What the exam asks
Each component of IB English A: Language and Literature tests a specific combination of the texts you study in class and unseen material:
- Paper 1 (guided textual analysis): You analyse unseen non-literary texts only (at SL you choose one of two passages; at HL you write a separate analysis of each of the two). You never bring your studied texts into Paper 1.
- Paper 2 (comparative essay): You answer one of four general questions in a closed-book essay that compares and/or contrasts two literary works you studied in class.
- Individual oral (internal assessment): You examine how a global issue (a real-world issue that matters on a wide scale, across countries and in everyday local life) is presented in one literary work and one non-literary body of work studied in class.
- HL essay (HL only): You write a 1,200–1,500-word formal essay on either one literary work or one non-literary body of work studied in class.
Core ideas
Literary works vs non-literary bodies of work
In everyday speech, any piece of writing is a “text”. In IB English A: Language and Literature, text is the general word for any single piece of writing or media, while work and body of work have exact definitions in the IB guide.
A literary work is either one extended literary text or a chosen collection of shorter literary texts by the same author in the same sub-form (the same kind of text within one literary form, for example all short stories or all poems):
| Form / Sub-form | What counts as one complete literary work |
|---|---|
| Extended text | 1 novel, play, graphic novel, biography or autobiography |
| Shorter prose | 2 or more novellas; 5–10 short stories; 5–8 essays; or 10–15 letters |
| Poetry | 1 long poem (at least 600 lines, or a substantial section of one) or 15–20 shorter poems |
A non-literary body of work (BoW) is the non-literary equivalent of a work. It consists of either:
- One extended non-literary text (such as a feature-length documentary film, a complete non-fiction report or a full television screenplay).
- A collection of shorter non-literary texts that share one text type (one kind of text, such as adverts or blog posts) and one authorship (such as a set of print advertisements from one campaign, a series of political cartoons by one cartoonist or several opinion columns by the same columnist). The guide sets no number of texts for a body of work.
Where no single human author exists, you can define a wider authorship—such as a single advertising campaign, brand or creative agency, or an unsigned publication’s editorial line—as long as you state that authorship clearly at the start of your assessment. The IB’s Prescribed reading list (PRL) is its searchable online list of authors; some of your literary works must be by authors on it (see the reading rules below). Creators of non-literary texts must not be PRL authors or widely recognized literary writers, and any non-literary text in translation must be a professional, published translation.
Classifying text types: literary, non-literary or either
The IB guide sorts text types into three buckets (its lists are not complete, so other text types exist). Note carefully where song lyrics and graphic novels sit:
| Category | Text types in the IB guide |
|---|---|
| Always literary | Graphic novel, novel, novella, play, poem, short story, song lyrics |
| Always non-literary | Advertisement, appeal, blog, brochure or leaflet, cartoon, diagram, electronic text (e.g. social media posts), encyclopaedia entry, film or television, guide book, infographic, interview, music video, photograph, radio broadcast, report, screenplay for TV or film, set of instructions, textbook, work of art |
| Either (borderline) | Autobiography or biography, diary entry, essay, letter, magazine article, manifesto, memoir, opinion column, parody, pastiche, speech, travelogue |
SL and HL reading rules and the no-reuse rule
The course is built around three areas of exploration (three overlapping ways of studying texts). In each area, your class gives equal teaching time to literary works and non-literary texts. Your literary works must come from the PRL’s four literary forms (poetry, prose fiction, prose non-fiction and drama) and meet these rules:
| Requirement | Standard Level (SL) | Higher Level (HL) |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum literary works | At least 4 works | At least 6 works |
| PRL and translation mix | At least 1 in the language studied (PRL), at least 1 in translation (PRL), plus 2 free choices | At least 2 in the language studied (PRL), at least 2 in translation (PRL), plus 2 free choices |
| Areas of exploration | At least 1 work per area | At least 2 works per area |
| Spread of forms, times, places | 2 literary forms, 2 periods, 2 places (countries/regions), covering at least 2 continents | 3 literary forms, 3 periods, 3 places (countries/regions), covering at least 2 continents |
Two golden rules apply to every candidate:
- No repeated authors: You may study each author only once in the course, and never an author you already study in another studies in language and literature course (such as Language A: Literature) or in a Language B course.
- The no-reuse rule: A literary work or non-literary body of work used for the individual oral, Paper 2 or the HL essay cannot be used in any other component. (If you write an extended essay in this subject, it cannot be on a work you study in class; it may be on an author you study, but only on a different work by that author.)
The learner portfolio
The learner portfolio is a compulsory folder or digital journal that you keep throughout the course. It is not marked directly by the IB, but the IB can request it to verify the authenticity of your coursework. You use it to:
- Record first responses to texts, close-reading annotations and notes on authorial choices.
- Group non-literary texts into coherent bodies of work.
- Test connections between texts, global issues for your individual oral and lines of inquiry for your HL essay.
- Maintain your official works-studied record at the end, mapping which work or body of work serves each assessment component.
Worked examples
Exam technique
- Build a component allocation grid early: In your learner portfolio, draw a table listing your studied literary works and non-literary bodies of work. Lock in your individual oral texts (and HL essay text at HL) first, then set aside three literary works for Paper 2.
- Verify collections before revising: If you use a collection of poems, short stories or essays in Paper 2 or the HL essay, Criterion A (knowledge, understanding and interpretation) rewards knowledge of the work, not just a single short text. In the HL essay the guide asks you to refer to more than one text from the collection. In Paper 2 it sets no number, but we advise discussing two or three texts from the collection.
- State wider authorship explicitly: In the individual oral or HL essay, if your non-literary body of work is by a brand, campaign or editorial board rather than a named person, state that unifying authorship in your opening sentences so the person marking it sees immediately that it is a valid body of work. A model opening (written for practice): “My non-literary body of work is six print appeal posters from GreenHorizon’s 2025 flood-relief campaign; because no single designer is named, I treat the campaign as their author.” Why this reaches the top band: in one sentence it names the text type, the number of texts and the authorship. That makes the literary and non-literary distinction clear at once, as the oral requires, and it defines the “whole body of work” that Criterion A expects you to know.
Common mistakes
Quick recap
- A literary work is a single extended literary text or a required number of shorter texts (e.g. 5–10 short stories, 15–20 poems) by the same author in the same sub-form.
- A non-literary body of work is one extended non-literary text or a collection of shorter texts sharing one text type and one authorship (by a non-PRL creator).
- Song lyrics and graphic novels are literary; music videos, cartoons and films are non-literary; borderline types (speeches, essays, memoirs) depend on the author’s literary status and aesthetic purpose.
- SL studies at least 4 literary works; HL studies at least 6 literary works, obeying PRL, translation, form, period and continent rules.
- No reuse: A work or body of work used in the individual oral, Paper 2 or the HL essay can never be used in another component.
- Keep your learner portfolio updated with your works-studied record to track eligibility across the course.