IB LANGUAGE

&
LITERATURE:
HL ESSAY
WHAT IS IT?
At HL, students are required to write a 1,200 –1,500 word formal research
essay which develops a particular line of inquiry of their own choice in
connection with a non-literary text, a collection of non-literary texts by one
same author or a literary text or work studied during the course.
External Assessment graded by IB (also your final exam this year, so I will
be grading it as well)
20% weighting
Choose either a literary work focused on during the year, or a language
based body of work (a collection of language texts by the same author)
studied during the course.
SELECTION OF TEXT(S)
In the case of a collection of short stories, poems, song lyrics or any short literary text,
candidates may choose to use just one literary text from the work as their focus.
However, students and teachers should remember that the assignment is a broad literary
investigation rather than a more narrowly-focused stylistic commentary task. It may be
necessary to use more than one text from the literary work chosen in order to achieve this
(ie. Multiple short stories vs. a single short story)
In the case of short non-literary texts, it may be necessary for the candidate to use more than
one from the same text type by the same authorship, for example the same creative
advertising agency, cartoonist, photographer or social media user. In this instance, at least one
of the texts should be studied in class.
If using language texts in translation, these must be professional and published translations of
the text.
WHAT DEFINES A LITERARY
WORK?
One novel (including graphic novels), play, autobiography, or
biography
Two or more novellas
5-10 short stories
5-8 essays
10-15 letters by the same author
One very long poem or a 600 line selection from this poem
15-20 poems by the same poet
WHAT DEFINES A LANGUAGE 5

“BODY OF WORK”?
• A group of non-literary texts that share the same authorship.
• For example, a full film is an example of a body of work,
equivalent to a full novel.
• Other examples include:
 A full TV series
 A series of advertisements from the same company
 A series of photographs from the same photographer
 3 or more short films by the same director
 5-8 music videos by the same artist OR director

• PLEASE NOTE: A graphic novel is considered a literary work, not a non-literary body of work
 WHAT DOES “LINE OF
INQUIRY” MEAN?
A line of inquiry is a research question which acts as a guiding question
for your research, pointing you toward secondary sources that will help you
further analyze your main text.

A good line of inquiry…

Offers an opportunity to analyze the language of your main text
Requires an answer that is informed by other secondary sources.
Is answerable within the 1200-1500 word limit
Leads to an argument and not a summary or description
Explores both author’s purpose and effect on the reader
Explores one of the 7 concepts related to language & literature (see topic slide #9)
 IB EXAMPLES OF GOOD LINES
OF INQUIRY
Some IB examples of good lines of inquiry examiners have seen include:
*Through which linguistic devices and for what reasons does Nelson
Mandela explore the motif of identity in his inaugural speech?
*To what degree are the communication techniques of Lance Armstrong
inadequate in expressing remorse in his interview with Oprah Winfrey?
*To what extent does Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel and memoir Persepolis
promote intercultural understanding or divide cultures and people?
*In what ways and for what reasons does Carol Ann Duffy explore
perspective in her collection of poetry The World’s Wife?
SOME BAD LINES OF INQUIRY
FROM IB
These are real examples that IB examiners have seen:
Why is the British version of The Office so much better than the
American version?
To what extent has George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four come
true?
Why was the Marlboro Man so successful in selling cigarettes?
How loyal to the novel is the TV series The Handmaid’s Tale?
How is Harry Potter a typical British schoolboy?
PLEASE NOTE!
If you choose to write your HL Essay on a literary
work, keep in mind this means you CANNOT write
about this work on your Paper 2 Essay Exam next
year, your EE, or discuss it in your IO next year
(formerly known as the IOC).
You can’t double dip with texts. Whatever you choose
is off limits for your exams, your EE, and IA next
year.
DETERMINING TOPIC: SUGGESTIONS FROM IB (NOT REQUIRED
BUT MIGHT BE HELPFUL IN NARROWING FOCUS)
Identity: The student might be interested in an aspect of the representation of identity of a particular character or group
of characters in the text, or on the way in which the text relates to the identity of the writer.
Culture: The student might be interested in an aspect of the representation of the culture of a particular place, institution
or group of people, or on the way in which the text itself relates to a particular culture.
Creativity: The student might be interested in an aspect of the representation of individual or collective creativity, or
lack of creativity, within the text, or on the way in which the text represents the creativity of the writer.
Communication: The student might be interested in an aspect of the representation of acts of communication, or
failures in communication, in the text, or on the way in which the text itself represents an act of communication.
Transformation: The student might be interested in an aspect of the representation of transformation or transformative
acts in the text, or on the way in which the text itself is a transformative act either of other texts through intertextual
reference to them or of reality by means of a transformative effect on the reader’s identity, relationships, goals, values,
and beliefs.
Perspective: The student might be interested in an aspect of the representation of a particular perspective or perspectives
within the text, or on the way in which the text represents the writer’s perspective.
Representation: The student might be interested in an aspect of the way in which the text represents different themes,
attitudes and concepts, or in the extent to which language and literature can actually represent reality.
 ACADEMIC INTEGRITY &
CITATIONS
Students should make detailed references to their primary source, using such
references to support their broader argument about the text. The use of secondary
sources is not mandatory. Any sources used must be appropriately cited.
Essays must be students’ own work, adhering consistently to the IB policy on
academic honesty.
Teachers are expected to ensure that essays are students’ own work and address any
academic honesty issues arising before submission of the assessment.
PLEASE remember, this is your final exam and counts for 10% of your grade. An
academic integrity violation would result in a 0, so please make sure your work is
original. This is also a required IB assessment and cheating could result in being
removed from the diploma program.
TEACHER FEEDBACK
While teachers should give regular feedback on students’ work, they should
not edit or correct their work directly.
As students draw close to the end of the writing process, teachers are allowed
to give advice to students ONCE in terms of suggestions as regards the way
the work could be improved. These comments could consist in questions or
prompts for further reflection and improvement.
 For this, I’m choosing to give you guys detailed feedback on your research questions,
your thesis, & your BTs because I think these are core aspects of your paper and will be
more effective in helping you.
Under no circumstances can a teacher edit or rewrite things for you.
I can answer questions live via our Zoom sessions or through email, though. 
 SCORING- 5 EACH FOR 20
POINTS TOTAL
Criterion A: Understanding and Interpretation- How well does the candidate demonstrate an
understanding of the text and draw reasoned conclusions from implications in it? How well are
ideas supported by references to the text?
Criterion B: Analysis and Evaluation- To what extent does the candidate analyze and evaluate
how textual features and/or authorial choices shape meaning?
Criterion C: Focus and Organization- How well organized, coherent and focused is the
presentation of ideas?
Criterion D: Language-How clear, varied and accurate is the language? How appropriate is the
choice of register and style? (“Register” refers, in this context, to the candidate’s use of
elements such as vocabulary, tone, sentence structure and terminology appropriate to the
analysis).
OPTIONS FOR LITERARY
WORKS
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (novel)
A Good Man is Hard to Find & Other Stories by Flannery O’Connor (short story
collection)
March by John Lewis (graphic novel…I know it should be considered more of a
lang text, but IB puts it in literary works)
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (vignettes)
Martin Luther King Jr. speeches (also lang…but IB categorizes MLK speeches as lit)

NOTE: The Great Gatsby is not a feasible option for this assignment, the Paper 2, or
the IO next year, because Fitzgerald is no longer included on our Prescribed List of
Authors (PLA), and March has become our free choice text.
OPTIONS FOR LANGUAGE
BODIES
Pleasantville film
OF WORK
Winter’s Bone film
The Twilight Zone (TV show)
Advertisements (would need to all be from a same agency or same company, like a series of Nike
ads or a series of Cover Girl ads)
Thomas Nast political cartoons
Dr. Seuss World War II propaganda/political cartoons
Campaign Advertisements (would need to be from the same campaign/candidate)
Jacob Riis photography (Gilded Age)
Dorthea Lange photography (Great Depression)
Civil Rights photography (by the same Civil Rights photographer…lots of choices)
RESEARCH COMPONENT
It is expected that you do outside research and also include
secondary sources along with your main text to create a full
literary or language investigation.
Look at relevant historical and/or cultural context that influences the text’s
audience and purpose…possibly some background research on the time
period, the event it is about, etc.
Look at examples of criticism (especially literary criticism for specific lit
texts), public reaction to the text at the time of publication vs. now,
controversy surrounding a text, issues of censorship, etc.
You will need to create and submit an MLA formatted Works
Cited page with your main text and all of your other sources used.
 THESIS STATEMENTS FOR HL
ESSAY
Your thesis statement should:
Answer your line of inquiry
Mention the stylistic features that will be explored in your essay
Articulate the author’s purpose & effect on the reader.
Think about the formula: WHAT + HOW/WHY + SO WHAT
 What = Major technique or idea of focus for the author/creator of the text
 HOW/WHY= How and why it works to convey meaning
 SO WHAT= Author’s purpose, effect on the reader/audience, or connection to relevant universal
themes.

Your BTs must all be arguments, and think about bringing in a “so what” for
each of them to add depth to your argument.