The IB Enigma
A collection of student notes and tips for the International Baccalaureate
Hi!
Over the two years, I've developed a strategy to help tackle English paper 1 essays. Here is my breakdown of an introduction and a body paragraph I wrote in IBDP2:
Step 1: Reading time
I like to read the text two times. The first time, I like to read the text slowly to ensure I understand what the text is about. A general tip is to look for the form and tone (newspaper? advertisement? or perhaps an eulogy) The second time I read the text, I keep an eye out for 'FATPI', which stands for:
F: Form
A: Author
T: Targetted audience
P: Publication
I: Intention
Step 2: Plan
'FATPI' instantly forms the introduction of my essay. I would then centre my body paragraphs around three central themes of the text - depending on the text, if it is an advertisement I like to dedicate one paragraph to the graphic image, one to the text, and one to how the text and image work together. What is important is to ensure there are techniques and quotes you can use for each paragraph!
Step 3: Building arguments
Don't try to overload your arguments! For each paragraph, I would suggest you to pick on two or three points and really expound on them by digging into the intended impact of this specific quote or phrase, and what it does to the readers. Don't forget to use analytical terms such as appeals to, insinuates, sways the audience away, to galvanise the audience in doing... Here is a list of terms I've built to help: Analytical terms
Step 4: Conclusion
I always like to end the conclusion with what's called a 'bigger picture. Most texts allocated by the IB provides a deeper insight into humanity, culture, or society. I like to conclude my sentence off by linking it to a greater purpose.
Example: Frost’s repeated principle ‘good fence makes good neighbours can be contextualised to the larger context that proves as a sign of safety and dependability, which constitutes the problem of distancing trust in human relationships.
Example: The framing of sentence (I) and (II) compares the hardships of life to the loving relationship of two oppositely gendered humans, which leads to the questioning of whether the challenges of life can be overwhelmed and overcome by the love between two people.