IB English Language & Literature SL
IB Language and Literature Standard Level course is a diploma program taught over two years.
The IB LaL SL curriculum focuses on the study of four literary texts and four non-literary texts, usually called Bodies of Work, across various forms of media (Time & Space). Through critical analysis and interpretation, students in the Eng LL SL develop their understanding of the connections between texts (Intertextuality) and their role as both readers and writers (Readers, Writers, and Texts).
The IB LaL SL course explores both Language and Literature in less depth than the HL course, and is less focused on Literature than the Eng Lit course, but is nevertheless a demanding course that requires strong analytical skills, very good usage and understanding of language, and knowledge and understanding of literary features.
Course Structure and Content
The Standard level course requires students to study four literary texts and four non-lit texts, or BOWs. The time devoted to the study of each of these works is approximately divided equitably.
At the end of the program, all English Language and Literature SL students sit papers 1 and 2. Paper 1 offers a choice of two non-literary texts for analysis. Each text has a guiding question that serves as an entry point for the analysis. SL students must complete this paper in 75 minutes. Paper 2 is a comparative essay of two literary works. The paper offers four different questions and should be completed in 1 hour 45 minutes. The third component SL students complete is an oral, the Individual Oral, which consists of two parts: a 10-minute prepared response by the student, where the student presents two extracts (one from a lit text and one from a non-lit text) examining how a global issue is presented in both extracts and the works as a whole. This part is followed up by a 5-minute Q&A led by the teacher.
