Paper 1 for both standard-level (SL) and higher-level (HL) remains largely the same with the analytical and writing skills being the focal point.  However, in the standard-level paper students are required to analyse and respond to a singular text.  For the higher-level paper, students still must write about two different text types, but they are done individually rather than comparatively. There will be one guided question for each text focusing on aspects of the text i.e. Combining objective facts, perspective, and relationship between characters.  Hence, teachers and students are recommended to use and practise a variety of texts for analysis from the syllabus and come up with questions that are most relevant to the texts for practice.  Not ideal but still an excellent way to prepare for paper 1.

Fortunately, the same skills of analysis and writing are needed to be successful at both the SL and HL, it just takes the HL longer.  In the past, there was a focus to include different elements on both papers, what was called the Big 5, and those have been kept inherently within the assessment in criterion A and B for both SL and HL Paper 1.  This was a whole text analysis; with the implementation of guiding questions the answer will be more focused.  The only practical difference between the two levels is that SL has 1 hour and 15 minutes whereas HL has 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete the task.  In both assessments, the unseen texts are taken from any of the text types listed in the course requirements and should be either covered within the instruction and/or documented in the learner portfolio. For criterion C and D in paper 1, the IB rewards students for their use of language and organization.  This is a valuable area for students and teachers to pay close attention to because it is worth half of the total marks on paper 1.  A student who shows conciseness and clarity in their writing and organises his/her thoughts well can help improve his/her overall grade.

Paper 2 is not part of the assessment this year as IB has removed it because of Covid19 and many schools have not had the time to cover the entire literature syllabus.  At HL there still is an impetus to cover most of the text because they still are contributing factors in the writing of the HL paper and the IO.  Many schools have been still in virtual school settings and it is challenging to teach the required literature coverage for Paper 2 for reasons mentioned earlier.   However, because of the removal of Paper 2 there has been a shift in weighting for the course.  For SL and HL, Paper 1 was initially worth 35% overall but now SL has been re-weighted to 55% and HL is worth 50%.  This has put more eggs in one basket, but it was a necessary change to make room for the removal of Paper 2 for both SL and HL.

The oral component of the course remains as a crucial aspect of learning and assessment.  It has been changed from what was called Individual Oral Component (IOC) to Individual Oral.  Perhaps just a semantic change in that regard, but for all intents and purposes the IO has changed completely in its preparation and assessment.  Overall, the newly adjusted IO assessment criterion remains the same for both SL and HL.  However, the only difference is that for SL the IO weighting has been changed from 30% to 45% and the HL IO has gone from 20% to 25%.  This has caused some consternation among students and teachers, more for the SL, but there is opportunity to practice skills and guidance from the teachers to be successful.  In keeping with the change from a more teacher centred to a more learner centred approach the IB has allowed the students to choose their own non-literary text and select a literary text within the coverage of the course.  Each of these texts are connected through a global issue that is the thread that weaves them together.  This is all done through the preparation for their oral and within the guidance from the teacher.  This is also a shift from a more exclusively literature focus with extracts selected by the teachers with the students randomly selecting a teacher selected text and having 10 to 15 minutes to prepare for their IOC on the day of their assessment.  The onus is now on the student to select their non-literary text, linked to the portfolio, and literary text through the lens of a global perspective and make a personal connection through context and content allowing varied opportunity for analysis and more importantly allow for more of an international mindedness perspective.  Teachers must make sure that the students have made these connections throughout the teaching and learning with core skills of analysis of non-literary and literary skills to shine through the students’ personal textual choices.

The HL paper is primarily a traditional essay.  It is stupendous practice for paper 2, which is not part of the assessment this year, and students will need to structure their essay in a way that has a thesis statement, introduction, topic sentences, quotations and a conclusion.  Interestingly, it looks and feels like an English Extended Essay.  The criterion is broken up into 4 parts, A through to D.  The first two criteria largely focus on the students understanding, interpretations of the implication of the topic, supporting relevant textual examples and how they use that information to shape meaning.  Criterion C and D rewards student for organising and structuring their essay effectively and using a rich vocabulary with an appropriate style and register.

You might be asking yourself how the IO and the portfolio is connected to the external components of the course.  The answer is straightforward, skills, skills and more skills.  The IB has made it clear that the skills the students are adopting, incorporating, and utilising are throughout the entire curriculum.  The old syllabus was more pigeonholed in some regard, although not completely, but now the skills in the new syllabus are front and centre in all aspects of their learning.  This is a welcomed, albeit anytime there is change and challenging one, maturation to the English Language and Literature syllabus.