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Diagnostic · 1 h 20 min · 3 questions · 2 sections
An 80-minute diagnostic, about a third of the HL exam time. Paper 1, shortened (45 minutes for both): guided analyses of two original unseen non-literary passages of different text types, Text 1 an editorial cartoon about food waste (described in detail) and Text 2 an open letter about learning the language of a new country. Paper 2, shortened (35 minutes): a comparative response to one of four general questions (on concealing the truth, the power of place, violence and its consequences, and faith or belief); the model essay compares Shakespeare’s Othello and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus. Marked on the IB criteria to set your starting grade and study plan.
Your answers save as you go, and your results, with every answer explained, stay in your account.
New here? Create a free account. The diagnostic is always free.
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Paper 1: guided textual analysis (HL)
2 questions · 45 min · ≈ 22 min 30 s a question
Paper 2: comparative essay
1 question · 35 min · ≈ 35 min a question
An 80-minute diagnostic, about a third of the HL exam time. Paper 1, shortened (45 minutes for both): guided analyses of two original unseen non-literary passages of different text types, Text 1 an editorial cartoon about food waste (described in detail) and Text 2 an open letter about learning the language of a new country. Paper 2, shortened (35 minutes): a comparative response to one of four general questions (on a character who conceals the truth, a place made central to meaning, acts of cruelty or violence, and words that wound or heal); the model essay compares Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Marked on the IB criteria to set your starting grade and study plan.
This practice test is shorter than the real English A L&L exam but uses its question styles: 2 sections, 80 minutes in total. Work under timed conditions and answer every question.
Your score arrives with section scores, a breakdown by topic, your time on every question and each answer explained. Questions you miss join your review queue, and written and spoken answers get an examiner’s report.