1. IB English Paper II

2. IB Assessments… where Paper 2 is
Essay (prompt)
20%: World Literature assignments

3. ONLY choose ONE prompt Important tip #1
(read quote); notice that it says “systematic,” which means that there is an organizational method to the “comments” on a literary work.

4. Important tip #2: (Prose: The Novel and Short Story)…
ONLY choose one of the two questions in Section 3
(Prose: The Novel and Short Story)… OR
One of the four questions in Section 5 (General Questions on Literature)
Important tip #2:
The Oxford english dictionary also states that it is an analysis of the words on a page—meaning, you will not necessarily get a “key passage” to discuss when you do your written commentary in 12th grade.

5. Important tip #3
You MUST base your answer on at least TWO of the Part 3 works you have studied: ?

6. You may include in your answer a discussion of a Part Two work… OF THE SAME GENRE, if relevant
ANSWERS WHICH ARE NOT BASED ON A DISCUSSION OF AT LEAST TWO Part 3 works will not score high marks
If you choose a Novel or Short Story question, you only may use… ?

7. You’re being assessed in five areas
Knowledge and understanding of works
Response to the question
Appreciation of literary features
Presentation
Formal use of language

8. CRITERION A A: Knowledge and Understanding of Works
. How well does the candidate know the works studied?
. How much understanding has the candidate shown of the works studied in relation
to the question answered?
. How detailed and/or appropriate are the candidate’s references to the works studied?

9. IB examiners say… KNOW YOUR BOOKS! Best strategy? Review annotations!
The ending!! * The title!! (if one is given) * The SO WHAT of the passage or the piece’s literary value * What the dominant effect was meant to be (and how it was achieved).

10. CRITERION B B: Response to the Question
. How well has the candidate understood the specific demands of the question?
. To what extent has the candidate responded to these demands?
. How well has the candidate illustrated claims?
. To what extent has the candidate expressed a relevant personal response?

11. Remember, two types of questions
Questions specific to “Prose: The Novel and Short Story”
Questions specific to “General Questions on Literature”

12. “Prose: The Novel and Short Story”
“How far, and in what ways, do writers present issues of self awareness and/or self-deception in two or three novels or short stories you have studied?”
“Symbols and/or motifs are an essential element of many novels and short stories. How have either or both of these devices been used and, in your opinion, how successfully, in two or three of the works you have studied?”

13. “Prose: The Novel and Short Story”
“ ‘My own preference is for a story that is kaleidoscopic, with a number of different voices rather than one character speaking for the entire novel or short story.’ Focusing on single and/or multiple voices, discuss the effects of viewpoint in two or three novels or short stories you have studied.”
“ ‘The characters of a novel can only be individualised if they are set in a background of a particularised time and place’. How important is the setting of a particular time and/or place to the development of the characters? Refer in detail to at least two novels or short stories.”

14. “Prose: The Novel and Short Story”
“ ‘The art of the storyteller is to hold the attention of the reader.’ With reference to two or three works you have studied, discuss ways in which the writers have employed techniques that hold your attention.”
“Literature is often about crossing boundaries, both physically and mentally. In what ways, and to what extent, does the crossing of boundaries contribute to two or three works you have studied?”

15. “Prose: The Novel and Short Story”
“ Discuss the ways in which at least two novels or short stories you have studied demonstrate that the search for identity can be a conscious or an unconscious process.”
“ ‘Defiance becomes our duty in the face of injustice.’ Referring to at least two works you have studied, exxplore the ways in which the writers have attemptedd to persuade us to accept or challenge this view.”

16. “General Questions on Literature”
“ ‘Why won’t writers allow children simply to be children?’ Discuss the presentation and significance of children, or the state of childhood, in at least two works you have studied in the light of this complaint.”
“It is said that writers are the conscience of the world. In what ways have at least two of the works you have studied encouraged you to appreciate or question this assertion?

17. “General Questions on Literature”
“ ‘Art is a lie that makes us realise the truth.’ In what ways have at least two of the works you have studied encouraged you to appreciate or question this assertion?”
“ ‘Although doubt is not a pleasant condition, certainty is an absurd one.’ In the light of this statement, explore the impressions of doubt and/or certainty conveyed in at least two works you have studied.”

18. IB EXAMINERS SAY…
One of the biggest area of concern continues to be the response to the question.
Some candidates had difficulty defining the terms of questions (description, social statement, etc.) and as a result had a vague and shifting focus throughout their essays.

19. Squeezing a rhombus in a trapazoidal peg?
Other candidates seemed to have prepared themselves to write another essay - a survey of all of the characterization techniques in a couple of works, for example - and were determined to write it regardless of the exact intent of the question. Some candidates only addressed part of the question at hand or ignored the idea of “effect” or issues of the writer‘s craft even when the question specifically required this kind of focus.

20. CRITERION C C: Appreciation of Literary Features
. To what extent is the candidate aware of the presence of literary features in the
works, such as diction, imagery, tone, structure, style and technique?
. To what extent does the candidate appreciate the effects of the literary features in
relation to the question?
. How well has the candidate supported claims about the effects of literary features?

21. IB Examiners say…
While thorough, detailed analysis is expected, and overly brief essays of 1-3 pages often don‘t score well, an overly long “shotgun approach” to the essay also tends not to score as well as might be expected.

22. IB EXAMINERS SAY…
“While long essays at times provide evidence of knowledge or intense preparation, they are in danger of falling short in terms of presentation and/or focused response to the question.
“Students need to be told to be clear, precise, concise, focused, and pertinent rather that broad and all-encompassing.”

23. CRITERION D D: Presentation
. How well has the candidate organized the essay?
. How effectively have the candidate’s ideas been presented?
. To what extent are supporting examples integrated into the body of the essay?

24. IB EXAMINERS SAY…
“Another area of concern was organization beyond the basic structure cited above.
“Candidates had difficulty producing an organized argument and did not take advantage of purposeful paragraphing.
“Too many candidates seemed to have simply written as much as possible, as fast as possible, in one large chunk per book.”

25. CITATIONS
Textual citation is very valuable in making a convincing argument, and students should be encouraged to memorize significant passages from relevant works.
The use of memorized citations that do not fit the argument or the question, however, calls into question understanding of the works and grasp of the question at hand.

26. SO WHAT DO WE DO?
Students should be encouraged to find passages and quotations that are interesting to them (rather than taken from a list memorized by the entire class), and to use them only when clearly appropriate.
While some scripts lacked the detail to carry an argument, others cite well. Specific citation and the use of quotes, however, did present candidates who used inappropriate or irrelevant support for ideas.

27. OH, THERE’S MORE.
“While candidates often quite rightly come to a better understanding through the process of writing the exam essay, some candidates seemed to have given very little thought to the demands of the question or to specific, relevant portions of the texts, before starting to write.”

28. CRITERION E E: Formal Use of Language
How accurate, clear and precise is the language used by the candidate?
How appropriate is the candidate.s choice of register and style for this task?
(Register refers, in this context, to the candidate.s sensitivity to elements such as
the vocabulary, tone, sentence structure and idiom appropriate to the task.)

29. IB EXAMINERS SAY:
This had continued to be a strength; few candidates had serious problems.

30. IB EXAMINER’S KUDOS FROM LAST YEAR:
After looking at the work of a large and diverse group of candidates, it is worth noting that a majority of students can and do read, think about their reading, and communicate their ideas about texts.
Examiners agree that most of the candidates have a clear grasp of the task at hand on paper two of the exam. In general, candidates produce an adequately structured (almost all have some sort of introduction, body, and conclusion) essay that includes correct information about the works studied.

31. IB EXAMINER’S KUDOS FROM LAST YEAR:
Almost all of the candidates have an ability to summarize accurately and produce detailed paraphrase (which can obviously be problematic, but does show some knowledge and understanding).
Many candidates have at least a reasonable understanding of their works and have clearly been prepared well in terms of approach to particular texts and to the demands of answering a variety of questions.

32. IB EXAMINER’S KUDOS FROM LAST YEAR:
On another positive note, some examiners remarked that handwriting seemed to be greatly improved in their particular allocation.
Examiners agree that most of the candidates have a clear grasp of the task at hand on paper two of the exam. In general, candidates produce an adequately structured (almost all have some sort of introduction, body, and conclusion) essay that includes correct information about the works studied.

33. TIPS FROM IB
EXAMINERS:

34. FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS
Encourage students to spend time thinking, taking notes, planning, and outlining.

35. ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE
Work on the structuring of arguments.

36. WRITE LEGIBLY!
write legibly. It is difficult to give credit for that which cannot be read with relative ease.
Continue to work on or encourage neat handwriting (maybe this will be a less important issue as electronic exams become more widespread).

37. Know your rubrics!
carefully study the Descriptors and their demands in preparation for the examination; recognise the centrality of Criterion B; and appreciate that the ability to respond to the question at hand is CRITICAL to success in Paper 2.

38. Finally, IB examiners say…
Practicing English Paper 1 is encouraged, this strategy is less effective for Paper 2. Preparation that is geared to out-thinking the exam (by preparing general essay answers in advance, memorizing stock statements about works, adhering to restrictive formulaic structures) can be unsuccessful.

39. IB examiners say…
The best way to succeed is to keep an open mind…
Know your texts…
And learn your passages!