Is there an official list of literary devices for MYP English?

No, the IB does not prescribe one universal list of literary devices that every MYP student must memorize. MYP Language and Literature gives schools flexibility to select texts, genres and techniques appropriate to their students and units. Your teacher may therefore emphasize particular devices according to the works your class studies. You should still know common techniques such as metaphor, imagery, symbolism, irony, repetition and foreshadowing. Always use your school's unit plans and assessment instructions alongside a general revision list.

How many literary devices should I mention in an MYP analysis?

There is no required number because the quality of your explanation matters more than the number of labels. In a paragraph, two or three connected choices are usually more useful than a list of ten unexplained features. Select devices that help answer the question and reveal something significant about meaning, purpose or audience. Support each interpretation with a short, precise quotation or textual detail. If a technique does not contribute to your argument, you do not need to mention it.

What is the difference between a literary device and a literary element?

A literary device is a technique used to shape meaning or effect, such as metaphor, irony or repetition. A literary element is usually a broader component of a text, such as plot, setting, character, conflict or theme. The categories can overlap because writers may use setting or characterization strategically. In assessment, the label matters less than explaining how the feature operates in the particular text. Using accurate terminology nevertheless makes your analysis clearer and more precise.

Do literary devices matter in MYP creative writing?

Yes, literary devices can demonstrate purposeful creative choices under Criterion C, Producing text. Metaphor, imagery, symbolism and sentence variation can help establish atmosphere, perspective and character. However, adding many techniques does not automatically improve a piece of writing. Each choice should suit the text type, purpose and intended audience. Effective creative writing usually uses a small number of connected techniques consistently rather than forcing a device into every sentence.

How can I explain the effect of a literary device?

Begin by identifying exactly what the quoted word, comparison, sound or structure does in its immediate context. Explain its connotations and the idea or emotion it suggests rather than assigning it a memorized effect. Then connect that meaning to tone, characterization, theme, purpose or audience response. Use cautious analytical verbs such as “suggests,” “emphasizes,” “contrasts” and “positions.” Finally, check that your explanation could not be copied unchanged into an essay about a completely different text.

What is the difference between tone and mood in MYP English?

Tone refers to the attitude communicated by a writer, narrator or speaker toward a subject or audience. Mood refers to the atmosphere or emotional response created for the reader or viewer. For example, a narrator may use a bitter tone while producing an uncomfortable mood for the audience. Diction, imagery, syntax and sound can all contribute to both tone and mood. In analysis, name the specific attitude or atmosphere and support it with textual evidence rather than writing only that the tone is “effective.”

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MYP English Literary Devices You Need to Know

MYP English Language and Literature Revision Guides MYP Exam Tips

Grace F.

• 11 Sept 2026•10

MYP English Literary Devices You Need to Know

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MYP English Literary Devices You Need to Know | RevisionDojo

Back to all posts

MYP English Literary Devices You Need to Know

MYP English Language and Literature Revision Guides MYP Exam Tips

Grace F.

• 11 Sept 2026•10

The most important MYP English literary devices include metaphor, simile, personification, imagery, symbolism, irony, repetition, alliteration, onomatopoeia, foreshadowing and juxtaposition. You should also understand broader authorial choices such as diction, tone, narrative perspective, sentence structure and visual techniques.

The IB does not publish a fixed list of devices that every student must memorize. The assessed skill is identifying a creator's choice, supporting your interpretation with evidence and explaining how that choice affects meaning, audience and purpose.

How literary devices fit the MYP English syllabus

The official IB MYP language and literature overview describes a course involving listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and presenting. Students examine literary and non-literary texts in relation to context, audience, purpose and technique.

The MYP English syllabus is a framework rather than a prescribed reading list or vocabulary checklist. Schools select texts and design units, so one class might study metaphor through poetry while another explores it through a novel, speech or advertisement.

Assessment uses four equally weighted criteria:

Criterion A: Analysing -- interpreting content, context, language, structure, technique and style.
Criterion B: Organizing -- arranging ideas coherently and applying referencing and formatting conventions.
Criterion C: Producing text -- creating texts through purposeful choices and awareness of audience.
Criterion D: Using language -- communicating with accurate, varied and appropriate language.

Each criterion has a maximum achievement level of 8. Literary devices are especially relevant to Criterion A, but they also support Criterion C when used purposefully in creative or persuasive writing. The official MYP language and literature subject brief summarizes these principles.

Essential MYP English literary devices

Your school may introduce additional terminology according to the genres and texts studied.

Device	Meaning	What to analyse
Metaphor	Describing one thing as another	Which qualities are transferred, and what attitude does this create?
Simile	A comparison using like or as	Why is the comparison appropriate, surprising or revealing?
Personification	Giving human qualities to something non-human	Does it make an object, idea or setting seem active, sympathetic or threatening?
Imagery	Language appealing to the senses	How does the image shape atmosphere or emotion?
Symbolism	Something representing a wider idea	What does it suggest in this context, and does its meaning change?
Irony	A gap between appearance and reality, or words and meaning	What does the gap reveal or criticize?
Repetition	Reusing a word, phrase, sound or structure	What is emphasized, and how are rhythm or intensity affected?
Alliteration	Repeated initial consonant sounds	Does the sound appear soft, harsh, playful or forceful?
Onomatopoeia	A word that imitates or evokes sound	How does it make an event vivid or immediate?
Hyperbole	Deliberate exaggeration	Does it create humour, urgency or emotional intensity?
Juxtaposition	Placing contrasting ideas or images together	What difference becomes clearer through the contrast?
Foreshadowing	A hint about a later event	How does it create suspense or influence expectations?

You can review definitions in the MYP English key-term glossary. RevisionDojo also provides focused notes on MYP imagery, symbolism and sound devices.

Broader choices you should recognize

A common mistake is searching only for figurative language. In MYP analysis, structure, voice and form can be equally important.

Narrative choices include perspective, unreliable narration, flashback, pacing, cyclical structure, sentence length and fragments. These choices control what audiences know, how quickly events unfold and which moments receive emphasis.

For poetry, learn terms such as rhyme, rhythm, stanza, enjambment, caesura, speaker and free verse. In drama, consider dialogue, monologue, stage directions, dramatic irony, entrances, exits and characters' physical arrangement.

MYP Language and Literature also includes non-literary and multimedia texts. In advertisements, films, posters and webpages, analyse colour, framing, camera angle, typography, layout, salience, gaze and the relationship between words and images. These are visual or stylistic choices rather than strictly literary devices, but the analytical process remains similar.

Do not confuse tone, mood and theme. Tone is the creator's or speaker's attitude, mood is the atmosphere experienced by the audience, and theme is a significant idea explored by the text. They are generally effects or larger concepts, not individual techniques.

The skill MYP assessment actually tests

Naming a device is only the beginning. A strong response follows this analytical chain:

Identify the choice precisely.
Quote short, relevant evidence.
Explain how the language or structure operates.
Interpret what it suggests in context.
Connect it to audience, purpose, character, tone or theme.

Avoid writing, “The author uses a metaphor to make the reader want to read on.” This does not explain the comparison or its specific effect. The RevisionDojo guide to analysing literary devices explains how to move from identification to interpretation.

Worked example of MYP literary analysis

Consider this original extract:

The corridor swallowed Mina. Cold clocks clicked above her while the lockers stood shoulder to shoulder, whispering that she did not belong.

A weak answer merely states that the writer uses personification and alliteration. The labels are accurate, but no meaning is explained.

A stronger paragraph would say:

The writer presents the school as hostile through personification and threatening imagery. The metaphor “the corridor swallowed Mina” transforms an ordinary space into a predatory force, suggesting that she feels powerless. The lockers “stood shoulder to shoulder,” making them resemble an intimidating crowd united against her. Meanwhile, the hard repeated c sound in “cold clocks clicked” creates a mechanical rhythm that emphasizes discomfort and the pressure of passing time. Together, these choices position the reader to share Mina's isolation.

This response uses short evidence, examines individual words and connects several choices to character and atmosphere. That reasoning is rewarded under Criterion A: Analysing.

Common mistakes to avoid

Feature spotting: listing devices without interpreting them.
Giving fixed effects: assuming alliteration always creates tension or light always symbolizes hope.
Ignoring context: defining a symbol without considering surrounding events or culture.
Confusing author and narrator: a narrator is a constructed voice, not automatically the author.
Using long quotations: lengthy evidence can hide the precise detail that matters.
Forgetting the audience: explain how choices guide a reader, viewer or listener.
Presenting interpretations as facts: use verbs such as “suggests,” “implies” or “may position.”

How to revise MYP English literary devices

Begin with a manageable core list. For each device, create a card containing its definition, a short example and two questions about possible effects.

Next, practise with unfamiliar extracts. Annotate one paragraph for five minutes, select the three most important choices and write one analytical paragraph. The MYP English study and revision notes can support this process, but applying terminology independently matters more than repeatedly reading definitions.

Group techniques by function: comparison, imagery, sound, structure, narrative voice and visual design. This helps you recognize how choices work together rather than treating them as isolated labels. When reviewing a paragraph, check that every quotation supports an interpretation connected to the question.

Conclusion

For MYP English, learn the central figurative, sound, narrative, structural and visual techniques, but do not expect one official checklist for every school. Your priority is explaining how a creator's choice produces meaning and affects an audience through concise evidence.

RevisionDojo's Study Notes and Flashcards can reinforce terminology, while the Questionbank and Jojo AI can support repeated analysis practice. Use feedback to improve your reasoning, then apply it independently to a fresh extract.

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