External Assessment Details: Higher Level (HL) Paper 1: Guided textual analysis Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes Weighing: 35% Paper 1 contains two previously unseen non-literary passages and students are instructed to write a separate guided analysis of each of these passages. A guided analysis in this context refers to an exploration of the passage supported by a guiding question which asks the students to consider a technical or formal aspect of the passage. The passages could be taken from any of the text types listed in "Course requirements." Each of the passages will be from a different text type.
The passage for analysis may be either a complete piece of writing or an extract from a longer piece.
One guiding question will be provided for each passage on a central technical or formal element that may provide an interesting point of entry into the text. Although it is not compulsory to answer this question, students should be aware that it is expected that the analysis will be focused on a particular aspect of the text. Students may propose an alternative point of entry about any other technical or formal element of the text they feel important in order to provide such a focus.
The Learner Portfolio and Paper 1
The learner portfolio is not specifically assessed but it is an important tool in helping students prepare for formal assessment. It provides a platform for students to practice and develop the skills necessary for performing successfully in paper 1.
In relation to the preparation of the paper 2, the learner portfolio provides an opportunity for students to:
record responses to a passage or text read for the first time
formulate guiding questions for different passages, using them as a lens through which to view those passages
assess which of the skills involved in paper 1 they feel less confident in and use the portfolio to track their progress in the development of those skills
keep a record of the text types covered in their practice of paper 1 skills, make sure that they have covered as many text types as possible from those that might appear in paper 1, and assess how much of a challenge each one presents to them
compare their successive practices of paper 1 to the first one thy have done and monitor the evolution of their overall performance in the paper