Why Your Line of Inquiry Matters (A Lot)
- Think of the Line of Inquiry (LOI) as the foundation of your entire HLE. It’s not just your topic, it’s the question that guides everything: what you argue, what evidence you use, and how you structure your analysis.
- A weak LOI = a vague, directionless essay.
- A strong LOI = a focused, meaningful argument with literary depth.
- The IB isn’t interested in summaries or surface-level takes.
- They want you to explore how and why an author makes certain choices, and what those choices do.
- The LOI forces you to connect authorial technique to a rich, meaningful idea, while grounding it in the specific context of the text.
How to Build a Great LOI Structure
Note
How / Why / To what extent + Author + Text + Technique or Aspect + Rich Idea → Clearly linked to an IB Concept
Example
How and why does Carol Ann Duffy in The World’s Wife reimagine historical and mythical figures to subvert patriarchal perspectives? → Creativity
The 7 IB Concepts & Sample LOIs
| Concept | Sample Line of Inquiry |
|---|---|
| Identity | How does Tennessee Williams use expressionistic stage directions in A Streetcar Named Desire to portray Blanche’s fractured identity? |
| Culture | How does Adichie use food imagery in Purple Hibiscus to critique religious and patriarchal control in Nigerian society? |
| Creativity | In what ways does Ocean Vuong use poetic fragmentation in On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous to reflect memory as a creative act of survival? |
| Communication | How does the use of silence in The God of Small Things reveal the breakdown of familial communication? |
| Transformation | How does the narrative shift in The Bell Jar reflect Esther Greenwood’s psychological transformation? |
| Perspective | How does Hosseini manipulate narrative perspective in The Kite Runner to explore guilt and redemption? |
| Representation | How does Atwood use religious language in The Handmaid’s Tale to represent control disguised as morality? |
What Makes a Good LOI?
| Good LOI | Why it works |
|---|---|
| How does the portrayal of war in The Things They Carried challenge traditional notions of heroism? | Focused on a rich idea (heroism), linked to representation, invites literary analysis |
| To what extent does Garcia Marquez use magical realism in Chronicle of a Death Foretold to expose fatalism in Latin American culture? | Targets a clear technique (magical realism) tied to culture and fate |
| How does Miller use stage directions and lighting in Death of a Salesman to represent Willy’s psychological deterioration? | Zooms in on authorial craft, tied to mental health and identity |
What to Avoid
| Weak LOI | Why it’s weak |
|---|---|
| What is the theme of love in Othello? | Too vague and descriptive, lacks focus on technique or a clear concept |
| Too vague and descriptive, lacks focus on technique or a clear concept | Too broad, not anchored in a rich idea or specific perspective |
| How does the author show power? | Generic and surface-level, needs a literary device, context, and concept |
Need Inspiration? More Sample LOIs
| Text | Line of Inquiry |
|---|---|
| A Doll’s House (Ibsen) | How does Ibsen use dramatic irony and stage space to critique gender roles and the illusion of domestic freedom? (Representation) |
| How does Ibsen use dramatic irony and stage space to critique gender roles and the illusion of domestic freedom? (Representation) | How does the portrayal of war challenge traditional notions of heroism and masculinity? (Identity / Representation) |
| Persepolis (Satrapi) | How does the visual style of Persepolis communicate the clash between personal memory and political repression? (Communication / Perspective) |
| 1984 (Orwell) | How does Orwell use repetition and paradox to represent psychological manipulation in totalitarian regimes? (Transformation / Representation) |
Tip
- Pick a text you genuinely enjoy, not just the one you think will be “easy”
- Anchor your LOI in a rich idea and literary technique
- Make sure it aligns with one of the 7 concepts
- If it genuinely excites you, that’s a good sign you’re on the right track
