IB English is a two-year language arts course offered through the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, typically taken during the last two years of high school. It focuses on close reading, literary analysis, and the study of texts from multiple cultures and time periods. Students can choose between two distinct course routes and two difficulty levels, making it one of the more flexible subjects in the IB system.
The Two Course Options
IB English is not a single course. The IB offers two separate English “A” courses, and the one you take shapes what you study and how you’re assessed.
English A: Literature focuses exclusively on literary texts: novels, poetry, drama, and other creative works. If you enjoy deep reading and want to spend your time analyzing how authors craft meaning through language, character, and structure, this is the more traditional literary studies path.
English A: Language and Literature covers literary texts alongside non-literary ones, such as advertisements, speeches, opinion columns, and other media. You learn to analyze how language works in everyday contexts, not just in novels and poems. This course blends literary criticism with media literacy and rhetorical analysis.
Both courses are offered at two levels: Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL). Every IB Diploma candidate must take at least one English A course as part of their Group 1 (Studies in Language and Literature) requirement.
Standard Level vs. Higher Level
The core difference between SL and HL is depth and breadth. HL covers everything in the SL curriculum plus additional extension material, more literary works, and an extra assessment component. SL students typically study fewer texts over the two-year course, while HL students read a larger selection and are expected to engage with them at a more sophisticated analytical level.
HL students also write an HL Essay, a 1,200 to 1,500 word formal literary essay on a topic of their choosing, drawn from one of the works studied in class. This essay is externally assessed by IB examiners and counts toward the final grade. SL students do not complete this component. IB Diploma candidates must take at least three (and no more than four) subjects at HL, so choosing English at the higher level is common for students who are strong readers and writers.
What You Study
Both courses organize texts around three broad “areas of exploration” that guide how you read and discuss them: Readers, Writers, and Texts (how literature is created and received), Time and Space (how context shapes meaning), and Intertextuality (how texts connect to and influence one another).
The reading list is not fixed by the IB. Your teacher selects texts from a prescribed reading list that spans dozens of countries, languages (in translation), and literary periods. You might read a contemporary novel from a Japanese author alongside a 19th-century British play and a collection of Latin American poetry. This global range is intentional. The IB wants students to engage with perspectives outside their own cultural background.
In the Language and Literature course, non-literary texts rotate based on current events and teacher preference. You could analyze anything from a political speech to a social media campaign to a documentary transcript.
The Learner Portfolio
Throughout the two years, you maintain a Learner Portfolio, a personal collection of notes, reflections, annotations, and responses to the texts you study. Think of it as an evolving workbook rather than a single graded assignment. The portfolio helps you organize your thinking, track how your interpretations develop, and prepare material you can draw on for your assessments. It is a process tool, not a product that gets submitted for a final grade, but keeping it thorough makes the assessed components significantly easier.
How You’re Assessed
Your final IB English grade (scored 1 to 7) comes from a combination of external assessments, graded by IB examiners outside your school, and an internal assessment, graded by your teacher and then moderated by the IB.
Paper 1: Guided Textual Analysis
This is an exam where you receive one or more unseen texts (passages you have never studied before) and write a detailed analysis. You are graded on how well you understand and interpret the text, how effectively you analyze the author’s use of stylistic and structural features, and how clearly and precisely you write. SL students analyze one text; HL students choose from two. There is no preparation possible beyond practicing the skill of close reading throughout the course.
Paper 2: Comparative Essay
Paper 2 gives you a broad question and asks you to write a comparative essay drawing on at least two of the literary works you studied in class. This is a closed-book exam, so you need to know your texts well enough to quote or reference them from memory.
The Individual Oral
The internal assessment is a 15-minute oral presentation known as the Individual Oral (IO). You select a literary text and a non-literary text (or two literary texts, depending on your course), connect them through a “global issue,” and present your analysis to your teacher. A global issue is a broad, significant topic with wide relevance, such as power and privilege, gender identity, environmental ethics, or the role of technology in society. After your presentation, your teacher asks follow-up questions. The IO typically accounts for a significant portion of your final grade.
HL Essay
HL students write an additional formal essay on a line of inquiry they develop independently, focused on one of the works studied in class. This is completed during the course and submitted for external assessment.
Scoring and University Credit
Each IB subject is scored on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest). A score of 4 is generally considered passing. For university admissions, competitive programs often look for scores of 5 or above, particularly at HL.
Many universities worldwide grant credit or advanced standing for strong IB English scores. Over 800 universities in the United States alone have published IB recognition policies, and more than half of those grant credit for both SL and HL subjects. The specific score you need and the credit you receive varies by institution. Some universities award credit equivalent to a first-year composition or literature course for an HL score of 5 or higher, while others set the bar at 6. You can search individual university policies through the IB’s online recognition database or check directly with admissions offices.
Who Should Take IB English
If you are pursuing the full IB Diploma, you will take one of the two English A courses regardless. The choice between Literature and Language and Literature depends on your interests. Students who love reading fiction and poetry and want a traditional literary education lean toward Literature. Students interested in how language functions across media, politics, and culture often prefer Language and Literature.
Choosing between SL and HL depends on your overall course load and where your strengths lie. HL English requires more reading, more writing, and the additional HL Essay. If English is one of your strongest subjects and you want universities to see that, HL is worth the extra work. If your strengths are in science or math and you want to reserve your HL slots for those subjects, SL still provides a rigorous course that colleges respect.