IB

IB English Literature SL

IB English A: Literature SL is a two-year course that explores prose fiction, prose non-fiction, drama, and poetry. Students examine how texts, contexts, readers, and writers shape meaning while developing strong reading, writing, speaking, and analytical skills through thoughtful literary interpretation.

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.

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 and Paper 1. Explore key literary texts with models, flashcards, and practice to strengthen IB English performance.

Flashcards

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

Course Structure and Content

IB English A: Literature SL students study at least seven literary works during the two-year course. The focus is a deep appreciation of literature and the ability to think critically while analyzing and interpreting the authorial choices of each work and how they shape meaning concerning themes and global issues. HL students are evaluated through Paper 1, Paper 2, 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 IO must include one text in English and one translated from any other language into English.

More IB English Resources

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

Frequently Asked Questions

This course is an exploration of literary texts. At the SL level, students will study at least seven literary works with a minimum of two in translation. 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 Ora. Paper 1 focuses on guided textual analysis, while Paper 2 is a comparative literary essay. The Individual Oral requires students to discuss a relevant Global Issue through two literary texts (one in translation).
Students must read all literary texts carefully with their teacher and uncover the key themes and authorial choices that shape meaning for readers. 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.