My Experiences of Learning The Depths of IB English Literature and Language.
Something I am very proud (but also not quite), is the fact that I have thoroughly (but not fully yet) survived through the pits of hell as an English Higher Level student. Of course, I am still learning more as the semester begins and goes by, but the things that I have learnt and went through was surely…something, to say the least.
Of course, there may be some of those who didn’t have the same experience as I did. But there is something common that we may have: the additional pressure that is weighed on the student.
Of course, we must be aware of what we will have to endure when we made this decision (especially the amount of books we have to read compared to standard level students). But hey, there are some times where I do enjoy the subject and learning it as a whole, especially surrounding the books given for my batch. (This is coming from a student that enjoys Literature to another level).
The books that were chosen for all English students this year (more specifically, for Literature, which is in paper 2), is one graphic novel: “ A Distant Neighborhood” by Jiro Taniguchi, and a tradition novel: “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston. Both literary works with a different story, yet many similarities to one another. Specifically, surrounding the characters, their desires and goals in their respective stories.
The graphic novel was quite simple to read through, compared to the traditional novel. The main difference between the two that stood out to me the most was the author’s style of writing, which of course differs, depending on the time period the story was set in.
Asides from that, I found the two stories to be quite interesting, especially when I found the many similarities between the two stories, especially the characters and what they aim for as the story progresses.
But when it comes to writing an answer, this is the trickiest part of all. There are times where I wonder about what was not enough in my analysis, or in which areas do I lack in my answers. I take these corrections into mind and try to fix these mistakes by practicing and reading the notes that I have taken during class.
Advices On Writing Your Answers?
Simple tips I would offer to those who are still struggling on how to formulate their analysis (for paper 1, specifically), is to begin with a simple opening sentence that is short, yet summarizes your overall answer, and is straight to the point. Afterwards, begin with a small introduction of the passage you have chosen from the question paper, and begin! (And make sure to outline all of your points!)
My advice is to include every important point your teacher has explained to you throughout class, such as the importance of literary devices you would have to find throughout the passage, and include the reasons as it why the writer could have included this specific device.
It is also important to include elements such as the text type of the passage you have chosen, and the audience it is leaning towards to, the author’s purpose of writing this specific type of text, and the themes that are displayed throughout the text, which is another really important element to include in your answer.
To simply put, there is really no right way to write your answer in English Literature and Language. What I would really advise on is practicing your style of writing and analysis, which would help a lot in both paper 1 and 2, which are quite similar to one another (such as the elements that is to be included in both papers), but your writing style and analysis is what would help you the most throughout the exam. The more practice and reading you do on a daily basis (which some may not accomplices, which is totally okay!), the better chances you would have in aiming a higher grade!
Another small advice I would give to you is to watch or listen to videos that expands your perspectives on a wide range of topics, or read a different variety of books that will not only help you improve your writing style, but your overall analysis and vocabulary! Here are some videos I would recommend for those who have difficulty in finding classics/have trouble reading a classic!
And perhaps, in my next blog, I would recommend some of my own book recommendations that you might want to check out 😉
Here is one of the books as a little hint:
Best of luck to those taking English Language and Literature Higher Level! I am rooting for you all!
Links used in this blog:
YouTube Videos by Dakota Warren: https://youtu.be/Jw7kdOK2qUM // https://youtu.be/AmMq3u5MZdE
Image of book “Heaven” by Mieko Kawakami: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/216524694577999511/
Want tips surrounding IGCSE past papers? Click the link here! https://prodatblog.org/the-best-igcse-past-paper-guide-to-revising/
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