In IB English A: Language and Literature, audience is a critical part of meaning-making in both non‑literary texts (Paper 1 and IO) and comparative essays. Knowing who a text is aimed at shapes how messages are crafted and understood.
RevisionDojo’s approach to audience analysis is foundational—see how audience awareness elevates your interpretation and writing.
1. Why Audience Matters in Lang & Lit
IB Language and Literature expects you to analyze not just what the text says, but who it addresses and to what effect. Audience affects tone, register, and rhetorical choices. This aligns with IB’s focus on how language, context, and audience interact to construct meaning.
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2. Identifying the Target Audience
When analyzing non-literary texts, you must ask:
• Who is the text intended for?
• What assumptions about the audience does the writer make?
Knowing this guides your interpretation of tone, style, and persuasive strategy.
RevisionDojo’s guide on Analyzing Non‑Literary Texts walks you through pinpointing audience based on content, design, and purpose.
🔗 How to Analyze Non-Literary Texts (revisiondojo.com, revisiondojo.com)
3. Audience & Purpose in Paper 1 Essays
Your introduction in Paper 1 should specify the text type, purpose, and target audience. Examiners expect a clear connection between devices and how they impact that specific audience.
🔗 Guidance on integrating audience awareness in essays is provided here: Paper 1 Guided Text Analysis Structure (Google Sites)
4. Theoretical Context: Reception Theory
Understanding how different readers interpret texts can deepen your analysis. Reception theory—also known as the encoding/decoding model—acknowledges that audiences actively construct meaning based on background and belief.
(Wikipedia)
Link this to your analysis by considering whether audiences might interpret a tone or message in more than one way depending on their context.
5. Audience in the Individual Oral (IO)
For the IO, one text is non-literary and the other literary. Understanding audience helps:
- Explain why language choices are effective for the target reader
- Compare how different audiences respond to global issues in each text
RevisionDojo’s guide to fields of inquiry and IO planning emphasizes linking purpose, context, and audience for strong oral presentations.
🔗 Fields of Inquiry in IB English A: IO Guide (LitLearn, revisiondojo.com, Reddit)
6. Structure Your Analysis Around Audience Impact
When analyzing devices:
- Explain how a device appeals to its intended audience
- Tie selection of tone/register to reader expectations
- Evaluate whether the text succeeds at its intended impact on that audience
Examples and device-to-effect mapping are outlined in RevisionDojo’s non-literary text analysis walkthrough.
🔗 How to Analyze Non‑Literary Texts – audience section (revisiondojo.com)
FAQs
Q: What if the audience isn't explicit?
Make educated assumptions based on tone, context, and format. For example, a formal tone and statistics suggest a professional or academic reader.
Q: Can audience analysis fit into literary essay responses?
Yes—audience still matters in literature essays. Tone and style choices reveal how an implied reader is meant to experience the text.
Q: Does HL Paper 1 require more audience analysis than SL?
HL students need to discuss two unseen texts, making explicit connections to potential audience differences even more critical.
(ibo.org)
Conclusion
Audience analysis is more than naming a group—it reveals why authors write the way they do, and how meaning is shaped by reader expectations. Whether you're responding to an unseen advertisement, comparative IO texts, or structured coursework essays, audience awareness keys deeper interpretation.
🔍 Deepen your skills with RevisionDojo’s audience-focused tools:
