english paper 1 essays

IBDP English A: Language & Literature

InThinking Revision Sites for students

Website by Neil Allen

Updated 2 February 2023

Free Access Weekend!

P1 - examination questions, p2 - examination questions, individual oral, the learner portfolio, extended essay, essential knowledge.

• DP Chemistry
• DP English A: Language & Literature
• DP Maths: Analysis & Approaches
• DP Maths: Applications & Interpretations SL
• DP Spanish B

   Paper 1 Home Free Access Weekend! P1 - Examination Questions P2 - Examination Questions Start Here Paper 2 Individual Oral HL Essay The Learner Portfolio Extended Essay Essential Knowledge Resources  

• Paper 1 - Frequently Asked Questions
• Paper 1 - Structuring a Guided Textual Analysis
• Paper 1 - Video Guide to Textual Analysis
• Paper 1 - Writing Guiding Questions
• Paper 1 - Student Examples: Comic Strip
• Paper 1 - More Samples
• Paper 1 - Dealing with Infographics
• Paper 1 - Examination Strategy
• Paper 1 - Writing a Guided Textual Analysis

So much of your success in written assessment is knowing what good looks like, what is expected, and therefore how to be successful. Paper 1, of course, relies on your independent ability to read and understand a previously unseen text. However well you understand the text, though, you need to know what successful work looks like.

What is expected?

Paper 1 requires you to read and understand a previously unseen text of challenging quality. You can expect one of the texts to be predominantly visual, and the other to be multimodal (with more text but with some visual elements). Recognising different text types and having knowledge of their features is a key capacity for success. However, as Dylan Wiliam once said, [most] students don't know what successful work looks like, and so no matter how good your understanding you need to know how to go about structuring a response, something that in turn will help your thinking as you approach unseen texts. More ideas on how to structure can be seen in  Paper 1 - Structuring a Guided Textual Analysis . 

A Guided Textual Analysis on a previously unseen (single) non-literary text is one of the assessment components for which we can look to the old course for guidance, as it was exactly the Paper 1 assessment of the old Standard Level course. As explained elsewhere, the selection of the texts by the IBDP examiners tended to encourage the students to consider topical internationalist issues. However, the difference now is that students MUST respond to the guiding question, or reject the guiding question and essentially create one of their own, that becomes the main line of inquiry of the response. A full commentary on the text is no longer required nor desired.

Students must, however, display analytical and evaluative skill. This process of analysis and evaluation is explored in  Paper 2 - Analysis and Evaluation ; the same process applies when analysing literary and non-literary works and texts.

Example Texts

Take a read of the two texts presented in this old Paper 1 (SL) Guided Textual Analysis assessment .

Consider the text type, its conventions and stylistic features, and what the thematic meaning and message of the text might be. Look carefully at the guided questions, and decide how you would construct a response around answers to them. Finally, think about the movement and development of the text, and consider how you would construct a "movement paragraph" (with embedded quotations) exploring how the text begins, shifts, develops and concludes, as discussed elsewhere.

Student Sample Work

Read the following student response to Text 1:

The literary article adapted from the essay written by Gavin Francis in "The London Review of Books" was published on March 6th in the year of 2014. In his essay, Francis aimed to deliver an essay which was appealing to a wide audience and not only medical students as it might first be assumed. He does so by describing the process of rediscovering the beauty of medicine and the human body, through its complexity but also its harmonic embodiment.

When the readers first discover the article they are quickly guided away from the misonception that the article is mainly medical. Certainly it is filled with many medical terms such as 'systole' (l.18) or 'aortic stenosis' (l.28) but it equally juxtaposes this with a myriad of metaphors describing the beauty of the human body. This first example of juxtaposition appears when the act of listening to a patient's heart using a 'stethoscope' (l.1) is compared with the daily act of 'laying our heads against the breasts of our loves' (l.2). This association of these two distinct processes are found throughout the article.

It is important to note that the literary magazine also publishes book reviews as well as topical articles on politics, history, science and the arts. Therefore readers come from different backgrounds of interests and the author must adapt his writing to make it accessible to a wider audience. The entire duality of the scientific and literary is illustrated in the oxymoron 'intimate yet detached' (l.5) the author describes when discussing the traditional method of listening to the heart without a stethoscope. Moreover, not only is this a duality, as the text progresses the two develop a harmonic relationship. The sound of blood flow is continuously compared to the ocean. This concept will be discussed further along this commentary. Overall, the author is able to develop a relaxed atmosphere of wonder and comfort which he does so by repeatedly referring to the imagery of the ocean and water - 'conch shell' (l.11), 'just as a river' (l.12), 'imagined ocean' (l.11). Furthermore, word choices such as 'warm' (l.30), 'reassure' (l.33), 'comforting' (l.28) further accentuate this. This comforting mood embodies the harmony between medicine and the appeal of life.

As discussed previously, the harmony exisiting between the medicine and literary references encourages the readers to develop a new perspective on medicine. Francis decided to mainly focus on the idea of comparing listening to a patient's heart beat to the movement and sound of water to be able to develop his concept in greater detail. The narrator of the article continuously establishes connections between the movement of 'air frothing with blood' (l.9-10) with placing a 'conch shell' (l.11) against your ear as a child. This metaphor illustrates the different perspective that a doctor, with several years of experience can continue to develop, and 'rediscover' (l.4). Following this description, Francis develops a more medical passage describing the components of the heart, 'there are four valves' (l.15). This is then followed by a reference to the same doctor but at the beginning of his career, when he had to rely on distinguishing his childhood memory of the sound of a 'conch shell' from the blood flow. By juxtaposing the two facets of the doctor, this enables the readers to develop an understanding of the doctor's development. He even refers to the different sounds as 'seagull' and 'musical murmur' (l.27). By doing so, the blood flow has now become in harmony with the musicality of the ocean and 'waves of the sea' (l.10). Moreover, in the same sentence, Francis describes the 'grate of mitral regurgitation from the trill of aortic stenosis' (l.27-28). This alliteration in 't' embodies the musicality of the science. The author aimed to illustrate to his audience that not only in medicine but in any career in general, one could rediscover the beauty of the science with a change in perspective.

Francis also incorporates elements in his text to appeal to his broad audience. With the use of the anaphora 'our heads', 'our lovers', 'our parents', 'our children', the author develops a relation with the readers and associates with them, notably with the use of the personal pronoun 'our'. Furthermore, he appeals with the medical audience by giving tips to the readers such as 'it helps if you stick a finger in the unoccupied ear' (l.5-6). He also clearly explains the different parts of the heart by naming the structures using brackets '(diastole)' (l.21), as well as an italic font and writing the words between dashes '- the mitral and the tricuspid -'. This way his audience can be both advanced medical students or any other person with a general anatomic understanding. In addition, numerous references to the auditory senses are made, prominently where describing the sea and blood flow. This way, the audience can use the personal experience to understand and connect with the author's experiences. At the end of the article, the author describes reassuring a mother which develops empathy for the author from the reader's behalf. All in all, the article is accessible for a wide audience range. 

To conclude with, the adapetd essay written by Francis aims to illustrate the harmony which exists between a more scientific subject matter such as medicine and a literary interpretation of it. By doing so, the author portrays the beauty and wonder of the human body. Another important note is that this is accessible to a wide audience of diverse backgrounds which can all appeal to the author's intents and relate this to their own experiences. With a change of perspective, one can rediscover their own area of expertise. The element of harmony is emphasised by the conlcuding sentence 'two rhythms within one, two lives within one body' (l.42).

Now, using the  Marking Criteria , establish what you would give the student out of 20 for this response. Break your marks down into:

A: Understanding and Interpretation (5)

B: Analysis and Evaluation (5)

C: Focus and Organisation (5)

D: Language (5)

Remember that criteria A & B refer to the student's subject understanding, and criteria C & D refer to the student's own use of language and structure.

Now look at the marks and commentary awarded by the examiner:

Demonstrates very good understanding of the purpose and the audience, and good knowledge of stylistic features. Could be developed further. Just at times, the response veers into descriptive rather than analytical, feeling a little more like a "paint-by-numbers" comment on purpose and audience, as opposed to an authentic analysis and evaluation of craft and thematic effect. Crucially, and this is where the mark comes down in A, doesn't always stick to the guiding question but becomes more of a commentary on the full text, which is not required nor desired.

In general, this text shows an interesting blend of a scientific and an artistic / linguistic understanding of the world. It celebrates, to some extent, the old ways of doing things - the instinct of the expert and the value of human judgement - and thus perhaps urges caution in trusting only the mechanisms of science and technology in the modern age. In order to exemplify this, scientific and biological processes are described through the artistic medium of descriptive language and metaphor.

This example - despite its faults most notably with language near the end of the piece - is good evidence for how a well-constructed response, with appropriately balanced paragraphs and lots of line-referenced quotation, does well. Much of that quotation is embedded, but also enough is deconstructed in terms of technique and effect too.

Why don't you try writing a response to Text 2 and asking me to mark it for you! 

How much of Paper 1 - Writing a Guided Textual Analysis have you understood?

Which of the following best describes your feedback?

Choose Your Test

• Search Blogs By Category
• College Admissions
• AP and IB Exams
• GPA and Coursework

Every IB English Past Paper Available: Free and Official

International Baccalaureate (IB)

In this article, I cover IB English Literature SL/HL , IB English Language and Literature SL/HL , and IB Literature and Performance SL exams. These are the core language A options for English speakers.

The IB English exams are essay based tests that require you to either a) analyze texts provided on the exam, or b) write analytical essays based on the books, poems, and other literature you've studied throughout the semester. That means one of the best ways to prepare for the exam is checking out past essays to see what writers did right...and where they got off track.

But where can you find IB English past papers, free and paid? Don't worry: we'll help you find past papers to study with and talk about how you can get the most out of these past papers during your study time.

feature image source: Books Stack Book Store Of /Pixabay

These past papers are free as a bird (or birds, in this case).

Where to Find Free IB English Past Papers: Official Resources

The IB has been cracking down on illegally uploaded past papers for the past few years, so a lot of previous sources are no longer available. IB has however, uploaded a few official past exams that you can view for free online. Below are links to the official IB English Past Papers provided by the IBO.

• English A: literature higher level/standard level: papers 1 & 2
• English A1 higher level: paper 2
• English standard level A2: paper 2

Since these are officially distributed by the IBO, these are the papers and exams you should use as a starting point as you study for your test. You need REAL IB English past papers to get realistic practice.

Where to Find Free IB English Past Papers: Unofficial Resources

Like we mentioned earlier, the IBO has been cracking down on unofficial English HL/SL papers online. However, there are still a few places where you can find past papers that have been uploaded by other users. 

One big caveat: these resources are unvetted, which means the quality of the papers is all over the place. Only use these resources after you've worked with—and studied!—the official papers above . And of course:  do not plagiarize  the ideas in any of the unofficial papers you find! 

IBResources.org 

This student-led initiative allows users to contribute past papers and other study resources to a free repository online. There are quite a few free English A SL/HL papers available on the site. You'll have to navigate a kind of clunky file interface to find them, but once you do, you'll have many free, unofficial papers to peruse. 

Reddit.com's IBO Subreddit

By searching the subreddit, you'll be able to find user-uploaded paper examples for the English IB exam . You'll have to sift through individual threads, but with some elbow grease, you'll find more free and unofficial English A SL/HL papers here. 

These papers aren't free...but if you're looking for high quality study resources beyond the official IBO ones above, these fit the bill.

Where to Find Paid IB English Past Papers

The only safe and reliable place to buy IB English past papers is from the IBO at the Follet IB Store . There are tons of scams floating around, so we don't recommend you purchase past IB English papers from anywhere else!

The IBO sells past IB English Literature SL papers, IB English Literature HL papers, IB English Language and Literature SL papers, IB English Language and Literature HL papers, and IB Literature and Performance SL papers from 2013 onward.

The site is somewhat hard to navigate, but using the search bar several times got me where I wanted to be eventually.

You're already giving maximum effort. Now maximize your outcomes! 

How to Get the Most of Each Past Paper

One complete test will take you 3 hours for SL or 4 hours for HL . If you are going to invest that much time, you need to be maximizing your learning. To do so, follow these rules.

Rule 1: Build up Your Endurance

The IBO used to split the English exam up over two days, so you would take one essay each day. As of 2021 that's no longer the case, meaning you'll have to take the full exam in one sitting. 

Here's what that means for you: you'll be doing  lots  of analyzing, writing, and thinking on test day. That can be exhausting! To make sure you have the energy you'll need to succeed, start building up your mental endurance now. 

The best way to do that is to have real-time practice sessions . On a weekend, set aside the three to four hours you'll have on test day, then write sample essays based on the writing prompts from past papers.  This will help you get a sense for what test day will be like, and you'll be able to optimize your writing process so you don't run out of time. 

Rule 2: Time Yourself

You need to get used to the timing. Here is the time allowed:

English Literature SL

• Paper 1 (Guided Textual Analysis)—1 hour 15 minutes
• Paper 2 (Comparative Essay)—1 hour 45 minutes

English Literature HL

• Paper 1 (Guided Textual Analysis)—2 hours 15 minutes
• Students will also submit a pre-written essay that's 1200 to 1500 words long. 

English Language and Literature SL

English language and literature hl, literature and performance sl.

• Paper 1 (Issues in Dramatizing a Novel)—1 hour 30 minutes
• Paper 2 (Comparative Essay)—1 hour 30 minutes
• Students will also submit an essay that critically analyzes a work and said student's performance of that work

Make sure you stick to this exact timing. Don't give yourself any extra time. Otherwise, you will not be prepared for the pacing of the actual test.

Research to Action / Flickr, used under CC BY-SA 2.0

Rule 3: Review With the Mark Scheme

After completing your full test, review your answers. You must review to learn from your errors and not make them on the actual test.  And that means going over your essays with a critical eye. 

Take an hour to review. While this may seem like you are wasting time that you could be spending on other practice, it's not. You need to emphasize the quality of your practice and no the quantity of practice. I'd rather you take two practice tests with good review than eight tests with no review.

You may also consider giving your practice essays to your English teacher or other qualified mentor to review. They can give you additional insights that will help you improve your analytical and writing skills before test day! 

What's Next?

Want more tips for IB English? Then check out our complete IB English study guide for all the info you need.

Impatient to get your IB scores? Learn when IB results and scores come out.

Did you know that you can take some IB classes online? Check out our complete guide to online IB courses , including which classes you can take online and if you can get an online IB diploma.

Trending Now

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

ACT vs. SAT: Which Test Should You Take?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Get Your Free

Find Your Target SAT Score

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect SAT Score, by an Expert Full Scorer

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading and Writing

How to Improve Your Low SAT Score

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading and Writing

Find Your Target ACT Score

Complete Official Free ACT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer

Get a 36 on ACT English

Get a 36 on ACT Math

Get a 36 on ACT Reading

Get a 36 on ACT Science

How to Improve Your Low ACT Score

Get a 24 on ACT English

Get a 24 on ACT Math

Get a 24 on ACT Reading

Get a 24 on ACT Science

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

As an SAT/ACT tutor, Dora has guided many students to test prep success. She loves watching students succeed and is committed to helping you get there. Dora received a full-tuition merit based scholarship to University of Southern California. She graduated magna cum laude and scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT. She is also passionate about acting, writing, and photography.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

• [email protected]
• Get 21% OFF . Use the code: FIRST21

IB Paper 1 Writing Guide

Table of contents.

As a teacher for the IB for many years, I’ve seen firsthand how excited and nervous people are about IB Paper 1. This essential test checks not only how well you can understand but also how well you can study and write on different texts you haven’t seen before.

What Is IB English Paper 1?

As an experienced IB teacher, I can say that IB English Paper 1 is often seen as one of the most challenging and exciting parts of the Diploma Programme. It requires students to think critically and deeply about texts to examine and understand literary and non-literary works they have not seen before.

When you sit for this exam, you are presented with one or more texts, often varying by level — Standard Level (SL) students typically analyze one text, while Higher Level (HL) students may be given two. The texts could be short stories, poems, scenes from plays, or even things that aren’t literary, like ads or opinions. It’s not enough to just understand these texts; you must also break them down quickly to find deeper meanings and theme details. Here is a list of what to expect:

• Different texts . You can expect to hear a lot of different types of genres and styles. This variety tests how flexible you are and how well you can use your logical skills in various kinds of writing.
• Focus on analysis . You must consider how the text’s language, organization, and style affect its general meaning for the test.
• Critical engagement . You must think critically about the text, explain possible readings , and discuss how literary methods work.

To do well with these parts, you need to know a lot about literature analysis and be able to organize your thoughts quickly.

What Is the IB English Paper 1 Format?

IB English Paper 1 is an analysis assignment based on a book or texts you have not seen. All Higher Level students usually have to look at two unknown texts, one of which could be a prose passage and the other a poem or another type of writing. Standard Level students only have to look at one unseen prose passage or poem. HL students can show their critical skills in various text types by choosing from them. Here is a summary of how the test will be set up:

• HL students have two hours, while SL students only have one hour and thirty minutes. You should read, think about, and write comments during this time.
• Students should write a literary essay that analyzes one or more texts in depth. The answer should be well-organized, make sense, and be based on the book’s ideas, language, and structure.
• The test aims to assess your ability to understand and read the text, examine its formal parts, such as organization and style, and discuss the effectiveness of literary elements.

From what I’ve seen, the secret is quickly organizing your thoughts and replying to the text to show how well you understand and can analyze it. You can get much better at this challenging but satisfying part of the IB program by doing time management drills and reading different kinds of books regularly.

For detailed strategies for tackling your upcoming exam, check out our comprehensive IB English Paper 2 guide.

Get Help With Your Paper

How to write ib english paper 1.

Writing IB English Paper 1 might seem challenging, but planning and taking the proper method can be a very mentally satisfying experience. As an experienced IB writer, I’ve helped many students with this paper, and I can say that knowing the text and how to explain your reasoning is critical to success. I will show you the steps that I think are most important for writing an interesting remark.

Pick Your Text Carefully (If It Fits)

The first and most important thing for HL students who must choose between two or more books is picking the right one. You should select the text you are most sure you can understand and analyze. From what I’ve seen, choosing a book you can relate to or find interesting is usually better because it leads to a more profound analysis.

Read the Text and Make Notes on It

Pay close attention to what you’re reading. Making notes right on the test papers can be very helpful from the general IB standards. Look for literary techniques, structure features, and comments about the main idea. Note anything that stands out, like repeats, images, differences, or words that don’t seem to go together.

Plan What You’ll Say

You must plan before you do anything else. Sort your ideas into groups and choose how you want your comments to be structured. A clear opening, a few body lines about different parts of the analysis, and a short end are usually all needed. For the most part, IB rules say that your comments should make sense and connect each point to the main idea or goal of the text.

Write the Beginning

The beginning of your study should set the scene. Outline the main points of the book and state your argument. This thesis should clarify what you think are the most critical parts of the text and why. It will guide the rest of your comments.

Work on Your Body Paragraphs

Each body piece should discuss a different part of the writing, like the idea, the organization, or the language. Start with a topic sentence that tells the reader about the paragraph. From what I’ve seen, it’s crucial to back up each point with literary evidence and explain how that evidence adds to the general effect or meaning of the text.

Finish Your Commentary

In the end, repeat your thesis in light of your analysis. Here is a short recap of the key points that were talked about. If you can, connect them to the text’s more significant meanings. A great ending can improve your comments by showing how much you understand.

Look Over and Fix

If you have time, you should go over your work again. Check for spelling and grammar problems, make sure the comments make sense, and ensure each part supports your argument well. Making changes during this step can make your research more precise and powerful.

You Might Also Like:

• How to Write an Executive Summary for an Essay
• Argumentative Essay Introduction
• How to Write a Good Hook for an Argumentative Essay
• Strong Transition Words for Essays
• How to Write a Reaction Paper About an Article
• How to Ask Questions in an Essay
• How to Create Essay Title

How to Develop Your Writing Skills for IB Paper 1?

You must know what the examiners are looking for a clear understanding, well-thought-out reasons, and an analysis that makes sense. IB standards say that a well-written answer should combine quotes and textual proof with critical comments in a way that doesn’t look awkward. Here are some specific ways to make your writing better:

• Practice regularly . It is essential to practice writing often. It helps you get better at organizing your thoughts quickly and effectively.
• Read activately . You must read a lot of different kinds of books. Look at how other writers make their points and use words, and when it makes sense, try to copy these styles.
• Ask for feedback . Getting feedback from teachers or friends regularly is very helpful. It shows you what to work on and helps you improve your writing .

Focusing on words and sentence form is another good way to do things, in my view. Adding new words to your language and trying out different types of sentences can make your writing much more sophisticated. Also, make sure that every paragraph moves into the next one in a way that makes sense so that the point stays consistent throughout the essay.

Last but not least, always go back and fix your work. From my experience, rewriting is the best way to strengthen and clarify your points. If you make mistakes with language or phrasing, it can hurt the quality of your study as a whole.

Tips for Choosing Texts for IB English Paper 1

Always start by quickly reading through the texts to understand what they’re about and how hard they are to understand. After reading this first summary, you can get a sense of which text you are more likely to understand and interpret correctly.

From what I’ve seen, the next step is to examine the writing’s richness. Look for works that demonstrate literary techniques , different sentence patterns, and unique writing styles. These parts make it easy to write specific comments, which is very important for getting good grades on Paper 1.

Also, when you choose your text, think about the following:

• Complexity vs. comfort . Choose a book that is a good mix of difficult and easy-to-understand. A complicated book might give you more to think about, but be careful — it shouldn’t be so hard to understand the main ideas in the time allotted for the test.
• Interested and involved . I think it’s always easier to write about something you’re interested in. If you’re interested in a text, you’ll probably be able to write a convincing study because your interest will quickly help you understand it better.
• Different kinds of material . If you can, pick a book with many other ideas and points of view. This variety will give you more ways to look at your analysis, which can help show that you have a more profound knowledge of the text.

Another tip is to quickly write down possible thesis statements or points of analysis for each choice. This method can help you determine which text has more critical things to say, which will help you make a better choice.

Last but not least, trust your gut. Through the years, I’ve seen that students do better when they pick a book that has a special connection to them. Being able to think about a text right away and already having views and thoughts about it is a good sign that it’s the right choice for your comments.

IB English Paper 1 is more than just a test; it’s a chance to show how well you can think critically and analyze things. Remember that the best ways to do well on a test are to study regularly and understand how it is set up and the standards. Keep your feelings up and be sure of yourself as you start the paper. Also, remember that you can always get expert assistance at IBStudentHelp.com .

Utilizing Digital Tools for IB Study and Research

How to Balance Extracurricular Activities and IB Studies?

Table of Contents There’s a good reason why many students have trouble balancing IB and extracurriculars. The IB program is hard enough without extracurricular activities,

What Is the IB Learner Profile? Attributes and Benefits

It’s more than just a framework; the IB learner profile is a list of ten traits that are meant to help students become well-rounded, globally aware people. As an IB writer, I can say that these characteristics, like thinking, communicating, and keeping an open mind, help students grow mentally and socially.

How to Write a Successful IB TOK Exhibition?

To make a successful TOK exhibition, carefully choose the objects, provide clear comments, and plan. As a teacher of IB writing for many years, I’ve seen that students who approach the task with an organized plan and a lot of thought often come up with the best presentations. Don’t rush through the process.

How to Prepare for IB Oral Assessments?

Preparing for IB Oral Assessments entails more than simply understanding your content; it also requires mastering the skill of effective speaking under pressure. As an experienced IB writer, I’ve seen that students who begin their preparation early, practice frequently, and grasp the exact criteria that examiners are looking for do well on these assessments.

IB CAS Projects. The Importance of Reflection

By reflecting on your CAS projects, you learn more about your strengths and flaws. This lets you make smart choices and changes as you work on your project. This process of self-reflection ensures that your CAS experience is more than just a list of things to do; it’s a valuable path of growth.

Nick Radlinsky

Nick Radlinsky is a devoted educator, marketing specialist, and management expert with more than 15 years of experience in the education sector. After obtaining his business degree in 2016, Nick embarked on a quest to achieve his PhD, driven by his commitment to enhancing education for students worldwide. His vast experience, starting in 2008, has established him as a reputable authority in the field.

Nick's article, featured in Routledge's " Entrepreneurship in Central and Eastern Europe: Development through Internationalization ," highlights his sharp insights and unwavering dedication to advancing the educational landscape. Inspired by his personal motto, "Make education better," Nick's mission is to streamline students' lives and foster efficient learning. His inventive ideas and leadership have contributed to the transformation of numerous educational experiences, distinguishing him as a true innovator in his field.

© 2024  I Bstudenthelp.com. This website is owned and operated by Udeepi OU Harju maakond, Tallinn, Lasnamäe linnaosa, Sepapaja tn 6, 15551. Disclaimer : Services we provide are only to assist the buyer like a guideline to complete any kind of writing assignment. Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions Cookie Policy Revision Policy Refund Policy

• Cambridge Core (Institutional access)
• Books Catalogue (Individuals)
• English Language Learning
• Digital Products
• Rights & Permissions
• Conference Venues
• Digital Learning
• Professional Development

• Mathematics
• Modern Foreign Languages
• Active Learning
• Approaches to Learning
• Assessment for Learning
• Dedicated Teacher Awards
• Differentiation
• Teacher Development
• Teaching Tips

Top tips for Paper 1 for IB Language B

Brad Philpot

• Share on Facebook
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Twitter

The International Baccalaureate has published a guide for Language B for the Diploma Programme. With a new guide comes new components of assessment and marking criteria. The new Paper 1 is a writing exam worth 25% of the final course grade. Students are asked to write a response to one of three prompts, selecting one of three types of texts. Standard level student responses should be between 250-400 words and higher level responses should be between 450-600 words.

Here are Brad’s tips for students tackling Paper 1

1. Remember the themes

Each prompt asks you to write something to someone for some reason, but really they want you to explore and make connections to one of the prescribed themes from the course: identities, experiences, social organization, human ingenuity and sharing the planet. Think about topics you explored in class in relation to these themes and incorporate one into your response. 

2. Select the text type carefully

Each prompt offers you three text types to choose from. One of the three is probably inappropriate and if you select this you will lose marks on Criterion C: Conceptual understanding. For example, if the prompt asks you to write your opinion for a wider audience, selecting ‘journal’ as a text type will limit your opportunities. ‘Blog’ or ‘speech’ would be more appropriate.

3. Annotate the prompt

Very few students annotate the exam booklet, but you are allowed to write all over it with different coloured pens, highlighters and pencils. You can write questions for yourself, underline words and eventually outline your response. 

4. Unpack the verbs in the prompt

When annotating the prompt, pay special attention to the verbs. They relate to the purpose of the text that you have to write. ‘Explain’, ‘inform’ and ‘evaluate’ are a few of the verbs you might read in a prompt. Find synonyms for these verbs. Make sure you actually do what it asks in order to score well on Criterion B: Message (12 marks).

5. Apply the five concepts

Four of the five concepts from this course are part of Criterion C: Conceptual understanding (6 marks): audience, purpose, meaning and context. For whom are you writing (audience)? Why are you writing (purpose)? How will you use language to construct meaning? When and where might your audience read your text (context)? Consider these questions carefully before writing your response.  

6. Follow the conventions of the text type

Does your personal letter sound like a real personal letter? Does your speech sound like a speech? Every text type has a set of conventions or structural and stylistic features. Speeches often include anecdotes, letters of complaint include an argument and pamphlets have bullet points. Know the characteristics of several text types before you take Paper 1. See Chapter 6 of the new Coursebook for examples and exercises on text types.

7. Adopt a persona

Use your imagination to include details, examples and arguments in response to the prompt. Pretend to be someone in order to make your response sound authentic and typical of the text type. 

8. Proofread!

Language proficiency, after all, is worth 12 out of the 30 marks. Besides including varied sentence structures and appropriate vocabulary, make sure your use of language is accurate and not sloppy. Proofread carefully. Double-space your hand-written response, so that changes can be made later and the examiner has room to comment.

Brad Philpot is an experienced IB teacher, examiner, workshop leader, consultant and author. He is the author of both  English B for the IB   and  English A: Language & Literature for the IB   published by Cambridge University Press. He is the director of Philpot Education , a licensed and trusted provider of teacher-training workshops in Europe.

The second edition of  English B for the IB Diploma  is now available! To order copies  contact us  via customer services or your local sales representative.

Related Posts

Sample Essay Questions For IB English Literature Paper 1

Mastering the art of literary analysis for paper 1.

IB English Literature Paper 1 is a critical component of the IB assessment, testing your ability to analyze unseen texts. Practicing with sample essay questions can significantly enhance your readiness and confidence. Here are some sample questions and tips to help you excel in IB English Literature Paper 1.

Understanding Paper 1: Guided Literary Analysis

Structure of paper 1.

• Standard Level (SL) : Analyze one unseen literary text in 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• Higher Level (HL) : Analyze two unseen literary texts in 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Types of Texts

• Prose Extracts : Could be from novels, short stories, or essays.
• Poetry : Poems from various periods and styles.
• Drama Extracts : Excerpts from plays.

Sample Essay Questions

Prose extracts.

• Question : How does the author develop the protagonist’s character in the extract? Discuss with reference to specific literary techniques.
• Tips : Focus on aspects like dialogue, narrative style, descriptions, and actions. Highlight how these elements contribute to the overall portrayal of the character.
• Question : Explore the theme of isolation in the provided extract. How does the author convey this theme through literary devices?
• Tips : Identify key passages that illustrate isolation. Discuss symbolism, setting, tone, and character interactions that highlight the theme.
• Question : Analyze the narrative perspective in the extract. How does the point of view influence the reader’s understanding of the story?
• Tips : Consider the narrator’s reliability, perspective, and how it shapes the reader’s interpretation. Discuss how the narrative voice adds depth to the story.
• Question : Discuss the use of imagery and symbolism in the poem. How do these elements contribute to the poem’s overall meaning?
• Tips : Identify vivid images and symbols. Analyze their significance and how they enhance the themes and emotions of the poem.
• Question : How does the poem’s structure and form contribute to its meaning? Discuss with reference to specific formal elements.
• Tips : Focus on aspects like rhyme scheme, meter, stanza arrangement, and line breaks. Explain how these elements support the poem’s themes and tone.
• Question : Analyze the tone and mood of the poem. How does the poet create these effects, and what is their impact on the reader?
• Tips : Identify the tone (e.g., melancholic, joyful, reflective) and mood. Discuss diction, imagery, and sound devices that establish the poem’s emotional atmosphere.

Drama Extracts

Dialogue and character interaction :, question : how does the playwright use dialogue and character interaction to develop the plot and reveal character traits in the extract.

Tips : Focus on key dialogues and interactions. Analyze how they advance the plot and provide insights into characters’ motivations and relationships.

Setting and Stage Directions :

Question : Discuss the importance of setting and stage directions in the extract. How do they contribute to the development of the play’s themes and atmosphere?

Tips : Examine detailed descriptions of the setting and stage directions. Analyze how they enhance the audience’s understanding of the themes and tone.

Conflict and Tension :

Question : Explore the use of conflict and tension in the extract. How does the playwright build these elements to engage the audience?

Tips : Identify moments of conflict and tension. Discuss how dialogue, pacing, and character actions contribute to the dramatic effect.

Tips for Writing Paper 1 Essays

Preparation.

• Practice Regularly : Analyze a variety of unseen texts regularly to become comfortable with different styles and genres.
• Familiarize Yourself with Literary Devices : Ensure you have a strong grasp of literary terms and concepts, as these will be crucial for your analysis.
• Time Management : Practice writing essays within the given time limits to develop your ability to organize and articulate your thoughts quickly.

During the Exam

• Read the Text Carefully : Take time to read the text thoroughly. Annotate key passages, noting important literary devices and themes.
• Plan Your Essay : Spend a few minutes planning your essay. Outline your main points and the evidence you will use to support them.
• Structure Your Essay : Use a clear and logical structure. Typically, an essay should have an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
• Support with Evidence : Use specific examples and quotations from the text to support your analysis. Explain how these examples illustrate your points.
• Stay Focused : Keep your analysis focused on the question. Avoid tangents and ensure every paragraph contributes to your overall argument.
• Proofread : If time permits, quickly review your essay for any grammatical or spelling errors and ensure your argument is clear and coherent.

Mastering IB English Literature Paper 1

Excelling in IB English Literature Paper 1 requires practice, a deep understanding of literary techniques, and the ability to analyze unseen texts effectively. Use these sample essay questions and tips to enhance your preparation and confidence for the exam.

Ready to ace your IB English Literature Paper 1 exam? Join RevisionDojo today and access personalized study tools, curriculum-specific question banks, and resources enhanced by Jojo AI. Let us help you master literary analysis and achieve your academic goals with confidence.

Ace your exams with RevisionDojo

• Thousands of practice questions
• Study notes and flashcards for every topic and subject
• Free Jojo AI tutor

RevisionDojo, saved my exams. I went from a 4 to a 6 in math, a 5 to a 7 in econ and a 5 to a 7 in chem. ”

Joseph Chan

IBDP student

Rated Excellent

On Trustpilot

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• Example of a great essay | Explanations, tips & tricks

Example of a Great Essay | Explanations, Tips & Tricks

Published on February 9, 2015 by Shane Bryson . Revised on July 23, 2023 by Shona McCombes.

This example guides you through the structure of an essay. It shows how to build an effective introduction , focused paragraphs , clear transitions between ideas, and a strong conclusion .

Each paragraph addresses a single central point, introduced by a topic sentence , and each point is directly related to the thesis statement .

As you read, hover over the highlighted parts to learn what they do and why they work.

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

Other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about writing an essay, an appeal to the senses: the development of the braille system in nineteenth-century france.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

Lack of access to reading and writing put blind people at a serious disadvantage in nineteenth-century society. Text was one of the primary methods through which people engaged with culture, communicated with others, and accessed information; without a well-developed reading system that did not rely on sight, blind people were excluded from social participation (Weygand, 2009). While disabled people in general suffered from discrimination, blindness was widely viewed as the worst disability, and it was commonly believed that blind people were incapable of pursuing a profession or improving themselves through culture (Weygand, 2009). This demonstrates the importance of reading and writing to social status at the time: without access to text, it was considered impossible to fully participate in society. Blind people were excluded from the sighted world, but also entirely dependent on sighted people for information and education.

In France, debates about how to deal with disability led to the adoption of different strategies over time. While people with temporary difficulties were able to access public welfare, the most common response to people with long-term disabilities, such as hearing or vision loss, was to group them together in institutions (Tombs, 1996). At first, a joint institute for the blind and deaf was created, and although the partnership was motivated more by financial considerations than by the well-being of the residents, the institute aimed to help people develop skills valuable to society (Weygand, 2009). Eventually blind institutions were separated from deaf institutions, and the focus shifted towards education of the blind, as was the case for the Royal Institute for Blind Youth, which Louis Braille attended (Jimenez et al, 2009). The growing acknowledgement of the uniqueness of different disabilities led to more targeted education strategies, fostering an environment in which the benefits of a specifically blind education could be more widely recognized.

Several different systems of tactile reading can be seen as forerunners to the method Louis Braille developed, but these systems were all developed based on the sighted system. The Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris taught the students to read embossed roman letters, a method created by the school’s founder, Valentin Hauy (Jimenez et al., 2009). Reading this way proved to be a rather arduous task, as the letters were difficult to distinguish by touch. The embossed letter method was based on the reading system of sighted people, with minimal adaptation for those with vision loss. As a result, this method did not gain significant success among blind students.

Louis Braille was bound to be influenced by his school’s founder, but the most influential pre-Braille tactile reading system was Charles Barbier’s night writing. A soldier in Napoleon’s army, Barbier developed a system in 1819 that used 12 dots with a five line musical staff (Kersten, 1997). His intention was to develop a system that would allow the military to communicate at night without the need for light (Herron, 2009). The code developed by Barbier was phonetic (Jimenez et al., 2009); in other words, the code was designed for sighted people and was based on the sounds of words, not on an actual alphabet. Barbier discovered that variants of raised dots within a square were the easiest method of reading by touch (Jimenez et al., 2009). This system proved effective for the transmission of short messages between military personnel, but the symbols were too large for the fingertip, greatly reducing the speed at which a message could be read (Herron, 2009). For this reason, it was unsuitable for daily use and was not widely adopted in the blind community.

Nevertheless, Barbier’s military dot system was more efficient than Hauy’s embossed letters, and it provided the framework within which Louis Braille developed his method. Barbier’s system, with its dashes and dots, could form over 4000 combinations (Jimenez et al., 2009). Compared to the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet, this was an absurdly high number. Braille kept the raised dot form, but developed a more manageable system that would reflect the sighted alphabet. He replaced Barbier’s dashes and dots with just six dots in a rectangular configuration (Jimenez et al., 2009). The result was that the blind population in France had a tactile reading system using dots (like Barbier’s) that was based on the structure of the sighted alphabet (like Hauy’s); crucially, this system was the first developed specifically for the purposes of the blind.

While the Braille system gained immediate popularity with the blind students at the Institute in Paris, it had to gain acceptance among the sighted before its adoption throughout France. This support was necessary because sighted teachers and leaders had ultimate control over the propagation of Braille resources. Many of the teachers at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth resisted learning Braille’s system because they found the tactile method of reading difficult to learn (Bullock & Galst, 2009). This resistance was symptomatic of the prevalent attitude that the blind population had to adapt to the sighted world rather than develop their own tools and methods. Over time, however, with the increasing impetus to make social contribution possible for all, teachers began to appreciate the usefulness of Braille’s system (Bullock & Galst, 2009), realizing that access to reading could help improve the productivity and integration of people with vision loss. It took approximately 30 years, but the French government eventually approved the Braille system, and it was established throughout the country (Bullock & Galst, 2009).

Although Blind people remained marginalized throughout the nineteenth century, the Braille system granted them growing opportunities for social participation. Most obviously, Braille allowed people with vision loss to read the same alphabet used by sighted people (Bullock & Galst, 2009), allowing them to participate in certain cultural experiences previously unavailable to them. Written works, such as books and poetry, had previously been inaccessible to the blind population without the aid of a reader, limiting their autonomy. As books began to be distributed in Braille, this barrier was reduced, enabling people with vision loss to access information autonomously. The closing of the gap between the abilities of blind and the sighted contributed to a gradual shift in blind people’s status, lessening the cultural perception of the blind as essentially different and facilitating greater social integration.

The Braille system also had important cultural effects beyond the sphere of written culture. Its invention later led to the development of a music notation system for the blind, although Louis Braille did not develop this system himself (Jimenez, et al., 2009). This development helped remove a cultural obstacle that had been introduced by the popularization of written musical notation in the early 1500s. While music had previously been an arena in which the blind could participate on equal footing, the transition from memory-based performance to notation-based performance meant that blind musicians were no longer able to compete with sighted musicians (Kersten, 1997). As a result, a tactile musical notation system became necessary for professional equality between blind and sighted musicians (Kersten, 1997).

Braille paved the way for dramatic cultural changes in the way blind people were treated and the opportunities available to them. Louis Braille’s innovation was to reimagine existing reading systems from a blind perspective, and the success of this invention required sighted teachers to adapt to their students’ reality instead of the other way around. In this sense, Braille helped drive broader social changes in the status of blindness. New accessibility tools provide practical advantages to those who need them, but they can also change the perspectives and attitudes of those who do not.

Bullock, J. D., & Galst, J. M. (2009). The Story of Louis Braille. Archives of Ophthalmology , 127(11), 1532. https://​doi.org/10.1001/​archophthalmol.2009.286.

Herron, M. (2009, May 6). Blind visionary. Retrieved from https://​eandt.theiet.org/​content/​articles/2009/05/​blind-visionary/.

Jiménez, J., Olea, J., Torres, J., Alonso, I., Harder, D., & Fischer, K. (2009). Biography of Louis Braille and Invention of the Braille Alphabet. Survey of Ophthalmology , 54(1), 142–149. https://​doi.org/10.1016/​j.survophthal.2008.10.006.

Kersten, F.G. (1997). The history and development of Braille music methodology. The Bulletin of Historical Research in Music Education , 18(2). Retrieved from https://​www.jstor.org/​stable/40214926.

Mellor, C.M. (2006). Louis Braille: A touch of genius . Boston: National Braille Press.

Tombs, R. (1996). France: 1814-1914 . London: Pearson Education Ltd.

Weygand, Z. (2009). The blind in French society from the Middle Ages to the century of Louis Braille . Stanford: Stanford University Press.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

College essays

• Choosing Essay Topic
• Write a College Essay
• Write a Diversity Essay
• College Essay Format & Structure
• Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

 (AI) Tools

• Grammar Checker
• Paraphrasing Tool
• Text Summarizer
• AI Detector
• Plagiarism Checker
• Citation Generator

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

An essay is a focused piece of writing that explains, argues, describes, or narrates.

In high school, you may have to write many different types of essays to develop your writing skills.

Academic essays at college level are usually argumentative : you develop a clear thesis about your topic and make a case for your position using evidence, analysis and interpretation.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

• An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
• Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
• A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

A topic sentence is a sentence that expresses the main point of a paragraph . Everything else in the paragraph should relate to the topic sentence.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Bryson, S. (2023, July 23). Example of a Great Essay | Explanations, Tips & Tricks. Scribbr. Retrieved September 27, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/example-essay-structure/

Is this article helpful?

Shane Bryson

Shane finished his master's degree in English literature in 2013 and has been working as a writing tutor and editor since 2009. He began proofreading and editing essays with Scribbr in early summer, 2014.

Other students also liked

How to write an essay introduction | 4 steps & examples, academic paragraph structure | step-by-step guide & examples, how to write topic sentences | 4 steps, examples & purpose, what is your plagiarism score.

IB English A (Lang & Lit) HL Essay IA examples

Type a search phrase to find the most relevant English A (Lang & Lit) HL Essay IA examples for you

Not sure what to search for? You can always look through our example Internal Assessments below for inspiration.

All English A (Lang & Lit) HL Essay IA Examples

Filter exemplars, how does jordan peele represent racism in the 21st century in his thriller movie ‘get out’, in what ways does henrik ibsen, in his play, a doll’s house, employ stylistic features to communicate the victorian social codes of the 1870s, want to get full marks for your ia allow us to review it for you 🎯, how does barbara kruger’s usage of imagery, text, and coloring in her different artworks create relations in order to employ women’s bodies and beauty standards in society, how does beyoncé portray the american black southern identity struggle by reclaiming cultural elements in the visual album lemonade, how does shakespeare use characterisation to conform to and challenge gender roles and expectations in the play macbeth, fast track your coursework with mark schemes moderated by ib examiners. upgrade now 🚀, how does marjane satrapi portray western stereotypes about the iranian culture in her graphic novel, persepolis i , to what extent does the patriarchy dictate female identity and enforce their transformation in carol ann duffy’s the world’s wife, line of inquiry: how does the representation of women in liza donnelly’s cartoons convey harmful societal norms and expectations as a barrier to women’s empowerment in different levels of society, how does dangarembga’s use of characterisation for tambudzai and nyasha portray hybrid identities as a result of assimilating into a dominant culture in nervous conditions, how do the comedic devices come out as an expression of jo koy’s cultural identity in his netflix special 'live from seattle', how does maya angelou, in her collected poems, celebrate the resilience of women through her perspective as an african-american poet, how does social stratification affect the morality or the moral standards of the great gatsby in the given social context, how rishi sunak's speech net zero reflects a shift in political strategy towards addressing climate change, and how this impacts youth perception and support for increased governmental action, to what extent does jane austen in her novel pride & prejudice use characterization to emphasise the traditional family & marriage model of the early 19th century, how does marjane satrapi use the plot of her graphic novel persepolis to illustrate the effect of fear on a child’s personal development during wartime, how and to what end are stylistic devices utilised in portrayal of masculinity in the late 20th century marlboro advertisements, how does nawal el saadawi represent the impact of religion and culture through symbolic features in the novel, woman at point zero, how does virginia woolf portray women's struggles in the early 20th century through literary techniques and narrative style in “a room of one's own”, how does akhtar represent amir’s internal conflict with his islamic cultural identity in “disgraced”, and to what effect, in what ways and to what effect does marjane satrapi illustrate the struggle for identity formation in persepolis: a story of a childhood, through the use of emilia’s character in othello, how does shakespeare reflect the realities of women in the elizabethan era to provide historical commentary, how does natalie diaz explore the marginalisation of native american people and how it affects their relationship with their identity in her poetry, how does kazuo ishiguro employ a first person point of view to explore the ways stevens’ sense of duty and loyalty shape his identity in the novel the remains of the day, how does michelle obama’s use of transformative narratives in her speeches inspire and empower audience to affect personal and societal change, how does banksy utilize visual and textual elements in his artworks in order to transform the publics opinion on capitalisms prominence in modern-day society, how and why is the notion of corruption in colonial algerian society in the 1940s presented as the result of the rejection of that which is different from the common standard in the stranger, how does george bernard shaw offer a critique of victorian society through characterization in his play “pygmalion”, in "jump and other short stories," how does nadine gordimer employ the concept of "otherness" to examine the ways in which groups construct their identities in a society marked by racism and segregation, how does margaret atwood utilize characterization, symbolism, and setting to portray offred’s change of identity during events after the fall of the united states in the dystopian novel the handmaid’s tale, how does william shakespeare portray the transformation of othello’s character caused by jealousy in his tragic play othello, how does federico garcía lorca convey passion in a way that contradicts the social norms within blood wedding, how does duffy critique the madonna-whore dichotomy by revisiting historical representations of women, how does the narrative of the documentary "ice cold: coffee, murder, and jessica wongso" attempt to reshape the audience's perception of jessica wongso’s guilt, how does banksy utilize visual elements in his 2008 new orleans art collection, to criticize the american government’s response to hurricane katrina, how does travon free utilize symbolism in the film two distant strangers to illustrate the struggle for survival and the need for change for african americans, how does walter astrada represent the pain and violence against women in his photography collection titled “femicides in guatemala”, to what extent does the film dead poets society by peter weir promote the pursuit of passion and self-expression, how does guy delisle’s use of symbolism in pyongyang indicate the democratic people's republic of korea's tactics of maintenance of power, how and to what effect does chekhov's characterization of the titular three sisters reflect the greater sociopolitical upheavals of late nineteenth-century russia, how does natalie diaz portray addiction and its impact on family dynamics.

The Leaving Cert personal essay is a well loved and virtually permanent feature of Paper 1 (here is some evidence ).

It belongs in the 100 marks Composition section, the single biggest chunk of the English exam.

What is the personal essay?

It calls for a confessional, introspective tone.

Do you like the sound of these questions:

• Remember those times when you did not say what you really thought or felt. Why didn’t you? How do you feel about it now?
• How would you feel about a terrible event of your past if it happened today?
• What did you learn about building family relationships based on the experience of your parents and grandparents?

You get the message – this is serious life stuff! The Leaving Cert personal essay may be one of the only times you truly get to be yourself in a standardised exam.

The marking scheme allows us to interpret the term “personal essay”’ liberally, potentially even entirely or partly as personal (first person) narratives.

How to do well in the personal essay?

Reading such an essay, you should get the feeling that you are learning someone’s deeper thoughts and reflections. It shouldn’t feel like an opinion piece in a newspaper.

Even though a certain stream of consciousness quality is usually acceptable with these essays, remember that clarity (the P of PCLM) always gets priority .

By reading the correct and H1 sample essays below, you will learn how much to write, what kind of themes come up again and again and how you may be able to differentiate yourself from the crowd.

‘To live is the rarest thing in the world, most people just exist.’ – Oscar Wilde

Personal essay: pleasures particular to you for Leaving Cert English #625Lab

• Post author: Martina
• Post published: April 18, 2019
• Post category: #625Lab / English / PCLM / Personal essay

Write a personal essay on what you perceive to be the pleasures particular to you. #625Lab. Corrected by an experienced examiner, graded as 83/100 with feedback on how to improve…

Personal essay: a time in your life in which you felt you were treated unfairly for Leaving Cert English #625Lab

• Post published: March 22, 2019

Write a personal essay on a time in your life in which you felt you were treated unfairly. #625Lab. Corrected by an experienced examiner, graded as 79/100 with feedback on…

Personal essay: moments of insight and revelation for Leaving Cert English #625Lab (Divorce)

• Post published: September 23, 2018
• Post category: #625Lab / English / Personal essay

Write a personal essay in which you reflect on moments of insight and revelation you have experienced. (2017) #625Lab. Theme: divorce. Some parts of this essay are outstanding, but it…

Personal Essay: Uncertain about what you want for Leaving Cert English #625Lab

• Post published: April 23, 2018

Write a personal essay in which you reflect on an occasion in your life when you felt uncertain about what you wanted. #625Lab. Wonderfully reflective, revelatory personal essay dealing with loss.…

Personal essay about significant endings for Leaving Cert English #625Lab

• Post published: April 7, 2018

Write a personal essay about your response to an ending, or endings, in your life that you consider significant. (100 marks)   Stellar stuff via #625Lab. If you want to send…

Personal Essay: Moments of Insight and Revelation for Leaving Cert English #625Lab

• Post published: February 25, 2018

Write a personal essay in which you reflect on moments of insight and revelation you have experienced (2017). This is a good attempt at a personal essay showing a lot…

Write a personal essay about one or more moments of uncertainty you have experienced #625Lab

• Post published: February 15, 2018

This essay below is a beautiful exemplar of the genre of personal essay, full of cathartic confessions, teenage going on middle-aged angst and some incredibly deep insights and lessons learnt.…

Personal Essay: Experience of Dramatic Arts for Leaving Cert English #625Lab

• Post published: November 9, 2017

Write a personal essay about your experience (as a performer and/or audience member) of the dramatic arts; plays, musicals, concerts, comedy etc. (2010) You may also like: Complete Guide to…

Leaving Cert English Personal Essay: Irishness #625Lab

• Post published: October 1, 2017
• Post category: #625Lab / English / Personal essay / Too long

“The shoes of Irishness fit me well.” Write a personal essay in which you explore your sense of what it means to be Irish. (2001) This is a good essay…

Leaving Cert English Personal Essay: Pretence and Unvarnished Truth #625Lab

• Post published: September 18, 2017

“Let’s stop all this pretence and tell each other the unvarnished truth for a change.”   Write a personal essay in response to this statement. (2006) This is an essay…

Leaving Cert English Personal Essay: Useless Clutter #625Lab

• Post published: September 10, 2017

The village shops in Sara Baume’s novel contain a “surplus of useless clutter”.  Write a personal essay in which you reflect on the “useless clutter” that is a feature of…

Write a personal essay on the tension you find between the everyday treadmill and the gilded promises of life

• Post published: June 5, 2017
• Post category: English / Personal essay

Write a personal essay on the tension you find between the everyday treadmill and the gilded promises of life. (2013) Themes: social norms, choice, philosophy, religion ‘To live is the…

Leaving Cert English Personal Essay: one or more moments of uncertainty you have experienced.

• Post published: June 4, 2017

Write a personal essay about one or more moments of uncertainty you have experienced. Themes: social disadvantage, divorce, homelessness Note: this is a personal essay, but it has a plot…

Write a personal essay in which you describe a place that you consider beautiful

• Post published: February 1, 2017

Themes: religion, family Please note that we are apolitical. We just like good essays. This came up on the 2008 paper. This essay is on the short side of the…

Personal Essay: Not all problems are physical

• Post published: October 23, 2016

'Not all problems are physical'. Write a personal essay about your response to this statement in light of experiences your life that you consider significant. Themes: mental health, anxiety ‘It is…

Personal Essay: Moments of Uncertainty

• Post published: September 26, 2016

  Write a personal essay about one or more moments of uncertainty you have experienced.  Themes: sexuality, social conflict Candidates may adopt a variety of approaches (serious, humorous, anecdotal, discursive,…

How To Improve Your Grade If Your Teacher Isn’t Giving You Feedback

• Post published: November 3, 2014
• Post category: Durcan / English / Hamlet / Personal essay / Short Story / T.S. Eliot / Video

- How to write a strong introduction- How to craft impactful sentences- Common grammar, syntax and style problems- How to stay relevant to the question- Examples from Hamlet, Personal Essays,…

Exam guide, practice papers, past paper solutions.

IB English Paper 1

Access the paper 1 exam guide, ib-style practice papers and ib past paper solutions., study the essentials, ib english paper 1 explained.

Planning & Writing

Full Exam Study Guide

Practice paper 1s with detailed solutions.

After completing our fundamental Learn Analysis lessons, use this collection of practice papers to hone your practical Paper 1 analysis and essay organization skills.

IB English Lang Lit Practice Paper 1s

Each Practice Paper is accompanied by detailed written and/or video solutions by LitLearn's IB45 instructors.

'Pine Hikes' - Lang Lit

Speech script

'Obama' - Lang Lit

Opinion article

'Arrogance' - Lang Lit

Infographic

'Skateboarding' - Lang Lit

'Go Green' - Lang Lit

IB English Literature Practice Paper 1s

'Eveline' - Literature

'The Black Cat' - Literature

'Departure' - Literature

'War' - Literature

Dramatic play

'Pygmalion' - Literature

IB Past Paper Solutions - Lang Lit

Detailed plans and full guided analysis essay response by IB7 graduates. Currently we only offer IB English Lang Lit Past Paper solutions.

Radio Script

Nov 2017 SL - Lang Lit

Comic Strip

May 2019 SL - Lang Lit

Nov 2019 SL - Lang Lit

Journal Entry

Nov 2021 SL - Lang Lit

May 2021 HL - Lang Lit

How can LitLearn help me?

Our resources have helped struggling IB English students jump grade boundaries in weeks, days, and even overnight...

Detailed step-by-step guide that breaks down the Paper 1 guided analysis into two clear stages: Planning and Writing.

We share practical advice on how to write a bullet-proof thesis and how to choose the right essay structure.

Simplify and accelerate your IB English Paper 1 preparation with our curated collection of IB-style Practice Paper 1 exams, complete with detailed video solutions or written markschemes.

Perfect preparation for your final Paper 1 exams. Learn from our exemplar solution (thesis, plan & full essay) for six IB English Language & Literature Past Paper 1 exams. More solutions will be added for Literature in future.

From Struggling to Succeeding in IB English

How IB English students like you have improved their grades with LitLearn Pro... Read the reviews.

IB4 to IB6 in 12 days " LitLearn helped me understand exactly what I was doing wrong and how to improve upon those mistakes. " Read the full review

IB6 to IB7 in 1 week " I ended with a 7 in English Literature HL and I am so happy about that. Thank you Jackson. " Read the full review

IB5 to Perfect 20/20 in 1 week " I managed to be the only person in my IB cohort of 120 students to get a perfect score of 20/20 " Read the full review

IB4 to IB6 in 2 weeks " The lessons are really effective in grabbing my attention and making English more fun to learn. "

IB4 to IB6 in 1 day " With just day 1 of the course, I improved immediately and overnight when I did a practice essay and improved by 4 marks from my previous grades " Read the full review

IB5 to IB7 " I got 5s since my first year of DP and now my final grade is 7! I can't thank you enough 🙂 LitLearn is truly a lifesaver. "

Category - Paper 1 Essay

We will be uploading sample GP essays that cover a range of popular GP topics and address essay questions taken from past exam papers. More than just Content, we hope you pick up Language Skills and Essay Organization Skills through these essays. If you’d like to have more in-depth analyses of the essays and improve your Essay Writing for Paper 1, do sign up for our GP tuition lessons  here  or whatsapp us at 98-333-156 !

GP Essay #66: ‘The adoption of online trade has made traditional businesses irrelevant in this digital age.’ How far is this true of your society?

 “Out with the old, in with the new” is a common catchphrase that proponents of technological change proudly extol. Underlying this confident proclamation is the view that new is invariably better and the retail industry is one...

GP Essay #65: ‘What an individual eats or drinks should not be...

 Hippocrates, the father of medicine, once famously said “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be...

GP Essay #64: Do you agree that the biggest challenge that...

“In this age, in this country, public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; against...

GP Essay #63: To what extent should disadvantaged groups be...

 “There is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequal people.” Thomas Jefferson’s...

GP Essay #62: To what extent is charitable giving desirable?

When the Russian-Ukraine conflict broke out, many around the world were looking for ways to provide...

GP Essay #61: ‘Advertising is largely about persuading people to...

 “Just Do It”. Nike’s iconic slogan is certainly one of the most recognisable advertising phrases...

2022 GCE A-Levels General Paper (GP) Paper 1 Essay Questions

Our JC2 students have just completed their GP exams for this year, and here are the Essay Questions...

GP Essay #60: Is competition essential for effective education...

“Intelligence plus character- that is the true goal of education.” This quote by Martin Luther King...

GP Essay #59: Discuss the effectiveness of social media activism.

“Can a click make a difference in the world? By itself, probably not, but when combined with tens...

GP Essay #58: ‘If you want to be happy, be.’ Does happiness seem...

‘’If you want to be happy, be.” This statement provides us with an attractive notion which many...

IB English A: Literature and IB English A: Language and Literature

Who loves textual analysis and Paper One?  Andrew and Dave do!  Whether you are taking IB English A: Literature or IB English A: Language and Literature, we all have to write Paper One.  This means we need to read critically, explore authorial choices, and consider their implications and how they shape meaning.  Confused?  No worries. 

This page is organized as follows:

• Quick tips for all students can be found at the top.
• Language and Literature text types with sample responses come next.
• This is followed by some critical visual analysis skills for Lang/Lit.
• Literature videos for all forms come after that.

Paper One – Quick Tips and Tricks For All Students

We get it.  sometimes you don't have the time to watch lots of videos and sort through lots of documents.  if that describes you, then andrew and dave highly recommend checking out the videos below.  they are short, sweet, and have loads of critical tips and tricks to help you succeed on paper one..

Need 10 ideas on things to include in your Paper One?  Watch this video and learn what’s essential.

Document: Ten Tips for Paper One

Need 10 ideas on things to AVOID in your Paper One?  Watch this video and learn what must be left out on exam day..

Document: Ten Pitfalls to Avoid for Paper One

How many times have you heard your teacher tell you to use more voice when you write?  What does that even mean?  Watch this video to find out.

Document: Adding Voice to Academic Writing

Having trouble with your introductions and conclusions?  Watch this video to learn how to start and finish strong.

Document: Sample Intro and Conclusion

It’s not enough to just identify features.  We need to consider how authors make choices to shape meaning.  Check out this video on Criteria B.

Document: Discussing Reader Effect

You understand how to discuss reader effect, but what about evaluation?  This is an important part of Criteria B.  Watch this video and master Paper 1!

Document: Adding Evaluation

Language and Literature - Countdown to Paper One!

Do you have a summative assessment or mock exam coming up?  Are you busy cramming content at the last minute for either the November or May examination sessions?  If you are a Language and Literature student and this describes you, then you have come to the right place!  Each of the following TEN text types has CLOSE READING and SAMPLE RESPONSES WITH EXAMINER COMMENTS.  There are also documents with text type conventions and various other resources you need to achieve academic success.  Watch the videos.  Master the content.  Crush Paper One!

TEXT TYPE 1: WEBSITE

Document: Conventions

Document: Stimulus Text

Document : Student Response

TEXT TYPE 2: SPEECH

Document: More Conventions

Document: Student Response

TEXT TYPE 3: LETTER

TEXT TYPE 4: PRODUCT REVIEW

TEXT TYPE 5: COMIC

LINK: BoW Grant Snider

TEXT TYPE 6: FILM REVIEW

TEXT TYPE 7: BROCHURE

TEXT TYPE 8: PSA

TEXT TYPE 9: TRAVEL WRITING

TEXT TYPE 10: TABLOID COVER

More Nonliterary Text Types:

Wow, that was quite a playlist!  But…there’s more to learn.  Don’t worry!  Dave and Andrew LOVE nonliterary text types.  Political cartoons?  Check.  Film, photos, and documentaries?  Yes, please.  Opinion articles and advertisements?  You betcha.  If those sounds interesting, that’s because they are.  Check out the nonliterary text types below and rest assured that your Paper One exam performance will be one that you can celebrate.

Political Cartoons

Andrew and Dave LOVE political cartoons.  They are self-contained commentaries on an important current event or key aspect of society, and they’re humorous.  Look out for colors, symbols, and other hidden ideas lurking in the subtext.  Remember: just like literary authors, cartoonists make a series of choices in their work intended to shape meaning.  Look carefully.  Pay attention and learn their moves.  Ace Paper One.

Let’s learn the basics.  Learn these terms so you can apply them to any political cartoon you encounter!

Document: Cartoon Terms

Document: Cartoon of Cartoon Terms

We’re just warming up!  Now that you’ve learned some basic terms, let’s apply them to more cartoons.

Nice!  You’re getting the hang of this cartoon stuff.  Time to put your ideas to writing.  Check it out!

Document: Cartoon and Sample Writing

Document: Sentence Stems for Analysis

Time to put it all together.  Watch the video, examiner the cartoon, read the student response, and listen to the examiner scoring.  Crucial information here!

Document: Full Student Response

Advertising

They’re everywhere.  On our phones, on billboards around the city, on our computer screens every time we visit a new site.  Advertisers work to cut through the clutter, grab our attention, and subtly influence us to make a choices to buy, buy, and buy some more.  Accordingly, Dave and Andrew believe it’s essential to show students the tips and tricks companies use to manipulate our attention and persuade us to act.  So, check out these videos.  Not only will you improve your Paper One performance, but you will also be a more skilled and savvy consumer who is attuned to the features our favorite brands employ in their ads.

You’ve got to start somewhere.  Learn the key terms and what to look for in advertisements.  Oh, there’s a cool mnemonic to help you remember this stuff as well.  Watch this first!

Document: Features of Advertising

Document: Mnemonic for Deconstructing Ads

So these tips and tricks work for public service announcements as well?  Nice!  Check out this piece from UNHCR, apply the skills, and watch your Paper One confidence soar.

Document: 15 Techniques of Advertising

Document: More Tools of Persuasion

OK, we’ve explored some ads and other persuasive texts.  Time to put it all together in writing and see if we can build some academic paragraphs.  Notice how the student links references, features, and ideas in writing.

Document: The Model Paragraph

Opinion Articles

There’s a lot going on in our world, and people generally have some strong reactions to current events.  Whether they agree with public policy and sentiment or not, writer’s of opinion columns implement a series of choices in their work to maximize their persuasive effect.  A close cousin of speeches, these short and complete texts pack a punch.  Look carefully at how they’re structured, how they use rhetoric, and how they end with a bang.  Learn this stuff.  It’s Paper One gold.

OK, so you’re starting to see a trend, right?  Yes, that’s right – each text type has a set of terminology needed to discuss specific elements in an academic way.  Learn the terms.  Improve your Paper One.

Document: Persuasive Elements in Opinion Articles

Now that you’ve got some basic skills and some terms under your belt, let’s apply them to three different opinion articles and see what we can do.

Time to put it all together and produce a piece of writing.  Notice how the student combines terms, ideas, and precise references to the text as they crush this Paper One.  Study their moves.  Notice their approach.  Watch.  Learn.  Master.

Document: Paper One Student Sample (clean)

Document: Paper One Student Sample (highlighted)

Photography

The ability to read images is crucial for Language and Literature success.  As you know, may of the texts we explore are multimodal, meaning they have both text and image.  So, we need to be savvy and understand how to read photographs, analyze them, and make meaning.  Like other text types, there are some basic terms and approaches to close reading that will open up some important analytical doors for you.  Watch these videos and improve your visual analysis!

Who likes Andrew and Dave’s silly mnemonics for analysis?  Yes, they’re cheesy.  Yes, they help.  Check out this video and learn the basics of deconstructing photographs.

Document: Analyzing Photographs

Nice, you learned the acronym for deconstructing images!  Now let’s apply this strategy to multiple photos and determine the attributes of this great Body of Work from Philip Jones Griffiths.

Website: Body of Work – Philip Jones Griffiths

Films, Documentaries, and Series

Who doesn’t love a good film or Netflix series?  Quick confession: Andrew and Dave have a media problem.  Sure, we have vibrant reading lives, but we love to watch filmmakers and camera crews work their magic.  There’s so much to talk about!  Whether you are looking a camera angle, camera distance, audio tracks, visual tracks, or graphics tracks, Andrew and Dave have you covered.  

Yep, you guess it.  Next text type, new set of terms.  Check out the documents below and match some of the ideas to the iconic series Squid Game.  Don’t worry – we didn’t pick the gory shots for analysis.

Document: Key Terms for Analyzing Film

Sure, the thumbnail says “Individual Oral” but it just as easily could have said “Paper One.”  Remember: these assessments are close cousins!  Watch this video to learn what to look for in documentaries.

I’m sorry…you’ve got to listen to this recording!  Listen to our student destroy these screenshots from Breaking Boundaries on Netflix.  If you haven’t seen David Attenborough talk us through this documentary about climate change, check it out!  It’s must watch stuff.

Document: Student Recording

Document: Recording Transcript

Document: Student Notes and Planning

Literary Text Types

Regardless of the course you are enrolled in, we’re all studying literature.  How is prose fiction different than prose nonfiction, and how should you approach these texts?  What about drama and poetry?  Are there any special skills and tips to learn?  We’ve got the answers to these questions and more down below.  Watch the videos.  Read the documents.  Become a better critical reader and writer.  

Prose Fiction

What’s prose fiction?  Think novels.  Think short stories.  Think “imaginative” writing.  It’s one of the cornerstones of the course for a reason, and Andrew and Dave just love the power of story.  It’s complex, it teaches us about the human condition, and it fosters empathy.  Learn how to be a close reader of prose fiction and let your knowledge shine when you write your Paper One.

Not sure what to look for in prose fiction?  No worries.  This video explore the key aspects to look for and shows you how to find them.  Use the document and watch the video!

Document: SCASNI acronym for annotating fiction

OK, you know the terms and what to look for in a short prose fiction passage.  Now lets close-read an assessment passage, outline our thinking, and consider how authors make choices to shape meaning.

Document: SCASNI applied to a Paper One Text

You’ve read closely, you’ve annotated, and you’ve got your thesis and rudimentary outline ready. Let’s check out this sample paper and examiner comments and see what we can learn.

Document: Paper One – Full Student Response

Prose Non-Fiction

Sure, we all love pure story, but this course requires that students read and analyze prose nonfiction texts as well.  So what exactly is this stuff anyway?  Think memoirs.  Think travelogues.  Think philosophy and other insightful texts that present factual information in an entertaining and literary way.  Andrew and Dave love this stuff, and so do our students.  Check out these three great 2-video sets – they’ll show you how to read carefully and write powerfully.

How do writers combine the scientific and the literary to convey information?  Check out this video and watch Andrew and Dave break it down.

Document:  Assessment Text (clean)

Document:  Assessment Text (annotated)

Learn about the human heart, its beauty, and how modern doctors can still learn from traditional methods in this cool text that is a former Paper One Assessment.

Let’s read this excerpt from a great memoir and see what we can learn.

Now that the reading portion is out of the way, let’s take a look at this student response and listen to Andrew and Dave discuss the strengths and weaknesses.  Lots to learn here.

Document: Student Response (clean)

Document: Student Response (highlighted)

Nice work with that close reading.  Let’s look a piece of student writing, discuss strengths and weaknesses, and use this as an opportunity to make your writing better.

 Let’s see how Dave and Andrew’s student took the ideas from the reading and demonstrated their understanding and analysis under timed Paper One conditions.

Document: Student Response (clean and highlighted)

Document: Three Different Styles of Introductions

Wipe that dirty look off your face and have some confidence – poetry can be fun!  Sure, Dave and Andrew understand that it’s abstract, it’s full of deep thinking, and it’s complex, but that’s what makes it so interesting!  Maybe you’ll learn to love it if you have the tools?  That’s where IB English Guys come into play.  Check out the videos and document below.  You’ll find poetic terminology, close reading strategies, and sentence stems to guide your writing.  Watch.  Learn.  Master.  You’ve got this!  

Don’t be fooled by the “Individual Oral” thumbnail.  As you’ve probably noticed, the IO and Paper One skill sets are close cousins.  Check out this video and learn the basics of breaking down poetry.

Document: Poetic Terms

Document: Sample Poem with Annotations

Yes, poetry has a lot of moving parts.  Is there an acronym or some other trick to remember how to analyze these things?  Yep.  Dave and Andrew have you covered.  Check out the video and check out the docs.  Some good stuff here.

Document: How to Read a Poem

Document: Acronym for Analyzing Poetry

Document: Words to Describe Mood and Tone

Document: Maya Angelou Poem For Analysis

Great!  You’re getting the hang of this poetry stuff.  Let’s dig a bit deeper and do some close reading and thinking.  Time to learn how to put it all together and arrive at the thesis.

Document: Mary Oliver Poem for Analysis

Document: Mary Oliver Poem (fully annotated)

Check out this former IB Exam where we break down a great poem.

Document: Poem – “Tyre Shop” by Bob Orr

Check out the full student response and compare your work.

Document: “Tyre Shop” – Full Student Response

Andrew and Dave love drama.  But, you’ve got to remember to pay attention to the stage directions. What can you see and hear on stage?  What props do you notice?  How are costume and staging used for effect?  So many things to explore!  It’s important to learn the basics for now, but stay tuned for more content in the future.  Our students love drama, and so will you.  Immerse yourself in this text type and enjoy!

Seriously?  More terms to learn for another genre?  Yes, but don’t despair!  Drama provides some great opportunities to flex your brain muscles and show your teacher – and the examiner – that you can think and analyze with the best.

Document: Dramatic Terms

Document: Annotated Passage

Coming Soon!

IB English Guys

Newsletter signup.

Paper 1 Marked Answers

Looking at examples of marked answers is a great way to help you understand the skills you need to show for each question and the level of detail you need to include. on each answer you'll see annotations from the examiner in the margin. these show where the student has included a skill and at what level. at the end you'll see the final mark., these are example answers from the june 2019 paper 1. .

English - Higher

This subject will test your creativity and your comprehension of poets, plays and fiction.

In the exam, it is really important to work to the clock and get your timings correct so that you get all questions finished. Pay attention to your vocabulary, grammar, punctuation and handwriting as this all will play a part in how the examiner marks your exam. Finally, don’t forget to study Paper 1 – there is just as much potential for practice and preparation as the studied material on Paper 2.

Higher Level Course Content

• 1 Composition (Personal Writing)
• 1 Reading Comprehension
• Comparative - Cultural Context (2024)
• Comparative - Literary genre (2023/24)
• Comparative - Theme or Issue (2023/24)
• Comparative - Vision & Viewpoint (2023)
• Hamlet (2024)
• Macbeth (2023)
• Othello (2022)
• Poetry - Bishop (2023)
• Poetry - Dickinson (2023)
• Poetry - Donne (2023)
• Poetry - Heaney (2024)
• Poetry - Hopkins (2024)
• Poetry - Kavanagh (2023)
• Poetry - Mahon (2023)
• Poetry - Meehan (2023/24)
• Poetry - Ni Chuilleanain (2024)
• Poetry - Plath (2024)
• Poetry - Rich (2023)
• Poetry - Yeats (2023)
• Text - A Doll's House
• Text - All the Light We Cannot See
• Text - Frankenstein (2023)
• Text - Pride & Prejudice
• Text - Regeneration
• Text - The CrucibleText - The Handmaid's Tale
• Text - The Picture of Dorian Gray (2023)
• Text - Wuthering Heights
• Text- Days Without End
• Unseen Poetry

Ordinary Level Course Content:

• Comparative - Hero, Villain
• Comparative - Relationships
• Comparative - Social Setting
• Comparative - Theme
• Poetry - Brooks (2023)
• Poetry - Bryce (2023)
• Poetry - Dickinson (2022)
• Poetry - Donne
• Poetry - Duffy (2022/23)
• Poetry - Eliot
• Poetry - France (2022/23)
• Poetry - Hughes (2024)
• Poetry - Joseph (2023)
• Poetry - Meehan (2022/23)
• Poetry - Morrissey (2023)
• Poetry - Muldoon (2023)
• Poetry - Ni Chuilleanain
• Poetry - Rich (2022/23)
• Poetry - Shakespeare (2023)
• Poetry - Shelley (2023)
• Poetry - Williams (2024)
• Poetry - Yeats (2023/24)
• Text - All My Sons
• Text - All the Light We Cannot See (2021)
• Text - Frankenstein
• Text - Never Let me Go
• Text - Philadelphia, Here I Come!
• Text - Room
• Text - The Cove (2023)
• Text - The Crucible
• Text - The Handmaid's Tale (2021)
• Text - The Lauras
• Text - The Picture of Dorian Gray
• Text- A Raisin in the Sun (2023)

The English exam is very understandable and approachable. The exam is designed to let you express what you do know rather than catch you out on things you don't know. The exam consists of two papers, for both Higher and Ordinary levels. 

Higher and Ordinary Level - 170 mins (200 marks)

Three texts (one of which is visual) are presented to you on a general theme.  Two sets of questions, an A and a B follow each text. You must answer a Question A on one text and a Question B on a different text.    (100 marks)

Section II 

Composing - you must write an extended composition in a specific genre of language from a list of seven choices (story, talk, debate, article, essay). (100 marks)

Higher and Ordinary Level - 200 mins (200 marks)

    Section I    The single text    (60 marks)

    Section II   The Comparative study  (70 marks)

    Section III  Poetry     (70 marks)

    (i)  Unseen poem   (20 marks) 

    (ii)  Prescribed poetry  (50 marks)

    (i)  Unseen poem   (20 marks)

    (ii)  Four poems will be printed on the exam paper and you must answer questions on one of the four.   (50 marks)

Future Careers with Leaving Certificate English

A pass in English is a requirement for entry into many CAO courses. Students who like English can follow a wide variety of career paths including; Advertising, Writing, Arts, Business, Management, Journalism, Politics, and Entertainment.

Download the  Leaving Cert English Syllabus

Download the Prescribed texts for the 2022 Examination

Download the Prescribed texts for the 2023 Examination

Download the Leaving Cert  English Guidelines for Teachers

Download the Leaving Cert English Chief Examiner's Report  (2013) 

Past Papers

Created by studyclix.

Community Activity

Programmes & Qualifications

Cambridge igcse english - first language (0500).

• Past papers, examiner reports and specimen papers

You can download one or more papers for a previous session. Please note that these papers may not reflect the content of the current syllabus.

Unlock more content

This is only a selection of our papers. Registered Cambridge International Schools can access the full catalogue of teaching and learning materials including papers from 2018 through our School Support Hub .

Past papers

• -->June 2022 Mark Scheme Paper 11 (PDF, 244KB)
• -->June 2022 Insert Paper 11 (PDF, 1MB)
• -->June 2022 Mark Scheme Paper 21 (PDF, 219KB)
• -->June 2022 Insert Paper 21 (PDF, 903KB)

Examiner reports

• -->June 2022 Examiner Report (PDF, 6MB)

Specimen papers

• -->2020 Specimen Paper 1 Mark Scheme (PDF, 187KB)
• -->2020 Specimen Paper 1 Insert (PDF, 155KB)
• -->2020 Specimen Paper 2 Mark Scheme (PDF, 981KB)
• -->2020 Specimen Paper 2 Insert (PDF, 143KB)
• -->2024 Specimen Paper 1 Markscheme (PDF, 1MB)
• -->2027 Specimen Paper 1 Mark Scheme (PDF, 1MB)
• -->2027 Specimen Paper 1 Insert (PDF, 960KB)
• -->2027 Specimen Paper 2 Mark Scheme (PDF, 983KB)
• -->2027 Specimen Paper 2 Insert (PDF, 926KB)

Stay up to date

Sign up for updates about changes to the syllabuses you teach

• Syllabus overview
• Published resources

• International
• Education Jobs
• Schools directory
• Resources Education Jobs Schools directory News Search

GCSE English Language Paper 1 - Section B Creative Writing (Sensory Description)

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

26 September 2024

• Share through email
• Share through twitter
• Share through linkedin
• Share through facebook
• Share through pinterest

A lesson and resources to support low ability learners in planning creative writing using the senses to support their description.

Tes paid licence How can I reuse this?

Your rating is required to reflect your happiness.

It's good to leave some feedback.

Something went wrong, please try again later.

This resource hasn't been reviewed yet

To ensure quality for our reviews, only customers who have purchased this resource can review it

Report this resource to let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in touch.

Not quite what you were looking for? Search by keyword to find the right resource:

Professional Development

Exams admin, qualifications.

Centre Services

Art and Design

Computer Science

Design and Technology

Food preparation and Nutrition

Mathematics

Media Studies

Physical Education

Religious Studies

All subjects

Biology (8461)

Chemistry (8462)

Combined Science: Trilogy (8464)

English Language (8700)

English Literature (8702)

Geography (8035)

History (8145)

Mathematics (8300)

See all GCSEs

AS and A-levels

Biology (7401)

Business (7131)

Chemistry (7404)

Geography (7037)

History (7041)

Physics (7407)

Psychology (7181)

Sociology (7191)

See all AS & A Levels

Other qualifications

Applied Generals

AQA Certificate Mathematics

Entry Level Certificates

Project Qualifications

Unit Award Scheme

All qualifications

Our training

Course finder

About our training

Online training

Face-to-face training

Inside assessment

Courses by theme

Effective exam prep

Exams officers

Getting started with AQA

Virtual communities

Courses by subject

All Professional Development

Dates and timetables

Non-exam assessment (NEA)

NEA, coursework and controlled assessment

Deadlines for non-exam assessment

Record forms

Submit marks

Exams guidance

Question papers and stationery

Access arrangements

Special consideration

Results days

Results slips

Grade boundaries

Results statistics

Post-results services

Exam certificates

All Exams Admin

Assessment Services

Associate Extranet

Become an associate

All About Maths

Stride Maths

News & Insights

AQI research & insight

Inside exams podcast

Functional Skills English 8725

Functional Skills English Specification for first teaching in 2019

PDF | 507.32 KB

Specification at a glance

Subject content.

• Speaking, listening and communicating

Assessments

AQA Level 1 and 2 Functional Skills in English are modular. Learners can sit all three assessments in their chosen level in different series, but they must pass all three to gain the qualification.

Paper 1: Reading

What's assessed

All the scope of study statements for Reading at the appropriate level

How it's assessed

• Written exam: 1 hour
• Paper based
• Level 1 - 26 marks
• Level 2 - 30 marks
• 33.3% of the AQA Level 1 and 2 Functional Skills in English
• Set and marked by AQA

A mix of question styles, including multiple choice and short response

Paper 2: Writing

All the scope of study statements for Writing at the appropriate level

• Level 1 - 27 marks

Two writing tasks, including 12 marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar. Learners must not have access to dictionaries or any spelling or grammar aid

Non-exam assessment: Speaking, listening and communicating

All the scope of study statements for Speaking, listening and communicating at the appropriate level

• Tasks set by centre in line with AQA guidelines
• Marked by centre using pass criteria
• One presentation task
• One discussion task

DSE English：Writing「爆 Point」特訓課程 Vol 2

2025-2027 DSE 同學必讀．助你 DSE 英文卷二穩奪 Lv 5+ 嘅課程! 

提及到香港中學生嘅英文作文，不得不承認唔少同學對 Paper 2 Writing 呢一份分卷都有唔少嘅謬誤同迷思，例如：以為需要用到大量嘅靚字靚句、Grammar 必須要全對等，以致到大家喺作文嘅時候，好容易將自己篇文章變成「四不像」，唔單只 Marker 理解唔到你嘅觀點，分數更加係令人擔心

有見及此，我特意準備咗呢個課程俾大家，等大家能夠以最簡單、最直接嘅方法去攻略 Paper 2 Writing！

1. 必備萬用論點          知道大家喺諗論點上有唔同嘅困難，所以我哋準備咗一系列嘅萬用論點俾大家，當中包括：近期熱話、罐頭論點、時事趨勢等。     等大家可以「袋定論點入考場」，唔再需要擔心自己因為論點唔及其他人而失分。      2. 教授歷年考評得分位          單靠高階、能夠引起 Marker 共鳴嘅論點並唔能夠全取滿分，所以我更加會為大家整合曬歷年嘅考評得分位。     到底有啲咩係 Marker 希望大家寫得出，又到底有啲咩係 Marker 唔想見到，我都會一一喺課堂上向大家透露，令到大家唔再中伏。      3. 以實戰形式教授審題及拆題技巧          教授唔同嘅硬知識俾大家之餘，我同我嘅 5** 嘅團隊亦準備咗兩份 Mini Mock 俾大家，等大家能夠寓學習於操練，直接以操練去驗收成果。     除咗採用緊貼考評改卷及評卷模式之外，更加由係 DSE 作文取得滿分（42+42）嘅 5** 助教進行批改，再俾出極爲詳細嘅評價你。     此外，Sample Essay 更加會係由 5** 助教同本人親自撰文，務求將最有參考價值嘅滿分思路同大家分享。

了解 Paper 2 Writing 考評要求，明白隱藏題目要求，避免因審題錯誤／無扣緊題目重點而失分。

預先準備好一系列萬用論點入考場，避免因「臨時諗唔到論點」而失分。

透過 Mr. J English 舊生 DSE 真跡了解搶分關鍵，教授如何喺 DSE 當中拎到理想成績

第一堂：拆解舊生 DSE 真跡＋分析奪星關鍵

第二堂：教授必備萬用論點集

第三堂：教授近期熱話、時事趨勢議題

第四堂：Mini Mock Examination (2)＋拆題

配套#1   100% DSE-Oriented Notes

正所謂「貴精不貴多」，所以我所設計嘅筆記內容絕對係 100% DSE-Oriented，極精簡、系統化嘅設計令你上堂、溫書時可以更有效集中，唔會感到無所適從。而正正係因為呢本筆記集所有論點同技巧於一身，所以同學喺溫習嘅時候就唔需要擔心太多本筆記溫唔切，能夠順利喺 DSE 嘅戰場上成功運用出嚟。

配套#2   緊貼 DSE 出題模式嘅 Mini Mock

為咗提供一個實質嘅操練機會俾大家，我哋亦都會擬定高度貼近 DSE 出題模式嘅高質試卷俾大家，務求將卷二考試中會出現嘅陷阱位同埋考評暗盤一一呈現係試卷中，等同學通過有效率嘅操卷同上堂可以取得心目中嘅 5**

配套#3   ⁠Mr. J English 舊生 DSE 真跡結集

真跡往往能夠反映事實，所以我哋更加準備一系列嘅舊生真跡俾大家參考，話俾大家聽我嘅舊生係點樣喺 DSE 中運用返我教過大家嘅東西，然後成功奪星，拎到理想成績！而呢啲嘅真跡全部有齊分數，並非考評局上載上網嘅嗰啲參考試卷，最大程度上令大家知道點樣能夠有效搶分！

配套#4   The Weekly Newsletter Anthology

知道唔少同學喺例子／時事儲備上都有不足，但又無理由日日拎住份報紙慢慢睇，所以我哋準備咗一份 Newsletter 結集俾大家，令大家喺課餘時間可以繼續輕鬆學習。而當中更加係配備人聲錄音，直接讀埋俾大家聽，等同學可以一路聽一路睇，加強記憶，將有用嘅例子／時事收入囊中！

DSE English：Writing「爆 Point」特訓課程

2025-2027 DSE 同學必讀．助你 DSE 英文卷二穩奪 Lv 5+ 嘅課程!  提及到香港中學生嘅英文作文，不得不承認唔少同學對 Paper 2 Writing 呢一份分卷都有唔少嘅謬誤同迷思，例如：以為需要用到大量嘅靚字靚句、Grammar 必須要全對等，以致到大家喺作文嘅時候，好容易將自己篇文章變成「四不像」，唔單只 Marker 理解唔到你嘅觀點，分數更加係令人擔心 有見及此，我特意準備咗呢個課程俾大家，等大家能夠以最簡單、最直接嘅方法去攻略 Paper 2 Writing！

班次名額全滿/時間不合？先報讀任意班次並網上上課以保留學額，有新班次時你將可以優先調班！

Mr. J English

• 1. 上堂跟唔切點算好？ 放心, 成套網上課程可以一年內無限重溫; 同時可隨時 WhatsApp 任問有關英文嘅問題。但不設電子檔筆記。
• 2. 下年就考DSE , 而家 join 會唔會太遲 ? 絕對唔會！課程會將 DSE 寫作必學必用嘅考試技巧一一傳授俾你，只要跟住我嘅技巧同教法，絕對唔會太遲，一定可以將你推到上 Lv 5+ 嘅水平！
• 3. 我個底好差 , 會唔會跟唔上？ 放心我嘅課程將會循序漸進咁將DSE英文寫作卷嘅應試技巧傳授比你 , 中間會有唔少練習確保你實戰中都可以用得翻我啲技巧。最緊要你肯比心機上堂 , 我就有信心幫你穩奪 lv 5+ !