IB English: Higher Level Essay (HLE)

[@UltimoDragonite]

1. Talk out your ideas. 2. Do research about your topic. 3. Focus your argument clear and focused on the line of inquiry. 4. Focus on authorial choices and effects on the reader. 5. Don't summarize! Instead, show deep thinking. 6. Go beyond the 5-paragraph essay. 7. Short texts need friends. 8. Provide an appendix to help the examiner. 9. Light up your writing. Highlight your paper! 10. Word count matters...aim for 1500! 11. Proofread like crazy!

[@avaali8943]

Thank you so much, this was really helpful. I really like the structure of the videos and the dynamic between the two of you :)

[@ibenglishguys]

We're glad the video was helpful, Ava. Dave and I are great friends and have been working together for a long long time. It's a lot of fun to make these videos together. It's even more fun when we get a comment like yours! Thank you :)

[@minhchautrantrong6665]

Thank you very much for your videos! I'm taking LangLit HL and your resources are a treat!!

[@emaa3081]

Hello! I am doing language and literature HL essay, and i have picked an analytic book for the usage of languages in real world life that my teacher recomended me. I am using that book as a base and taking literary works as an example to substantiate the idea presented in my book about the languages. Though seeing your videos and criterias, im concerned if I need to pick a literary text. I asked my teacher for conformation and he said it was okay, but i am not too confident about it.

[@ibenglishguys]

I”m confused as to the work you are using for analysis but it sounds like a non-literary text about language. This is fine to use as long as you have a strong line of inquiry and remember to have a focused argument in your HLE. Lang Lit students can choose either a literary or non-literary body of work for their HLE. Good luck.

[@emaa3081]

@@ibenglishguys Thank you for your reply. It is an analytic essay book on how the usage of literary devices (metaphors etc..) affects the meaning conveyed using examples from texts/real life situations. I am concerned, since the analysis is already done. Though my teacher told me it will be okay if I bring few other literary work as an example, basing off the point the analytic essay stated. I am still not sure if I should proceed with this, since it seems kind of off.

[@aakritkalsha1895]

Hi, IB English Guys - Amazing video, really helped me out in understanding the thought process towards an HL Essay. However, I did not seem to understand on what did you mean by avoid long paragraphs. Can you specify a bit more with examples like word limits please. Thank you!

[@ibenglishguys]

We don’t give word limits for paragraphs but super long paragraphs that have too much going on in them is not super advisable.

[@hastijamshidi6512]

YOU GUYS SAVED MY LIFE, YOU ARE AMAZING

[@theastronomer7120]

thank you so much wonderful video! however I have a question if I picked the movie "The Swimmers" do I take it as a whole or do I choose one still and analyse it or multiple ones?

[@ibenglishguys]

The entire film is your Body of Work. You are welcome to analyze multiple scenes in relation to your Line of Inquiry and that is wise probably. Show a command of the whole film. Use screenshots to refer to but remember, it is a FILM and must be analyzed in terms of cinematic features.

[@ladymarilynDCLXVI]

Could you clarify what exactly is an appendix in the essay? I am a bit confused ... Thank you for your videos by the way, they are super informative!

[@ibenglishguys]

We see the appendix as a chance to include poems that you explored or transcripts of films or of any short text that you might have written about. If you are writing on a novel, obviously you don’t need an appendix! Just use it if including the SHORT material can help the examiner and make you look on the ball. It’s all about the impression you make.

[@harneetkhangura8103]

This video makes the essay writing process so much simpler to understand! I have a question: would "How and to what effect does Marjane Satrapi use the motif of the veil in Persepolis: The story of Childhood to to present how an individual's identity develops in a patriarchal and conformist society?" be considered a good line of inquiry? I'm not really feeling confident about it.

[@ibenglishguys]

This sounds focused and clear. Be sure you include the panels from the graphic memoir in your paper (label them Figure 1, Figure 2 etc) and explore the many visual elements used (framing, graphic weight, point of view, composition etc). Good luck!

[@harneetkhangura8103]

@@ibenglishguys thank you so much! I feel more confident about it 😁

[@WitherGirlGaming]

Thank you, this was very helpful!

[@ibenglishguys]

So glad the video helped! Stay tuned...we're filming more HLE videos today and will upload shortly!

[@aisharehman6448]

Great! Thank you for sharing

[@annaselina8463]

Thanks a lot for your videos! They are so helpful. I have a question. Do you think "With what techniques does Emily Dickinson show the perspective of finding comfort in the afterlife?" is a good line of inquiry?

[@ibenglishguys]

The idea of “comfort in the afterlife” is great. Can you somehow specify what literary aspect you want to focus on? Even if you just focus on figurative language, this would be more specific.

[@annaselina8463]

@@ibenglishguys Thanks a lot! I think I’ll make it “How does E Dickinson use figurative language (and maybe repetition) to show…?” Now I feel more confident about it 😊

[@fernandofernandezdebobadil7788]

So helpful! I have a question, if my texts are videos (advertisements) how can I include them in the appendix? Or do I not need to?

[@ibenglishguys]

You could add screenshots in your appendix and label them as Figure 1, 2 etc and include the transcript of the script. Not required but a nice touch. It enables the examiner to see a bit of your video. No examiner will pause to watch it but seeing it makes is more interesting and shows you are thinking about your reader. You might refer to the figures in your essay as you discuss the video. I had a student write an EE on Guinness Beer ads and she actually incorporated screenshots into her paper itself (not in an appendix) and this worked pretty well. You might experiment with this as well. Again, not required but makes sense.

[@fernandofernandezdebobadil7788]

@@ibenglishguys I see, thanks a lot!

[@lindsaysutton4151]

Hi, IB English Guys -- thank you so much for these videos; almost none of this information was available in my training! I had one question regarding the "shorter texts need friends" tip; I teach several Sylvia Plath poems that are 80+ lines long, and my students (and I ) are finding it unwieldy to combine multiple poems this length in one essay within the word limit. In the case of poems this length, would quality time spent alone on one poem be sufficient? I think Sylvia would have liked that . . . Let me know if you see this -- thanks!

[@ibenglishguys]

I love teaching Plath and her poetry is so rich. If the poem (like “Daddy” or “Lady Lazarus”) is long and has enough content, I think it would be OK for a student to focus on one only. Perhaps this could be subtly referred to in the introduction (“Since “Daddy” is a 100 line poem and contains extensive detail, this essay will concentrate on Daddy exclusively”) and perhaps a few of her other poems could be referenced in the paper itself. That seems OK to me if the paper is focused and has rich ideas. The idea is for the student to investigate Plato’s work and show some breadth of knowledge. Great question!

[@lindsaysutton4151]

@@ibenglishguys Those are two of her poems my class is struggling with specifically -- thank you!

[@PANTINGYUIGL-]

Is there a link for IB official guide for this assessment?

[@ibenglishguys]

You can find this online for sure.

[@elinahelai8614]

Hello I was wondering if is it a bad idea to write about the role gender played in Lady Macbeth's tragic end? I mean talking about how she is conflicted between her femininity and masculinity, or rather with the traits attributed to each gender because she lived in a time that viewed women as less than men. And although this doesn't excuse her behavior, it explains her motivations and actions better. Also thank you for these videos they are amazing

[@elinahelai8614]

Also if I feel like if I can't talk about Shakespeare's intention or the effect on the audience because the 1600s were such a different time and I honestly don't think Shakespeare's intention was to produce a feminist play against gender stereotypes

[@ibenglishguys]

These ideas seems interesting and by all means might make a good HLE. Think about what literary aspect you want to focus on.

[@jackiepetrosky4611]

May students use a work that they covered in a small group or does it have to be a work covered by the whole class?

[@ibenglishguys]

Great question, Jackie. On page 54 of the Teacher Support Materials, the term "literary circles" is defined. The explanation suggests that it would be acceptable for students to choose a text for assessment that was studied in a small group. However, I would caution to make sure that enough scaffolding and teacher support was provided during the process for this to constitute a "taught text." This is our interpretation, as we believe this is best practice and fully in the spirit of the IB. Of course, for a definitive answer, it's best to ask the IB directly. Hope this helps.

[@jackiepetrosky4611]

@@ibenglishguys Yes, this helps a lot. I agree with you whole-heartedly and will guide the students to use a literary or non-literary work that we covered as a class. Maybe work covered in literary circles can be used for IOs. P54 refers to the IB guide?

[@ibenglishguys]

@ Jackie Petrosky Page 54 refers to another document from the IB called "Teacher Support Materials." I'm sure it's buried somewhere deep in My IB. Good luck finding it. If you'd like to contact me at [e-mail], I'd be happy to send the file your way. I'm reluctant to post any "official" IB documents on this channel. Thank you for understanding.

[@jackiepetrosky4611]

@@ibenglishguys thank you! I also have a question about EEs, better to focus on CAT1 literary or CAT 3 linguistic apects?

[@rrroccc]

Hey guys. I am writing my HL Essay on Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. However I have just realized from a post online that Huxley is no longer on the IB list of prescribed readings. Can I still write on this or do I have to restart with another author that is actually on the list of prescribed readings? Thanks guys

[@ibenglishguys]

You’re good. You can do your HL Essay on any text that you studied in the course. Does not have to be from the PRL. Whew. Good luck. BNW is a great novel.

[@rrroccc]

@@ibenglishguys Thank you very much.

[@ediewhittington3255]

Thank you! Question- if I'm doing Virginia Woolf short stories, would I include those stories in an appendix? I'm just thinking it would be very long.

[@ibenglishguys]

I don’t think I’d include Virginia Woolf stories in the appendix. Would be way too long. Just cite them and include a Works Cited Page. Good question!