English A: Language and Literature HL – for the IB Diploma Programme
Exam structure at a glance for English A: Language and Literature HL (IB Diploma Programme): every paper with its time, marks and weighting, plus the links you need.
- Board
- International Baccalaureate
- Level
- Higher level (HL)
- Grades
- 7-1
- First exams
- 2021
- Exam papers
- 2
- Last checked
- 2026-10-20
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Papers and weightings
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight | What it is (our summary) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Guided textual analysis | 2 h 15 min | – | 35% | |
| Paper 2: Comparative essay | 1 h 45 min | – | 25% | |
| HL essay: Higher level essay Non-exam assessment | not stated | – | 20% | Formal essay of 1,200-1,500 words on a line of inquiry about one work or body of work. |
| Individual oral: Individual oral Non-exam assessment | 15 min | – | 20% | Recorded oral on a global issue using extracts from two texts; marked by the teacher and moderated by the IB. |
Times are exam lengths; weightings are shares of the whole subject grade. Summaries are in our own words.
Good to know
- Grades: 7-1
- Exam series: May and November
- Recommended teaching hours: 240
- Coursework: internal assessment (marked by the teacher, moderated by the IB)
- Course is 'Language A: language and literature'; English is the most-entered language.
- first_teaching is first_exam minus 2 (the DP is a two-year course).
- Exam series May and November is general IB practice; check the IB assessment calendar for this subject.
Official documents and past papers
Facts checked against: ibo.org, ibo.org, ibpublishing.ibo.org.
More packs
This work has been developed independently from and is not endorsed by the International Baccalaureate Organization. International Baccalaureate, Baccalauréat International, Bachillerato Internacional and IB are registered trademarks owned by the International Baccalaureate Organization.
Exam details checked against the IB subject brief or guide on 2026-10-20. Always check the current version on the IB website. We store facts only (codes, papers, times, marks, weightings) with summaries in our own words; no syllabus, guide or paper text is reproduced, and past papers are linked, never re-hosted.
Classfern is not affiliated with or endorsed by the International Baccalaureate Organization.
Questions teachers ask
How long are the English A: Language and Literature HL exams?
Paper 1: 2 h 15 min; Paper 2: 1 h 45 min.