PAPER 2
Tips and Tricks and Dos and Don’ts
WHAT IS PAPER 2?
 A Paper 2 exam consists of three or four prompts. From these options, you choose
one prompt and write a 1000 to 1500-word essay on it.
 How long do you get? 1 hour 45 minutes for HL and SL students.
 In these 1000 to 1500 words, your task is to write a comparative essay, which —
you guessed it — means
comparing similarities and contrasting differences between the texts you’ve
studied in class for Paper 2 (i.e., poems, novels, plays or short stories) .
CRITERION
 Criterion A - Knowledge, understanding and interpretation - 10 marks
The comparative essay demonstrates an excellent understanding of the works and insightful
interpretation of them in relation to the question being answered. It is also essential that the
interpretation in this essay focuses on the similarities and differences between the two literary works in
relation to the question being answered.
 Criterion B - Analysis and evaluation - 10 marks
In the Paper 2 comparative exam, a connection needs to be made between the author's use of stylistic
features and the effect of them on his or her audience. Evaluating this is essential in demonstrating
insightful analysis and how language/choices shapes meaning. There must also be a comparing and
contrasting between the two works in relationship to these choices.
 Criterion C - Focus and organization - 5 marks
The comparative essay must develop an answer to the question coherently and effectively while also
being well-balanced. Topic sentences should guide the ideas of paragraphs. Illustrations should be
integrated well and explanations should shed light on the subject matter.
 Criterion D - Language - 5 marks
The language of the Paper 2 exam should be effective and accurate. The choice of vocabulary and use of
grammar should be consistent and appropriate.
PROMPTS
 Discuss the ways in which philosophical or
aesthetic ideas are represented in at least
two of the works you have studied.
 Can we brainstorm some text options for
these?
 In at least two of the works you have
studied, discuss the means as well as the
effectiveness with which power or
authority is exercised.
 How would you go about answering these
questions?
 Pleasure is often deferred, delayed or
denied. Discuss why this is so by
analysing examples in at least two of the
works you have studied.
 Consider why writers create characters
who do not conform to norms in at least
two of the works you have studied.
 Based on the prompts you see here, what
sort of prep would you need to do?
CONSIDER THE PROMPT BELOW:
 “We are all prisoners of ourselves.” Discuss how the sense of imprisonment shapes
the meaning and the effect on the audience of at least two texts you have studied.
“WE ARE ALL PRISONERS OF OURSELVES.” DISCUSS HOW THE SENSE OF
IMPRISONMENT SHAPES THE MEANING AND THE EFFECT ON THE AUDIENCE OF AT
LEAST TWO TEXTS YOU HAVE STUDIED.
 The types of questions that students will
get are fairly generalised to
accommodate the different texts that
students can choose to write about.
 Usually, these questions involve
propositions for students to argue in
support of or against, or some thematic
or characterisation point of discussion
 First, see that philosophical quote at the
start of the prompt? It’s there to spark
ideas, to get the juices flowing in your
brain. You don’t have to refer to it directly
unless the questions explicitly asks you to
do so. So the take-away message here is
to not be ‘imprisoned’ by the
philosophical quotes at the start of the
prompts.
 Second, notice the command term
“discuss”. This is usually replaced by
words like “evaluate”, “analyse”,
“examine”. Don’t worry about it too
much: it doesn’t mean anything too
important, because at the end of the day
you still have to analyse, you still have to
compare, and you still have to contrast.
“We are all prisoners of ourselves.” Discuss how the
sense of imprisonment shapes the meaning and the
effect on the audience of at least two texts you have
studied.
Can you find the key in the next
prompt?
 The part AFTER the command term is
the most important part:
 Compare and contrast the
effectiveness of the use of irony in
two or more literary texts you have
studied.
 …how the sense of imprisonment shapes
the meaning and the effect on the
audience…
 Here the “sense of imprisonment” –
the key of the prompt- tells us exactly
what we need to write about in the
essay.
BUT WAIT!
What if our texts don’t have anything to do with the prompt key??
THE SECRET TO SCORING A 7 IN IB ENGLISH PAPER 2 IS TO GET VERY
COMFORTABLE WITH BENDING, MORPHING AND TWISTING YOUR TEXTS
AND/OR THE PROMPT SO THAT THEY ARE AS COMPATIBLE WITH
EACH OTHER AS POSSIBLE.
 Morphing existing ideas in your own texts
to fit the prompt. While Jane Sherwood’s
(some random character) nostalgia in
your Incredible Text 1 may not directly relate
to “imprisonment”, you could twist the
character’s nostalgia into the idea that
emotions can trap or “imprison” an
individual in a treasured memory or a past
experience. Nostalgia and imprisonment
seem like unlikely brothers at first, but with
a bit of justification they look almost like
identical twins.
 Redefining the prompt (reasonably). The
key of the prompt can often be vague. For
example, there was a real IB exam prompt
that asked whether “male characters were
more interesting than female characters.”
What does “interesting” even mean? The IB
Gods are inviting you to constrain the
topic in a way that works for your texts
specifically. You could write in the first
sentence of your introduction: “Interest, an
important part of dramatic works, is often
generated by emotional conflict and the
subsequent creation of tension.” Here I have
restricted the broad topic of “interesting” to
the more clearly-defined topic of
“emotional conflict” because this
redefinition works well for the texts I’ve
studied for IB English Paper 2. You should do
the same.
QUOTES
 IB English Paper 2 tests skills that require a deep understanding. First, to
compare and contrast effectively, you need to know your texts well enough that
you can find similarities and differences in the micro-details and in the macro
themes, in the characters and in the techniques. Second, in order to adapt the
ideas in your text to the prompt, you need to know how far you can stretch
those ideas while maintaining their validity.
 Without a deep understanding, you’re dead in the water.
A CHECKLIST TO GAUGE HOW WELL YOU
KNOW YOUR TEXT:
 I know the names of the main and minor characters
 I know how the main characters evolve over time (character arc) and can easily
provide quotes for these characters
 I can easily recount the sequence of events, or the main ideas, of each text
 I can easily list 5 themes from each text and provide 3 quotes for each
 I can easily list 3 core techniques used in each text
 I can easily list 3 pairs of characters, themes and techniques that I can compare
and contrast across my texts, as well as the quotes required to support these
points
 I know how which main characters and core techniques contribute to the 5 main
themes
HOW CAN I BETTER PREPARE?
 Re-read each text, and continuously compare / contrast the characters, themes
and techniques you encounter. Note them down for use in later analysis.
 Read analysis from credible sources, i.e. SparkNotes, CliffNotes, LitCharts.
 Create notes for all main characters, core techniques and core themes, and collect
quotes for each of these categories.
 Create notes that compare / contrast the main characters, core techniques and
core themes in each of your texts.
HOW MANY QUOTES SHOULD I
HAVE IN MY ARSENAL?
6-8 quotes
DON’T PANIC! IF THESE ARE THOUGHTFULLY
AND STRATEGICALLY SELECTED,
“MEMORIZING” THEM ISN’T HARD.
 Think of the theme- what is a scene that really develops this?
 Think of the climax- where is the height of action or the point of no return?
 Think of solid characterization- what makes the character do what they do?
 Think of the setting- is the context important to the story?
 Think of irony- where do we see the unexpected and how do our characters react?
 Having these in mind helps us to come to the seminal parts of our novels/poems/plays/etc.
 Also, these don’t have to be PASSAGES (a quote is just a sentence, or even part of a
sentence).
HOW TO LEARN YOUR QUOTES…
 The first step is to maximise the quality of your quotes and minimise the
quantity. Decrease the number of quotes to need to learn by making sure each of
your quotes are versatile and cover multiple bases.
 Memorize quotes through repeated usage, i.e. through practice essays.
WheneverI you practice Paper 2 analysis, use the quotes you’ve identified.
 Learning quotes through application beats flashcard wizardry any day of the
week:
 You’re practising analysis of the quotes while learning the quotes themselves.
Your time is being spent well.
 The quotes are easier to remember because they have a context. You’ve thought
about them in-depth instead of just looking at them for 2 seconds before
switching to the next flashcard in the pile.
STRUCTURE
 Both Ibsen’s Gabler and O’Brien’s TTTC are rich in symbolism, or the use of specific objects to
represent ideas or qualities. In Gabler, Hedda is in possession of “General Gabler’s pistol”. The
pistol is a phallic symbol which immediately connects it to masculinity. Moreover, the pistol
represents male power and aggression. This representation is supported by the fact that
these pistols originally belonged to Hedda’s father, an army general, the embodiment of male
power and aggression. Hedda’s acquisition of the pistols indicates her desire to possess power
and control over her life that would usually only be afforded to men in this era. This is
subversive because in the Victorian era women were expected to be passive actors with little
control over their life. O’Brien also uses symbolism in TTTC to examine cultural gender norms.
In the short story ‘Spin’ the symbol of the puppy is central to this subversion. Ted Lavender
adopts “an orphan puppy”. His adoption of the innocent, helpless animal symbolises
Lavender’s caring and empathetic nature. Additionally, the symbol of the “puppy” is not just
a helpless animal but also a baby animal. The empathetic and nurturing nature of this
adoption makes it necessarily maternal. Maternal instincts are clearly associated with the
feminine. This undermines the expected adherence to masculine gender performance. In
conclusion, both texts use rich symbolism to challenge the efficacy of gender stereotypes
within the historical periods they were created. It may be argued that Ibsen’s text is more
subversive as gendered expectations were much less challenged in the Victorian era than in
the late twentieth century, when O’Brien’s text was published.
 Intro (Brief)- mentions key point
 Body paragraphs:
 Each must have a topic sentence
 Each must use quotes and connect them to the main idea. You may have to do some
gymnastics here…MAKE SURE YOU ARE CONNECTING TO THE THESIS STATEMENT
OF YOUR PAPER---REALLY BREAK IT DOWN
 Don’t forget to transition between paragraphs, especially as you go back and forth
between texts.
 Conclusion (Brief)- restates thesis
LINKS:
 https://bartyed.com/blog/ib-english-langlit-paper-2-tips
 https://studynova.com/a/ib-english/ib-english-paper-2-tips/
 https://litlearn.com/ib-english-paper-2-completely-explained/