higher english essay layout

IB English HLE Explained

Free introductory guide to IB English Higher Level Essay (HLE) by IB44 and IB45 graduates Lareina Shen and Saesha Grover.

In this guide, LitLearn students (and 2022 IB grads!)  Lareina Shen and Saesha Grover share their wisdom on how to conquer the IB English Higher Level Essay (HLE).

Lareina achieved an IB44, and Saesha achieved an IB45 as well as the coveted IB7 in IB English Literature HL, so you are in safe hands.

Meet your instructor Jackson Huang, Founder of LitLearn. His mission is to make IB English as pain-free as possible with fun, practical lessons. Jackson scored an IB45 and was accepted to Harvard, Amherst, Williams Colleges, and full scholarships to University of Melbourne & Queensland.

What is IB English HLE?

The HL Essay (HLE) is a 1200-1500 word essay about a text studied in the IB English course. For Lang Lit, the work you choose to analyze can be literary or non-literary, but for IB English Literature the text must be literary.

The HLE will make up  25% of your final IB English HL grade , and it is graded externally. You must choose your own line of inquiry   (i.e. a question that you will answer in your HLE–more on this later).

How do I choose my text for HLE?

Do NOT choose the “easiest” text. Life is always better when you do things you're interested in, and that advice applies to the HLE, too. Choose the literary / non-literary work that interests  you the most, so that you can (semi?)-enjoy the HLE planning and writing process.

You could start by thinking of a theme that you find particularly interesting and determining which text studied in class demonstrates this theme well.

How do I choose my line of inquiry for HLE?

The line of inquiry is the core question that you will answer in your essay. A quick example might be:

"To what extent is masculinity undermined by the characterisation of Little Thomas?"

Now, it's your job to forge your destiny and come up with your own line of inquiry. But it's not a complete free-for all! There are rules. The main rule is that your line of inquiry must fall under one of the 7 main concepts of IB English (see below for a quick summary).

This summary is vague, so let's go in-depth on a couple of these concepts to really show you what you should be doing in the HLE.

Identity is what makes you, YOU. Here are some questions the concern your own personal identity:

• What is your favourite colour? And why is it your favourite?
• What makes you different from others? Why do you think these qualities came to be?
• How would someone describe you in three words?

Now apply this same logic to characters within your text.

• How would you describe this character in three words?
• How do their actions within a text influence your view of their identity?
• How has the author crafted this character to make you view the character in a certain way?

Let's take a look at a concrete example of how we might choose evidence and quotes for a HLE on cultural identity. This example is based on a Vietnamese work in translation “Ru” by author Kim Thúy. For context, “Ru” is an autobiographical fictional account which explores Kim Thúy's move from Vietnam to Canada as an immigrant and her consequent struggles. The structure of her novel is largely lyrical and poetic.

Let's look at a section from her novel that may help us come up with an essay idea based on the concept of Identity. When she returns to Vietnam, she attends a restaurant, however this becomes a major awakening for her in terms of how she views her own personal identity. Kim narrates within her novel:

The first time I carried a briefcase, the first time I went to a restaurant school for young adults in Hanoi, wearing heels and a straight skirt, the waiter for my table didn't understand why I was speaking Vietnamese with him. Page 77, Rú

This is a perfect quote for the Identity concept. Can you see why? Let's think through it together…

Why would the waiter be confused if Kim, a “briefcase”-carrying individual in “heels” and a “straight skirt”, was speaking Vietnamese with him?

What does being “Vietnamese” look like to the waiter? Why does Kim not conform to his expectation? Was it perhaps due to what she was wearing?

Now, if we look at the section which follows this in the novel, we are able to see the impact this had on the character of Kim's sense of identity.

the young waiter reminded me that I couldn't have everything, that I no longer had the right to declare I was Vietnamese because I no longer had their fragility, their uncertainty, their fears. And he was right to remind me. Page 77, Rú

Here, we can clearly see that this character is now questioning her Vietnamese cultural identity. This is just one example that demonstrates the concept of Identity.

Culture seems to be this confusing thing.  Does it have to do with religion? Race? Beliefs? What does it mean? Does the monster from Frankenstein fit into a certain culture?

The easiest way to put it is this:  Culture is the way someone lives. It is their “way of life.” Think of it as an umbrella term. “Culture” can include so many different things; the list just goes on, for example religion, values, customs, beliefs, cuisine, etc.

Now think, how would I form an essay from this concept?

• When you read a text in class, you will notice that authors let you form an opinion on the culture of certain characters or groups within a text, but how is this done?
• How does the author represent the culture of a certain community?
• What types of patterns in daily routines are discussed?

It seems odd writing an essay about “creativity” because… like… how can anyone definitively say what ‘counts' as being creative–or not? When I say the word creativity , I think of new inventions, or maybe those weird and wacky art installations living inside those ‘modern art' museums. But hey, what's creative to me might not be creative to you!

When formulating a HLE on the concept of creativity we have two main pointers for you. Look for:

• Interesting + Unique techniques or literary devices used within a text by the author. You can learn more in the  Learn Analysis section of LitLearn.
• Recurring stylistic choices by the author

Now, for this concept, let's look at how we might select supportive evidence and quotations for a HLE on creativity within the narrative style of author Mary Shelley in “Frankenstein”. The narrative style uses  epistolary narration . This is a narrative technique in which a story is told through letters. This was something that I found both interesting and recurring within Frankenstein, which I believe worked to create a personal touch within the novel.

Additionally, Mary Shelley allows different characters to narrate Frankenstein during different volumes. Let's investigate this! I have written out different character profiles of the narrators below:

These 3 characters, each relate a part of the novel Frankenstein. This is an example of a creative authorial choice that allows us, as readers to explore different points of view within the text. This is just one example of a creative aspect of a text which you can analyze for your HLE.

Representation

Representation is all about how something is  portrayed, conveyed, shown, described, illustrated, depicted . There are many different things that can be ‘represented' within a text, and it doesn't have to be tangible.

For instance, you can look at how a belief, idea or attitude is depicted within a text through different characters or devices.

Again, let's explore a concrete example to make things clear: this time the graphic novel “Persepolis”. We'll consider an HLE on how a text  represents the  impact of political turmoil on society .

Chapter 10 of “Persepolis” highlights societal changes occurring due to the Iranian Revolution. The panels below list the authorial choices relevant to the negative representation of political change in a society. When looking at the techniques highlighted in the slides below, think about how you feel when you look at the panels below. Can you sense a more positive or negative feeling?

Cool, but what do we do to turn all this into an actual HL essay? Here is a sample response. The introduction might begin like this:

In the captivating graphic novel “Persepolis,” the author Marjane Satrapi explores the social and political impacts of the Iranian revolution. In particular, Satrapi conveys a disapproving viewpoint on political turmoil within the text. Throughout the graphic novel, Satrapi carefully represents how social isolation, hypocrisy and confusion is experienced by a young girl living in Tehran, as a result of political turmoil.  Example HLE Introduction

Then, in a body paragraph, on one of the key ideas mentioned above, we could analyze the different literary techniques. For example, Panel 1 is a great representation of the experience of confusion in the midst of political turmoil:

Marji is the younger girl pictured in the panels above. While her parents appear quite concerned by the news on the TV, she appears to not be in full comprehension of the cause for their distress. This is demonstrated by the visual imagery and dialogue, in panel 7, for instance, if you observe the facial expressions by each of the characters. Example of analysis in body paragraph

This is just a short example from one particular text. To help you unpack any text, try look for the following when analyzing chapter to chapter:

• What is the main idea of the chapter?
• Why did the author write it? What purpose does it serve?
• What do you believe is the overarching importance of the passage?

Brainstorming Tips

If you're having trouble picking your text and line of inquiry, then use this simple 20-minute process to brainstorm potential questions for your HLE:

• For each text / non-literary work, go through each concept in the table below.
• Write down a question for each of the two prompts for each category.
• Repeat for all of your texts.
• Pick the question-text combination that has the greatest potential for strong analysis.

How do I ensure my HLE question has a good scope?

Choosing a question with good scope is extremely   important, and it's one of the biggest challenges in the HLE. Here's why:

• If your scope is too broad , you may have too much to write about in order to answer the question, and therefore you won't be able to write deep analysis (which is super important–more on this later…)
• If your scope is too narrow , you may not have enough to write about and end up overanalyzing unnecessary and obscure details. Also something to avoid!

So, to help you get the balance just right , here are three examples of HLE questions, specifically for the concept of  Identity which we mentioned in the table above (by the way, the example is a made-up novel for illustration purposes).

• Too broad: “How does Irene Majov in her novel  Deadly Men effectively make her narrator a powerful mouthpiece?”
• Too narrow: “How does Irene Majov in her novel  Deadly Men effectively make her narrator a powerful mouthpiece for the concerns of Asian-Americans toward discrimination in the workforce in the 21st century?”
• Just right: “How does Irene Majov in her novel  Deadly Men effectively make her narrator a powerful mouthpiece for the concerns of Asian-Americans in the 21st century?”

How to get a 7 on IB English HLE

There are many things that contribute to a 7 in your HLE and your IB English grade overall. But if we had to boil it down to one secret, one essential fact… then it'd have to be this: Get really good at analysis .

Analysis is the key to a 7 in IB English. It doesn't matter if it's Paper 1, Paper 2, HLE, IO… You must learn how to analyze quotes at a deep level, and structure your analysis in a way that flows and delights your teachers and examiners.

Start with the basics

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Our free and Pro resources have helped IB English students skyrocket their grade in weeks, days and even overnight...   Learn Analysis for IB English , the simplest guide to a 7 in IB English.

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Finding Quotes

Also, you'll need to find good quotes for your text. Some good sources where you can find relevant quotes include  Goodreads , SparkNotes ,  LitCharts , and Cliffnotes . Of course, you could just find quotes yourself directly–this will ensure your quotes are unique.

Understanding the IB English HLE rubric

An essential step to getting a high mark on the HL Essay is understanding the rubric! It is SO important that you know what IB English examiners are looking for when grading your essay, as this helps you to shape the content of your essay to match (or even exceed) their expectations.

The IB English HL Essay is graded out of 20 marks . There are 4 criteria, each worth 5 marks.

Use the checklist below to make sure you're not making simple mistakes! Note that this is not the official marking criteria, and I strongly recommend that you reading the official rubric provided by your teacher.

Criterion A: Knowledge, understanding, and interpretation

• Accurate summary of text in introduction
• Focused and informative thesis statement
• Effective and relevant quotes
• Relevant and effective summary and ending statement in conclusion

Criterion B: Analysis and evaluation

• Relevant analysis of a variety of stylistic features 
• Relevant analysis of tone and/or atmosphere
• Relevant analysis of broader authorial choices i.e. characterization, point of view, syntax, irony, etc.

Criterion C: Focus, organization, and development

• Introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion
• Organized body paragraphs – topic sentence, evidence, concluding statement/link to question
• Appropriate progression of ideas and arguments in which evidence (i.e. quotes) are effectively implemented

Criterion D: Language

• Use expansions (e.g. “do not”) instead of contractions (e.g. “don't”)
• Use of a variety of connecting phrases e.g. “furthermore”, “nonetheless”, “however”, etc.
• Complete sentence structures and subject-verb agreement
• Correct usage of punctuation
• Appropriate register – no slang
• Historic present tense : the use of present tense when recounting past events. For example, we want to write “In  The Hunger Games , Peeta and Katniss work   together to win as a district” instead of using the word “worked”.
• Avoid flowery/dictionary language just to sound smart; it is distracting and difficult to read. As long as you concisely communicate your message using appropriate language, you will score a high mark under this criterion.

Here's everything we discussed:

• IB English HLE is tough work! Start early.
• Brainstorm using the table of concepts to come up with a strong HLE question. Don't give up on this!
• Analysis is the key to a 7 in IB English HLE (and in fact all IB English assessment). Check out LitLearn's course  Learn Analysis for IB English   for immediate help on the exact steps to improve in IB English analysis.

Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor 💪

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• Sep 29, 2021

SQA Higher English: an expert guide to RUAE

Updated: Mar 31, 2022

Note: the techniques and approaches listed are not exhaustive and definitive. Rather, they are based on analysis of the last 7 years of SQA RUAE papers and are only suggestions.

Before beginning the questions:

Before you begin the passage, always ask yourself two questions:

· what is the passage about?

· how does the writer feel about the subject?

The answer to the first question helps you with context and answering the 5-mark question (more on that later), whilst the answer to the second question will help you identify the types of words, sentence structure, images and tone the writer will use. The italics before the passage will often offer a guide to these questions but do not always offer definitive answers.

An effective strategy is to read the last question before you begin to read the passage. You then highlight the quotations required for the last question as you read the passage thereby ensuring that you read with a purpose. It also means that you are not left in a panic with 5 minutes left as you desperately try to find quotes for the last question.

GOLDEN RULE

FIND WORDS FROM THE QUESTION IN THE PASSAGE. LOOK AROUND THEM AND YOU WILL OFTEN BE GIVEN THE ANSWER.

Types of question

Understanding questions:

For the most part, these questions involve putting information into YOUR OWN WORDS .

For a number of years this has been signposted in the question with use your own words in your answer .

Your basic approach to doing this should be:

· Find the information

· Highlight it

· Put it in your own words

How do I put things into my own words?

There are a number of strategies for this:

· Substitute one word for another

· Substitute a phrase for a word

· Ask yourself: what idea is the writer communicating?

· Interpret/ quantify numbers and dates. This is something that candidates often fail to do but it is quite simple. For example, 1920 becomes over 100 years ago and 140, 000 000 becomes an enormous number .

Variations:

Whilst the vast majority of understanding questions simply ask you to put things in your own words, occasionally the question includes the phrase, ‘ supported by the example .’ Here you are being asked to summarise the importance of the example at least partially, rather than simply substituting one word for another.

An example of this would be the 2019 Higher English paper where the question reads ‘Explain how the writer’s argument about fake news is supported by the example of the Paris attack.’ In the answer to this question, you can gain marks for substituting incredibly fast for ‘quickly’ but you can also gain marks for summarising. The passage contains the following extract: ‘during the November 2015 Paris terror attacks, rumours quickly spread on social media that the Louvre and the Pompidou Centre had been hit, and that the French president had suffered a stroke.’ Rather than attempting to find other words for ‘Paris’, ‘Louvre’, ‘president’ you should respond to the question by saying the example shows that stories can become exaggerated.

Developing an argument questions:

These questions are about how a paragraph or a sentence move the writer’s argument/ topic from one aspect of the argument/ topic to another. They seem to have replaced the Link Question which has not featured since the inception of the new Higher in 2015. They have appeared in the 2015, 2017 and 2021. You must quote and explain how the quote reveals that the writer is using it to move from one topic to the other.

Think: before and after.

Example: Explain the function of these lines in the development of the writer’s argument. You should make close reference to the passage in your answer.

Answer: ‘could the British… look like this? Signals the writer’s change of focus from the USA to the UK (1 mark).

You must do this twice. NOTE: YOU ARE NOT ANALYSING TECHNIQUES, JUST IDENTIFYING HOW THE LINE DEVELOPS THE ARGUMENT.

Analysis questions:

These questions involve looking at techniques, using quotes, and offering explanations. When answering, think:

· what does it mean?

· Why is it being used?

One quote and explanation will get you one mark unless it is imagery you have commented on. Language or style questions mean you can comment on any of the following.

Sentence Structure

Remember to be detailed - what is being emphasised? Also, you should remember to quote at all times. The underlined parts should always be used when answering these questions. Remember to quantify - ‘the amount…’ is not enough; you must say ‘the huge amount…’ etc.

Short sentence: bluntly emphasises its content, adds drama.

The short sentence ‘There is a lot to be done.’ bluntly emphasises the writer’s belief that there is much work to be completed in combating these industries.

List: emphasises variety and number of things.

The list ‘other cultures… climates’ emphasises the huge number of things that air travel allows people to experience.

Repetition: emphasise something - say what is being emphasised.

The repetition of ‘We need’ emphasises the idea that society as a whole must come together and fight these companies.

The above are the most likely features of sentence structure. Indeed, knowledge of the three techniques listed above would enable you to answer any analysis question from the past 7 years, allowing you to comment on sentence structure.

However, you might also comment on topic sentences - the first sentence in a paragraph - which might bluntly introduce the topic.

You might comment on how sentences start ‘Originally… After that’ which might communicate a sequence.

You might also be asked about parallelism - where sentences are repeatedly structured/ balanced in the same way.

Example: ‘Don’t buy a baby walker, your toddlers might brain themselves. Don’t buy plastic baby teethers, your baby might suck in harmful chemicals.’

This emphasises all the things they discourage you from buying and underscore their idea that there is threat everywhere/ everything is dangerous/ has consequences.

Word Choice:

You should try to say what the definition/ connotations of these words are and why they are used. Try to keep your quotes to 1 word if possible

Follow this structure:

2. Suggests

3. Context (he, she they, it)

4. Two connotations

‘Crammed’ suggests they were kept in claustrophobic, unpleasant conditions.

If you are dealing with imagery – usually a simile, personification or a metaphor – then there are two stages:

1. say what the connotations of the image are - give two connotations

2. say what connotations the subject shares with the image, again giving two but using different words.

‘ Just as a tumour is unhealthy, ugly and can lead to serious illness or death (stage 1) 1st mark, so too was London destructive to the country, filled with disease and unpleasant to look at. (stage 2) 2nd mark.

Punctuation:

Often a part of sentence structure but not the first thing you should look at. Look out for colons and dashes that come before an explanation - they introduce an expansion or explanation, a list or extra information. Say what it is a list of or extra info about. To find out what is being introduced, look just before the dash or colon.

Semi-colons split up a list, creating a definite break between each item. They also set up a contrast.

Inverted commas show speech. The writer might use them to show they are someone else’s words and not the writers, to show a quote, or show the writer doubts what is being said. It might also be used to mock an idea

Parenthesis is a regularly used feature - it is information contained within two rackets, two dashes, or two commas. You should say that parenthesis is used to emphasise the extra information contained within the punctuation.

Evaluation:

You should try to quote with these questions. They are similar to analysis questions but you should say how effective something is - say it is effective and why, using quotes as evidence.

Mostly, they ask you about how effective a sentence or a paragraph is as a conclusion - look for links to ideas earlier in the passage or even the title and state what they are. This gives a sense that the writer is summing up/ emphasising a point. Also look for them to drive a point home with a powerful topic sentence, an angry tone or a mocking tone, or repetition.

How effective do you find lines 36-39 as a conclusion to the writer’s condemnation of video gaming in the passage as a whole?

‘So I say now’ is effective because it is a powerful start signalling he will sum up his thoughts.

‘yank out that plug’ is effective as he commands parents to stop their children playing these games. This reinforces the point he has been making throughout, especially in the second paragraph when he commands that parents ‘just say no to Nintendo’.

‘strike a blow for literacy’ returns to the titles giving a sense of summing up and reinforcing the central idea of the passage - cutting down on gaming will improve school performance.

Last Question:

For a number of years, the last question in an RUAE paper is a 5-mark question that asks you to look at how the writers agree and/ or disagree on a topic. To get 5 marks you must find 3 areas of agreement and/ or disagreement. Most of the time the paper only asks for agreement or disagreement.

From my experience as an SQA marker, I would say that this is the question that is most poorly done, which is silly when I would consider it the easiest question to score highest in. I would recommend the following approach:

· read the last question BEFORE you read the passage

· with a specific colour, highlight the point the writer makes about the topic

· do all the questions up to the last question

· read the second passage up until you have at least three areas of agreement and/ or disagreement (if you have time, do four and use one as a back up in case one of the first three points is wrong)

· stop reading

· begin answering the question

Template for the 5-mark question:

· Point of agreement/ disagreement

· Passage one states ‘quote’ which shows ____________________- this should be a summary of how the quote links to the point of agreement/ disagreement. Try the drag it out a little/ not make it too brief or you run the risk of receiving 4 marks instead of 5.

· Passage two states ‘quote’ which shows__________________________- same as above but for passage two.

· You should do the above 3 times to receive 5 marks.

This was from a paper where the question asked about how the writers disagreed on the experience of shopping.

Passage 1 states that shopping is ‘the heroin of human happiness’ which shows she thinks it is damaging and harmful to both the individual and society.

Passage 2 states that shoppers are ‘doing something important’ which shows he thinks that it benefits both society and the individual.

Passage 1 states that ‘our needs are never satisfied’ which shows she thinks that long term happiness cannot be achieved through shopping no matter how hard we try.

Passage 2 states that ‘shopping is enormous fun and profoundly satisfying’ which shows he thinks the experience can be emotionally beneficial and bring real, lasting happiness.

Architecture

Passage 1 states that shopping has created a ‘mainstream monoculture’ which shows she thinks that the obsession with shopping means towns and city centres all look the same.

Passage 2 states that ‘malls are marble-floored temples’ which shows he thinks they are visually stunning.

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