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IB Survivors

How to Write a Solid Level 7 English Essay for Paper 2

January 14, 2016 arthur zargaryan.

With good preparation, a few memorized quotes, and a solid knowledge of the themes of your novels, it is very much possible to score a 7 on the English Paper 2 Examination. I’m going to give you a basic outline of how to structure your essay and also tell you a nice way to organize your quotes for the books that you’re reading.

In case you missed it, you can click on the link below to see me explain the keys to getting a 7 on Paper 1 for English:

As a side note, all of this information is geared towards SL English Lang and Lit, but I’m sure that with a few adjustments it could be applied to HL as well.

So let’s get started:

How to Structure Your Essay:

  a. introductory paragraph.

a)     Motivator (address the question or statement)

b)     Background Summary (brief background to the texts and authors)

c)      Thesis (what are you trying to prove?)

d)     Focus (how will you prove your thesis? This is where you state your arguments)

B.  Points (aka each body paragraph embodies this layout-aim for 3-4 paragraphs)

a)     Point (topic sentence)

b)     Evidence (quotation or description)

c)      Analysis (specific focus on literary techniques)

d)     Link (back to the topic in the question)

C. Concluding Paragraph

a)     State Thesis (using different words/phrases)

b)     Summary of Main Arguments (do not include new information)

c)      Clincher (final sentence: should leave examiner satisfied you have covered all areas, but should also attempt to provoke further inquiry, or new dimension of looking at question)

If you want to see an essay that I actually wrote following this template, subscribe to our mailing list (by going on the subscribe tab above) because I can’t post it here due to plagiarism concerns + functionality.

So, this is the structure you want to follow. A common query that students have is in regards to how they should mention their quotes whilst writing their essays. What I like to do is integrate them really fluidly within my paragraphs; this takes practice, but here are a few examples below from my writing:

Natsume identifies intricacies and details in British culture that seem entirely foreign to him coming from Japan; he notes the impeccable fashion sense that surrounds him: ‘ herds of women walk around like horned lionesses with nets on their faces ’ and notices a distinct height difference ‘ but when we rush past one another I see he is about two inches taller than me’ (Natsume in Phillips, R161). Natsume’s experience as an outsider in Britain, according to Caryl Philips, ‘ helped him to become the fully mature and outstandingly gifted writer that he subsequently became’ (Phillips, R161).

I hope you can see what I’m trying to do; note that each quote naturally compliments the flow of the paragraph. You never need to explicitly state that you are about to use a quote; rather, just insert it within your body as nicely as you can. I’ll be sending out more examples via email later.

The thesis statement of your essay is also extremely important; many English teachers have told me that often to gauge a writer’s quality they examine his thesis statement. The more clear and compelling it is, the more credibility you gain as a writer in their eyes. Remember that you should be aiming to provide an argument; otherwise, your whole essay won’t really have any meaning or substance (every single word you write should in some way back that thesis up).

Bad Thesis:

  In this novel, Kanye West argues that we cannot justify the usage of drones and that their increased prevalence is harmful to members of society.

Good Thesis:

  Though there may be considerable advantages to the usage of drones, West attempts to demonstrate that the worrying possibilities of mass surveillance and civilian losses, specifically in regards to the recent incidents in Orange County, are ultimately too precarious a path to follow.

I’m going to be honest: You should try to use flowery language to spice up your essays. It’s just the truth. Before you go sit that exam, go on www.thesaurus.com and try to replace some common words you’d use with some nice, juicy ones.

In terms of transitioning between paragraphs aim to be clear and simple. ‘It is possible to see the idea of..’  or ‘One argument put forward is…’ are pretty good.

Now, listen up: I’m about to share a very valuable piece of advice with all of you:

  Get your whole class to create a shared Google Doc with the following table:

Then, together with your class, start filling the table.

It should get to a point where you have about 20 themes and plenty of quotes + analysis to back it up. Sharing is caring, and in this case, sharing will get you good grades.

Memorizing the quotes may seem daunting but it doesn’t have to be that hard: what I recommend is that you paste about 10 quotes you may use around your house. Literally post them outside your shower, perhaps, so that each time you bathe your beautiful body you also remember those quotes. Or put them up somewhere near your bed so that you go to sleep thinking about English.

I hope this was helpful, and feel free to ask questions.

I will be sending out the ‘The Ultimate IB Exam Study Guide’ to our mailing list in the next week. Subscribe to our mailing list now and be sure to get it!

Also, check out our eBook. We’re having a nice little sale, and we offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee, so you might as well!

All the best,

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That IB Guy

Helping ib students worldwide with what they dread., ib english l&l – paper 2 techniques.

Hey everyone! Welcome back to That IB Guy where we will today cover the techniques I feel are most effective when answering questions from Paper 2. As we already know, Paper 2 is the comparative essay and requires you to know 2 literary works extremely well so that you can make accurate references to them when answering your selected question.

The most important step towards scoring well in this paper all begins with a choice of a question. You are provided with around 4 questions roughly, each of which have different demands of you and will require different ways of answering. If you so happen to pick a question that is not well suited to your strengths, you’ll find yourself struggling to generate content for your essay and whatever you do have will not be addressed to your full potential. This is basically half the battle, and to increase your chances of doing well, I have a few tips for you that worked for me.

The very first thing is obvious, read through every question and understand what each demands. I have seen numerous students pick one random question based off the way it sounded. The first impression you may get of a question can be incredibly misleading and you may not realise it until you are about halfway through your essay. Take your time, read each question twice and draw up a rough spider diagram of what you understood from each question next to it. This will help you in deciding which question suits you best as the one with the most webs means that it is the one you are most confident in analysing. Also make sure you are aware of the meaning of every term in the question. You don’t want to write something you aren’t sure of. Furthermore, you’ll notice some questions have 2 questions embedded within them, mostly separated by an ‘and’. These questions are sometimes notorious as most students only consider half the question and forget to address the second half entirely. If you choose this, make sure you are fully aware of the question and always reread the question multiple times throughout the time you are writing your essay so that you stay on track.

Next comes the introduction which has been covered in a previous post. If you missed it, you can take a look at it here . I have one template (sort of) for my Paper 2 introductions, and you’ll notice from the sample I’ve attached that each introduction starts off pretty much the same way. I start by giving brief summaries of my literary works in context of the question. I then proceed to form an answer to my question and briefly tell the reader or examiner exactly what I will be doing in my essay. This technique is called signposting and it’s a technique to help keep you on track and makes the life of an examiner significantly easier as they know what to expect in your essay. Whatever you choose to write in your thesis, analyse it in your essay, do not leave it for an examiner to notice that you did not do what you said you would do.

And now the biggest chunk of your essay, the main body. There are two approaches to this, either write a separate paragraph for each literary work and compare them one after the other, or use one paragraph to compare and contrast both of them. I personally find it much easier to have two separate paragraphs as I then can focus on one work at a time and compare it to the other. There’s really nothing you need to worry about in terms of style here, what does need attention are your quotes. Your quotes are what will determine the question you will answer and will also form the backbone of your analysis. Currently, the IB does not allow you to bring a copy of the novel or a paper with quotes into the exam, so you need to use the old trusty way of cramming. What I like to do is choose a couple of universal quotes. These quotes can basically be twisted to analyse multiple questions. I like to take quotes that describe symbols and quotes that are somewhat generic in the book. This gives me a good chance to be able to attempt most questions in a Paper 2 exam, and I am sure you will notice it in the essays I write which will be attached to this post as a reference for what you should try to do.

I am no expert in English, and I encourage everyone to try their own style of writing as English is broad, so write in whatever way gets you the best marks. I just wanted to share my way of writing so that it may be a good starting point for those of us who are struggling to get started. With that, I hope you have a great day and be sure to stick around for more blog posts concerning other aspects of the IB DP curriculum.

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HL External Assessments, first examinations 2021

HL Paper 2: Comparative essay (1 hour 45 minutes)

The paper consists of four general questions. In response to one question, students write a comparative essay based on two works studied in the course. (30 marks) 25%

SL Paper 2: Comparative essay (1 hour 45 minutes)

The paper consists of four general questions. In response to one question, students write a comparative essay based on two works studied in the course. Students are required to answer one question only.(30 marks) 35%

The only difference between HL and SL is that HL Paper 2 is weighted less at 25% while SL Paper 2 is weighted at 25%.

Comparative essay on literary texts

Paper Two Explained

Paper Two Rubric

High Exemplar and Comments

Mid Range Exemplar and Comments

Producing a Paper Two: Compare and Contrast Two Texts Analysis, IB External Assessment (May of Senior Year)

Compare and Contrast Two Texts, Similarities and Differences

Compare and Contrast Two Texts, Point by Point Method

Compare and Contrast Two Texts, Block Method

Developing a Thesis

TWO WORKS: Writing the thesis statement for a compare/contrast essay

In (Name of Work), (Full Name of Author) (uses, employs, utilizes), (device/strategy/technique), and (device/strategy/technique) to (show, reveal, emphasize, argue, insist, point out) that (effect/purpose/theme), while in (Name of Work), (Full Name of Author) (uses, employs, utilizes), (device/strategy/technique), and (device/strategy/technique) to (show, reveal, emphasize, argue, insist, point out) that (effect/purpose/theme).

In (Name of Work) and (Name of Work), both (Full Name of First Author) and (Full Name of Second Author) (use, employ, utilize, rely on) (device/strategy/technique) to (show, reveal, emphasize, argue, insist, point out) that (effect/purpose/theme)

Prediction Exams and November 2023 Past Paper Solutions available now!    🚀 Math AA HL Bootcamps are in beta! 🚀

IB English Guys

IB English Guys videos help IB English Literature SL students master close reading and writing skills needed for Paper 1 and Paper 2 success. These step-by-step videos discuss key skills and assessment criteria while exploring sample student writing. For students looking for Individual Oral support, a range of videos and samples prepare students to speak persuasively with insight. Ultimately, the videos, tips, and tricks will boost scores and confidence regardless of the assessment.

Poetry - Close Reading

Poetry - Writing

Poetry - Full Response

Prose Non-Fiction - Close Reading

Prose Non-Fiction - Full Response

Prose Fiction - Close Reading

Prose Fiction - Full Response

Drama - Close Reading

Literary Forms

Details and Tips

Start to Finish - Nuts and Bolts

Start to Finish - Text 1

Start to Finish - Text 2

Start to Finish - Thesis and Outine

Start to Finish - Writing the Intro

Start to Finish - Body Paragraphs

Start to Finish - The Conclusion

Start to Finish - Full Response

Breaking Down the Question

Brainstorming and Mindmapping

From Question to Thesis

Thesis Statements

Structuring the Response

Writing the Introduction

Writing the Introduction 2.0

Writing Body Paragraphs

Writing Body Paragraphs 2.0

Writing the Conclusion

Sample Response

"Spitballing" Questions

Individual Oral

2024 Update - The Process at a Glance

2024 Update - Global Issue Reboot

2024 Update - From Topic to Global Issue

2024 Update - Annotating the Extract

2024 Update - Nail the Intro

Examiner's Reflection

Global Issue Workshop

Five Essential Ingredients

Essential Information

What it is, What is isn't

Unpacking the Criteria

Delivering the Intro

Discussing the Extract

Discussing the Work or BoW as a Whole

The Conclusion

Speaking with Confidence

Choosing the Right Extract

Transitions and Signposting

The Outline

Analysis and Interpretation

The Magic Sentence

Thesis Workshop

Linking Thesis Statements and Topic Sentences

Annotating the Right Way

Extending Analysis and Interpretation

Effective Transitions

Adding Voice to Analysis

Analyzing Figurative Language

Starting Strong - Introductions

Examiner's Tips and Tricks

Paper 1 - Top Ten Tips

Paper 1 - Exam Checklist

Paper 1 - Pitfalls to Avoid

Paper 2 - Top Ten Tips

Paper 2 - Exam Checklist

IO - Mistakes to Avoid

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Exam prep, planning and writing guide.

Essay Structure for Paper 2

We recommend two essay structures to use for IB English Paper 2: Basic and Advanced.

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Teacher Resource Pack – Paper 2

$ 30.00

Yes, Paper 2 is back in play, and many teachers and students are nervous about what lies ahead.  Not to worry!  We have you covered.  This complete Teacher Resource pack breaks down this assessment into its parts and skills, and there are many activities and examples to help your students flex their Paper 2 muscles on exam day.

• Description
• Reviews (3)

The Teaching Paper 2 Resource Pack includes the following:

• Clear presentation of the task and what teachers and students need to know
• Comparative analysis
• Organization and outlining
• Crafting comparative thesis statements
• Introductions and conclusions
• Effective body paragraphs
• Key sentence stems for success
• Activities on breaking down Paper 2 questions
• Complete set of graphic organizers with completed samples
• 4 sample Papers with examiner comments

3 reviews for Teacher Resource Pack – Paper 2

Aisha Rehman – June 22, 2022

“The resources are fully packed and easy to use. Taking guidance for the Paper 2 comparative essay from the IB English Guys Website was a great experience. It not only contains teaching strategies but also provides a complete methodology for structuring the paper and activities related to it making the class active and learning enjoyable. It’s worth subscribing to their resources not only for the Paper 2 Comparative Essay but for the other components of IBDP English Language and Literature. Thank you for posting the valuable resources, Andrew and David. More power to you guys! -Aisha Rehman IB Teacher Pakistan

Charlotte Davis – June 27, 2022

I want to thank Mr Cohen and Mr Giles from the bottom of my heart for sharing their unmatched expertise through this well designed and valuable exam pack!

The lack of resources for the new paper 2 has been worrying me since IBO announced that paper 2 is back for the May 2023 cohort. The majority of my students have virtually no experience of reading and analyzing literary works, as a result their paper 2 essays are essentially plot summaries. If truth be told, I was confused about the requirements of this particular assessment component because I haven’t taught the previous DP English Language and Literature syllabus, which had a somewhat similar assessment. However, I feel positive now because of this godsent exam pack! This pack is articulately written to provide extensive guidance about the nitty-gritty of this assessment. The activities provided in this pack are heuristic in nature, which step by step outline the process behind authoring a successful paper 2. Furthermore, the sample essays provided with detailed examiner’s commentary are authentic and of exquisite quality. This pack is a classroom essential for all DP English Language and Literature teachers!

Cristy Weggelaar (verified owner) – December 8, 2022

I purchased the Paper 2 pack because I was nervous about teaching a new assessment with a class that was extremely behind academically due to COVID. I generally hate purchasing educational materials because they are almost always of poor quality, but this Paper 2 packet is worth every penny. It is over 60 pages long and provides advice on how to approach teaching the Paper 2, suggested learning activities you can use throughout a unit, and targeted comparison/contrast activities to use at the end of a unit of study. The packet also includes several moderated sample papers and classroom-ready materials teachers can use to support students in brainstorming and crafting Paper 2 assessments.

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