IB English A Literature Paper 1 Help

[XxChampXx]

To those who scored a 7 in IB English A Literature (SL or HL), please answer the following questions:-

1) Do you usually attempt the prose or the poetry?

2) For how long do you plan the essay (reading + annotations)?

3) What aspects of the extract do you annotate (literary devices, key sentences etc.)?

4) What points does your introduction include?

5) How do you structure the essay (linear, theme based etc.)

6) How long is your essay?

7) What points does your conclusion include?

8) How do you recommend practicing/studying?

9) How many practice essays did you do, especially during the few months prior to the final exam?

If you have any tips, please share them too. Thank you very much.

[Blackcurrant]

1) Much depends on the extract. I never chose ahead of time what genre I would do. In fact, the IB suggests we don't do that. My teacher confirmed that. 

2)  Never less than 15 minutes, and usually 20-30 min.

3) Any "striking" aspects. Much depends on what the text suggests for itself. Writing a commentary should never be a routine affair of running down a list of "literary devices". In fact, your response must always reflect features OF THAT PARTICULAR TEXT. Again, something drummed into me early on.

4) Thesis. And always something that REFLECTS THAT PARTICULAR TEXT. 

5) It depended entirely on the text in front of me. If there was development, then I would tend to use the chronological. But not inevitably. It depended also what I wanted to say about the extract -- what I felt was important. Perhaps it was not the development of a situation or character. You can never really decide before seeing the commentary extract.

6) AGAIN...Depends. Depends how much I had to say, but I tended to generate 4-8 pages (2-sided) in my practice sessions. I managed 3-pages double -sided in the final.

7) No one can tell you that. Depends entirely on the extract and your thesis. Usually conclusions should tie things up (what you set out to argue in your intro). 

8) LOTS. And OFTEN and REGULARLY. Never leave building analytical skills to the last minute. It just doesn't work. 

9) In class I got 2-3 times a year (or every other semester), which was not enough. But then I got a tutor so I got practice exams every week, with feedback, several months before exams (when I noticed that I needed much, much more practice). I should have got this practice much sooner. I left things late.

Tips? There are "tips" all over our forum. No shortage of them. Just browse, using the search field at the top. Just remember, though, generic advice and tips will confirm what you already know or make things sound easy and simple, and therefore lull you into a false sense of confidence and security. You cannot rely on that feeling. You have to find out what YOUR particular strengths and weaknesses are and work on those. And you can't do that without actually doing a lot of commentary. So self-awareness is really key, otherwise, with all the good generic advice, you may (like me, in my first year) float on a happy sense of confidence which may not bear out in the end.  

Hope this gives you some ideas. V.