What the exam asks
In Paper 1, you are given two unseen non-literary passages of different text types (for example, a charity appeal webpage and a print travelogue). Each passage is accompanied by one guiding question focused on a technical or formal aspect, such as:
- How does the interplay between image and text help to convey the writer’s perspective on urban wildlife?
- In what ways does the creator use structure and tone to persuade the target audience?
At SL, you choose one passage and have 1 hour 15 minutes to write one guided analysis (20 marks). At HL, you have 2 hours 15 minutes to write two separate guided analyses, one on each passage (20 marks each, 40 marks total; never compare the two passages). Answering the printed guiding question is usually the safest choice because it gives your essay a ready-made focus for Criterion C. It is not compulsory: you may choose another technical or formal feature of the passage as your focus (this lesson calls it your chosen focus), as long as your thesis names it and your whole analysis keeps to it.
| Criterion | Name | Marks | What the examiner looks for |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Understanding and interpretation | 5 | Accurate grasp of literal meaning, context and subtle implications, backed by short quotations and exact visual details. |
| B | Analysis and evaluation | 5 | Explaining how authorial choices (the writer’s or creator’s decisions about words, images, layout and structure) create meaning and judging how effectively they work for the audience and purpose. |
| C | Focus and organization | 5 | A clear thesis answering the guiding question (or your chosen focus), idea-led body paragraphs, smooth transitions and a judging conclusion. |
| D | Language | 5 | Clear, varied, formal English with accurate terminology used only where it adds precision. |
Core ideas
1. Writing a three-part thesis statement
A top-band introduction is brief (3–5 sentences). First, establish TAPC (Text type, Audience, Purpose, Context). Then, end the paragraph with a thesis statement (your one-sentence answer) that answers the guiding question, or your chosen focus, by connecting three elements:
Never write a “shopping-list” thesis (“The writer uses diction, layout and tone to persuade the reader”). Specify what kind of choices and what exact purpose.
2. Idea-led structure (Criterion C)
Organize your 3 or 4 body paragraphs around ideas or stages of the argument, never around individual devices or modes (for example, one paragraph on the words and another on the images).
- Weak structure (by device/mode): Paragraph 1 on images, Paragraph 2 on diction, Paragraph 3 on layout. This weakens cohesion in Criterion C (often holding it to the middle bands) because it separates choices that work together.
- Top-band structure (by idea): Paragraph 1 on how the creator establishes an urgent crisis; Paragraph 2 on how they position the reader as the capable rescuer; Paragraph 3 on how they remove practical barriers to donating.
End your essay with a short conclusion (3–4 sentences) that does not merely repeat your introduction, but draws your points together to judge the passage’s overall effectiveness and lingering impact on its audience.