IB English is not a single course. A student searching for support might be studying English A: Literature or English A: Language and Literature, at Standard Level or Higher Level, preparing for May or November examinations, and working through a combination of Paper 1, Paper 2, the Individual Oral and, for HL students, the HL essay. Each of these has its own demands, and generic English tuition rarely addresses them well. A tutor who understands the specific course, the assessment structure and the works the student is actually studying can offer far more focused and useful support whether…
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Finding the right IB English tutor can make all the difference in academic success. Klasu's online tutors specialise in IB English and plan personalised one-to-one lessons around your syllabus and target grade.
Whether you're preparing for IB English exams, need help with homework, or want to deepen your understanding, our tutors provide personalised one-to-one lessons tailored to your learning style and target grade.
Exam boards we cover
International Baccalaureate (IB)
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is the sole awarding body for IB English A courses. English A: Literature and English A: Language and Literature are both delivered through authorised IB World Schools and assessed using the IB's own criteria and grade boundaries.
Topics covered
Guided Textual Analysis – Paper 1
Students analyse one or two unseen texts using a guiding question. Literature students work with unseen literary passages such as poetry, prose or drama. Language and Literature students analyse non-literary texts such as advertisements, political speeches, cartoons or magazine covers. SL students write one response; HL students write two.
Comparative Literary Essay – Paper 2
Students write a comparative essay on two literary works studied during the course, responding to one question chosen from four broad options. The essay must analyse both what the works communicate and how they construct meaning, maintaining genuine comparison throughout rather than treating the works separately.
The Individual Oral
A 15-minute internally assessed oral in which students explore how a focused global issue is presented through two studied works. Literature students use one work originally written in English and one in translation. Language and Literature students use one literary work and one non-literary body of work. The oral includes a prepared ten-minute response and approximately five minutes of teacher questions.
The HL Essay
Completed only by Higher Level students, this 1,200 to 1,500 word analytical essay is driven by a focused literary line of inquiry. Literature students write about one studied literary work. Language and Literature students may write about one literary work or one non-literary body of work. It is an externally assessed component worth 20 per cent of the subject grade.
Literary Analysis and Close Reading
Across all components, students develop the ability to read texts closely, identify significant authorial choices and explain how those choices construct meaning, shape interpretation and address an audience. This includes analysis of diction, imagery, structure, narrative perspective, tone, form and genre.
Visual and Multimodal Analysis
Particularly relevant to Language and Literature, this involves analysing how meaning is created through images, layout, typography, colour, composition, framing and the relationship between words and visuals. Students learn to discuss these features analytically rather than simply describing what they see.
Rhetorical and Non-Literary Text Analysis
Language and Literature students examine how non-literary texts persuade, inform or represent. This includes identifying rhetorical strategies such as direct address, repetition, appeals to emotion or logic, and considering how audience, purpose and context shape the choices a creator makes.
Comparative Writing and Argument
Students learn to build integrated comparisons that move between two works throughout an essay, rather than writing about each work in isolation. This involves constructing a comparative thesis, selecting relevant evidence from both works and analysing similarities and differences in meaning and method.
The Global Issue and Individual Oral Preparation
Students must identify a focused global issue with genuine wide significance and local relevance, arising meaningfully from the works they have studied. Developing a suitably specific issue rather than a broad theme such as power or identity and connecting it analytically to both works is one of the more demanding aspects of the course.
Areas of Exploration and Central Concepts
The course is organised around three areas of exploration Readers, writers and texts; Time and space; and Intertextuality: connecting texts and seven central concepts including identity, culture, perspective, representation and transformation. These provide frameworks for inquiry rather than separate examination topics to memorise.
Understanding IB English Grades
IB English A is graded on a seven-point scale, with 7 the highest and 1 the lowest. Grade boundaries are set separately for each examination session, May and November and vary from year to year, so there is no fixed percentage that permanently corresponds to any particular grade. A student's final subject grade is calculated from the combined marks across all components, weighted according to the course and level. For SL students, Paper 1, Paper 2 and the Individual Oral each carry significant weight. For HL students, the HL essay and Individual Oral each count for 20 per cent, with Paper 1 at 35 per cent and Paper 2 at 25 per cent.
Reaching grades 6 or 7 generally requires more than broad knowledge of the studied works or the ability to name literary techniques. Examiners look for precise interpretation supported by careful analysis, a clear and sustained line of argument, genuine comparison in Paper 2 and the ability to evaluate how choices create meaning rather than simply identify them. In Paper 1, a strong response develops a focused interpretation of the unseen text rather than moving through a list of features. In the Individual Oral, students need to maintain the global issue as a consistent analytical lens across both works, with close attention to specific choices in the extracts alongside awareness of the wider works.
A tutor who understands the current assessment criteria can help students see where their responses are falling short and work on the specific skills that move a grade 4 or 5 response towards a 6 or 7. That might mean developing a more convincing thesis, learning to analyse visual material with the same confidence as literary prose, or building the kind of flexible knowledge of studied works that allows a genuine response to an unseen Paper 2 question rather than a rehearsed one.
Top study tips
Confirm which works have been allocated to each assessment component early in the course a work used for the Individual Oral may not be available for Paper 2, and tracking this carefully avoids significant problems later.
When practising Paper 1, focus first on developing a clear interpretation of the whole text before selecting which choices to analyse. A response built around a central idea is far stronger than one that works through every technique in order.
For Paper 2, practise writing comparisons that move between both works within each paragraph rather than writing about one work and then the other. Integrated comparison is one of the clearest markers of a higher-grade response.
In the Individual Oral, the global issue should be specific enough to direct close analysis rather than broad enough to cover everything. Spending time refining the issue before selecting extracts usually produces a more focused and convincing oral.
Review your teacher's feedback on assessed and practice work closely, and identify whether the same weakness appears across different tasks, whether that is moving from description to analysis, maintaining focus on the question, or managing time in timed conditions.
Why Consider an IB English Tutor?
IB English A has a specific structure that general English tuition does not address
Resources designed for GCSE or A-level English do not reflect the IB's areas of exploration, assessment criteria, Paper 1 guiding questions or Individual Oral requirements. A tutor with genuine IB English A experience understands the current course framework and can direct preparation towards the components that actually matter for the student's grade.
The gap between identifying techniques and analysing them is where many students plateau
A common pattern in IB English is a student who can recognise literary devices or rhetorical choices but whose written responses read more like a commentary than an analysis. A tutor can work on the specific skill of explaining how a choice constructs meaning and why it matters to the interpretation, which is what moves a response from a grade 4 or 5 towards a 6 or 7.
Each assessment component requires a different kind of preparation
Paper 1, Paper 2, the Individual Oral and the HL essay each have their own demands, and a student who is reasonably confident in one area may still find another genuinely difficult. Targeted support on visual analysis for Paper 1, on comparative thesis-writing for Paper 2, or on defining a focused global issue for the IO is often more useful than general revision.
Predicted grades matter, and schools have limited time for individual feedback
For students applying to university, predicted grades are significant, and they are based on the evidence available to the school at a particular point in the course. Working with a tutor to develop stronger analytical writing and more consistent performance across components may support the student in demonstrating what they are genuinely capable of, though no tutor can influence a school's professional judgement.
Online sessions offer access to tutors with relevant IB experience regardless of location
Because the IB is an international programme, students may be based in the UK or anywhere else in the world, and their school may have limited access to specialist IB English support. Online tutoring through Klasu's built-in classroom removes the constraint of geography and makes it possible to find a tutor who knows the specific course, level and, where relevant, the literary works the student is studying.
What to Look for in an IB English Tutor
Direct experience with the IB English A courses
A tutor should be familiar with the current Diploma Programme English A framework, including the difference between English A: Literature and English A: Language and Literature, the assessment components at SL and HL, and the specific demands of Paper 1, Paper 2, the Individual Oral and the HL essay. Experience with GCSE or A-level English does not automatically translate to IB expertise.
Knowledge of the student's specific course and level
Literature and Language and Literature are different courses with different text types in Paper 1 and different Individual Oral requirements. A tutor should understand which course the student is taking, whether they are at SL or HL, and which works are being studied — ideally before the first session begins.
The ability to give precise analytical feedback
Useful feedback goes beyond noting that an essay needs more analysis. A good tutor can identify specifically where a response describes rather than analyses, where a comparison is superficial, or where a Paper 1 response loses focus on the guiding question, and can explain clearly how to address those weaknesses.
Clarity about the boundaries of legitimate support
All assessed IB work must represent the student's own achievement. A tutor should be able to teach analytical skills, review unassessed practice work, explain assessment criteria and help with planning — but should not write or rewrite the HL essay, script the Individual Oral or produce work for submission. A tutor who is clear about these boundaries is one who takes academic integrity seriously.
Comfort with online teaching and text sharing
IB English sessions often involve discussing specific passages, reviewing practice essays and working through visual or multimodal texts. A tutor should be comfortable working in an online environment where documents and texts can be shared, discussed and annotated in real time, as all Klasu sessions take place in the built-in online classroom with an interactive whiteboard, live video and audio and document sharing.
Career paths
Strong performance in IB English A develops skills in critical analysis, persuasive writing, close reading and the ability to construct a sustained argument abilities that are valued across a wide range of university courses and professional fields. For students considering their next steps, English A can provide a useful foundation in the following areas.
English, Comparative Literature and Linguistics
University English and literature programmes build directly on the analytical and interpretive skills developed in IB English A, including close reading, comparative study and engagement with texts across cultures and periods.
Law
Legal study and practice require the ability to read complex material carefully, construct precise arguments and communicate clearly in writing and speech — all skills that IB English A develops through its essay components and oral assessment.
Journalism, Media and Communications
The non-literary analysis skills developed in Language and Literature — including rhetorical analysis, visual literacy and an understanding of how texts position their audiences — are directly relevant to careers in journalism, media production and communications.
Politics, Philosophy and Social Sciences
Essay-based degrees in politics, history, philosophy and the social sciences reward students who can engage critically with complex ideas, analyse how language constructs meaning and present a well-supported argument — all central to IB English A study.
Education and Academic Research
Students who develop a genuine interest in literature, language and textual analysis through the IB may go on to careers in teaching, academic research or curriculum development, where both subject knowledge and the ability to communicate ideas clearly are essential.
Business, Marketing and Creative Industries
An understanding of how texts, images and language shape perception and influence audiences is increasingly valuable across business, marketing, advertising and the creative industries, particularly for students who have studied non-literary bodies of work in Language and Literature.
Frequently asked questions
What does 'IB English' actually include, is it one course?
IB English most commonly refers to one of two Diploma Programme courses: English A: Literature or English A: Language and Literature. Literature focuses exclusively on literary works, while Language and Literature includes both literary works and non-literary texts such as advertising, speeches, cartoons and media. Both are available at Standard Level and Higher Level. There is also English B, which is a separate language-acquisition course, and other IB English options such as Literature and Performance and MYP Language and Literature, which have their own distinct requirements.
What is the difference between IB English Literature and Language and Literature?
English A: Literature studies literary works only, including novels, poetry, drama and works in translation, with a focus on literary interpretation, close reading and analysis of authorial choices. English A: Language and Literature studies both literary works and non-literary texts such as advertisements, political speeches, documentary films and magazine covers and develops skills in visual literacy, media analysis and rhetorical analysis alongside literary study. The two courses also differ in their Individual Oral requirements: Literature students use two literary works, while Language and Literature students use one literary work and one non-literary body of work.
What is the difference between IB English SL and HL?
Both Standard Level and Higher Level cover the same broad assessment components.Paper 1, Paper 2 and the Individual Oral. Higher Level involves more teaching hours, more literary works to study and greater assessment demand. The most significant practical difference is that HL students must analyse both unseen texts in Paper 1 rather than choosing one, and HL students complete an additional 1,200 to 1,500 word HL essay worth 20 per cent of their subject grade. The Individual Oral also carries less weight at HL (20 per cent) than at SL (30 per cent) because of the additional HL essay component.
How is IB English graded?
Each IB subject, including English A, is graded on a seven-point scale with 7 the highest and 1 the lowest. The final grade is calculated from marks across all components, weighted according to the course and level. Grade boundaries are set separately for each examination session, May and November and vary from year to year, so there is no fixed percentage that permanently corresponds to a particular grade. Schools may use their own interim boundaries for practice assessments and mock examinations, which may differ from the final IB boundaries.
What is Paper 1 in IB English, and what does it involve?
Paper 1 is a guided textual analysis of unseen material. Students receive two texts, each accompanied by a guiding question, and are expected to develop a focused analytical response. For English A: Literature, both texts are literary such as a poem, a prose extract or a drama passage. For English A: Language and Literature, both texts are non-literary such as an advertisement, a speech or a visual text. At SL, students choose one text and write one response in one hour and 15 minutes. At HL, students analyse both texts and write two responses in two hours and 15 minutes.
What is the Individual Oral, and how does a tutor support it without crossing any lines?
The Individual Oral is a 15-minute assessed oral in which students explore how a focused global issue is presented through two studied works, using one extract from each. It is assessed by the student's teacher and externally moderated by the IB. A tutor can legitimately help a student develop their global issue, practise oral delivery, work on analysis of the chosen extracts and build familiarity with the assessment criteria all using separate practice material. What a tutor must not do is write or script the oral for the student or produce a memorised response for them to deliver, as this would breach IB academic integrity requirements.
Is the HL essay the same as the Extended Essay?
No, they are entirely separate assessments. The HL essay is a 1,200 to 1,500 word analytical essay completed as part of the English A subject grade, focused on one studied literary work or, in Language and Literature, one non-literary body of work. The Extended Essay is a separate Diploma Programme core component of up to 4,000 words, involving independent research on a topic of the student's choice across a range of subjects. They have different purposes, different rules, different supervisors and different assessment criteria.
Can a tutor help my child improve their predicted grade?
A tutor can work with a student to develop stronger analytical writing, more consistent performance across components and a clearer understanding of what the assessment criteria require. Whether this feeds into a school's predicted-grade decision depends entirely on the school's own process and professional judgement, which a tutor cannot influence directly. Schools base predicted grades on their own evidence, including class assessments, mock examinations and coursework progress, and no tutor can guarantee a particular outcome.