Group 1 Subjects

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Group 1 offers the subjects Language A English (Language and Literature) and Language A (self-taught, school supported Literature). Click on the + icons to view more information.

Language A English

Language and Literature

The Language and Literature course focuses on the idea that texts are constructed by authors who employ various techniques to create meaning, while also being rooted in their cultural context and the time and place in which they were created. Students analyze a wide variety of texts, fiction and non-fiction, written and visual, as well as constructing original texts that communicate their understanding of concepts explored in the course.

SL and HL
In this part of the course, students are given the opportunity to explore how language develops in specific cultural contexts, how it impacts on the world and how language shapes both individual and group identity. Topics for stimulating approaches to the unit are listed below, each of which implies a range of vocabulary and writing styles with which students should become familiar. Students studying this part of the course should pay particular attention to the role of language in relation to the many areas involved in the construction of meaning and understanding of particular issues in the world. The study of language in cultural context aims to enable students to meet the following learning outcomes.
SL and HL
In Part 2, students consider the way language is used in the media. Mass media include newspapers, magazines, the internet (for example, social networking), mobile telephony, radio and film. This section also addresses the issue of how the production and reception of texts is influenced by the medium through which they are delivered. The study of language and mass communication means that students will be able to meet the following learning outcomes. While each of the learning outcomes must be covered, the examples provided are not prescriptive but are intended to provide guidance on the ways in which these learning outcomes can be incorporated into the teaching of Part 2.
SL and HL
Meaning in a text is shaped by culture and by the contexts of the circumstances of its production. It is also shaped by what the reader brings to it. Literary texts are not created in a vacuum but are influenced by social context, cultural heritage and historical change. Through the close reading of literary texts, students are able to consider the relationship between literature and issues at large such as gender, power and identity. Students should be encouraged to consider how texts build upon and transform the inherited literary and cultural traditions. The compulsory study of translated texts encourages students to reflect on their own cultural assumptions through an examination of work produced in other languages and cultures.
SL and HL
Close reading is considered to be a core skill in the understanding and interpretation of literature. By looking closely at the detail of literary texts, students develop awareness of their rich complexities and the intricacies of their construction.
 

Assessment

An outline of the assessment for Language and Literature is as follows:

Assessment DescriptionValue
SL and HL
Paper 1		SL
Textural Analysis. The paper consists of 2 unseen texts. Students write an analysis of 1 of these texts.
HL Only
Comparative Textural Analysis. The paper consists of 2 pairs of unseen texts. Students write a comparative analysis of 1 pair of texts.		SL and HL
25%
SL and HL
Paper 2
Essay. In response to 1 of 6 questions students write an essay based on both the literary texts studied in part 3. The questions are the same at HL but the assessment criteria are different.
SL and HL
25%
SL and HL
Written Task
SL
Students produce at least 3 written tasks based on material studied in the course. Students submit 1 written task for external assessment. (20 marks) This task must be 800–1,000 words in length plus a rationale of 200–300 words.
HL
Students produce at least 4 written tasks based on material studied in the course. Students submit 2 of these tasks for external assessment. 1 of the tasks submitted must be a critical response to 1 of the prescribed questions for the HL additional study. Each task must be 800–1,000 words in length; task 1 should be accompanied by a rationale of 200–300 words, while task 2 should be accompanied by a short outline.		SL and HL
20%
SL and HL
Internal Assessment		Individual Oral Commentary. Students comment on an extract from a literary text studied in part 4 of the course. Students are given 2 guiding questions. (15%)

Further Oral Activity. Students complete at least 2 further oral activities, 1 based on part 1 and 1 based on part 2 of the course. The mark of 1 further oral activity is submitted for final assessment. (15%)
SL and HL
30%
 
 

Language A

School-Supported Self-taught Literature

IB policy promotes respect for the literary heritage of the student’s home language and provides an opportunity for students to continue to develop oral and written skills in their mother tongue while studying in a different language of instruction.

At ISL, a student may be allowed to study his or her mother tongue as a school-supported self-taught language A literature student (SL only). As with the taught courses, the course encourages independent, original and critical thinking. Candidates create their own course, choosing works from prescribed lists.

Whenever possible, self-taught students are given assistance with specific aspects of their studies. This may be done either in a special class for the self-taught students or in a class of students preparing a taught language A, depending on the numbers of students involved. ISL policy is that self-taught language students must engage a private tutor who can assist with literary study in the mother tongue.

Previous self-taught languages at ISL have included Chinese, Dutch and French. Please contact the IBDP Coordinator to find out what other languages are available.

 

Assessment

An outline of the assessment for Language and Literature is as follows:

Assessment DescriptionValue
SL
Written Assignment
(External Assessment)		Literary essay on one Part 1 work (1,200-1,500 words) and Reflective Statement (300 to 400 words).25%
SL
Individual Oral Commentary
(External Assessment)
Formal oral commentary based on a Part 2 work.15%
SL
Individual Oral Presentation
(Internal Assessment)
Individual or group oral presentation based on Part 4 works.
15%
SL
Examination Paper 1
(1.5 hours)
(External Assessment)		Guided literary analysis based on one of two unseen passages.20%
SL
Examination Paper 2
(1.5 hours)
(External Assessment)		Literary essay in response to a question based on 2 Part 3 works.25%