IB

IB English Language & Literature HL

IB English A: Language and Literature HL is a two-year course that develops critical reading, analytical thinking, and communication skills. Students explore a range of non-literary texts, including advertisements, films, documentaries, and other media, alongside literary works, analyzing how purposeful choices shape meaning and influence audiences.

Questionbank

Develop your analytical skills through in-depth study of a variety of texts. No pre-reading required!

Practice Exams

Choose your revision tool! Contains topic quizzes for focused study, Revision Village mock exams covering the whole syllabus, and the revision ladder to precisely target your learning.

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IB English Guys

Paper solutions, samples, and analytical skills explanations curated by the IB English guys to pump up your scores.

Past Papers

Full worked solutions to all past paper questions, taught by experienced IB instructors.

Literary & Assessment Bootcamps

Work through these Revision Village Bootcamps to excel on the IO, HLE, and Paper 1. Explore key literary texts with models, flashcards, and practice to strengthen IB English performance.

Flashcards

Develop your understanding in IB English Language and Literature HL using custom-built flashcards, perfect for quick study sessions on desktop or mobile app.

Course Structure and Content

Students study six literary texts at the HL level, including prose fiction, prose non-fiction, poetry, and drama. An equal number of “bodies of work” will also be studied in class, and these texts are directly applied to the assessment model. HL students are evaluated through Paper 1, Paper 2, the Individual Oral, and the Higher Level Essay.

For Paper 1, students must answer two questions and write a guided textual analysis of a guiding question. Paper 2 is the same for all courses, and this task requires students to choose one of four questions and write a comparative literary essay using two works seen in class. The Individual Oral is a 10-minute recorded presentation followed by a 5-minute Q&A session with the teacher. The goal is to show how the content and form of a work (Literature) and a body of work (Language) support a Global Issue from the course content.

Lastly, students must complete the Higher Level Essay, which is a 1500-word essay centered around a Line of Inquiry developed by the student.

More IB English Resources

Language & Literature SL
Language & Literature HL
Literature SL
Literature HL

Frequently Asked Questions

This course is an exploration of both literary and non-literary texts. At the HL level, students will study six literary works and a similar number of non-literary bodies of work. The goal is to build close reading, writing, and speaking skills to prepare students for university coursework and beyond.
Students in this course will have four distinct assessments: Paper 1, Paper 2, Individual Oral, and the Higher Level Essay. Paper 1 focuses on textual analysis, while Paper 2 is a comparative literary essay. The Individual Oral requires students to discuss a relevant Global Issue through a literary and non-literary text. The Higher Level Essay is a formal academic essay that follows a Line of Inquiry of the student’s choosing.
Students must read all literary texts carefully with their teacher and uncover the key themes and authorial choices that shape meaning for readers. Students must also acquire the visual literacy skills required to unpack visual texts. Revision Village provides a myriad of activities to help students build the skills they need to succeed.
RV provides a range of features to help students achieve the results they want on exams. The Questionbank contains numerous case studies to help build Paper 1 and Paper 2 skills. Prediction and Past Papers are a great place to get solutions to exams, and the Literary Bootcamps provide a powerful resource to review commonly taught literary texts. All content comes with explanatory videos to help students master key content.