Written Assignment:
the four stages
Part 1: Works in Translation
SL & HL: assignment of 1,200-1,500 words
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Based on a work studied in Part 1 of the course
Assessed externally
Weighting 25%
Includes reflection on an interactive oral
Some writing is completed during supervised class time
 NB: if the word limit is exceeded, the assessment of the
reflective statement will be based on the first 400 words
and the assessment of the essay on the first 1,500
words
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Academic Honesty
 Teachers must ensure that all students understand the
significance of concepts relating to academic honesty,
especially authenticity and intellectual property.
 Teachers can give advice to students on a first draft of
the task.
 First draft must not be annotated or edited by the
teacher.
 After making general comments on the first draft,
teachers should not provide further assistance.
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Authenticity checks
 The student’s supervised writing from which the topic
has been generated
 The first draft of the written work
 The references cited
 The style of writing compared with work known to be
that of the student
 Signed coversheets to certify authenticity
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Goal, Process and Assessment
 Goal: to produce an analytical, literary essay on a
topic generated by the student and developed from
one of the pieces of supervised writing
 Process: four-stage process consisting of both oral
and written tasks
 Assessment: a combined mark out of 25, based on
five assessment criteria (A-E)
 Same criteria for SL and HL
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Four stages
 Stage 1 Interactive oral
 Stage 1 Reflective statement
 Stage 3 Supervised writing
 Stage 4 The essay
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2007
Stage 1: the interactive oral
 For each work, at least one focused class discussion
in which all students and the teacher participate
 Suggested time: 40-50 minutes (minimum 30 min)
 Each student takes responsibility for initiating part of
the discussion in at least one of the interactive orals
• In what ways do time and place matter to this work?
• Challenges relating to social and cultural context
• Connections between the work and student’s own culture and
experience
• Interesting aspects in the work
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Teaching Culture and Context
 How would you teach cultural context for a particular
text?
 Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber and other
Stories – Erlkönig – Goethe
 Pages 46-52 in Brussels workbook (shared area)
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Stage 2: the reflective statement
 Completed as soon as possible following the
interactive oral
 Each student writes a reflection (300-400 words,
preferably typed) on each interactive oral
 Reflective statement is submitted (electronically) for
assessment, together with the essay
 Prompting question: How was your understanding
of cultural and contextual considerations of the
work developed through the interactive oral?
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Assessment of reflective statement
 See p 40 in Language A: Literature Guide
 P 53-54 in workbook
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Stage 3: supervised writing
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Intended as a springboard to elicit & develop ideas
Written during class time, after each work studied
Students may use texts and notes; no Internet
Recommended time: 40-50 minutes
Writing should be in continuous prose
Writing is collected at end of lesson and kept on file
Teacher provides 3-4 prompts for each work
Students must not be allowed to prepare beforehand
Prompts should encourage independent critical writing
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Informal assessment, supervised writing
 P 29-31 in Guide – see Prompts on p 31
 P 57-58 in workbook
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Sample prompt leading to essay title
 Prompt: In what ways are the voices of history and
tradition present in the work?
 Work: Faust by J.W. Goethe
 Essay Title: ...
 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Prompt: How does the writer convey the
protagonist’s thoughts and feelings?
 Work: Hunger by Knut Hamsun
 Essay Title: ...
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Stage 4: production of the essay
 1,200-1,500 word essay
 Focus on a literary aspect of one work
 Essay is developed from one of the pieces of
supervised writing
 Teacher provides guidance on the development of the
topic for the essay
 Students are encouraged to formulate their own title
and to develop the chosen prompt in an independent
direction
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Assessment and Workbook
 P 40-41 of Guide for assessment criteria
 Interactive oral – culture and context - James David
 Workbook:
• Reflective statements: p 53-54
• Writing prompts: p. 55-56, 46-52
• Essay: p. 66-80
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