Before analyzing the text make sure to review your paper 2 resources. Paper 2 questions are very broad and can be adapted to a large number of works in a number of different ways.
- Identify the keys words in the question.
- Think about the works you can write about for paper 2 (i.e. ones you have not used for your IA oral or HL essay). How well do the key words in the question fit two of your works?
- What are the different ways in which you can approach the key words between the two works and even within the two works?
- How can you make sure you sufficiently address the requirements of criteria A and B if you choose this question and the two works you have chosen?
- On an actual Paper 2 you will of course need to quickly evaluate all of the questions on the exam and decide which one to answer.
From an IB specimen paper:
“Discuss how two works you have studied present concepts of good and bad, not as absolute notions, but as a matter of individual perception.”
- “present” – how does each author use textual features and / or broader authorial choices?
- What different concepts of good and bad are present in your works?
- How does each work present the “concepts of good and bad” as “individual perceptions”?
- What links are there between “individual perceptions” and characters and characterization in your works?
- What textual features and / or broader authorial choices are used to develop the “concepts of good and bad”?
- What textual features and / or broader authorial choices are used to develop “individual perception”?
A quick practice for paper 2 can involved more than brainstorming the above points. You could also do some or all of the following:
- Write an organized set of notes that helps you answer the paper 2 for each of the two works.
- Organize the notes into a rough essay outline.
- Write a thesis statement that directly answers the exam question.
- Write a short introduction. The introduction should clearly outline the two works, your basic approach to the question, a bit of relevant information about each work, and close with your thesis statement.