Cheat Sheet - Language & Literature
★ Compare & Contrast Essay:
➔ Criteria & Strands:
- Criterion A: Analyzing
Strands:
- identify and explain the content, context, language, structure, technique,
and style of text(s) and the relationship among texts
- identify and explain the effects of the creator's choices on an audience.
- justify opinions and ideas, using examples, explanations, and terminology.
- Criterion B: Organising
Strands:
- employ organizational structures that serve the context and intention.
- logically organize opinions and ideas.
- use referencing and formatting tools to create a presentation style
suitable to the context and intention.
● Examiner Requirement for Criterion A:
- If you write about one text the maximum you can get is 5/10.
- The examiner is looking for content, context, language, structure, techniques,
styles of texts, and effects of the creator's choices on the audience you use in
your essay.
● To attain maximum marks in Criterion A:
- Make connections and write about them which are not visible in the text but can
be linked to with detailed analysis.
- Provide a perceptive analysis, detailed justifications, and thorough explanations,
and make extensive connections in features across and within genres and texts.
- Discuss the subtle connections and conclude with them and beyond the two
texts.
- Analyze and give a sophisticated analysis based on the text, and refer to the
stylistic features used by the author.
● Examiner Requirement for Criterion B:
- If you write about one text you will not attain marks.
- If you write in bullets the most you can attain is a 2/10 in this criteria.
- The examiner is looking for an organizational structure focused on comparing
and contrasting text, the connection between your comparison, and organized
opinions in a coherent and logical format (well explained, justified, and not
written in bullet point).
● To attain maximum marks in Criterion B:
- Make sophisticated use of organizational structures while giving the answer in a
coherent and logical explanation that addresses the connections between both
sources/texts.
- Follow a structure and start with a thesis statement, do not write in bullet points.
➔ Essay Format:
● How to Write a Thesis Statement?
- Start with keywords given in the task prompt, just give a very short and specific
introduction.
- Find out the persuasive devices in the texts/source and use them in the thesis
statement.
- State the points of comparison (similarity/ies).
- Thesis Statement: Both the texts persuade the audience…(Add the KEY WORD)
- State the points of contrast (Difference/s)
- Thesis Statement: Both the texts persuade the audience… (Add the KEY WORD)
by… (Include a theme or tone); However, they use different persuasive
techniques.
● Two Methods:
- 1. Similarities in one Paragraph, and Differences in the other (Block Method)
- 2. Similarities and differences side by side (Point Method – Point Wise)
➢ Thesis Statement = Key Words in the Prompt + Points of Comparison +
Points of Contrast
● How to Structure the Body Paragraph?
- Use transition words in the main body paragraph.
- Compare and contrast both texts.
● Essentials:
- Topic Sentence: Start with a point that refers to both texts and is connected with
the prompt.
- Point, Evidence & Analysis (Text 1): Zoom into text 1 and make a point applicable
to text 1, give evidence analyze it’s demonstrate its connection with the
point/prompt.
- Point, Evidence & Analysis (Text 2): Use transition words and zoom into text 2 and
make a point applicable to text 2, give evidence, and analyze to show its
connection with the point/prompt.
- Link: End the paragraph with a link to the main point/topic sentence.
- Transition Words within b/w paragraphs: Use transition words at the beginning,
middle, and at end of the paragraph.
● Concluding Paragraph;
- Write an ending statement while evaluating on the basis of the main body and
giving a perceptive response.
➔ Time & Mark Allocation:
Section: Grade: Content:
1 30 Compare and contrast
2 20 Creative Writing, Narrative writing, etc
3 30 Persuasive Essay
Total 80 N/A
➔ General Notes & Essentials:
- Make connections and analyze the stylistic choices.
- Focus on the KEYWORD (what you need to compare and contrast)
- Examples of stylistic choices in Text: are characterization, tone/mode, narrative,
literary techniques, theme, structure, setting, and style.
- Examples of stylistic choices in Movies/Videos/Visual Representative Sources:
Purpose, audience, form, theme/concept/ideas/message, persuasive
techniques, language, effects (voice, background, focus, language, contrast,
narration, tone/mode, location, etc.)
- Stylistic Choices may be a source you could use to distinguish similarities
and/or differences.
- Always Refer to the MYP Command terms.
➢ Consider the following Grade boundaries:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
0-12 13-25 26-34 35-42 43-52 53-60 61-80
➢ Sources we could refer to:
- https://jefferson.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2021/10/IB-MYP-Asses
sent-Objectives-and-Strands.pdf
- https://www.treasurers.org/ACTmedia/Command%20words%20explained.pdf
