IB

IB English Language & Literature SL

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

Literary & Assessment Bootcamps

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

Questionbank

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

IB English Guys

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

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.

Past Papers

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

Summary Notes

Concise, downloadable revision sheets covering the key concepts, key terms, and exam strategies you need for IB success.

New

Flashcards

Use multiple-choice questions and study crucial terminology on desktop or mobile app to improve your marks!

Course Structure and Content

IB English Language and Literature students will study four literary texts in class at the SL level. They will also study an equal number of non-literary “bodies of work” with their teacher and class. Students at the SL level will be assessed through three major assessments: Paper 1, Paper 2, and the Individual Oral.

For Paper 1, students will choose one of two texts and write a guided textual analysis to 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 from class. The Individual Oral is a 10-minute recording 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.

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 SL level, students will study four 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 three distinct assessments: Paper 1, Paper 2, and the Individual Oral. 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.
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.