Lit - New Course Materials PDF

Language A: Literature
(generic) (DP
Workshop Category
2), Face-to-face
Workshop
Northbridge International School, Phnom

Penh, Cambodia
26 - 28 April 2019
Language of delivery: English

Facilitator/s: Robert Butcher
www.ibo.org/programmes/pd
Intellectual property disclaimer
This workbook is intended for use by a participant at an IB-approved workshop. It
contains several types of material: material that was created and published by the
IB, material that was prepared by the workshop leader and third-party copyright
material.
Following the workshop, participants who wish to provide information or non-

commercial in-school training to teachers in their school may use the IB-copyright
material (including student work) and material identified as the work of the
workshop leader unless this is specifically prohibited.
The IB is committed to fostering academic honesty and respecting others’
intellectual property. To this end, the organization must comply with international
copyright laws and therefore has obtained permission to reproduce and/or translate
any materials used in this publication for which a third party owns the intellectual
property. Acknowledgments are included where appropriate. Workshop
participants may not use any of the material in this workbook that is identified as
being the intellectual property of a third party for any purpose unless expressly
stated and must therefore seek permission from the copyright holder before making
use of such material.
Permission must be sought from the IB by emailing copyright@ibo.org for any use
of IB material which is different from that described above or those uses permitted
under the rules and policy for use of IB intellectual property
(http://www.ibo.org/copyright/intellectualproperty.cfm).
Permission granted to any supplier or publisher to exhibit at an IB-approved
workshop does not imply endorsement by the IB.
Mission statement
The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and

caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through
intercultural understanding and respect.
To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international
organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and
rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to become active,
compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their
differences, can also be right.
Workbook Contents
Butcher A Lit Agenda Cambodia 2019 - Agenda.......................................................................6
English A: Literature - HL essay sample A (category 2)............................................................8
English A: Literature - HL essay sample A commentary (category 2).....................................13
English A: Literature - HL essay sample B (category 2)..........................................................15
English A: Literature - HL essay sample B commentary (category 2).....................................19
English A: Literature - Internal assessment sample A commentary (category 2)....................20
English A: Literature - Internal assessment sample A description of stimuli (categ
ory 2)........................................................................................................................................22
English A: Literature - Internal assessment sample A form (category 2).................................23
English A: Literature - Internal assessment sample B commentary (category 2)....................24
English A: Literature - Internal assessment sample B description of stimuli (categ
ory 2)........................................................................................................................................26
English A: Literature - Internal assessment sample B form (category 2).................................27
English A: literature paper 1 and marking notes (first assessment May 2021)........................28
English A: Literature - Paper 1 sample A (category 2).............................................................40
English A: Literature - Paper 1 sample A commentary (category 2)........................................54
English A: Literature - Paper 1 sample B (category 2).............................................................56
English A: Literature - Paper 1 sample B commentary (category 2)........................................65
English A: Literature - Paper 1 sample C (category 2)............................................................67
English A: Literature - Paper 1 sample C commentary (category 2)........................................74
English A paper 2.....................................................................................................................76
English A: Literature - Paper 2 sample A (category 2).............................................................78
English A: Literature - Paper 2 sample A commentary (category 2)........................................82
English A: Literature - Paper 2 sample B (category 2).............................................................83
English A: Literature - Paper 2 sample B commentary (category 2)........................................95
English A: Literature - Paper 2 sample C (category 2)............................................................96
English A: Literature - Paper 2 sample C commentary (category 2)......................................104
Session 1 text 3 - Conceptual learning..................................................................................106
Session 1 - Conceptual learning in the IB..............................................................................109
Session 1 - On Rita Felski.....................................................................................................112
Session 4 - Handout..............................................................................................................115
Session 4 - On Susan Stanford Friedman.............................................................................116
Session 5 - Kipling reading....................................................................................................119
Session 6 - In reference to Sheridan Blau.............................................................................122
Session 7 - Reading for IA.....................................................................................................127
Session 8 - Rosenblatt reading paper 2.................................................................................132
IB ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL WORKSHOP AGENDA
DP Language A: Literature Generic—Category 2
Northbridge International School, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
DP, 26 - 28 April 2019
Workshop Leader
Robert Butcher
BA in English and Philosophy from University of Denver in 1992, a Masters in the Philosophy
of Anglo-Irish Literature University of Dublin Trinity College in 1994, and a Masters in
Curriculum and Pedagogy from University of Colorado Denver in 2002. 24 years IB teaching
experience. 18 years IB examining experience. Leading the occasional A group workshop
since 2012. Since 1995 Robert worked in various schools and countries including Bilingue
Antigueno in Guatemala, The Grange School in Santiago Chile, The American School of
Tegucigalpa in Honduras, The Koc School in Istanbul Turkey, and currently is Program
Leader and a teacher for High School English at the International School Manila.
Aims of the Workshop
The purpose of this workshop is to offer an opportunity for experienced IB educators to

participate in a comprehensive exploration of the changes made in the Language A: literature
curriculum and the new Language A: literature subject guide.
All participants are requested to bring with them the following:

● A usb thumb drive to share resources
● Laptop (please ensure that your school has given you sufficient administrator rights to
be able to change your IP/network settings so that you can connect to the local
network onsite) – bring a power adaptor and a projector adaptor (if a Mac user)
● A Paper or electronic copy of the Language A: Literature Guide.
● Any cool teaching ideas, strategies and resources to share with workshop
participants. It is possible a session will be dedicated to participants
leading/sharing/explaining a resource they use with students that they also upload to
our shared google site and or our shared book creator site.
● Enthusiasm for literature and a willingness to be part of other peoples' learning during
the workshop, as well as to learn from other people using inquiry, collaboration,
creation, and a variety of other approaches to teaching and learning.
Page 1
6/134
Please note: session topics are subject to change based on needs of the group
TIME/DAY DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3

Welcome & Introduction Session 5: Strategies, Session 9: Strategies,
by IB Asia Pacific Approaches & Resources Approaches & Resources
Representative Part 1 Part 2
(30 mins) ● Course design ● Working with the
● The subject guide learner portfolio
8:30 – 10:00 Session 1: Introductions ● The TSM ● Curate Your
& Overview Workshop Gallery
● rationale for the ● Take a tour of two
other galleries
changes to the
course
10:00 – 10:30 Morning Break

Session 2: Changes to Session 6: External Session 10: Strategies,
the course Part 1 Assessment Paper 1 Approaches & Resources
● The course ● Guided Literary Part 3: Making connections
structure analysis with the DP Core
● The areas of ● Eligible Text Types ● ToK
10:30 – 12:00 exploration ● HL Requires ● CAS
Treating Both texts. ● EE
● Assessing exemplars ● International
Mindedness
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

Session 3: Changes to Session 7: Internal Session 11: Strategies,
the course Part 2: Assessment the Approaches & Resources
● The Prescribed individual oral Part 4:
reading list ● Teacher guiding ● Creative writing
1:00 – 2:30 ● Approaches to students ● Creative performances
course design ● Text selection ● Resource Sharing
● Global Issues (Participants Lead)
● Assessing
exemplars
2:30 – 3:00 Afternoon Break
Session 4: Changes to Session 8: External Session 12 (ends at 4:00):
the course Part 3: Assessment Paper 2 & the Final Thoughts,
● Assessment Higher Level essay Reflections, Concerns,
overview ● Paper 2 is not a Sharing of resources
● The learner genre study & texts ● Finale Questions,
3:00 – 4:30 portfolio are chosen across Answers, Reflections
the entire course ● Workshop Closes
● HL Essay liberated
from IAOs &
supervised writing
● Assessing exemplars
4:30 End of the Day
* An official "IB Certificate of Attendance" is awarded to participants who have attended all
sessions of a workshop. Please ensure that travel arrangements do not preclude candidacy for
a certificate
Page 2
7/134
HL Essay Literature
Representations of death in Doctor Zhivago
Dr. Zhivago is Boris Pasternak’s finest work. It has received wide recognition
for its dramatic representation of Russian society throughout the first half of the
twentieth century. The novel thoroughly documents Yuri Zhivago’s life, which
unfolded in a historical context starting with the Russian Revolution of 1905 and going
all the way to the Stalinist thirties. This span of time allowed the author to cover many
radical societal changes. It is worth noting that Pasternak was alive and well
throughout the entire timespan his novel focuses on. While his novel is a work of
fiction, his writings have inevitably been shaped by all the events he witnessed.
Pasternak was therefore able to combine fiction with the social realities of his time.
One of these social realities he managed to capture extensively is the process of dying
and death. Pasternak manages to represent death in both religious and social stances,
but also as a mere literary device. Death is ever-evolving as the novel unfolds, and
each death focuses on different elements. This essay aims to examine the ways in
which the author has accomplished this.
The novel begins with death – Yuri’s mother, Maria, has passed on. The opening
chapter vividly and exhaustively describes the funeral proceedings; we are told of the
people on the street, who “cross themselves”1 upon seeing the funeral cortege.
Ordinary folks on the street briefly stop by to pay homage and make small inquiries
as to who the deceased was. The religious ceremony is described in great detail; the
author comprehensively presents us with the liturgical rites, including exact
quotations from Christian Orthodox prayers; the whole ceremony depicts Maria’s
ascension to God. The funeral has an almost poetic quality to it; “earth rained over the
coffin”2, the narrator explains us, shortly before describing how Yuri was “lashed with
cold gusts of rain”3. This creates a very powerful visual stimulus, with tangible
qualities that the reader can visualize. Little Yuri is further on depicted as praying for
1
Page 8, Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak, as translated into the English language by Pantheon books in the
1962 edition
2
ibid
3
ibidem
8/134
HL Essay Literature
his mother to be received into God’s “heavenly mansions, where faces of the saints
and the just shine like the stars”4. This death is perhaps unique in the novel, for it
focuses not on the death itself, but on the ceremonial and deeply religious nature of
dying in Orthodox Russia. It is presented not strictly a death, but as a ritual. The reader
will not encounter a similar description again, for the novel distances itself from the
rites associated with death, beginning instead to take a much colder and pragmatic
approach to death.
Yuri had been a very unfortunate child – we find out that his father, Andrei, too
had died as a result of falling out of a moving train (the cause of the fall is a literary
mystery). As Andrei body’s lay on the tracks, the people’s reaction to his death is
radically different from crossing themselves or making inquiries. The bystanders were
rather critical; one passenger firmly explains that “…he died of rich living and mental
illness”5. The narrator describes the death as being a mere inconvenience to the other
passengers, whose main concern was to avoid being robbed of their belongings during
the train’s unexpected stop. The narrator informs us that the conductor had
telegraphed the authorities, as the deceased was a “prominent person”6 whose death
should be investigated. Once several public officials arrived, “questions were asked in
cold, businesslike voices”7. The only person who displayed any sign of remorse was a
“peasant woman who began to wail”8 as the corpse was being carried away; the other
passengers were caught up in their own affairs, and the authorities were too busy to
fulfill their bureaucratic tasks. Perhaps by using the term “peasant woman” Pasternak
attempted to symbolize the spiritual rupture between the peasantry and the urban
dwellers in early 20th century society. Even the bloodied face of the deceased is
deconstructed and turned into a thing of its own; “the blood looked like a cancel mark
4
Page 15
5
Page 17
6
ibid
7
Page 19
8
ibid
9/134
HL Essay Literature
crossing his face … it looked like a foreign appendage”9, the narrator tells. This death
was far removed from the spiritual and profoundly compassionate context of Maria’s
death.
Death in Dr. Zhivago is also presented as a mere civil procedure to be dealt
with. Early in the novel, we find out that Dr. Zhivago’s mother-in-law, Anna, passed
away. “She had been dead for ten minutes. The cause of death had been … acute
edema … which had not been diagnosed on time”10, the narrator informs us. That
marks the extent to which we are told of Anna’s death; the novel carries on focusing
on the emotions of Tania, Anna’s mother. This cold, medical-style language reminds
the reader of an autopsy report and is far removed from previous instances of death
in the novel. Maria’s death had a religious overtone, Andrei’s death stirred lively
discussions among the passengers, and Anna’s death received a single sentence. “The
funeral service was over”11 is the extent to which the narrator describes Anna’s funeral.
The individuals attending the funeral described her as a “poor soul” 12 and “poor
cricket”13 before taking a taxi to get back home. This is in sharp contrast with Maria’s
funeral, marked by concerned passersby and elaborate funeral rites.
Pasternak lived in Moscow at the height of the Russian Civil War between 1918
and 1920; this perhaps explains the reasons as to how he managed to describe death in
war so pragmatically. In the context of Dr. Zhivago himself being mobilized to the
front as a Red Cross doctor, Zhivago sees his adversaries as “familiar … he’d
wondered if [the soldiers] were his classmates’ younger brothers”14. While this is
compassionate enough, the same paragraph informs us simply that “the bullets
mowed them down”15. This rapid switch between life and death manages to invoke
powerful imageries of a war to any reader. Dr. Zhivago himself is forced to pick up a
9
Page 17
10
Page 75
11
Page 77
12
Ibid
13
Ibidem
14
Page 276
15
Ibid
10/134
HL Essay Literature
gun and shoot, but we are told that he deliberately aimed away from humans. “But
alas! … two of them he wounded, and one who fell seemed to have lost his life” 16, we
are told. Death in this extreme life-and-death situation is dealt with very
pragmatically, perhaps in order to remind the reader of the chaotic pace of war.
As Russia evolves, so does death. This evolution is best seen with Zhivago
himself, whose family – now in exile – and career – now in its final states – were fading
out. One day, “he collapsed on the stone paving and did not get up” 17. That was
Zhivago’s death. His “funeral service” is not described as a funeral (the word is
missing altogether); the secular nature of the ceremony is described at heights, with
flowers, books and pillows being extensively mentioned. There was no church service,
instead “it was decided …to have a civil cremation”18. This contrasts strongly with
Maria’s funeral, which was inherently religious. “…many more people than
expected”19 attended the funeral, with people “who had never met the man, but were
now coming to see him for the first and last time”20, we are told. This is reminiscent of
both Maria and Andrei’s deaths, which drew popular interest, albeit this time, the
environment was sterile and restrained. The totalitarian state in Russia was at its
height at the time Zhivago died. It suppressed the church and public gatherings;
perhaps death was the last connection with immemorial traditions that were
eliminated by the Revolution. Pasternak, who was critical of the Revolution,
doubtlessly used death in order to represent the destructive nature of the state
apparatus.
Death is, however, not viewed strictly in light of solemn circumstances with a
meaning that can be attributed to a certain setting. Pasternak also toys around with the
concept of death as a basic plot device that gives the novel its thrilling qualities. In part
two of the novel, we are presented with the story of Amalia (a minor character used to
16
Page 277
17
Page 406
18
Page 407
19
ibid
20
ibidem
11/134
HL Essay Literature
consolidate the evil nature of another character, Mr. Komarovsky). Amalia is, in part
two of the novel, apparently on the brink of death; she had poisoned herself and was
tended to by a medical doctor. The atmosphere is very solemn, and reminds one of
stereotypical portraits of death; the reader is presented with a dark room, a dimly lit
oil lamp that barely functions, and poor Amalia herself, depicted to us as a sickly
woman “holding her head over a bucket and crying loudly”21. This otherwise dramatic
scene is quickly pushed aside when a literary bombshell is defused: we are told that
Komarovsky was the man who drove Yuri’s father to suicide. The gravity of that
revelation makes the reader completely oblivious as to Amalia’s dramatic encounter
with death.
It is precisely this sort of distinction between death as a more profound event,
and death merely being used as a literary device, that demonstrates Pasternak’s
deliberate choice to use death and dying as a broader form of social expression that
evolves alongside a totalitarian regime. The novel ultimately manages to enlighten the
reader as to the extent to which death is modeled by external circumstances beyond
one’s control in a very diverse and thought-provoking manner.
21
Page 54
12/134
HL Essay examiner’s comments coversheet
Subject name: English A: literature

Sample name: Example A
Criterion A Markband: 3
Examiner’s comments:
With a tight focus on a particular aspect of the novel this topic could have some promise. The candidate
does not indicate at the outset why the examples selected - other deaths are available – were chosen; the
last two sentences in the introduction suggest that this will simply be a collection of one example after
another. The candidate takes an approach which is chronological within the context of the novel but not in
terms of the real order of events, shows enough knowledge and understanding of the novel to be able to
illustrate the rather descriptive accounts with some quotation. There are some sweeping comments: “the
novel distances itself from the rites associated with death…” “this cold, medical-style language …is far
removed from previous instances of death in the novel…” which are not always borne out by the
discussion. Ultimately, the discussion feels a little forced and there is at times perhaps too much social
history and not enough literary analysis.
Criterion B Markband: 3
The candidate is aware of an author making choices and shaping a novel but there is uneven appreciation
of the way the writing works. There is a certain amount of description, such as in “’the bullets mowed them
down’. This rapid switch between life and death manages to invoke powerful imageries (sic) of a war to any
reader.”. Quotation is often used to advance the description: more analysis and evaluation is needed.
There is an attempt to move into more literary realms in the section on Amalia, in which the idea of a plot
device is raised. On balance, appreciation is probably “generally appropriate” and just about merits 3 in this
descriptor.
Criterion C Markband: 3
Organisation is adequate, though the conclusion is somewhat truncated by the cutting of the last 15 words.
Little of any value is lost – the conclusion is in any case terse and yet strangely vague. A line of inquiry is
hinted at – that the author uses death for a range of literary or thematic purposes - and the candidate uses
this to give a sense of structure to the essay. The line of inquiry is not especially well-developed.
Quotations are quite neatly embedded in the candidate’s writing. Footnotes are not entirely correctly used
and there is no entry for Works Cited.
Criterion D Markband: 4
The writing is somewhat overblown/ labored at times: “a literary bombshell is defused”; “death and dying
as a broader form of social expression alongside a totalitarian regime”. It is largely grammatically secure
(with the exception of the sentence ending in mid-flow at 1500 words) and sophisticated punctuation is
deployed with confidence.
General commentary
The candidate needs to give a clearer idea of why the examples chosen were selected
and to analyse them more probingly. This is another essay which exceeds the word limit
and which would have benefited from some tightening of the rather wordy style in order
to be able to include more detail and analysis.
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2019

13/134
International Baccalaureate® | Baccalauréat International® | Bachillerato Internacional®
Page 2 / 2
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2019 14/134
The Question of Identity
Cultural identity is subject to much scrutiny in terms of how and to what extent the
colonised subject can autonomously perform or initiate desired action in the colonial
setting. These modes of separation both instantaneously work to maintain
hierarchical boundaries between two groups that not only divide but also in some
respect bring one closer to the other. Wole Soyinka’s Death and the Kings Horseman
(1984) explores identity and diaspora as a direct result of colonisation where Soyinka
depicts cultural identity as a determinate for the capacity for one to perform/act. His
text reveals and reflects similar cultural beliefs and stigma’s that both facilitate the
emergence of racial stereotypes as well as depict the harsh reality of such attribution
errors. This is seen through examples of racial prejudice, issues of displacement and
the use of language.
In Soyinka’s play, preconceived ideas inflicted by the colonial mission onto the
Yoruba people creates negative judgement of their collective identity with respect to
their religious affiliation, as demonstrated with their taking to Elesin’s ritual suicide.
Upon discovering that Elesin will embark on committing suicide, Simon Pilkings
attempts to prevent this for the reason that it is against Christian law but also
corresponding with his own cultural beliefs that prevail, dominating their
expectations of the Yoruba people according to their cultural practices. This is seen
where Jane readily remarks the ritual suicide as a ‘barbaric custom…its feudal!’
(1984: 194). The Pilkings associate Elesin’s religious identity as barbaric and
feudalistic according to the racial prejudices that they hold. They thus conclude that
Elesin does not have a right to carry out this activity when Pilkings instructs Amusa
to ‘lock him up’. This enforces the dichotomy of the savage and the civilised. Soyinka
uses prejudice as an excuse for the mission to subvert the Yoruba people’s religious
activity and in part their identity. The English compare their own cultural traditions
against the Yoruba’s and automatically assume that they must be overruled and
therefore assuming a position of cultural supremacy established in Pilkings’ retort
that there is ‘nothing to worry about’ implying the activity will certainly be stopped.
Soyinka illustrates this conflict then opposes the Oyo people against the colonial
15/134
mission and dictates their abilities to act in the way that they choose, if not to some
extent. Identity is then in part shaped by cultural context. Racial prejudice is used as
a justification for treatment to where the dominant ideology overrules as one that
determines the actions of the ‘other’. These active prejudices in a diasporic
framework give the individual a limited capacity in which to act – or to simply be
given the opportunity – as he chooses in direct relation to his racial identity
Soyinka’s Amusa is a prime example of identity in a state of compromise for he

negotiates his actions between his affiliation with the mission and his previous
strictly Yoruba identity to try to keep both parties satisfied. In Scene II, Amusa and
the Pilkings’ review Amusa’s making of a previous arrest in a ritual affair regarding
death. Amusa assures Jane ‘Madam, I arrest ringleaders who make trouble but me I
no touch egungun… I arrest ringleader but I treat egungun with respect’ (1984: 165).
Amusa demonstrates sly civility in this scenario that they speak of. His ambivalence
is clear as he stays under the Pilkings’ – and the colonial – authority but his refusal to
touch the ring leader reflects his own (once held) native values and so he remains
living under the framework of authority but does not completely submerge himself
to it. With his efforts to avoid aggravating the egungun, we can decipher that he still
recognizes his native culture’s belief system by his showing a form of respect to it. We
can then decipher that Amusa represents the liminality of the colonial rule and its
influence in African civilisation which permits him to be interpreted as a homeless
subject by a result of European intrusion. Identity is portrayed as a delicacy filtered
through issues of placement and displacement. Ultimately, the characters’ affiliations
with their environments do not allow them to feel a sense of belonging as their
identities are neither here nor there to be in a position of respect and therefore are
questioned or rejected in their choices of action unless they make a self-compromise.
Soyinka presents language as in part a reflection of cultural identity and once again
creates boundaries between the colonised and the coloniser. The language of the
Yoruba people is particularly lyrical compared to the English dialect and so Simon
and Jane Pilkings express frustration in trying to interpret Elesin and company. We
see this at points where Iyaloja speaks for instance, ‘Let grain that will not feed the
16/134
voyager at his passage drop here and take root as he steps beyond this earth and us’
(1984: 161). Pilkings often questions ‘What is she saying now? Christ! Must your
people forever speak in riddles’ (1984: 213). The simple speech of the Europeans is
contrasted against the symbolic language in the Yoruba culture throughout the play.
Simon Pilkings once again marks a distinction between himself and the Yoruba
community of which he refers to as ‘your people’ in addressing Elesin in his distress
of attempting to decipher their speech patterns. Jane additionally expresses this when
she says ‘You talk! You people with your long-winded, roundabout way of making
conversation’ (1984:195). We are then subject to conflicts of interest and
understanding as the Pilkings’ cannot understand the way in which the Yoruba
people converse. They therefore cannot identify with them and so attribute negative
qualities to their language such as the speech being laborious and missing the point.
Their identity is reflected in their speech patterns with them likening situations to
animals/fruits and this exemplifies their intimate connection with nature in their
culture. The Yoruba people maintain their affiliation with home through their
language as this shown to be something the colonial mission do not manipulate.
Language reflects cultural identity in the diasporic framework here and does in fact
give them the agency to act.
Identity moves between multiple social spheres: individual, communal, and national.
Soyinka’s text frequently move between these groupings, although there is a greater
focus on appearance and racial identity as demonstrated. In relation to prejudice,
assimilation and communication in the colonial context, there is clearly a struggle
between autonomous action and whether the actions of the individuals are
determined by the ways in which their identity has been construed with colonial
influence. Soyinka raises significant issues about the contestation of identity; it being
interpreted and received by others with regards to an individual’s abilities which
ultimately assume his social position in the diasporic framework. Soyinka proposes
his characters as agents moving towards an African modernity in the midst of these
various restrictions. For some, such as Elesin, this proves problematic in that he is not
able fulfil his duty of ritual suicide on demand (although he does eventually).
17/134
However, Soyinka in part presents this as the fault of Elesin by his procrastination.
The contestation of identity then becomes a social commentary of the conflicting
forces in the power structures of society where the subordinate group take on a state
of inferiority that leads to restrictions in performance where these factors are dictated
around a collision of different or multiple cultural ideologies at the hands of
colonisation.
18/134
HL Essay examiner’s comments coversheet

Sample name: Example B
Initially the topic appears to have a promisingly tight focus but by the end of the introduction it is clear that
there is some lack of precision in the candidate’s thinking: the last sentence of the introduction shows just
how far from the original topic things have come. Various claims are made about prejudice, displacement
and use of language, but with only one quotation to support each and not much accompanying discussion
it is difficult to see how well the candidate knows and understands the play. The fact that the date of
publication is incorrectly given as 1984, when it is 1975, may seem a trivial concern, but taken with the
inaccuracy with which most of the quotations are either cited or used – an error in the first one, significant
confusion of understanding in the second one about the egungun. There is some textual familiarity but the
essay is reliant on a sandy foundation of assertion.
Not much – if any - attention is paid to the generic features of this richly dramatic play. The candidate
offers some examples of dialogue but does not explore how they work to support a point being made.
There is no discussion of the quotation used to illustrate the “symbolic” language of the Yoruba people; the
candidate jumps to evaluations without showing the working behind them. The essay is descriptive.
A three-part structure is set up and ostensibly adhered to, but ideas are not very thoroughly developed.
The conclusion introduces new material about Elesin’s own procrastination, which is actually central to the
play’s conflict and receives no attention in the body of the essay. Supporting examples are largely neatly
embedded in the candidate’s own writing but this alone does not fully justify a higher mark than 2 here.
Imprecision is not just limited to the thinking here: expression is labored, wordy and contains many rather
careless and basic errors. Diction is a little imprecise: “diaspora” for example, needs some definition as it is
used rather laxly. The essay falls at the lower end of the word-limit and the wordy style adopted by the
candidate when there is room for so much more detail and crisp thinking is unhelpful: some confident
claims about things having been “demonstrated” are thus unwarranted. Control of structures is generally
secure – a best-fit mark of 3 feels right in this criterion.
General commentary
There are some potentially workable ideas behind this essay but the candidate just hasn’t
investigated them very much. The Subject Guide calls for a developed, focused, and
analytical argument.

19/134
Internal assessment examiner’s comments coversheet

Criterion A Markband: 7-8

The global issue of the negative effects of social and cultural inequality shows focus and engagement on behalf of
the candidate. She articulates quite clearly the links between the two extracts in the opening statements however,
this focus is not sustained and the interpretation lapses into generalized statements. Similarly, when the oral
shifts focus to the second extract at 3.16, the candidate makes reference to “the patterns of inequality” but again
lapses into plot description and summary rather than careful analysis and exploration of these patterns. The
candidate is able to establish that women are depicted as victims of unfair treatment in the extracts but an
appreciation of the implications lacks depth. The “patterns” that the candidate makes reference to should not
just explore the role of women in writing but question the category of “woman” itself. The patterns should
focus on the intersection between sexuality, racial identity, geography, class status and constructions of femininity
and masculinity. It is in addressing the intersections that an oral shows persuasive interpretation.
Criterion B Markband: 5 - 6
The oral is analytical in nature, as the appropriate terms are integrated into the interpretation: character, conflict,
themes, protagonist, antagonist. However, how these conventions work to generate theme and in turn
underscore the global issue isn’t clearly developed. The vague treatment of the effects of authorial choices is
continued during the discussion part of the exam. The teacher poses questions on genre at 11.10 and intent, but
the candidate tends to rely on plot points and character depiction rather than offering persuasive links to the
global issue. The candidate recognizes that both authors, “create the feeling of an idealized type of relationship,”
but fails to provide evidence of HOW this ‘feeling’ is inspired through dramatic/narrative strategies.
Criterion C Markband: 7 -8
The candidate provides the oral with a clear organizing principle that allows her ideas on social and cultural
inequality to provide focus and momentum. There is a sense that the oral is balanced, but because the ideas on
the texts tend to be more descriptive than analytical the structure does not have the persuasive feel that comes
from “owning” the material. The oral is clear and the ideas are consistent and logical but the structure lacks the
sustained and detailed focus on the issue to warrant marks from the higher bands.

20/134
Criterion D Markband: 7 - 8
The language used by the candidate is clear and accurate and vocabulary and syntax are varied and appropriate.
Rhetorical devices show some personal engagement but the notable absence of terminology related to the
qualities of the genres means that the candidate’s language falls short of ‘enhancing’ the oral.
General commentary
The extracts are appropriate in this they share a similar focus and the conventions are discussed relative to the
global issue. The issue itself could be articulated more clearly; these are broad issues with many implications and
while it is impossible to deal with all of these in a ten-minute oral, cherry picking aspects that show personal
engagement and offer focus is an important aspect of the task. The extracts are from different eras and genres
and so the opportunity to show conscious thinking on how the issues look from different perspectives might be
an effective organizing principle during the planning/discussion stage of the oral.
Page 2 / 2
Internal assessment – description of stimuli

Extract 1
Stimulus description:
Extract 1 is from the Greek Tragedy Medea which extends from “of all creatures that have life and reason we
women are the sorriest lot,” line 230, to “coming a messenger of some new proclamation” (270). It depicts an
interaction between Medea and a nurse before the Chorus announces her banishment. Links to the global issue
of social and cultural inequality are explored in the contrasting way Medea’s monologue recruits the sympathies
of an audience for a woman’s lot (individual), while the Chorus (society) passes judgement.
Extract 2
Stimulus description:
The extract from the novel Their Eyes were Watching God extends from, “Take some uh dese ol’ rusty black women
and dey would fight yuh all night long,” to “Ah set in de kitchen one day and hearddat woman tell mah wife
Ah’m too black fuh her.” The novel traces the conversations of characters throughout to mark character
progression. Links to the global issue of social and cultural inequality echo that of the previous text (Medea) in
that dialogue reveals the struggle for identity and a revelation of character and themes.

22/134
23/134
Internal assessment examiner’s comments coversheet

Criterion A Markband: 3/4

There is limited knowledge of the play Hamlet. The extract begins ‘with Gertrude’s plaintive
observation that ”One woe doth tread upon another’s heel” and concludes with King’s strident
order “Therefore,let’ follow” but rather than focusing on how language confirms cultural norms, she
tends to treat the character as ‘real lfe.’ The superficial summary of Ophelia’s fate suggests a very
generalied understanding and knowledge of plot and character development. Ophelia’s character
is iconic and the manner of her demise constitutes one of the main themes of the play (self
slaughter) and the controversial ideas that make the play impactful and relevant. The queen is
sympathetic to Opehlia and Leartes is heartbroken and so the suggestion that they are both
indifferent to her death is incorrect. The extract is not placed into context and the link to the Global
Context of Culture, Identiity and Community would seem more appropriate to Gender and
Sexuality. The idea of hierarchies, the relationship between the personal and political, mental
health are all given a rather superficial, glib assessment.
Similarly, the conflicts, themes, tensions depicted in The Sorrow of War are captured in the extract
that begins, “Kian’s hand followed” and concludes with, “Or worse, that they were too concerned
worrying about their own safety to bother with others.” There are links to community and culture
and yet again the discussion tends to be based on broad generalizations rather than specific links
that confirm personal engagement and a sense of ‘ownership’ of the material under discussion.
Similar to the analysis on Hamlet, the knowledge and understanding is limited to summary,
paraphrasing and description and this tendency to discuss the novel are real life pushes the
discussion into the wrong direction. The extract depicts a scene of terrible violence and yet how
this impacts the reader and its relevance to this War novel are not explained. Moreover, links to
the Global context are tenuous and underdeveloped.
Criterion B Markband: 3/4

There is some mention of tone, diction and metaphor but the links to how language shape meaning
in the play is not artriculated carefully. Moreover, the relationship between culture and identity
isn’t elucidated at all, e.g. the notion that Leartes’ tone is ‘funny’ is misleading. Many of the
thoughts on literary elements are speculative and undeveloped. The extract on Hamlet would lend
itself to more insight on imagery, and its effect (especially with Shakespeare) to elaborate on the
dramatic tension between order and disorder, a concern for Elizabethan and modern audiences.
Indeed, this line of analysis would lead more naturally into the global issue and the complex
relationships that exist between language, culture and identity. It is a shame that the oral does not

24/134
really refer to Shakespeare and how he establishes a relationship with his audience in this particular
scene.
In the extract from Sorrow of War, tone, diction and internal conflict are the prevalent conventions
under discussion but the relationships between them and the implications for how the narrative is
understood by a reader isn’t clarified. The narrative point of view and how this differs from the
storyteller would allow for relevant and meaningful links but rather the extract and its shock value
are the focus.
Criterion C Markband: 3 / 4
The organizing principle behind this oral is hard to discern. For the most part the ideas have a
rather off the cuff delivery with insights almost being tangentially arranged. The references to the
global issue are included but not with the idea that they are ‘moving the oral forward’ or building
to some form of conclusion about the relationship between literature, communities, individuals and
cultures. Indeed, for the oral to be considered persuasive or coherent there would have to be more
specificity and focus and a clearly articulated organizing principle that celebrates the relationship
between text and the global issue. The presentation quite clearly lacks balance as he discussion on
Hamlet clearly dominates.
Criterion D Markband: 3/4

The candidate’s language while clear often seems inappropriate. Colloquial idiom is used “my bad,”
for example. The notable absence of terminology relevant to both literature and and the global
issue ensures that the discussion remains at the level of description and summary.
General commentary
In both Hamlet and The Sorrow of War there are way more relevant extracts to be selected that
would allow for rich and meaningful links between the global issue and the texts.
Additionally, the global issue that is meant to be focusing the oral is way too broad. It would need
a lot of pruning for the oral to have sustained focus, insights that are relevant and meaningful and
confirm excellent knowledge and understanding.
Page 2 / 2
Internal assessment - description of stimuli

Extract 1
Stimulus description: An extract from Hamlet
A scene taken from Act IV, sc 7 of Hamlet in which Gertrude very poetically describes Ophelia’s
controversial death to Ophelia’s older brother, Leartes. A scene designed to provoke sympathy
from the audience in that Ophelia’s innocence is often contrasted to the treachery and deception
that characterizes the treachery of Elsinore. The salient features of characterization and language
link it with how identity is explored through drama. Links with the global issue of culture, identity
and community include how controversial issues are depicted and received by different audiences
as well how men/women are expected to behave.
Extract 2
Stimulus description: Extract from The Sorrow of War
In this extract taken from The Sorrow of War by Bảo Ninh. Extending from “Kien’s hand followed “
to “Or worse, they were too concerned worrying about their own safety to bother with other?” The
scene depicts the violent assault of Hoa, and is related to the global issue of culture, idenitity and
community as it relates to how war impacts the most innocent and also implicates how war stories
are narrated.

26/134
27/134
SPEC
English A: literature – Higher level – Paper 1

Anglais A : littérature – Niveau supérieur – Épreuve 1
Inglés A: Literatura – Nivel Superior – Prueba 1
Specimen paper
Spécimen d’épreuve
Examen de muestra
2 hours 15 minutes / 2 heures 15 minutes / 2 horas 15 minutos
Instructions to candidates
yy Do not open this examination paper until instructed to do so.
yy Write a guided analysis of text 1.
yy Write a guided analysis of text 2.
yy Use the guiding question or propose an alternative technical or formal aspect of the text to focus
your analysis.
yy The maximum mark for this examination paper is [40 marks].
Instructions destinées aux candidats

yy N’ouvrez pas cette épreuve avant d’y être autorisé(e).
yy Rédigez une analyse dirigée du texte 1.
yy Rédigez une analyse dirigée du texte 2.
yy Utilisez la question d’orientation ou proposez une autre manière d’aborder le texte en
choisissant un aspect technique ou formel sur lequel concentrer votre analyse.
yy Le nombre maximum de points pour cette épreuve d’examen est de [40 points].
Instrucciones para los alumnos

yy No abra esta prueba hasta que se lo autoricen.
yy Escriba un análisis guiado del texto 1.
yy Escriba un análisis guiado del texto 2.
yy Utilice la pregunta de orientación o proponga otro aspecto técnico o formal del texto en el que
centrar su análisis.
yy La puntuación máxima para esta prueba de examen es [40 puntos].
4 pages/páginas © International Baccalaureate Organization 2018
28/134
–2– SPEC
Write a guided analysis of the following text.
1.
Act one
3 p.m. Saturday.
The open plan living room of a modern executive-style house. Archways leading off to the
kitchen and back doors. Another to the front door and bedrooms etc. Primarily furnished with
English Swedish style furniture. A lot of wrought iron for gates in lieu of doors and as used for
5 room dividers. Also artistic frosted glass. Doubtful pictures. Possibly a bar. It all cost a great deal
of money. Parquet floor with rugs.
At the start, EVELYN, a heavily made-up, reasonably trendily dressed, expressionless girl, is
sitting by a pram which she is rocking absently with one hand whilst gazing blankly out of the
window. Near her, on the table, underneath suitable coverings, tea is laid out in the form of
10 sandwiches and cakes. Only the teapot and hot water jug are missing. EVELYN chews and
sings to herself.
After a moment, DIANA enters. She is older, mid to later thirties. She always gives the
impression of being slightly fraught. She smiles occasionally, but it’s painful. Her sharp darting
eyes don’t miss much after years of suspicions both genuine and unfounded.
15 diana: Have you got him to sleep?

evelyn: Yes.
diana [looking into the pram]: Aaah! They look so lovely like that. Like little cherubims.
evelyn [unenthusiastic]: Mmm.
diana: Just like little cherubims. [Anxious.] Should he be covered up as much as that, dear?
20 evelyn: Yes.
diana: Won’t he get too hot?
evelyn: He likes it hot.
diana: Oh. I was just worried he wasn’t getting enough air.
evelyn: He’s all right. He doesn’t need much air.
25 diana: Oh well… [She looks about her.] Well, I think we’re all ready for them. John’s on his way,
you say?
evelyn: Yes.
diana: How is he these days? I haven’t seen John for ages.
evelyn: He’s all right.
30 diana: I haven’t seen either of you.
evelyn: We’re all right.
diana: Not for ages. Well, I’m glad you could come this afternoon. Colin will really appreciate
that, I’m sure. Seeing us all.
[Pause.]
35 Paul should be home again soon. I think he’s playing his squash again.
evelyn: Oh.
diana: Him and his squash. It used to be tennis – now he’s squash mad. Squash, squash,
squash. Can’t see what he sees in it. All afternoon hitting a ball against a wall. It’s so
noisy. Bang, bang, bang. He’s not even out of doors. No fresh air at all. It can’t be good for
40 him. Does John play squash?
evelyn: No.
diana: Oh.
29/134
–3– SPEC
evelyn: He doesn’t play anything.

diana: Oh, well. He probably doesn’t need it. Exercise. Some men don’t. My father never took a
45 stroke of exercise. Till he died. He seemed fit enough. He managed to do what he wanted
to do. Mind you, he never did very much. He just used to sit and shout at we girls. Most of
the time. He got calmer though when he got older. After my mother left him. [Looking into
the pram.] Did you knit that little jacket for him?
evelyn: No.
Alan Ayckbourn, Absent Friends (1975)
– How is the relationship between the two characters established in this extract?
Turn over / Tournez la page / Véase al dorso

30/134
–4– SPEC
Write a guided analysis of the following text.
2.
In the following extract from a travelogue, the author has travelled out of the city of Cairo and into the
desert.
It was a canyon of great promise. The cliffs were three hundred or more feet high and rose
in a concave curve to an abrupt crumbly steepness at the top. They looked impossible to climb.
I was cowed by the canyon’s vastness, content at first to leap from boulder to boulder along its
rocky bottom. There were plants but no trees, gravel slides, rounded hillocks of shale and side
5 wadis* winding into rocky clefts in the canyon walls. The air was brilliantly clear. Bright blue
sky in front and, when I turned to look back, the city squatting under a foggy haze. You could
actually see the start of the smog, worryingly near the place where my kids’ school was, but as I
walked up the canyon I turned my back on it.
In the ultra-clear air of the desert you can see as far as you want to. Small details are
10 visible far away. A falcon floating in the distance above the canyon top was like an inkstroke, a
precise piece of calligraphy.
There were two ruined blockhouses in the wadi, remnants of its time as a military
training area. These became my landmarks. I would reach them quickly and decide where to
explore. On the ground I found fossils but no stone tools. I followed a path up a rocky defile
15 and rediscovered the pleasure of hauling myself up short boulder-faces. Each sub-wadi was a
series of steps that water had once poured down. They looked unclimbable but up close there
was almost always a way. Under the cliffs were animal tracks and burrows but for days I saw no
animals, only birds including the black and white wheatear, the zerzur, after which Zerzura had
been named. At the top of the side wadi I was on the plain, flat and gravelly. In the far distance
20 were new tower blocks being built. Ahead it was clear to the horizon and behind, in the hollow of
the Nile valley, lay Cairo under its pall of greyness.
I had been keen on rock-climbing when I was younger, but it had been years since I
had done any. I was surprised to find I’d become trepidatious about heights, nervous about
scrambling up shale cliffs. Slowly, I regained the old skills needed, not pausing too long on a
25 hand- or foothold, not thinking too much, just moving upwards. Instead of seeing unclimbable
vertiginous cliffs I began to see routes, ways up and out of the canyon. I deliberately sighted
up a possible route and found my way quite easily to the very top edge. The drop made me
keep clear of the edge, gave my knees a slight wobble. Looking across the canyon, which was
maybe a half-kilometre wide, the plains on the other side stretched away to hills marked only
30 by a distant radio tower. Coming down the same way I saw my first desert fox, not a big-eared
fennec, but a red fox. I sat still and watched it as it watched me. The time spent watching in the
cool, clear high-up air was like an inner breath of some neglected part of me, which neutralized
the heavy sense of self, made me transparent again.
Robert Twigger, Lost Oasis: In Search of Paradise (2007)
* wadis: wadi is an Arabic term for a valley or dried-up riverbed
– To what effect does the narrator combine objective facts and subjective perception in this
text?
31/134
SPEC
English A: literature – Standard level – Paper 1

Anglais A : littérature – Niveau moyen – Épreuve 1
Inglés A: Literatura – Nivel Medio – Prueba 1
Specimen paper
Examen de muestra
1 hour 15 minutes / 1 heure 15 minutes / 1 hora 15 minutos
yy Do not open this examination paper until instructed to do so.
yy Write a guided analysis of text 1 or text 2.
yy Use the guiding question or propose an alternative technical or formal aspect of the text to focus
your analysis.

yy N’ouvrez pas cette épreuve avant d’y être autorisé(e).
yy Rédigez une analyse dirigée du texte 1 ou du texte 2.
yy Utilisez la question d’orientation ou proposez une autre manière d’aborder le texte en
choisissant un aspect technique ou formel sur lequel concentrer votre analyse.

yy No abra esta prueba hasta que se lo autoricen.
yy Escriba un análisis guiado del texto 1 o del texto 2.
yy Utilice la pregunta de orientación o proponga otro aspecto técnico o formal del texto en el que
centrar su análisis.
32/134
–2– SPEC
Write a guided analysis of one of the following texts.
1.
Act one
3 p.m. Saturday.
The open plan living room of a modern executive-style house. Archways leading off to the
kitchen and back doors. Another to the front door and bedrooms etc. Primarily furnished with
English Swedish style furniture. A lot of wrought iron for gates in lieu of doors and as used for
5 room dividers. Also artistic frosted glass. Doubtful pictures. Possibly a bar. It all cost a great deal
of money. Parquet floor with rugs.
At the start, EVELYN, a heavily made-up, reasonably trendily dressed, expressionless girl, is
sitting by a pram which she is rocking absently with one hand whilst gazing blankly out of the
window. Near her, on the table, underneath suitable coverings, tea is laid out in the form of
10 sandwiches and cakes. Only the teapot and hot water jug are missing. EVELYN chews and
sings to herself.
After a moment, DIANA enters. She is older, mid to later thirties. She always gives the
impression of being slightly fraught. She smiles occasionally, but it’s painful. Her sharp darting
eyes don’t miss much after years of suspicions both genuine and unfounded.
15 diana: Have you got him to sleep?

evelyn: Yes.
diana [looking into the pram]: Aaah! They look so lovely like that. Like little cherubims.
evelyn [unenthusiastic]: Mmm.
diana: Just like little cherubims. [Anxious.] Should he be covered up as much as that, dear?
20 evelyn: Yes.
diana: Won’t he get too hot?
evelyn: He likes it hot.
diana: Oh. I was just worried he wasn’t getting enough air.
evelyn: He’s all right. He doesn’t need much air.
25 diana: Oh well… [She looks about her.] Well, I think we’re all ready for them. John’s on his way,
you say?
evelyn: Yes.
diana: How is he these days? I haven’t seen John for ages.
evelyn: He’s all right.
30 diana: I haven’t seen either of you.
evelyn: We’re all right.
diana: Not for ages. Well, I’m glad you could come this afternoon. Colin will really appreciate
that, I’m sure. Seeing us all.
[Pause.]
35 Paul should be home again soon. I think he’s playing his squash again.
evelyn: Oh.
diana: Him and his squash. It used to be tennis – now he’s squash mad. Squash, squash,
squash. Can’t see what he sees in it. All afternoon hitting a ball against a wall. It’s so
noisy. Bang, bang, bang. He’s not even out of doors. No fresh air at all. It can’t be good for
40 him. Does John play squash?
evelyn: No.
diana: Oh.
33/134
–3– SPEC
evelyn: He doesn’t play anything.

diana: Oh, well. He probably doesn’t need it. Exercise. Some men don’t. My father never took a
45 stroke of exercise. Till he died. He seemed fit enough. He managed to do what he wanted
to do. Mind you, he never did very much. He just used to sit and shout at we girls. Most of
the time. He got calmer though when he got older. After my mother left him. [Looking into
the pram.] Did you knit that little jacket for him?
evelyn: No.
Alan Ayckbourn, Absent Friends (1975)
– How is the relationship between the two characters established in this extract?
Turn over / Tournez la page / Véase al dorso

34/134
–4– SPEC
2.
In the following extract from a travelogue, the author has travelled out of the city of Cairo and into the
desert.
It was a canyon of great promise. The cliffs were three hundred or more feet high and rose
in a concave curve to an abrupt crumbly steepness at the top. They looked impossible to climb.
I was cowed by the canyon’s vastness, content at first to leap from boulder to boulder along its
rocky bottom. There were plants but no trees, gravel slides, rounded hillocks of shale and side
5 wadis* winding into rocky clefts in the canyon walls. The air was brilliantly clear. Bright blue
sky in front and, when I turned to look back, the city squatting under a foggy haze. You could
actually see the start of the smog, worryingly near the place where my kids’ school was, but as I
walked up the canyon I turned my back on it.
In the ultra-clear air of the desert you can see as far as you want to. Small details are
10 visible far away. A falcon floating in the distance above the canyon top was like an inkstroke, a
precise piece of calligraphy.
There were two ruined blockhouses in the wadi, remnants of its time as a military
training area. These became my landmarks. I would reach them quickly and decide where to
explore. On the ground I found fossils but no stone tools. I followed a path up a rocky defile
15 and rediscovered the pleasure of hauling myself up short boulder-faces. Each sub-wadi was a
series of steps that water had once poured down. They looked unclimbable but up close there
was almost always a way. Under the cliffs were animal tracks and burrows but for days I saw no
animals, only birds including the black and white wheatear, the zerzur, after which Zerzura had
been named. At the top of the side wadi I was on the plain, flat and gravelly. In the far distance
20 were new tower blocks being built. Ahead it was clear to the horizon and behind, in the hollow of
the Nile valley, lay Cairo under its pall of greyness.
I had been keen on rock-climbing when I was younger, but it had been years since I
had done any. I was surprised to find I’d become trepidatious about heights, nervous about
scrambling up shale cliffs. Slowly, I regained the old skills needed, not pausing too long on a
25 hand- or foothold, not thinking too much, just moving upwards. Instead of seeing unclimbable
vertiginous cliffs I began to see routes, ways up and out of the canyon. I deliberately sighted
up a possible route and found my way quite easily to the very top edge. The drop made me
keep clear of the edge, gave my knees a slight wobble. Looking across the canyon, which was
maybe a half-kilometre wide, the plains on the other side stretched away to hills marked only
30 by a distant radio tower. Coming down the same way I saw my first desert fox, not a big-eared
fennec, but a red fox. I sat still and watched it as it watched me. The time spent watching in the
cool, clear high-up air was like an inner breath of some neglected part of me, which neutralized
the heavy sense of self, made me transparent again.
Robert Twigger, Lost Oasis: In Search of Paradise (2007)
* wadis: wadi is an Arabic term for a valley or dried-up riverbed
– To what effect does the narrator combine objective facts and subjective perception in this
text?
35/134
SPEC/1/AXENG/BP1/ENG/TZ0/XX/M
Marking notes
Remarques pour la notation
Notas para la corrección
Specimen paper
Examen de muestra
English A: literature
Anglais A : littérature
Inglés A: literatura
Higher level and standard level

Niveau supérieur et niveau moyen
Nivel superior y nivel medio
Paper / Épreuve / Prueba 1
4 pages/páginas
36/134
–2– SPEC/1/AXENG/BP1/ENG/TZ0/XX/M
General marking instructions
These notes to examiners are intended only as guidelines to assist marking. They are not offered
as an exhaustive and fixed set of features which all answers must include.
Answers which do not follow the approach suggested in the guiding question, but have provided
an alternative formal or technical focus should be rewarded appropriately in line with the
assessment criteria.
Instructions générales pour la notation
Ces notes ne sont que simples lignes directrices pour aider les examinateurs lors de la notation.
Elles ne peuvent en aucun cas être considérées comme un ensemble fixe et exhaustif de
caractéristiques que les réponses doivent présenter.
Les réponses qui ne suivent pas l’approche suggérée dans la question d’orientation, mais qui ont
adopté un autre angle technique ou formel doivent être récompensées de manière appropriée,
conformément aux critères d’évaluation.
Instrucciones generales para la corrección
El objetivo de estas notas para los examinadores es servir de directrices a fin de ayudar en la
corrección. No deben considerarse un conjunto fijo y exhaustivo de características que deban
estar presentes en todas las respuestas.
Las respuestas que no sigan el enfoque recomendado en la pregunta de orientación, pero posean
un enfoque alternativo, de carácter formal o técnico, también deberán ser valoradas de acuerdo
con los criterios de evaluación.
37/134
Text 1: Alan Ayckbourn, Absent Friends (1975)
Marking Guidance
Literary form / genre / text type
Drama
Elements of the text significant for analysis
 the importance of setting – and the way it is described – in understanding the characters
 the reason for Diana and Evelyn being together in Diana’s house
 the difference in amount of dialogue attributed to both characters and the crisp or
monosyllabic statements of Evelyn in contrast to Diana’s longer speeches
 the specific choices of diction, and how they indicate a potentially complex relationship
between the characters
 two characters’ portrayal of their partners
 the humour in the passage and the techniques used to create it – eg use of props, stage
business
 the tension in the passage and the various means by which it is created
 the effectiveness of the text as an introduction to a play.
38/134
Text 2: Robert Twigger, Lost Oasis: In Search of Paradise (2007)
Marking Guidance
Literary form / genre / text type
Prose other than fiction
Elements of the text significant for analysis
 the use of narrative voice in creating setting

 the changing nature of the narrator’s perception of setting as he climbs to the top of the
canyon
 use of figurative language as an indicator of a statement of fact or of opinion
 the use and effect of specific devices, such as alliteration, metaphor
 the presentation of the natural compared to that of the man-made
 the use and effect of different sentence lengths as the text progresses, in relation to the
narrator’s feelings
 the use of precise diction compared to less formal descriptions in the text
 interpretation of what the narrator is exploring.
39/134
40/134
41/134
42/134
43/134
44/134
45/134
46/134
47/134
48/134
49/134
50/134
51/134
52/134
53/134
Paper 1 HL examiner’s comments coversheet

Level: HL
Text 1
The response demonstrates a thorough understanding of the literal meaning of the text. There is a
convincing and insightful interpretation of larger implications and subtleties of the text. References are well
chosen and effectively support the candidate’s ideas.
The response demonstrates an appropriate and at times insightful analysis of textual features. There is
generally good evaluation of how these shape meaning.
The presentation is well organized and mostly coherent. The analysis is adequately focused.
Language is clear and carefully chosen, with a good degree of accuracy despite some minor lapses. Register
and style are consistently appropriate.
General commentary
The response shows a good understanding of the literal situation in the text, and does
generally focus on tensions, although this focus is sometimes implicit. The analysis of
features is generally good, and there is some close attention to detail, particularly to the
bestial images of nature. The analysis could have been deeper and the use of terminology
could have been more precise. The response is fairly well organized, although the focus
on tension could have been more explicit, and this is generally well written with only
minor lapses.

54/134
Text 2
The response demonstrates a thorough and perceptive understanding of the literal meaning of the text.
There is a convincing and fairly insightful interpretation of larger implications and subtleties of the text.
References to the text are well chosen and effectively support the candidate’s ideas.
The response demonstrates an insightful and convincing analysis of textual features. There is very good
evaluation of how these shape meaning.
The presentation is well organized and mostly coherent. The analysis is adequately focused
Language is clear and carefully chosen, with a good degree of accuracy despite some minor lapses. Register
and style are consistently appropriate..
General commentary
Again, this shows very good understanding of what the poem is ‘about’ and there is clear
and appropriate interpretation of many of the subtleties supported by well-chosen and
generally well-integrated references. There is very good attention to detail and the
analysis of features is generally convincing. The organization is logical and coherent and
reasonably focused, although imagery could be more specifically stated throughout.
Language is generally accurate and there is some liveliness of style. However, there are
some minor lapses in accuracy and in register.
Page 2 / 2
56/134
57/134
58/134
59/134
60/134
61/134
62/134
63/134
64/134

Level: HL
Text 1
The response demonstrates an understanding of the literal meaning of the text. There is a satisfactory
interpretation of some of the implications of the text. References are generally relevant and mostly support
the candidate’s ideas.
The response demonstrates an appropriate and at times insightful analysis of textual features. There is a
good evaluation of how such features shape meaning.
The presentation of ideas is adequately organized in a generally coherent manner. There is some focus in
the analysis
Language is clear and carefully chosen, with a good degree of accuracy. Register and style are consistently
appropriate.
General commentary
The response shows an understanding of the literal situation in the text, and there is
some focus some of the tensions. However, some aspects, such as the tension between
the peaceful meadow and the killer instincts of the hawk are ignored. Features and
choices are identified and discussed with some insight but could be analysed in more
depth. There is a fairly clear structure although the analysis of some aspects of the text is
ignored or undeveloped and the language is mostly clear and accurate.

65/134
Text 2
The response demonstrates a thorough understanding of the literal meaning of the text. There is a
convincing interpretation of many implications of the text.
References to the text are relevant and support the candidate’s ideas.
The response demonstrates an insightful and convincing analysis of textual features. There is a very good
evaluation of how such features shape meaning.
The presentation of ideas is well organized and mostly coherent, and there the analysis is adequately
focused.
Language is clear and carefully chosen with a high degree of accuracy. Register and style are effective and
appropriate.
General commentary
This is quite an impressive response. The candidate benefits from sticking closely to the
guiding question, and this leads to a sharply focused discussion of many of the key images
in the poem. The discussion of these is closely linked to the impact of love in a well-
organized essay. The use of language, whilst not perfect, is generally fluent and there is a
liveliness to the style that shows clear engagement with the poem.
Page 2 / 2
67/134
68/134
69/134
70/134
71/134
72/134
73/134

Sample name: Example C
Level: HL
Text 1
interpretation of some of the implications of the text. References are generally relevant and mostly support
the candidate’s ideas.
The response demonstrates a generally appropriate analysis of textual features.
The presentation of ideas is adequately organized in a generally coherent manner. There is some focus in
the analysis
Language is clear and carefully chosen, with a good degree of accuracy. Register and style are consistently
appropriate.
General commentary
The response shows an understanding of the literal situation in the text, and there is
some focus on the idea of tensions. However, there is a tendency to assert, for example
about the connotations of meadows; most people avoiding dangerous situations etc.
There is some focus on how language shapes meaning, for example setting and graphic
description, but this needed further analysis. The response is adequately structured ,
although it is a shame that the reference to the ‘hunks of meat’ only appears at the end.
The response is generally clearly written.

74/134
Text 2
interpretation of some implications of the text.
The response demonstrates some appropriate analysis of textual features but lacks depth and is generally
descriptive. There is little specific focus on imagery.
The presentation of ideas is adequately organized in a generally coherent manner and there is some focus
in the analysis.
Language is clear and carefully chosen with an adequate degree of accuracy. Register and style are mostly
appropriate.
General commentary
This response starts with a reasonably clear overview that mentions imagery, but then
spends rather a lot of time discussing the settings and how the reader can probably
imagine them. There is an assertion about ‘this imagery’, but the examples given prior to
this are not really pinned down as images. The suggestion that people are personified is
unfortunate, but there is some useful discussion of the language used to describe the two
groups. There is adequate development and clarity.
Page 2 / 2
SPEC
English A: literature – Higher and standard level – Paper 2

Anglais A: littérature – Niveaux supérieur et moyen – Épreuve 2
Inglés A: Literatura – Niveles Superior y Medio – Prueba 2
English A: language and literature – Higher and standard level – Paper 2

Anglais A: langue et littérature – Niveaux supérieur et moyen – Épreuve 2
Inglés A: Lengua y Literatura – Niveles Superior y Medio – Prueba 2
Specimen paper
Examen de muestra
1 hour 45 minutes / 1 heure 45 minutes / 1 hora 45 minutos
yy Do not turn over this examination paper until instructed to do so.
yy Answer one question. Compare and contrast two of the works you have studied.
yy You are not permitted to bring copies of the works you have studied into the examination room.

yy Ne retournez pas cette épreuve avant d’y être autorisé(e).
yy Répondez à une question. Comparez et opposez deux des œuvres que vous avez étudiées.
yy Vous n’êtes pas autorisé(e) à apporter des exemplaires des œuvres que vous avez étudiées
dans la salle d’examen.

yy No dé la vuelta a la prueba hasta que se lo autoricen.
yy Conteste una pregunta. Compare y contraste dos de las obras que ha estudiado.
yy No se permite llevar copias de las obras estudiadas a la sala de examen.
76/134
–2– SPEC
Answer one question. Compare and contrast two of the works you have studied.
1. How do two of the works you have studied portray the struggle to be understood?
2. Some literary texts, although set in a particular place or time, convey ideas that are universal.
In what ways is this true in two of the works you have studied?
3. Discuss how two works you have studied present concepts of good and bad, not as absolute
notions, but as a matter of individual perception.
4. Referring to two works you have studied, discuss how the author has created a convincing “world”.
77/134
• ANSWER BOOKLET
LIVRET DE REPONSES
CUADERNILLO DE RESPUESTAS
International Baccalaureate
Baccalaureat International
Bachillerato Internacional
4 PAGES/ PAGIN AS
Candidate session number:/ Numero de session du Candidate name:/ Norn du candidat : / Nombre del
candidat : / Numero de convocatoria del alumno: alumno:
l1
Example
Exemple
Ejemplo
27
[I!]
2 7
Example
Exemple
Ejemplo
3
□
At the start of each answer to a question, write the question number in the box using your normal handwriting/ Avant de repondre a une question,
■ 3 ■
inscrivez son numero a la main dans la case appropriee / Al comienzo de cada respuesta, escriba a mane el nUmero de pregunta en la casilla.
"'°"' ½s:t J\JS'r: fu,f bl_- -\¼_ J.@V\- -\C0"1 \JJ"'r. jV\\S QOIC\'.':, pt U&,fi\o,-.,,\
D
l ' -
J:41W"""!?:\,, �--
On '- �• •"1\.' '-- ' " �-�•
1
S3g'(\go\ nee 0S O@\ rec it_! A

QJ(\ *'"•'►' . J l,s Mr:: M&: t't®=t np �
I 0 l 0.. NJ.re\
�;.' ,\""7es' ' 10'1? o.f'<( \oroJly ,:-.a_a:½I '2-,J P@fl'.$1'.i �"- A11S1,0l::fs '"tae:c ::hldiDr,esi'a,o "'-"I>:,ur
, \J'IO& ;:,..., Slf¼.\lt-i , _ ,
� Y@""o1tc!..'! ,, M""'b Toec ¼ \Ail f<,\\,o·w IN'M,¼S rJ.'11\03 bl'i :hooi a,$ 4
�a\�¾ic,,\ ��$rnJ?r i,, Bl/1\1 r ½et2/f ¼f<"f) wa\{-t" �D"""- V\ IC\� � Glyvl fk'1�w<?A
� � ...
I \ Mf'W I I v-(A,\ � :\fllVII\ �:Ifd jy\]9 5t\5h�b 't"'?tv1. ho\ ;-w,g,,g" . :ti,.. i Is O? =.
'\
'"' l°'-'ID
\
- \
...'j"'l'C""�:1Jl,es1 :boP v,,,,J'fs; �

J\/l'Ce��t\J\1./ '
'""'\e � \ •
�O)ll)f,<, ±:l 1rlr,nt,f:{ Wcth c,eA-0110
■ ■
I LR I
lntcrmtion;II © International Baccalaureate Organization
78/134
�Sicolauriulntemat,onil
6ad11lle..,to lnt�mae10mt
. -� �-
79/134
80/134
81/134
Paper 2 examiner’s comments coversheet


There was some risk with this essay in double-jeopardizing it at different points. The essay as a
whole seems somewhat underdeveloped even though the argument and examples are strong. This
was seen as a slight weakness not in analysis or focus/organization but in overall interpretation.
The interpretations of the texts are somewhat sweeping or single-minded despite the fact that there
is a logic to the argument and support from the text. Further examples, other features or a more
developed look at effect could have made a difference here.
There is consistently sound analysis of the works and the authors’ choices. The essay seems to fall
short at times in bringing up only a couple of features for analysis. But those chosen (images,
characterization) are handled perceptively, compared and evaluated.
Ideas are focused, cogent and at times convincing. They are connected in a cogent manner. The
essay does, however, feel somewhat brief (and could be seen as underdeveloped) but this is
addressed more in criterion A.
The language is clear and precise and effective in communicating ideas. There are moments when
the language choice or register seems almost over-blown or over-the-top but this is not really a
language error so much as a function of being somewhat reductive in terms of the meaning or
effect of the works.
General commentary
This is a strong, clearly written essay that shows good understanding of the texts but falls
somewhat short in terms of interpretation. The candidate looks closely at the texts and
analyzes in relation to the question but doesn’t develop ideas to suggest why this matters
or how it is interesting or, perhaps more importantly, how this relates to a particular
reading of the texts. At times, the discussion is rather matter-of-fact as opposed to well-
developed.

82/134
ANSWER BOOKLET . International Baccalaureate·
• LIVRET DE REPONSES Baccalaureat International
CUADERNILLO DE RESPUESTAS · -·--I Bachillerato Internacional
4 PAGES / PAGINAS
Candidate session number:/ Numero de session du Candidate name:/ Norn du candidat:/ Nombre del
candidat : / Numero de convocatoria del alumna: alumna:
~
■ ■
inscrivezson numero a la main dans la case appropriee / Al comienzo de cada respuesta, escriba a mano el nllmero de pregunta en la casilla.
Example Example
Exemple 27 � 2 7 Exemple
□
Ejemplo Ejemplo
.� JS� vV\ � I� qg "J� M'4'c �:

{JJ;I.A9(. £,M'.�� .i,,..,.. .P.sJA... ,, L,J, )CJ..,n,1.(}.t(\ o.1: � k&u, I1 t.ew..f}.__
� MKAk a� tJ.A<.d-.. � � 1� uo· �

�?MMw. <M Mh. 1C> ·� 1i&&-- ��
0
..<-v:ikl aJJt;11,m·,¥) ciu.� 1°0,·�UM\d ��), (N\

� Cl'W' a6 fu.&.Jn,,v,.n:!';l 1,l/l"A� t:fN.. t�9,.J..r;,r;I
1 I
aa W-o�
().,<9___
m..��
D
��
OJ.I � � ;f;:;P,-#,;. Md.� iM- A4&it1k
� �
O,.HJI/-_ I'� � o(S � � 0A -t59l'Ilb:� >,.U;&
,$i, -<!6MIRVM,,MJ1. Ml 1¾� kl Jw,,g, h4-u, � QJ,l,o,(, �
� a8 #4 JJ-U};ui,v, �� W i�JI�
1m �a a d,RUJ,A.i. 1::'l ,,(,<,EttJl **e ...,,, ·atM>sa MA\'LUY.2 'I
0,IJ.WJI. c,.tr,.,J..
MW•"AAM CW"'o� OM -,;:OJ, 4iM a-B m� (l,.,W.. AA

°'1'-f-M-,,,fu kl! m iNJttt-09.,y).,rd • :v... m�� cAA<xtR. {t(') 2tep01[l9..
t-h µi &£)�� C(IJJY\, :k41¼.. � � (\1► � w
D �-r-�
·,kA 4<1,�tf.P.,+IX Jl� (H\. /&.2 1t¼h,w,.11. o,,,,,v,( t�; W..
� <,6 �li°WJI iM� t,,MY,J._ Qg_ �
(;,\ � r:/omii.
J32itflR/!> .1� tr"eo"' #&'- (}.__ � fUblc � 0:1'- .tU ,wQi�in.Wi
� cag @ � c k!l<9... i"'�0:d) � m /4.akt ag 0,rn,-,,,,½g
� l Wt<½-. W. ,JtAQ,r:11. {f(� g]1,MAOI�, U<A tiM.
r �
s.� ct&Po�Ji.Lrr,.., t5Jui(k')._ ::za#o AP ,,J:,, m I. ,-M.Ati�

'1..Sl2..l.@!� M &, {jtrtut,
d{6 aQµ.,u&ie Cl&I±� j;!Jv,,k hi fil
■
-=--•�·
I !Jll 11 83/134
© International Baccalaureate Organization
�
84/134
85/134
86/134
ANSWER BOOKLET
• LIVRET DE REPONSES
CUADERNILLO DE RESPUESTAS
4 PAGES/ PAGINAS
Candidate session number:/ Numero de session du Candidate name:/ Norn du cahdidat: / Nombre del
candidat : / Numero de convocatoria del alumna: alumna:
l I
Example
Exemple
Ejemplo
27
[I2]
2 7
Example
Exemple
Ejemplo
3
□
■ 3
■
inscrivez son numero a la main dans la case appropri€e/ Al comienzo de cada respuesta, escriba a rnano el nUmero de pregunta en la casilla.
D .R@@Qk!
�# 0\
� � E�.
001 o6 µ.g ·, «dlfllJ}.,,,g,.-r.J
!?� �
1
� lK\ a dJ.�
v\AffiD 11/>o�if[��
</,4'MitMN!j #J; FM� A � ().vµJI,_ e:...�*··,e .;,,.,:::9- e-: �

,& �½ p � � o,kµ_J;Jc ,fu,c (Uµ-f\_,,,e,.g.e_.
f.14_ � �� ./4J �,1 � tiP-1vtW �
{ "-dfy c' Lt cud a,, 01oA.P r.J,f ,IPodA. @-t.li-YY'- .Ou�o"' �
¥b 'J) -� ,(fm_ r(Mlj -f-.o �- �· OL 06 <;jQ � � cM-
D �- � (s;jQ@m?A ,-�Q,l,Julll �--tft_g �
I
��cA;;Bg_ �. 1 N4P..>I' � v, �
M,_p..q� � "�cs, m� Cfl )�i,M? ,. nr:2.4 aPe.-
� 11.A¼t � _ut-¼-t: b � • ® it:) I�
-fcffi #.oQ �� /:L<�QyL -� .,. _- j' 7�)
D :t::& cft,uM ,! 1
--!d}&, ,,004 ,·llfa.,..J.. _ ·� ('�
�t&-AA. 01.. nM
1Cl'J8
m "'NW rn �,� �
� � � :�
l
�'½ M f.@a4,. � &J!_Q, � Mr,.D {1,� flJ'Ad,, �J�
{Jc :te a. /'Uh..tn ./4:fu¼g, tM-™- (p.o,.. � !'.'M::;cl. -�oflJJ/½-, �

0e#-. !-�-b;MP°:J raM,d,, rv,.lll\.,n1,0.9-:j •D 1&gru...4-M 1M o... �
■ 87/134
�
88/134
89/134
90/134
91/134
92/134
93/134
94/134


There is perceptive knowledge and understanding of the works in relation to the question. The candidate
discusses a range of types of intolerance and makes a persuasive case for how these are important in the
works. There is an explicit comparison of the two works and the ways in which intolerance is portrayed and
affects characters.

At times, the paper only implies the ways in which intolerance is presented while at other times the paper
offers clear insight (juxtaposition of elements, for example). In parts of the essay the discussion of authors’
choices are reduced to a quick listing or the evaluation is assertive or matter-of-fact. Overall, though, there
is, at times, insightful analysis.
While the overall argument is developed and strong and there is a clear focus on the question, the long
paragraphs at times make the argument difficult to follow. At times, in a rush to get through content (it
seems) the argument is reduced to a quick listing of many issues in the same paragraph. Still, overall the
focus and development is mostly clear and sustained.
The language is clear and carefully chosen though there are some awkward moments that just keep this
from the range of 5. There is some lack of control of the sentences at times.
General commentary
This is a very strong essay that shows an admirable knowledge and understanding of the
works as well as a clear engagement with the question at hand.

95/134
ANSWER BOOKLET ·· International Baccalaureate
• LIVRET DE REPONSES _j Baccalaureat International
CUADERNILLO DE RESPUESTAS Bachillerato Internacional
4 PAGES/ PAGINAS
Candidate session number: / Numero de session du Candidate name:/ Norn du candidat : / Nombre de!
candidat : / Numero de convocatoria de! alumno: alumno:
II
■ Example
Ejemplo
27 � Example
Ejemplo
3
□
At the start of each answer to a question, write the question number In the box using your normal handwriting/ Avant de repondre a une question,
3 ■
inscrivez son numE!ro a la main dans la case appropriE!e / Al comienzo de cada respuesta, escriba a mano el nllmero de pregunta en la casilla.
Example
2 7
Example
■ ■
I I
� lntenvt10rw.l 96/134
aacealau,�lt lnto:rmllon.al
m.i.ehlltemo lnmmcloNI
--_c::::.;:--�
LR
97/134
98/134
99/134
ANSWER BOOKLET International Baccalaureate
• LIVRET DE REPONSES _ Baccalaureat International
CUADERNILLO DE RESPUESTAS Bachillerato Internacional
4 PAGES / PAGINAS
Candidate session number:/ Numero de session du Candidate name:/ Norn du candidat :/ Nombre del
candidat : / Numero de convocatoria del alumno: alumno:
II
Example
Exemple
Ejemplo
27
[I]
2 7
Example
Exemple
Ejemplo
3
□
■ 3 ■
inscrivez son numero a la main dans la case appropriee / Al comienzo de cada respuesta, escriba a mano el nUmero de pregunta en la casilla.
@dtaio\o' rord� Br 'Cf� iY\ Yv\AAJ-hfi-R bv'\J-g_, {J:riodh I
� U)e, d- l<krrYu s18®) '&v-ch 8:> (�YrxPgcr- 1:fV\

■ ■
)
'
lntcr00Uon1\
� &cc:i!aur61t lnten-at,onal
&ach,ller110 lntemae10nal
�-, --_--:::-
1111111
04AX01
100/134
101/134
102/134
103/134

Sample name: Example C

There is a satisfactory knowledge and understanding of the works but a lack of detail and development
that keeps the essay from getting into the 7/8 band. Discussion of the works tends toward a broad
summary of content with a focus on one element that may be relevant to the question. The actual
interpretation is matter-of-fact and is not clearly supported by an argument. In a sense, we have the notion
that if the reader can relate to the situation, then the reader relates as opposed to a discussion of how the
text might be structured to ask for some identification. Broad discussion of context is often not helpful in
this paper.
Though there are some specific choices or conventions mentioned in the paper and there is some analysis
of effects of these choices (ranging from the Puritan context to the fact of and reactions to “white noise”)
there isn’t much insight into the effects or to broader conclusions that could be made—or what would
amount to some kind of evaluation.
There is a focus on the question that is “mostly clear and sustained” despite the fact that there is some
unnecessary discussion of elements in the works that aren’t related to the argument or to contextual
elements (particularly from our current times) that do not help the argument. There is a logical progression
and just enough cohesion between the two parts.
The language is good despite some imprecision and loose construction at times. The essay is “easy to read”
and the register is appropriate.
General commentary
This is an essay that shows knowledge and adequate understanding but struggles to
make conclusions (interpretation, evaluation) in relation to both the question and to the
elements discussed. In many respects, though, the essay is adequate or even good—it is
clearly written, logically presented, and shows evidence of reflection on the works.

104/134
Page 2 / 2
“Session 1 – Conceptual learning in the IB”
Resource below excerpted from the Approaches to teaching and learning website
Reading 1 The following reading is an excerpt from the Approaches to teaching and learning
website.
https://xmltwo.ibo.org/publications/DP/Group0/d_0_dpatl_gui_1502_1/static/dpatl/guide-teachin
g-focused-on-conceptual-understanding.html
Concepts are broad, powerful organizing ideas that have relevance both within and across
subject areas. Exploring concepts helps students to build the capacity to engage with complex
ideas, and discussion of the “big ideas” behind a topic can help students get to the heart of why
they are learning a particular unit or option. There is also a strong link between teaching through
concepts and moving students to higher-order thinking; for example, it allows students to move
from concrete to abstract thinking, and facilitates the transfer of learning to new contexts. … DP
courses are based on an interrelationship of concepts, content and skills. The emphasis on this
interrelationship is important because it helps to address the concern that concept-based
curriculums focus on concepts at the expense of content, rather than in conjunction with
content. These curriculum models “value a solid base of critical factual knowledge across the
disciplines, but they raise the bar for curriculum and instruction by shifting the design focus to
the conceptual level of understanding” (Erickson 2012: 5).
Page 2 / 4 © International Baccalaureate Organization 2018
Anderson and Krathwohl, in their update to Bloom, argue that conceptual knowledge plays a
crucial role in moving students from knowledge to understanding. They argue that “students
understand when they build connections between the ‘new’ knowledge to be gained and their
106/134
prior knowledge. More specifically, the incoming knowledge is integrated with existing schemas
and cognitive frameworks. Since concepts are the building blocks for these schemas and
frameworks, conceptual knowledge provides a basis for understanding” (2001: 70). […] DP
courses often specify a large amount of content, with the area of study often defined in
considerable detail, which means that the way in which this content is presented to students in
class is critical. One of the most important considerations for DP teachers is, therefore, how to
design teaching practice to produce effective inquiry learning given the quantity of important
information in each subject area that needs to be addressed, the pressure of ongoing formative
assessment and the
Page 3 / 4© International Baccalaureate Organization 2018 International Baccalaureate® | Baccalauréat International® |

Bachillerato Internacional®
culminating measure of a student’s academic performance being an examination based sum

mative assessment. The inquiry learning cycle (figure 3) is recommended as the basis for both
the design and the implementation of classroom teaching practice in the DP, and in IB
programmes more generally. Figure 3 Inquiry process from What is an IB education? (2013)
Inquiry-based learning and teaching takes many forms; for example, “Structured Inquiry, Guided
Inquiry and Open Inquiry” (Staver and Bay 1987) or “Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning,
POGIL” (Lee 2004). There are also a number of other methods that have their own structure,
but which owe their essential design to inquiry learning, such as experiential learning (Kolb
1984), problem- and project based learning (Prince 2004), case-based learning (Fasko 2003)
and discovery learning (Prince and Felder 2007). Whichever approach is adopted, what is
essential is that each student is actively engaged in classroom activities, and that there is a high
degree of interaction between students and the teacher, and also between the students
themselves.
Page 4 / 4 © International Baccalaureate Organization 2018
What matters is, therefore, not whether DP teachers adhere to any particular model, but that
they focus on making sure their students are engaging in inquiry, on finding their own
information and constructing their own understandings, as often as possible in their classrooms.
In an inquiry-based approach, learning is self-directed “because it is driven by students’ own
decisions about appropriate ways in which an issue or scenario might be approached. They
bring to bear on the topic any existing knowledge or experience relevant to the issues … The
process is student-centred, with the onus always on the student to take initiatives, propose
routes of enquiry and follow them thoughtfully” (Hutchings 2007: 13). Two particularly well
known inquiry-based approaches are experiential learning and problem-based learning.
Some Links to Places We Can Read Up More on ATLs Mentioned Above and to Use As
Texts With This Activity
107/134
Short Basic Definitions of Concept based Teaching with an IB Focus
https://www.whatisib.com/concept-based-learning.html
How Inquiry Based Teaching Makes Students Learn More Effectively

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/hands-off-teaching-cultivates-metacognition-hunter-maats-katie-o
brien
Gallery Walks for Formative Assessment

https://www.pblworks.org/blog/using-gallery-walk-formative-assessment-pbl
Buck Institute Good Resource for Project Based Teaching

https://my.pblworks.org/resources
108/134
The following “reading” is excerpted from the Approaches to teaching and learning website on
the programme resource centre.
Concepts
Concepts are broad, powerful organizing ideas that have relevance both within and
across subject areas. Exploring concepts helps students to build the capacity to engage
with complex ideas, and discussion of the “big ideas” behind a topic can help students
get to the heart of why they are learning a particular unit or option. There is also a
strong link between teaching through concepts and moving students to higher-order
thinking; for example, it allows students to move from concrete to abstract thinking, and
facilitates the transfer of learning to new contexts.
DP courses are based on an interrelationship of concepts, content and skills. The

emphasis on this interrelationship is important because it helps to address the concern
that concept-based curriculums focus on concepts at the expense of content, rather
than in conjunction with content. These curriculum models “value a solid base of critical
factual knowledge across the disciplines, but they raise the bar for curriculum and
instruction by shifting the design focus to the conceptual level of understanding”
(Erickson 2012: 5).
Figure 5
109/134
2
Interrelationship of skills, concepts and content
Anderson and Krathwohl, in their update to Bloom, argue that conceptual knowledge
plays a crucial role in moving students from knowledge to understanding. They argue
that “students understand when they build connections between the ‘new’ knowledge to
be gained and their prior knowledge. More specifically, the incoming knowledge is
integrated with existing schemas and cognitive frameworks. Since concepts are the
building blocks for these schemas and frameworks, conceptual knowledge provides a
basis for understanding” (2001: 70).
From ATL in the DP
DP courses often specify a large amount of content, with the area of study often defined
in considerable detail, which means that the way in which this content is presented to
students in class is critical. One of the most important considerations for DP teachers is,
therefore, how to design teaching practice to produce effective inquiry learning given the
quantity of important information in each subject area that needs to be addressed, the
pressure of ongoing formative assessment and the culminating measure of a student’s
academic performance being an examination-based summative assessment.
The inquiry learning cycle (figure 3) is recommended as the basis for both the design
and the implementation of classroom teaching practice in the DP, and in IB programmes
more generally.
Figure 3
110/134
3
Inquiry process from What is an IB education? (2013)
Inquiry-based learning and teaching takes many forms; for example, “Structured Inquiry,
Guided Inquiry and Open Inquiry” (Staver and Bay 1987) or “Process Oriented Guided
Inquiry Learning, POGIL” (Lee 2004). There are also a number of other methods that
have their own structure, but which owe their essential design to inquiry learning, such
as experiential learning (Kolb 1984), problem- and project-based learning (Prince 2004),
case-based learning (Fasko 2003) and discovery learning (Prince and Felder 2007).
Whichever approach is adopted, what is essential is that each student is actively
engaged in classroom activities, and that there is a high degree of interaction between
students and the teacher, and also between the students themselves.
What matters is, therefore, not whether DP teachers adhere to any particular model, but
that they focus on making sure their students are engaging in inquiry, on finding their
own information and constructing their own understandings, as often as possible in their
classrooms. In an inquiry-based approach, learning is self-directed “because it is driven
by students’ own decisions about appropriate ways in which an issue or scenario might
be approached. They bring to bear on the topic any existing knowledge or experience
relevant to the issues … The process is student-centred, with the onus always on the
student to take initiatives, propose routes of enquiry and follow them thoughtfully”
(Hutchings 2007: 13).
Two particularly well known inquiry-based approaches are experiential learning and
problem-based learning.
111/134
“On Rita Felski’s Uses of Literature” by Brian Chanen
Originally from England, educated there (Cambridge) and in Australia (Monash), and
now a professor at the University of Virginia in The U.S., Rita Felski is a geographically and
ideologically wide-ranging literary theorist. Her ideas in relation to the study of literature stand
apart from the typical distance, formality and suspicion that is often found in the criticism of
texts, whether coming from an aesthetic, structural or cultural criticism perspective. Felski’s
thoughts on approaches to literature are resonant with work done in the classroom with IB
students--work that involves directly engaging, on a daily basis, with real, active readers of
significant numbers and kinds of texts from poems to advertisements.
The introduction to Uses of Literature is a self-styled manifesto that Felski says is “an
un-manifesto: a negation of a negation, an act of yea-saying not nay-saying, a thought
experiment that seeks to advocate, not denigrate” (Felski,1). She observes that literary studies
is permeated by a general mode of suspicion and that alienated students in university are
moving away from studies such as those of language and literature to more vocational degrees.
Wondering what we can offer these students, she notes the following:
We are called on to adopt poses of analytical detachment, critical vigilance,
guarded suspicion; humanities scholars suffer from a terminal case of irony,
driven by the uncontrollable urge to put everything in scare quotes.
Problematizing, interrogating, and subverting are the default options, the deeply
grooved patterns of contemporary thought. “Critical reading” is the holy grail of
literary studies, endlessly invoked in mission statements, graduation speeches,
and conversations with deans, a slogan that peremptorily assigns all value to
the act of reading and none to the objects read (2-3).
At the same time, as she suggests in her work The Limits of Critique, her project isn’t so much
to dismantle the notion of critique as it is to revive or validate other approaches to texts. The
problem is that critique has been viewed “not just as one good thing but the only conceivable
thing” (Limits, 118).
Felski’s push to “address the limits of scholarly skepticism” is where we might see a
potentially useful place for her work in an inquiry classroom. This move, she says, “calls on us
to engage seriously with ordinary motives for reading--such as the desire for knowledge or the
longing for escape--that are either overlooked or undervalued in literary scholarship” (Uses, 14).
Comparing everyday reading to the work we might see in a literary journal, Felski makes the
following observations:
112/134
[academic] reading constitutes a writing, a public performance subject to
a host of gatekeeping practices and professional norms: a premium on novelty
and deft displays of counter-intuitive interpretive ingenuity, the obligation to
reference key scholars in the field, rapidly changing critical vocabularies, and the
tacit prohibition of certain stylistic registers. This practice often has little in
common with the commentary a teacher carries out in the classroom, or with
what goes through her mind when she reads a book in an armchair, at home.
Published academic criticism, in other words, is not an especially reliable or
comprehensive guide to the ways in which academics read. We are less
theoretically pure than we think ourselves to be; hard-edged poses of suspicion
and skepticism jostle against more mundane yet more variegated responses
Commenting on the different ways in which we read Felski clarifies that she isn’t necessarily
defending a populist approach to reading so much as she is showing the “shared affective and
cognitive parameters” of reading for enjoyment and reading from a more academic perspective
(14). Classwork that comes from genuine student response to the pleasures and difficulties of
any text are valid not only in and of themselves but as companions to the kind of work a student
might be expected to do in more formal academic settings like the exam room. The rest of The
Uses of Literature goes on to extol the virtues of reactions to, and stances towards, reading that
include recognition, enchantment, knowledge and shock-- all reading motivations that we may
more frequently dampen than we might.
In a paper delivered at the University of Virginia in 2015, Felski offered some alternatives
to the practice of “critique” in the humanities. The tasks she proposes include dispositions and
actions that may speak to the aims of the Language and Literature course or at least offer
alternative approaches--or a justification for current practices such as digital humanities work,
project-based learning and ties to CAS that bring students into the community or involve service
work--to academic work. To summarize, Felski says we can curate, which includes collecting,
caring for and enjoying language texts; we can convey, which means bringing older works to
bear on our own times, translating and transferring works and transforming works (through use,
performance); we criticize not as formal critique but as disagreement or emotional objection;
and finally we compose as we make texts of our own, create communities of readers in the
classroom, compromise with each other and texts, and bring our work in the language and
literature classroom closer to the work of makers ranging from authors, filmmakers and set
113/134
builders to cooks and construction workers-- we use work in the humanities as a way to
“embrace the possibility of trying to compose a common world” (Doing, 10)
Works Cited
Felski, Rita. “Doing the Humanities (with Bruno Latour).” given at the “Recomposing the
Humanities with Bruno Latour” Conference, University of Virginia, September 18, 2015.
---. The Limits of Critique. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2015.
---. The Uses of Literature. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2008.
114/134
Handout to facilitate discussion in Activity 3 of Session 4
Features of the new Paper One
The focus of Paper One on literary analysis of unseen text remains the same, but several new
factors need to be taken into account:
1. Higher Level students are now required to write two responses – one on each of the
two texts set – whilst Standard Level students are required to choose one.
2. Standard level students have 1 hr 15 mins to write one response, whilst Higher level
students have 2 hrs 15 mins to write two responses.
3. All texts are accompanied by a guiding question, and students are asked to write a
‘guided literary analysis’ on the text. The question is for guidance only and is intended
to help students by focusing their answer on a particular aspect of the text. This is
particularly important given the reduced time students have to respond to each text.
4. Students should be prepared to write about prose fiction, prose non-fiction, poetry,
or drama. Two of these forms will feature in each paper.
Features of the new Paper Two
The focus of Paper Two on response to set texts in the form of a comparative essay, remains
the same, but again there are significant new features to take into account:
1. There will be a choice of four questions. These questions will be on general aspects of
literary technique and effect.
2. Questions will not be specific to any particular literary form, and students may
respond using texts in any form. However, students will be expected to refer in their
essays to a range of literary features of the texts studied, including those specific to
the particular forms of the texts chosen.
3. Students will have 1 hr 45 mins to write their response.
4. Students are required to write about any two texts studied (as long as not used in any
other assessment). They are advised to have selected in advance three texts to revise
for this paper.
Features of the Higher Level Essay
The Higher Level Essay offers students the opportunity to write in detail and at length about
one text. Students are guided at each step of the process by the teacher, but the emphasis is
on student autonomy.
• The essay is a 1,200-1,500 word formal essay which develops a particular line of
inquiry of the students’ own choice in connection with a literary text or work
previously studied in class.
• The text chosen may be any text studied in the course (as long as not used in any
other assessment). It may be one already studied in class which the student is
interested in studying further.
• Alternatively, the text used may be individually chosen by the student, rather than
one taught to the whole class (as long as the chosen text contributes to satisfying the
course requirements as set out in the subject guide.)
115/134
“On Susan Stanford Friedman’s Planetary Modernisms”
One of the Approaches to Teaching is a focus on the idea that teaching is developed in
local and global contexts. This goes hand-in-hand with a broader aim of developing international
mindedness. It is important, then, that language and literature teachers find ways of broadening
teaching contexts and purposefully working to develop international mindedness in students. On
the one hand, this seems like a relatively easy task: the curriculum calls for the teaching of texts
in translation and asks students to consider broad conceptual questions that interrogate the nature
of language and literature across time and space. But this begs the question of whether an
“additive” approach is sufficient as a grounding of a more expansive worldview of language and
literature. While theorists such as David Damrosch have popularized the notion of approaching
“world literature” (Damrosch, 2) and educational theorists such as Suzanne Choo have asked
teachers to foster a “hospitable imagination” (Choo, 1) in their students, Susan Stanford
Friedman, in her work Planetary Modernisms pushes the possibilities for scholarship even
further and suggests new ways of looking at literature across time and space.
Wai Chee Dimock has noted that even the study of American Literature must involve
making connections across a space wider than the North American continent and through a
history that stretches beyond the founding of the nation. Speaking broadly of any national
literary history, she notes that “the continuum of historical life does not grant the privilege of
autonomy to any spatial locale; it does not grant that privilege of autonomy to any temporal
segment (Dimock, 757-758). Building on the work of Dimock, Friedman’s own cross-cultural
feminist narrative theory in works such as Mappings: Feminism and the Cultural Geographies of
Encounter, and looking further afield to the work of social scientists ranging from William H.
McNeil to Janet Abu-Lughod has called for an approach to modernist literary studies that, first,
expands beyond the usual literary time period of, for example, 1890-1950 to incorporating a
more broadly historical approach that stretches from before 1500 until, perhaps, even today.
While acknowledging that the broadening of a historical definition of modernism, a broadening
that looks more at historical disruption and change that corresponds to literary disruption and
experimentation, runs the risk of creating a state where “the field’s boundaries become so
boundless as to incorporate everything and thus lose all definitional cogency or analytic utility,”
Friedman thinks it is more important to consider “the ethics of that interminably repeated
comfort zone (of Western aesthetic style as the epitome of modernism).” Friedman’s argument in
relation to an expanded notion of time and change in literary history is closely related to her
concern for a more multicultural perspective. The notion of “Modernism as a distinctive ‘period’
and aesthetic style following romanticism, realism and naturalism ‘makes sense’; it is teachable
and allows for an orderly curriculum…(5)” while her “planetary modernisms” suggests that
“such limitations in the field shut the door on effective globalization of modernist studies by
institutionally reifying the West as the center, the Rest as periphery, a structure of knowledge
that is misleading and potentially pernicious in its long-term effects” (5). Her work asks us to
116/134
look for other networks of relationships or patterns of social and aesthetic change, or, in fact,
other definitions of what constitutes “modernity” in a work.
What is most important for us, in relation to goals of international-mindedness or a desire

to ground teaching in global and local contexts, is possibly Friedman’s notion of “planetarity.”
Her choice of words--using planetary instead of transnational, global or world--is quite
purposeful. She suggests that “transnational” gestures too much towards nation-states and
artificial or political boundaries, “global” leans too closely to the “endlessly debated pros and
cons of contemporary globalization.” She goes on to say the following:
Planetary, on the other hand, echoes the spatial turn in cultural theory of
the twenty-first century. It is cosmic and grounded at the same time, indicating a
place and a time that can be both expansive and local. Planetary also gestures at a
world beyond the human, even beyond the Earth, by invoking the systems and
networks of inner and outer space that are both patterned and random. Planetary
suggests the Earth as a place of matter and climate, life and the passage of time,
and an array of species of which the human is only one…. (7-8)
Friedman, then, in calling for a broader scope of scholarship is attempting to redefine our notions
of modernism beyond typical Western definitions (in chapter four, she moves from concepts of
marginality, othering and major/minor towards a view of modern that encompasses rupture,
mobility, speed, networks and divergence) and is also calling to broaden the range of texts
available for study. Her work is an attempt to constantly shift perspectives and to consider
literature from new angles.
This begs the question of how to go about studies of “planetary modernism.” Friedman
suggests that the best methods of scholarship can be categorized as “re-vision,” “recovery,”
“circulation” and “collage” (11 and 76-77). She suggests that “re-vision” is a way of looking at
traditional high-modern texts (Joyce, Woolf, etc.) through a new lens that considers traces of
other cultures and times. She points to the work of Simon Gikandi whose Maps of Enlglishness
showed the influence of the colonial and colonization on English narratives (76). “Recovery” is
done by scholars who look for new works, new archives and dig into the past to find previously
neglected works of literature, or translate them for a wider audience (76). “Circulation” is the act
of looking for “linkages, networks, conjunctures, creolizations, intertextualities, travels and
transplantations connecting modernisms from different parts of the planet” (77). The second
section of her book employs “circulation” by looking at comparative post-colonial passages in
the works of Joseph Conrad, E.M. Forster, Tayib Salih and Mulk Raj Anand (215-281). Finally,
“collage” “is the archive of radical juxtaposition, the scholar’s act of paratactic cutting and
pasting. It establishes a montage of differences where the putting side by side illuminates those
differences at the same time that it spotlights commonalities” (77). In her own work, this is
117/134
exemplified by the juxtaposition of Aime Cesaire and Theresa Hak Kyun Cha in an exploration
of notions of exile, home and memory. This could be seen as the kind of juxtaposition we might
do in almost any Language A class when we are given the breadth of the reading lists and the
opportunities for free choice. In fact, many of these “methods” could be seen as a way of
envisioning a syllabus or, at the very least, coming up with useful activities that go beyond
“adding” literature in translation or seeing it only as an “other” alongside the main study.
Works Cited
Choo, S S. 2014. “Cultivating a Hospitable Imagination: Re-Envisioning the World

Literature Curriculum through a Cosmopolitan Lens.” Curriculum Inquiry Vol 44, number 1. Pp
68–89.
Damrosch, D. 2009. How to Read World Literature. West Sussex, UK. Wiley-Blackwell.
Dimock, W C. 2001. “Deep Time: American Literature and World History.” American
Literary History Vol 13, number 4. Pp 757–758.
Friedman, S S. 2015. Planetary Modernisms: Provocations on Modernity across Time.

New York, USA. Columbia University Press.
---. 1998. Mappings: Feminism and the Cultural Geographies of Encounter. Princeton,
USA. Princeton University Press.
118/134
How Shakspere Came to Write the ‘Tempest’
To the Editor of the Spectator.
SIR:—Your article on ‘Landscape and Literature’ in the Spectator of June 18th has the following,
among other suggestive passages:—“But whence came the vision of the enchanted island in
the ‘Tempest’? It had no existence in Shakspere’s world, but was woven out of such stuff as
dreams are made of.”
May I cite Malone’s suggestion connecting the play with the casting away of Sir George Somers
on the island of Bermuda in 1609; and further may I be allowed to say how it seems to me
possible that the vision was woven from the most prosaic material—from nothing more
promising in fact, than the chatter of a half-tipsy sailor at a theater? Thus:
A stage-manager, who writes and vamps plays, moving among his audience, overhears[Pg 26]
a mariner discoursing to his neighbor of a grievous wreck, and of the behavior of the
passengers, for whom all sailors have ever entertained a natural contempt. He describes, with
the wealth of detail peculiar to sailors, measures taken to claw the ship off a lee-shore, how
helm and sails were workt, what the passengers did and what he said. One pungent phrase—to
be rendered later into:
‘What care these brawlers for the name of King?’
—strikes the manager’s ear, and he stands behind the talkers. Perhaps only one-tenth of the
earnestly delivered, hand-on-shoulder sea talk was actually used of all that was automatically
and unconsciously stored by the island man who knew all inland arts and crafts. Nor is it too
fanciful to imagine a half-turn to the second listener as the mariner, banning his luck as mariners
will, says there are those who would not give a doit to a poor man while they will lay out ten to
see a raree-show,—a dead Indian. Were he in foreign parts, as he now is in England, he could
show people something in the way of strange fish. Is it to consider too curiously[Pg 27] to see a
drink ensue on this hint (the manager dealt but little in his plays with the sea at first hand, and
his instinct for new words would have been waked by what he had already caught), and with the
drink a sailor’s minute description of how he went across the reefs to the island of his
calamity,—or islands rather, for there were many? Some you could almost carry away in your
pocket. They were sown broadcast like—like the nut-shells on the stage there.
“Many islands, in truth,” says the manager patiently, and afterwards his Sebastian says to
Antonio:
I think he will carry the island home in his pocket and give it to his son for an apple.
To which Antonio answers:
And sowing the kernels of it in the sea, bring forth more islands.
“But what was the island like?” says the manager. The sailor tries to explain. “It was green, with
yellow in it; a tawny-colored country”—the color, that is to say, of the coral-beached, cedar-
119/134
covered Bermuda of to-day—“and the air made one sleepy, and the place was full of noises”—
the muttering and roaring of the sea among the islands and [Pg 28]between the reefs—“and
there was a sou’-west wind that blistered one all over.” The Elizabethan mariner would not
discriminate finely between blisters and prickly heat; but the Bermudian of to-day will tell you
that the sou’-west or Lighthouse wind in summer brings that plague and general discomfort.
That the coral rock, battered by the sea, rings hollow with strange sounds, answered by the
winds in the little cramped valleys, is a matter of common knowledge.
The man, refresht with some drink, then describes the geography of his landing place,—the spot
where Trinculo makes his first appearance. He insists and reinsists on details which to him at
one time meant life or death, and the manager follows attentively. He can give his audience no
more than a few hangings and a placard for scenery, but that his lines shall lift them beyond that
bare show to the place he would have them, the manager needs for himself the clearest
possible understanding,—the most ample detail. He must see the scene in the round—solid—
ere he peoples it. Much, doubtless, he discarded, but so closely did he keep to his original
informations that those who go to-day to a[Pg 29] certain beach some two miles from Hamilton
will find the stage set for Act ii, Scene 2 of the ‘Tempest,’—a bare beach, with the wind singing
through the scrub at the land’s edge, a gap in the reefs wide enough for the passage of
Stephano’s butt of sack, and (these eyes have seen it) a cave in the coral within easy reach of
the tide, whereto such a butt might be conveniently rolled.
(My cellar is in a rock by the seaside where my wine is hid).
There is no other cave for some two miles.
Here’s neither bush nor shrub; one is exposed to the wrath of “’yond same black cloud,” and
here the currents strand wreckage. It was so well done that, after three hundred years, a stray
tripper and no Shakspere scholar, recognized in a flash that old first set of all.
So far good. Up to this point the manager has gained little except some suggestions for an
opening scene, and some notion of an uncanny island. The mariner (one cannot believe that
Shakspere was mean in these little things) is dipping to a deeper drunkenness. Suddenly he
launches into a preposterous tale of himself and his fellows, flung[Pg 30] ashore, separated
from their officers, horribly afraid of the devil-haunted beach of noises, with their heads full of
the fumes of broacht liquor. One castaway was found hiding under the ribs of a dead whale
which smelt abominably. They hauled him out by the legs—he mistook them for imps—and
gave him drink. And now, discipline being melted, they would strike out for themselves, defy
their officers, and take possession of the island. The narrator’s mates in this enterprise were
probably described as fools. He was the only sober man in the company.
So they went inland, faring badly as they staggered up and down this pestilent country. They
were prickt with palmettoes, and the cedar branches raspt their faces. Then they found and
stole some of their officers’ clothes which were hanging up to dry. But presently they fell into a
swamp, and, what was worse, into the hands of their officers; and the great expedition ended in
muck and mire. Truly an island bewicht. Else why their cramps and sickness? Sack never made
a man more than reasonably drunk. He was prepared to answer for unlimited sack; but[Pg 31]
what befell his stomach and head was the purest magic that honest man ever met.
120/134
A drunken sailor of to-day wandering about Bermuda would probably sympathize with him; and
to-day, as then, if one takes the easiest inland road from Trinculo’s beach, near Hamilton, the
path that a drunken man would infallibly follow, it ends abruptly in swamp. The one point that
our mariner did not dwell upon was that he and the others were suffering from acute alcoholism
combined with the effects of nerve-shattering peril and exposure. Hence the magic. That a
wizard should control such an island was demanded by the beliefs of all seafarers of that date.
Accept this theory, and you will concede that the ‘Tempest’ came to the manager sanely and
normally in the course of his daily life. He may have been casting about for a new play; he may
have purposed to vamp an old one—say, ‘Aurelio and Isabella’; or he may have been merely
waiting on his demon. But it is all Prospero’s wealth against Caliban’s pignuts that to him in a
receptive hour, sent by heaven, entered the original Stephano fresh from the seas and half-seas
over. To[Pg 32] him Stephano told his tale all in one piece, a two hours’ discourse of most
glorious absurdities. His profligate abundance of detail at the beginning, when he was more or
less sober, supplied and surely establisht the earth-basis of the play in accordance with the
great law that a story to be truly miraculous must be ballasted with facts. His maunderings of
magic and incomprehensible ambushes, when he was without reservation drunk (and this is just
the time when a lesser-minded man than Shakspere would have paid the reckoning and turned
him out) suggested to the manager the peculiar note of its supernatural mechanism.
Truly it was a dream, but that there may be no doubt of its source or of his obligation,
Shakspere has also made the dreamer immortal.
RUDYARD KIPLING.
Available on Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32991/32991-h/32991-h.htm
Kipling, R. 1961. “How Shakspere Came to Write the Tempest.” Papers on Playmaking.
New York, USA. Dramatic Museum of Columbia University. (Out of copyright.)
Originally published in the Spectator, July 2, 1898.
121/134
“Inquiry in the language and literature classroom: Some insight from Sheridan Blau”
If we look at the aims of this workshop (or almost any DP subject workshop), we see that
the essential understandings and learning objectives are relatively clear and straightforward. We
have a body of knowledge--the curriculum guide and associated documents--and the goal is to
understand these. The complicated part is to define what it means to understand the language
and literature course and how to go about gaining an understanding. Even though the guide is
in many respects a “rule-book” to follow for the implementation of the course, it is also a text that
invites some interpretation. The ideas or perspectives presented in the Areas of Exploration, for
example, are grounded in diverse, complex and sometimes contradictory theories and
traditions. Understanding the language and literature course, then, does not mean knowing the
guide, and memorizing the assessment guidelines, but means reflecting on our own teaching
philosophies, critical perspectives, and practice in relation to a relatively open framework. This
means taking an inquiry approach even in course--this workshop-- that may seem to be simply
instrumental.
It follows that if a course like this can push towards the inquiry end of the spectrum, then
a language and literature course would be naturally inquiry-driven. One of the keys to inquiry in
the language in literature classroom is thinking about the nature of knowledge and
understanding in the subject area. In studying a certain number of texts it might be easy to say
that “knowledge” involves knowing what happens in a text, what a text means and how a text
operates. There are problems, however, in taking this notion of knowledge and using it to
assume that there are set facts that we can give students about a particular text or set lists of
features that students can “know” in order to be knowledgeable in relation to language and
literature. First, knowing one text doesn’t necessarily translate into the ability to know other
texts. Our goal is not necessarily to know one text inside out so much as to understand how
knowing one text is a model for knowing and understanding others. Knowledge is also closely
related to understanding and understanding leads to our own interpretations. The goal of
inquiry-based learning in the language and literature classroom is to ask questions about texts
and even about why we approach texts in the first place--questions that don’t have definitive
answers--and then to build a flexible base of knowledge as we move toward responses to these
questions.
In his work The Literature Workshop: Teaching Texts and Their Readers, Sheridan Blau
gives examples of the kinds of dispositions and approaches that lend themselves to an inquiry-
based classroom. He also shows the reasons why inquiry is important to student growth in
122/134
relation to understanding complex texts. In one case study about learning literature, Blau
describes a student who is frustrated by Julius Caesar and complains that the play is “stupid.”
When the teacher questions the ninth grade student that student says the play is stupid
because if Brutus loved Caesar, why would he have killed him? The teacher goes on to explain
why the play isn’t stupid, why it is an important work to study and the other students in the class
respond in laughter (Blau, 21). Blau makes the following observation:
The question I would raise about this incident is--who can be said
to understand the play better--the student who found it confusing and
called it stupid or the students who laughed at that confusion, presumably
because they did not experience it, which is to say, saw no grounds for
confusion? From this incident I also derive the following principle or
proposition for literature classrooms: confusion often represents an
advanced state of understanding. That is to say, the student who is
confused is frequently the one who understands enough to see a
problem, a problem that less perceptive students have not yet noticed or
arrived at. From this perspective we might argue that one of the chief
functions of a literature class is not to present literature to students (as
conventional teaching guides are likely to advise) in ways that will
anticipate and prevent their confusion, but to welcome and even foster
among readers the experience of confusion (Blau, 21).
The goal of an inquiry-based language and literature course is to generate confusion about how
and why we approach language (in all forms), what we learn in general from a variety of
communicative acts, what any particular text may mean, and what we might be trying to do with
our interpretation of this meaning. If, as teachers, we have a sinking feeling, a moment of
existential angst, when a student says “why do I have to know this,” then we are probably in a
very healthy pedagogical place.
The notion of generating confusion is closely related to looking for or encouraging
authentic, personal responses to any communicative act we study. Students wonder at times
where teacher interpretations of texts come from. A teacher response can sometimes seem like
a kind of magic and less confident students can imitate this process and leap to wild
conclusions. One problem, of course is that a student generally does not have to same base of
reading experience as a teacher. Blau admits that somehow unsatisfying student responses
can, obviously, come from a lack of “life experience and/or...discourse experience” (119). But
the student also doesn’t quite understand that a polished interpretive response comes first from
attention to thoughts and feelings generated from a text, from nuances and implications. In other
words, though a teacher may have years of training, a response still comes from an open,
123/134
tentative response to reading. An interpretation doesn’t usually come from being attentive first to
a system of analysis, a set of features to find, or a supposed register of academic discourse.
Blau suggests that sometimes, in order to solve the problem of narrative or summary student
responses to texts, teachers inadvertently move away from personal response in order to arrive
at greater analysis and interpretation. The solutions, he writes, generate problems:
Teachers and study guides for high school and college literature courses
typically devote much of their instructional attention to providing students
with organizational formulas, literary terms, and examples of how to
produce an acceptable piece of what is often called “critical writing.”
Recently, teachers who have become specialists in how to prepare
students for academic writing and particularly for writing on Advanced
Placement examinations in English have developed empirically based
descriptions of successful literary essays and ratio formulas and
techniques for color-coding sentences in essays, so that students will be
able to see when they have achieved the requisite ratio of interpretive
discourse or commentary to mere plot summary (...)
My own dissatisfaction with the analytic and interpretive writing of
my freshman and sophomore literature students, however, and the
problem addressed by the workshop I shall present in this chapter, does
not derive from my students’ failure to produce enough commentary
relative to plot summary or from their failure to have mastered the
conventional form of a literary essay. It’s rather that even when they
produce well-organized literary essays with adequate quantities of
commentary, those essays (like many of the commentaries they offer in
class discussions) often constitute a species of discourse that seems to
me psuedoliterate or possibly counterliterate. I’m talking about readings
that treat texts as objects requiring mechanical analysis rather than as
invitations to genuine human illumination and pleasure. Faced with a text
identified as literature, these students appear to enact a parodic and
misapprehended version of the New Criticism of the 1950’s or 1960’s
(see Blau 1994b) and behave as if they are obliged to hunt for symbols,
predictably describe the operations of literary devices, engage in
perfunctory discussions of prescribed universal themes, or gratuitously
compare and contrast characters, rather than address any of the issues
that might illuminate a text for a reader who cares about it or account for
why a text might be important or interesting or even offensive to real
readers.
One possibility, of course, is that their required reading of the
assigned texts has deadened rather than quickened their thinking. But we
have some evidence (Marshall, Smagorinsky, and Smith 1995, Chapter
1) that at least some students who produce perfunctory literary responses
in classrooms (or no responses at all) may in fact be engaged in their
reading and able to talk about it outside of an academic context. When
124/134
they are asked to talk about a text in class, however, they act like
witnesses to a crime who are afraid of being personally involved or have
been warned by a judge to stick to the facts and not draw any inferences
or reach any conclusions of their own. They generally suspect that they
are supposed to do more than provide a mere plot summary, but they
seem not to know what else there is to say in an academic context that
isn’t either a plot summary or else the predictable pseudoacademic
observations encouraged by study guides and, unfortunately, by some
typical school assignments (see Rosenblat 1968/1938, 285-286).
(...)
So what may be most unsettling to us about the merely

mechanical gestures of literary analysis produced by our students is that
they turn our hope for an opportunity for engaged inquiry and discovery
within the literary community of our classroom into a discourse that
makes painfully visible the students’ disengagement and alienation from
the text addressed and from the task of literary analysis itself (101-103).
Open inquiry into texts--inquiry unhindered by structures, protocols or lists of elements to find--
that also involves reflection on our responses and reactions to the texts at hand, have the
potential to generate interpretations that are more closely related to the “rules of notice” of the
particular text at hand. This, in turn, encourages being open in this way to any text that we may
encounter. Attention to the texts and the questions generated by the text (or attention to a text
based on questions we have about the interpretive project itself) have the potential of
generating the most engaged interpretation. The vocabulary we use in communicating these
interpretations, comes from the discussions themselves and teacher modeling of that
vocabulary or noting technical terms after the act of reading and response as we build on our
discourse experience.
Works Cited
Blau, S. 2003. The Literature Workshop: Teaching Texts and Their Readers.
Portsmouth, USA. Heinemann.
Works Cited by Blau
125/134
Blau, S. 1994. “Transactions Between Theory and Practice in the Teaching of
Literature.” In Literature Instruction: Practice and Policy, ed. James Flood and
Judith Langer. New York, USA. Scholastic. Pp 19–52.
Marshall, J, Smagorinsky, P and Smith, M. 1995. The Language of Interpretation:

Patterns of Discourse in Discussions of Literature. Urbana, USA. National
Council of Teachers of English.
Rosenblatt, L. 1963 (1938). Literature as Exploration. Re. ed. New York, USA.
Noble and Noble.
126/134
Reading for Session 7: IA
Use the following texts to consider “global issues” leading to the IA.
● Could the first two texts be used together (or could you imagine them being used
together?)?
● What issues could spring from the first? The second?
● What insight can you glean from the brief excerpt by Suzanne Choo?
Text 1
From Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs (copyright free, available on Project
Gutenberg)
I. Childhood
I was born a slave; but I never knew it till six years of happy childhood had passed away. My
father was a carpenter, and considered so intelligent and skilful in his trade, that, when buildings
out of the common line were to be erected, he was sent for from long distances, to be head
workman. On condition of paying his mistress two hundred dollars a year, and supporting
himself, he was allowed to work at his trade, and manage his own affairs. His strongest wish
was to purchase his children; but, though he several times offered his hard earnings for that
purpose, he never succeeded. In complexion my parents were a light shade of brownish yellow,
and were termed mulattoes. They lived together in a comfortable home; and, though we were all
slaves, I was so fondly shielded that I never dreamed I was a piece of merchandise, trusted to
them for safe keeping, and liable to be demanded of them at any moment. I had one brother,
William, who was two years younger than myself—a bright, affectionate child. I had also a great
treasure in my maternal grandmother, who was a remarkable woman in many respects. She
was the daughter of a planter in South Carolina, who, at his death, left her mother and his three
children free, with money to go to St. Augustine, where they had relatives. It was during the
Revolutionary War; and they were captured on their passage, carried back, and sold to different
purchasers. Such was the story my grandmother used to tell me; but I do not remember all the
particulars. She was a little girl when she was captured and sold to the keeper of a large hotel. I
have often heard her tell how hard she fared during childhood. But as she grew older she
evinced so much intelligence, and was so faithful, that her master and mistress could not help
seeing it was for their interest to take care of such a valuable piece of property. She became an
indispensable personage in the household, officiating in all capacities, from cook and wet nurse
to seamstress. She was much praised for her cooking; and her nice crackers became so
famous in the neighborhood that many people were desirous of obtaining them. In consequence
of numerous requests of this kind, she asked permission of her mistress to bake crackers at
night, after all the household work was done; and she obtained leave to do it, provided she
would clothe herself and her children from the profits. Upon these terms, after working hard all
127/134
day for her mistress, she began her midnight bakings, assisted by her two oldest children. The
business proved profitable; and each year she laid by a little, which was saved for a fund to
purchase her children. Her master died, and the property was divided among his heirs. The
widow had her dower in the hotel which she continued to keep open. My grandmother remained
in her service as a slave; but her children were divided among her master's children. As she had
five, Benjamin, the youngest one, was sold, in order that each heir might have an equal portion
of dollars and cents. There was so little difference in our ages that he seemed more like my
brother than my uncle. He was a bright, handsome lad, nearly white; for he inherited the
complexion my grandmother had derived from Anglo-Saxon ancestors. Though only ten years
old, seven hundred and twenty dollars were paid for him. His sale was a terrible blow to my
grandmother, but she was naturally hopeful, and she went to work with renewed energy, trusting
in time to be able to purchase some of her children. She had laid up three hundred dollars,
which her mistress one day begged as a loan, promising to pay her soon. The reader probably
knows that no promise or writing given to a slave is legally binding; for, according to Southern
laws, a slave, being property, can hold no property. When my grandmother lent her hard
earnings to her mistress, she trusted solely to her honor. The honor of a slaveholder to a slave!
From: Jacobs, H. 1861. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Boston, USA. Published for the
author. (Out of copyright.)
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11030/pg11030-images.html
Text 2
“Second Variety” by Philip K. Dick. Out of copyright: available online:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32032/32032-h/32032-h.htm
128/134
SECOND VARIETY
BY PHILIP K. DICK
ILLUSTRATED BY EBEL
The claws were bad enough in the first place—nasty, crawling

little death-robots. But when they began to imitate their creators, it
was time for the human race to make peace—if it could!
The Russian soldier made his way nervously up the ragged side of the hill, holding his gun
ready. He glanced around him, licking his dry lips, his face set. From time to time he reached up
a gloved hand and wiped perspiration from his neck, pushing down his coat collar.
129/134
Eric turned to Corporal Leone. “Want him? Or can I have him?” He adjusted the view sight so
the Russian’s features squarely filled the glass, the lines cutting across his hard, somber
features.
Leone considered. The Russian was close, moving rapidly, almost running. “Don’t fire. Wait.”
Leone tensed. “I don’t think we’re needed.”
The Russian increased his pace, kicking ash and piles of debris out of his way. He reached
the top of the hill and stopped, panting, staring around him. The sky was overcast, drifting
clouds of gray particles. Bare trunks of trees jutted up occasionally; the ground was level and
bare, rubble-strewn, with the ruins of buildings standing out here and there like yellowing skulls.
The Russian was uneasy. He knew something was wrong. He started down the hill. Now he
was only a few paces from the bunker. Eric was getting fidgety. He played with his pistol,
glancing at Leone.
“Don’t worry,” Leone said. “He won’t get here. They’ll take care of him.”
“Are you sure? He’s got damn far.”
“They hang around close to the bunker. He’s getting into the bad part. Get set!”
The Russian began to hurry, sliding down the hill, his boots sinking into the heaps of gray
ash, trying to keep his gun up. He stopped for a moment, lifting his fieldglasses to his face.
“He’s looking right at us,” Eric said.
From: Dick, P K. May 1953. “Second Variety”. Space: Science Fiction. (Out of copyright.)
Text 3
From Suzanne Choo
The following approach is described by

Mr K’s curriculum centred on two important themes. The first theme was crosscultural identity
and students studied a range of texts including Ang Lee’s film Eat Drink Man Woman, Jamaica
Kincaid’s On Seeing England for the First Time, Kyoko Mori’s The Dream of Water, and Amy
Tan’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter. Common in all these texts is the notion of cultural
displacement, clashes, and mixing whether this occurs through colonization or migration. In one
assignment, students answered questions such as “Examine how Lee explores the idea of
cross-cultural identity through his craft” and “Compare and contrast two extracts you studied this
year (Tan, Kincaid, or Mori) for how they explore the issue of cross-cultural identity.” Questions
pushed students to relate these texts to their own experiences such as: “Use one of the text
extracts you studied this year (Tan, Kincaid, or Mori) to talk about your own sense of cross-
cultural identity”.
One approach Mr K adopted in his classes was a pedagogy of interruption. In one unit centred
on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, he had students conduct scene by scene close
analysis. After a number of lessons into the play and after he felt students had sufficiently
130/134
discussed the development of the key issues, he interrupted this process by having students
read another short story “On Discovery” by Asian American writer Maxine Hong Kingston.
The story is about a male figure who chances upon a land ruled by women and then undergoes
a process of feminization. After analyzing the story, Mr K asked students to apply the concept of
taming a person that they learnt in Taming of the Shrew, to the story. He pushed students to
think about how Kate in the Shakespearean play was similar to the male protagonist in
Kingston’s story in that both are made to conform to society’s idealized image of a female
object. The intent was to foster new cultural understandings so that students would become
aware of how gender identity was perceived in 700 BCE China in which Kingston’s story is set
as compared to 16th-century Italy in which the Shakespearean play is set. Students then
became more conscious of the similarities and differences of male chauvinistic ideas and
objectifications of women across different cultural and historical Contexts.
In subsequent lessons, Mr K continued this approach of weaving in and out of his teaching of
Taming of the Shrew by introducing other texts, especially culturally hybridized texts such as
those by African American writer Toni Morrison, Caribbean American writer Jamaica Kincaid,
Chinese Singaporean writer Stella Kon, and Japanese American writer Kyoko Mori. The point
was to help students understand that all texts are culturally constructed and situated and to
challenge them to resist what Nigerian-American writer Chimamanda Adichie (2010) terms, “the
danger of the single story.” To Mr K, students should be aware that themes and issues such as
the treatment of women must be investigated from multiple cultural points of view. Studying a
literary text, even a canonical one, only provides one perspective and therefore needs to be
interrupted by another text that offers a different cultural interpretation. In this way, students
learn to negotiate differences and appreciate ambiguity in values.
Choo, S. 2016. “IB Diploma Programme: Research to Inform Curriculum Review—Incorporating

Global Issues in Literature.” International Baccalaureate. 11.
131/134
From Louise Rosenblatt in 1938:
One of the banes of educational systems today is the pressure upon the teacher to work
out neat outlines of the ideas about literature which his students are to acquire. Once
such an outline is made, there is a great temptation to impose it arbitrarily. The teacher
becomes impatient of the trial-and-error groping of the students. It is so much easier all
around if the teacher cuts the Gordian knot and gives the students the neat set of
conclusions and the tidy set of labels he has worked out. We have already agreed,
however, that to teach students a special vocabulary is not necessarily to give them
new insights.
An illustration here may serve to underline this. A teacher of English in a high

school, unusually aware of the adolescent’s need to understand human development,
decided to give his class a period of several weeks in which they could read novels that
presented a life history. He started out by giving a series of lectures on the main
points in developmental psychology. He provided an outline of some of the major

problems and influences that enter into the development of any personality. The
students were then required to write essays on each biographical novel read, discussing
the hero’s development in the terms provided by the teacher’s outline. The essays
indicated that the pupils had read the novels with the aim of finding details to illustrate
just those points mentioned by the teacher. The papers gave little indication concerning
what the novels had meant to the youngsters themselves. The whole thing took on the
nature of an exercise in which they attempted to apply to each novel as it passed in
review the particular labels supplied by the teacher.
Despite his admirable initiative in breaking away from the usual academic routine
of literature teaching, this teacher’s aims were largely defeated by the unfortunate
132/134
tendency to be satisfied when students have learned a vocabulary. His mistake was that
he did not let the desire for organized understanding grow out of the reading of the
novels. The pupils should have been permitted first of all to read those books in ways
personal to themselves and thus to have participated emotionally in the growth
and aspirations of the heroes and heroines. Becoming aware of certain similar problems
in the lives of these characters, the students would then have been ready for
the kind of analysis (they would need in the future).
Rosenblatt, L. 1938. Literature as Exploration. New York, USA. D. Appleton Century

Corporation. (Out of copyright.)
Digital copy available online:
https://archive.org/stream/literatureasexpl00rose_0/literatureasexpl00rose_0_djvu.txt
133/134

Lit - New Course Materials PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lit - New Course Materials PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Language A: Literature

Northbridge International School, Phnom

Language of delivery: English

Following the workshop, participants who wish to provide information or non-

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and

DP, 26 - 28 April 2019

Aims of the Workshop

The purpose of this workshop is to offer an opportunity for experienced IB educators to

All participants are requested to bring with them the following:

TIME/DAY DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3

10:00 – 10:30 Morning Break

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

which the author has accomplished this.

author comprehensively presents us with the liturgical rites, including exact

Death in Dr. Zhivago is also presented as a mere civil procedure to be dealt

funeral, marked by concerned passersby and elaborate funeral rites.

eliminated by the Revolution. Pasternak, who was critical of the Revolution,

revelation makes the reader completely oblivious as to Amalia’s dramatic encounter

It is precisely this sort of distinction between death as a more profound event,

reader as to the extent to which death is modeled by external circumstances beyond

one’s control in a very diverse and thought-provoking manner.

Subject name: English A: literature

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2019

Soyinka’s Amusa is a prime example of identity in a state of compromise for he

Subject name: English A: literature

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2019

Subject name: English A: literature

Criterion A Markband: 7-8

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2019

Subject name: English A: literature

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2019

Subject name: English A: literature

Criterion A Markband: 3/4

Criterion B Markband: 3/4

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2019

Criterion D Markband: 3/4

Subject name: English A: literature

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2019

English A: literature – Higher level – Paper 1

2 hours 15 minutes / 2 heures 15 minutes / 2 horas 15 minutos

Instructions destinées aux candidats

Instrucciones para los alumnos

4 pages/páginas © International Baccalaureate Organization 2018

Write a guided analysis of the following text.

15 diana: Have you got him to sleep?

evelyn: He doesn’t play anything.

Alan Ayckbourn, Absent Friends (1975)

Turn over / Tournez la page / Véase al dorso

Write a guided analysis of the following text.

Robert Twigger, Lost Oasis: In Search of Paradise (2007)

* wadis: wadi is an Arabic term for a valley or dried-up riverbed

English A: literature – Standard level – Paper 1

1 hour 15 minutes / 1 heure 15 minutes / 1 hora 15 minutos

Instructions destinées aux candidats

Instrucciones para los alumnos

4 pages/páginas © International Baccalaureate Organization 2018

Write a guided analysis of one of the following texts.

15 diana: Have you got him to sleep?

evelyn: He doesn’t play anything.

Alan Ayckbourn, Absent Friends (1975)

Turn over / Tournez la page / Véase al dorso

Robert Twigger, Lost Oasis: In Search of Paradise (2007)

* wadis: wadi is an Arabic term for a valley or dried-up riverbed

@dtaio\o' rord� Br 'Cf� iY\ Yv\AAJ-hfi-R bv'\J-g_, {J:riodh I