IB DP Language A Language and Literature -sample text analysis – backpacker book cover

Text: Randall, Glen. Outward bound’s Backpacker’s handbook.

Before you read the “spoiler” bullet points below take a careful look at the text. Imagine it is a text you are using for your DP Language A Language and Literature assessments ( Paper 1, the individual oral, the HL essay,) and analyze it accordingly. This text would not be appropriate for Paper 2.

Paper 1: first take a careful look at criteria A and B . Then, consider how you would approach this particular text in light of the requirements of criteria A and B.

Individual oral: Start by looking at criteria A and B for the IO. There are some similarities between the criteria in the individual oral and those in Paper 1. However, the individual oral also requires students to make connections between extracts from a work and body of work. The individual oral must make connections with the global issue that the student has chosen. Consider how this text is linked to different global issues.

HL essay: The HL essay is an in-depth analysis of a non-literary body of work or a literary work the student has studied in class. Imagine this text is from a non-literary body of work and consider possible approaches you could take with the 1200-1500 word HL essay. This could include evaluating connections between this text and the seven central concepts in DP Language A Language and Literature.

Some elements of this text to consider:

(FYI Outward Bound is a group of organizations that focus on teaching outdoor skills / knowledge).

  • The purpose of a book cover and the features of a typical book cover
  • The tab on the top right identifying Outward Bound (an organization with a solid reputation in the outdoor community)
  • The photo – an outdoor setting with the subject looking off into the distance. The cover indicates the kind of amazing scenery someone with outdoor skills can see. The fact that the face of the subject is not seen makes it easier for a potential reader to imagine him / herself in the same situation.
  • The quotation by Jon Krakauer, an extremely well-known writer on outdoor topics

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