Paper 1 constitutes 35% of the overall course grade for both standard level (SL) and higher level (HL). It requires students to interpret non-literary texts and produce analytical essays under exam conditions based on guiding questions. For HL, students will write two essays and for SL they will write one. Paper 1 is externally assessed.
The Goal: Defining Superior Performance
Below you will find the rubric language used to describe superior student performance with respect to each of the four criteria. This is your goal for every student with respect to this assessment. All teaching and learning in preparation for this assessment should point in this direction. This complex assessment of reading, critical thinking, and writing will be performed under a strict time limit. As the actual assessment approaches, speed should increasingly be emphasized. You can download a complete one-page version of the Paper 1 Rubric here.
Superior Performance: Paper 1 Exemplar
Let’s take a look at a mock assessment. Here is an example of a high-scoring performance on a mock exam. The guiding questions were styled after guiding questions found on actual exams. Click on the images below to view the unannotated sample texts and guiding questions.
There’s only one way to become a true expert on Paper 1
If you’ve never done so before, take the exam before reading the superior student response. You will learn a lot about what you need to teach your students from this process. Get some blank paper, put 2.25 hours on the clock, and write two textual analysis essays.
Essay Exemplars
For readability, the following higher-level exam has been typed. For a real-world exam, all students write their essays longhand in blue or black ink. They are allowed to use coloured pencils or highlighters to annotate the test booklets.
Exemplar: Exam Texts Annotated
Students are permitted to use coloured pencils in annotating their exam papers. Below you will find an example of how annotations can be used to focus a student’s interpretation and analysis. Both extracts feature handwritten outlines for an organizational structure: thesis statements and supporting points, in early draft form.
Exemplar: Essays Annotated for Scoring
Giving students detailed feedback about their current level of proficiency on each criterion is one of the most helpful ways to help them grow as interpreters of literary and non-literary texts. Below, you see one approach to delivering this feedback for Paper 1. Each of the four criteria is represented by a different colour. Sentences that are indicative of the level of proficiency in each area are annotated in that particular colour. Special attention is paid to the thesis statement, statement of organization, and topic sentences of each body paragraph.
Exemplar: Rubric
These exemplar essays have few weaknesses. Language use was excellent throughout each example. Each essay featured a clear thesis statement that directly answered the guiding question. Only one flaw prevented a perfect exam. The essay focused on the cartoon featured excellent analysis and insightful conclusions; however, it would have been better if the writer had more explicitly examined the relationship between text and image in one of the specific “personality types.”
Time Allocation
The table below represents one approach to time management for the Paper 1 Exam. It is not the only way to do it, but it’s a useful starting point. In general, it’s important for students to have a clear outline for the direction their essays will take before they begin. The use of coloured pencils to visually indicate which evidence fits with each supporting point will be a big help for many students; for others, it could be a distraction. For Standard Level, students will select one text and one guiding question. They will write one essay in 1.25 hrs.
Paper 1: Preparation Workflow
The graphic below communicates one approach to preparing students for Paper 1. In the six weeks prior to the exam, all key elements of the course combine. You want your students in top shape before exams. With your support, they have become expert readers, expert critical thinkers, and expert writers of formal literary analysis.
Keep in mind: you will be preparing your students for Paper 2 at the same time.
Paper 1: Reading
No one knows which specific non-literary text types will be the focus of Paper 1 prior to the exam, but it is possible to make some general predictions. It’s likely that the exam will feature one text that is generally print based on one this is generally image based. Each text will be accompanied by a guiding question. In the HL course, students will be required to answer both questions. For SL, students will select one text and one guiding question. In preparing students for the exam, you will want to review a wide range of non-literary text types and a similarly wide range of possible guiding questions. Below you will find a table of suggested text types, separated into print-focused text types and image-focused text types.
Critical Thinking: Paper 1 Questions
Paper 1 guiding questions are designed to focus your students’ thinking as they consider how meaning is constructed through specific authorial and stylistic choices. Again, the specific questions will not be known until your students sit for the exam. However, it is possible to prepare students so they won’t be completely surprised on exam day. Print-focused texts usually feature guiding questions that generally connect a fairly specific aspect of the text with something broader, possibly related to the seven concepts. More image-based texts often feature guiding questions that ask students to consider how words and images work in conjunction to convey meaning. The sample questions below were drawn from previous exams.
After considering the scope of learning in the Language and Literature course, it’s possible to generate a range of potential Paper 1 guiding questions. The following diagrams will be useful in this regard. Not every question is appropriate for every text, but these frames will go a long way to helping your students understand the style of questions they may see on the exam.
Writing: Slide Deck for Literary Analysis
Writing one (or two) Paper 1 essays under exam conditions is a daunting task. Students should arrive at the task well-prepared. At the outset, they will need to quickly develop a thesis statement that answers the guiding question and outline an organizational structure appropriate to the task. Once they are engaged with the task and writing their body paragraphs, they’ll need to make sure that their sentences convey textual analysis. This is not something they can learn spontaneously. The graphic below is taken from a student-facing slide deck, Formal Academic Writing: Literary Analysis. Use it to help your students gain fluency in writing literary analysis. It will be useful for Paper 1, Paper 2, and the Higher Level Essay.
Writing: Sentence Frames for Literary Analysis
The organizer below is designed as a one-stop shop for your students with respect to writing literary analyses. Everything you need to learn is conveyed on one page. On the right, you see the building blocks; cognitive action verbs, variable syntax, prepositional phrases, and domain-specific nouns. On the left, you see sample sentence frames for each part of the academic paragraph. This 45-minute video explains the entire document.