Paper 2
Texts in their cultural, historical, political context are the focus of this section. Please add suggestions for texts and resources or formative activities and strategies.
SL 2 texts one from PLA (or free choice from elsewhere written in Engish), one from PLT
HL 3 texts one from PLA, one from PLT, one free choice from elsewhere (it may be in translation)
Duration: 2 hours
Weighting: 25%
Paper 2 consists of six questions based on the literary texts studied in part 3 of the language A: language and literature course. Students are required to answer one question only.
The format of paper 2 and the six questions are the same for both SL and HL students. However, there are specific assessment criteria for each level, reflecting different expectations in terms of the complexity and depth of the students’ responses. Students will be expected to respond to questions in a way that shows their understanding of the learning outcomes demanded in part 3 of the course. They are expected to refer to at least two of the texts they have studied in class, analysing the works in the light of the way in which the contexts of production and reception affect their meaning. The following examples pinpoint some areas of discussion that students need to consider in their classwork while preparing for the assessment.
• Which social groups are omitted from a text, and what might this reflect about its production?
• What do you think of the assertion that the meaning of a text is fixed and does not change over time?
• How does a particular term or concept, such as childhood, change in the way it is represented in the
texts you have studied?
• How is our critical perspective on literary texts affected by cultural practices?
• To what purpose do authors sometimes choose not to follow a chronological sequence of events in
their literary works?
• How valid is the assertion that literature is a voice for the oppressed?
• To what extent is the critical approach taken to the analysis of a text itself influenced by specific
cultural practices?