English 10: Final June Examination Outline
2013
The final examination in English 10 is modeled on the final Language A examinations
which students will write in May, 2014. It is a three hour exam which is divided into two
sections.
The first section of the examination will consist of two sight passages; one will be prose
and one will be poetry. Each student will select one of the two passages and write a commentary.
Guiding questions will be provided for each passage. This section is similar to the first paper
which students will write in May, 2015. Students should spend half of their examination time
dealing with this section.
The second section of the examination will consist of an essay written in response
to a topic related to literature. Students must refer to at least two of the key works studied this
year. These include Macbeth, A Doll’s House, Persepolis, Summer Reading texts (Karma, Pride
and Prejudice, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, The Red Badge of Courage, or Three Day Road),
the poetry of Paz and Water (film). As this is an essay response related to literary text studied, it
is similar in intent to the second paper which students will write in May, 2015. The IB final essay
will, however, draw from drama texts only. Students should spend half of their examination time
dealing with this section.
The elements required for commentary writing have been addressed in class as have the
requirements for effective essay writing.
Evaluation will be based on the MYP Language A rubric and will take into account the
fact that English 10 students are just ‘beginning’ the detailed written commentary and essay
formulation in response to a generalized literary prompt.
The final grade in English 10 is criterion-referenced. This examination is one component
of the overall evaluation of each student’s performance and standing.