Language and Literature: IB EE Guidance

OVERVIEW

An extended essay (EE) in studies in language and literature gives students an

opportunity to undertake independent research into a topic of special interest to them

within the subject. It is intended to promote advanced research and writing skills,

intellectual discovery and creativity.

The essay is open to students who are writing in a language that they would be capable

of offering as a language A.

It must be written in the language for which it is registered.

Students must not submit a Group 1 EE in their Group 2 language.

Studies in language and literature EEs are divided into three categories:

Category 1 Studies of one or more literary works originally written in the

language in which the essay is presented.

Category 2 Studies of a literary work or works originally written in the language

of the essay compared with one or more literary works originally

written in another language. (The work originally written in another

language may be studied in translation.)

in the language in which the essay is presented. Texts can be

compared with a translated text originally written in another

language.

At the point of submission, the category of language A essay must be identified.

Categories 1 and 2

An EE in categories 1 and 2 gives students an opportunity to:

● study in depth a literary topic

● engage in independent literary criticism

● engage with established critical comment

● develop the ability to put forward their views persuasively and in a well-structured

manner, using a register appropriate to the study of literature.

Students must situate their analysis of their chosen text(s) in the wider context of the

discipline. This should include other literary texts, or particular critical perspectives or

insights. However, this wider discussion should enhance the knowledge and

understanding of their chosen texts for the reader, without detracting from the main

focus of their research question.

Category 3

A category 3 studies in language and literature EE gives students the opportunity to:
● demonstrate skills of textual analysis by considering how language, culture

and/or context influence the ways in which meaning is constructed in texts

● examine critically the different relationships and interactions that exist between

texts, audiences and purposes

● engage with established (or developing) critical writing, as appropriate

● develop the ability to put forward their views persuasively and in a well-structured

manner, using a register and terminology appropriate to the task

Choice of topic

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that the topic of their EE does not overlap

with any other work they are preparing for assessment. The EE cannot be based on a

text studied as part of a student’s course. Students can base their essays on different

texts by the same author, demonstrating relevant wider reading and individual study.

Please note that this applies to all students without exception, including those retaking

the EE from earlier sessions.

It is the school’s responsibility to develop internal processes to ensure adherence to this

rule for each of their students. Confirmation will be via the authentication of work in the

eCoursework portal. Work should not be authenticated and submitted if the rule has not

been followed: doing so would constitute school maladministration, in contravention of

the IB’s academic integrity policy.

must redo their essay regardless of where they are in the process, revisiting any

reflection entries as necessary. Please contact IB Answers if an extension is required to

facilitate the rewriting.

Clarification on the use of non-fiction in a language A EE:

Works of non-fiction can be considered as part of literary investigations provided that

the works in question are of literary nature. Additionally, as with any other literary form,

candidates should ensure that the work that they wish to investigate has a body of

established literary criticism before deciding that the work is worthy of investigation. The

availability of secondary sources to support arguments is vital to fulfilling criterion C

(Critical thinking).

Important note on the use of film in studies in language and literature essays:

If students wish to base their essays on a film or screenplay, they must be aware of the

fact that films and screenplays are defined in the studies in the language and literature
guides (first assessment 2021) as non-literary. An EE about a film or screenplay will

therefore be a category 3 essay. This also applies to film adaptations of literary works.

Clarification on the use of song lyrics

For essays submitted from May 2021, song lyrics will continue to be considered literary

texts belonging in the poetic literary form. An EE focusing on song lyrics will therefore

be either a category 1 essay if the texts are not in translation, or a category 2 essay if

there is a comparison involved between a text written originally in the language of the

essay and others written in another language. In the case of an essay studying music

videos, however, the correct category would be category 3, since music videos are

multimodal and as such are non-literary.

Categories 1 and 2—literature

Studies of one or more literary works originally written in the language in which the

essay is presented.

Studies of a literary work or works originally written in the language of the essay

compared with one or more literary works originally written in another language. (The

work originally written in another language may be studied in translation.)

interest they wish to pursue further, for example:

a particular genre of writing

a particular author

a philosophical, political or social question addressed by a literary work.

Categories 1 and 2—appropriate texts

Students can choose literary works from any source, including the IB Diploma

Programme prescribed list of authors.

Crucially, students’ chosen text(s) should be of sufficient literary merit to sustain

in-depth analysis.

Categories 1 and 2—examples of topics

These examples are just for guidance. Students must ensure their choice of topic is

focused (left-hand column) rather than broad (right-hand column).

Studies in language based on one or more texts originally produced in the language in

which the essay is presented. Texts can be compared with a translated text originally

written in another language.

and/or cultural contexts. Essays that simply offer a general overview of a topic are not

appropriate.

Category 3—appropriate texts

For the purpose of a category 3 language EE, “texts” include the widest range of oral,

written and visual materials present in society:

single and multiple images with or without written text

literary written texts and text extracts

media texts, for example, advertising campaigns; films, radio and television

programmes and/or their scripts

electronic texts that share aspects of a number of media texts, eg video-sharing

websites, web pages, SMS messages, blogs, wikis and tweets

oral texts, eg readings, speeches, broadcasts and transcripts of recorded conversation.

When writing the essay, students must bear in mind that any narrative and/or

descriptive material included should be directly relevant to the critical analysis. A

summary of the student’s reading is not sufficient.

and cultures. However, the essay’s main focus should be the language and culture(s) of

the language in which the student is writing.

Category 3—examples of topics

These examples are just for guidance. Students must ensure their choice of topic is

focused (left-hand column) rather than broad (right-hand column). Where students take

a comparative approach, at least one of the texts must have originally been written in

the language of submission and studied in translation into the language A.