English Lang&Lit HL Paper 2 Advice/Tips

[ibfederer]

Haven't seen this thread anywhere, so decided to make one.

I know this is last minute stuff but I think some last-minute tips/advice would help calm me down. Anything will help, not just me but the rest of us taking paper 2. I'm using Siddhartha and A Doll's House as my part 3 works.

Thanks a lot guys!

Edited May 6, 2014 by ibfederer

[Dr Dangle]

It's probably too late for you however for future IB takers I'd recommend dropping loads of references to the part 3 works. Like every time you make a point in your essay back it up with some evidence from the books. They give you bonus points if the evidence is to do with the narrative, literary and/or stylistic devices the author uses rather than just the plot. If you can accurately and appropriately quote passages, that's pretty much a 5/5 on criteria D (or is it C?) and the examiner will weep with joy as the world explodes in a ball of analytic beauty.

The first thing to do in the exam once you've chosen the question is to underline its key words and remember to stay on topic. Slapping a nice thesis statement in the introduction is a sure way to get points, but you gotta stick by what you write.

Otherwise, keep sentences nice and concise, structure your essay well before you write out your ideas. I tried to give myself time to read over my paper before time was up at the cost of a well written conclusion, and I can say I have no regrets.

A good last minute exercise is to read through the criteria in the guide one last time and always make sure you are addressing them as you write. This applies to pretty much any IB exam, from English A HL Paper 1 to Paper 3 option B in physics HL.

Good luck!

Edited May 6, 2014 by Dr Dangle

[ibfederer]

@Dr Dangle - thank you, actually it did help me, a few hours prior to the exam