot of exams cancelled in the past two years of COVID chaos – this means a good performance and good Points score in your IB English Literature IA (Internal Assessment) is more important than ever before!

In this article, we’ll give you tips and tricks to get you closer to that coveted 7 points, such as in-depth explanation of the exam structure. For those finding the subject difficult should consider IB tutoring, we will discuss that too later on.

The First Part of your English Literature IA

The first part of your IB English Literature IA is your 1,200 to 1,500 word essay. This is worth 25% of your overall grading, and you’ll be analysing a work written in another language.

If you’re doing Standard level, you’ll study two works of literature, but if you’re doing Higher level you’ll study three works of literature, one of which you can choose for your essay. The works you study are chosen from the IB English Literature IA Prescribed Literature in Translation (PLT) list.

What to write about? As an example, we’ll imagine a student crafted an essay on Pablo Neruda’s Poem 20. Neruda’s poem, written originally in Spanish by the Chilean poet, centres around a lost lover. This student could do well focussing on Neruda’s use of imagery.

We can go through the marking criteria for this 25-mark essay would be the same for Standard and Higher Level to explore what points this student could make:

A: Reflective Statement (6 Marks, max 400 Words)

Description: Reflection on the interactive oral (IO) shows development of the student’s understanding of cultural and contextual elements.

For example – The student could reflect on new, interesting or key pieces of Neruda’s imagery that they highlighted or learnt about in the interactive oral discussion.

B: Knowledge and Understanding (6 Marks)

Description: The essay shows detailed knowledge and understanding of, and perceptive insight into, the work used for the assignment.

For example – The student could show how an understanding of the key messages the poet is trying to communicate through imagery, and how this imagery changes and develops throughout the piece.

C: Appreciation of the Writer’s Choices (6 Marks)

Description: There is excellent appreciation of the ways in which language, structure, technique and style shape meaning.

For example – The student could identify the key literary or dramatic features Neruda uses in each instance of each particular image to enhance, intensify or elucidate its effect.

D: Organisation on Development (5 Marks)

Description: Ideas are persuasively organised and developed, with effectively integrated examples from the works used.

For example – The student should link their paragraphs together, give their essay a logical flow and make sure textual references are appropriate. They should keep their essay within the 1,500 word limit, because 2 marks are deducted if this is exceeded.

E: Language (5 marks)

Description: Language is clear, effective, carefully chosen and precise, with a high degree of accuracy in grammar, vocabulary and sentence construction; register and style are effective and appropriate to the task.

For example – The student should ensure that vocabulary, terminology and tone are suited to their essay, and keywords are used when referencing literary features.

Source

The Second Part of your English Literature IA: Detailed Study

The second part of your English Literature IA is detailed study of two works (Standard Level) or three works (Higher Level), from the Prescribed List of Authors (PLA) list. It contributes 15% to your overall mark.

The assessment is a 10-minute oral commentary on one work, with an additional 10 minute discussion (question and answer) for Higher students on another work. This additional 10 minutes encompasses 8 minutes of student presentation, and 2 minutes of Q&A – and it needs to be on poetry.

You’ll find out the work only 10-20 minutes before the presentation! They’ll be 20-30 lines you’ve analysed in class.

The 2-minutes of Q&A will usually focus on grammatical features and your interpretations, cross-referencing with other works. These are the kind of questions Higher students will be asked:

• Which fictional character did you find most intriguing and why? How did the writer construct the character this way, and with which language features?
• Did you observe any contrivances in the work that were in some way distracting?
• How powerfully—or not—would you say the setting or context affected the work?

What to talk about? Another imaginary student might present on Shakespeare’s Othello (Act 1, Scene 1). They might emphasise the dramatic structure of the scene (with Brabantio above Iago and Roderigo), or Iago’s manipulative language.

It’s best for this student to outline the context of their extract or poem first, and then focus secondly on around three distinct themes. Try to include elements from different parts of the text in your analysis – don’t just move chronologically, to show extra knowledge!

The questions asked by the teacher will follow your analysis, so keep two or three strong points in your pocket for the Q&A.

Have a look at our comprehensive set of IB Study Notes and IB Practice Questions, developed by expert IB teachers and examiners!

The Third Part of your English Literature IA: Options

The final part of your IB English Literature IA focusses on three works, freely chosen from the Prescribed List of Authors, regardless of genre. It’s assessed through a 10-to-15-minute oral presentation and constitutes 15% to your overall mark.

These are common topics students choose to write about:

• Cultural context
• Thematic focus
• Characterisation and construction
• Literary techniques and style

Let’s look at another imaginary student. They chose F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, focussing on the motif of the green light across the bay.

This assignment is worth 30 marks and uses a marking scheme very similar to Part 1 of the English Literature IA (Works in Translation) – although criteria C (Appreciation of the Writer’s Choices) and D (Organisation and Development) are replaced by a 10-mark Presentation criterion.

This Presentation category measures how effective you are in conveying your presentation’s message. For a higher mark, use a range of presentational devices: gestures, tonal shifts, posters, dramatic monologues, artwork or music – if appropriate!

Final Thoughts

After reading this article, you should now be on your way to success in your IB English Literature IA. One of those coveted 7s should now be within your reach!

Remember – although helpful guides and articles can give you tips and tricks, only your own hard work and passion for English Literature hold the key to acing your English Literature IA. So, go on and get reading!

If you’re looking to score a 7 in your IB English IA exams, then working with an online tutor can be the best way to fast-track your success. At TutorChase, all of our IB English IA Tutors have years of experience, having also achieved a 7 in their own exams.

Reach out to our team today and we’ll find the perfect tutor for you.