What the exam asks
Unlike timed exam papers, the HL essay is a formal piece of coursework where examiners expect polished academic writing and sustained depth across all four criteria (5 marks each):
- Criterion A (Knowledge, understanding and interpretation): Show deep knowledge of the whole work or body of work to build a persuasive argument that directly answers your line of inquiry.
- Criterion B (Analysis and evaluation): Analyse and evaluate (judge the effectiveness of) both micro-choices (diction, imagery, camera angles, typography) and broader authorial choices (overall structure, narrative perspective, characterization, staging, or recurring visual motifs).
- Criterion C (Focus, organization and development): Develop your line of inquiry logically across 1,200–1,500 words, with examples and quotations woven smoothly into the grammar of your sentences.
- Criterion D (Language): Write in precise, varied, formal academic English, using terminology only where it sharpens your point.
Core ideas
Planning the 1,200–1,500 word structure
Every word counts. Do not organize your essay chronologically (plot point by plot point) or by isolated literary devices. Instead, divide your argument into three or four conceptual sections that each advance your thesis.
| Section | Approx. words | What it must do |
|---|---|---|
| Title & Header | A few lines | State your line of inquiry (a question is fine) and identify the work or body of work (text type and author/creator, plus the title of a single extended text). |
| Introduction | 120–150 | Briefly establish relevant context, state your line of inquiry, and present a clear thesis (your overarching answer and the key choices you will examine). |
| 3–4 Analytical Sections | 1,000–1,200 | Each section (1–2 paragraphs) explores one conceptual stage of your thesis, pairing broader authorial choices with close textual analysis across the whole work. |
| Conclusion | 120–150 | Synthesize your findings to give a final, evaluative answer to the line of inquiry without merely repeating topic sentences. |
| Works Cited / Bibliography | Not in count | List the primary text(s) and any secondary sources in a consistent standard style. |
Covering the whole work or body of work
An HL essay is a broad investigation, not an extended Paper 1 commentary on a single passage.
- Single extended text (e.g., a novel, play, or feature film): Draw evidence from the beginning, middle, and ending to show how patterns develop or shift.
- Collection (e.g., poetry, short stories, photographs, or an ad campaign): You must analyse more than one text from the collection (the IB’s rule). Three or four is a good number (our advice): enough to represent the whole work or body of work while keeping room for depth.