IB English A Lang & Lit Topic Choosing Your Text Revision Notes (HL)

IB English A Lang & Lit Topic Choosing Your Text Revision Notes (HL) | RevisionDojo

Written by official IB examiners

Choosing Your HLE Text With No Regrets

Writing the Higher Level Essay can feel demanding.
It becomes much more manageable when the right text is chosen from the start.

Common Mistake

First rule: no cheating the system.
You can’t use the same texts you used for your IO or Paper 2.
The IB is strict on this. It is not worth pushing the rule.

Step 1: Pick a text you actually care about

Don't choose a text just because you think it’ll be easier to write on. That strategy almost always backfires.
Choose a text you actually found compelling, or at least memorable.

Example

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (themes: power, gender, identity)
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (themes: repression, coming of age, voice)
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen (themes: feminism, societal roles, freedom)
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (themes: identity, illusion vs reality, capitalism)

Active recall

Use a simple check: choose a text that can sustain hours of writing and still produce a clear line of inquiry.

Step 2: Think theme-first

Start with a theme that genuinely intrigues you, something you’ve debated in class or thought about outside school.
Then, look for the text that handles it in the most layered, analytical way.
Popular themes students explore:

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Definition

Paywall

(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Note

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit.

Tip

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account

Choosing Your HLE Text With No Regrets

Writing the Higher Level Essay can feel demanding.
It becomes much more manageable when the right text is chosen from the start.

Common Mistake

First rule: no cheating the system.
You can’t use the same texts you used for your IO or Paper 2.
The IB is strict on this. It is not worth pushing the rule.

Step 1: Pick a text you actually care about

Don't choose a text just because you think it’ll be easier to write on. That strategy almost always backfires.
Choose a text you actually found compelling, or at least memorable.

Example

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (themes: power, gender, identity)
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (themes: repression, coming of age, voice)
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen (themes: feminism, societal roles, freedom)
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (themes: identity, illusion vs reality, capitalism)

Active recall

Use a simple check: choose a text that can sustain hours of writing and still produce a clear line of inquiry.

Step 2: Think theme-first

Start with a theme that genuinely intrigues you, something you’ve debated in class or thought about outside school.
Then, look for the text that handles it in the most layered, analytical way.
Popular themes students explore:

Definition

Paywall

(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Note

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Tip

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

Everything You Need to Know About Analysis6 subtopics

Paper 1 Lang & Lit4 subtopics

Paper 2 Lang & Lit4 subtopics

Individual Oral (IO)4 subtopics

Higher Level Essay3 subtopics

Text Types13 subtopics

Literary Forms4 subtopics

IB English A Lang & Lit Choosing Your Text Notes

Everything You Need to Know About Analysis6 subtopics

Paper 1 Lang & Lit4 subtopics

Paper 2 Lang & Lit4 subtopics

Individual Oral (IO)4 subtopics

Higher Level Essay3 subtopics

Text Types13 subtopics

Literary Forms4 subtopics

Choosing Your HLE Text With No Regrets

Step 1: Pick a text you actually care about

Step 2: Think theme-first

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account

Choosing Your HLE Text With No Regrets

Step 1: Pick a text you actually care about

Step 2: Think theme-first

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account