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IB Chinese A Language and Literature Paper 2 Drill Guide: Axis, Comparison, Criteria
The axis decides the essay
Paper 2 is a comparative essay: one hour forty-five, twenty-five marks, with criteria A, B1, B2, C and D worth five each. The usual loss is structural – one paragraph per work, a closing line saying both are similar, and comparison in name only. Build an axis first: how one concept (the exercise of power, the handling of time, the reliability of a narrator) differs between the two works, then develop three points, each with a quotation and a line of analysis on both sides. Fifteen minutes of planning, seventy-five of writing, fifteen to check the criteria one by one. Choose works that differ enough for the comparison to have somewhere to go.
How is IB Chinese A: Language and Literature Paper 2 assessed, and what does each part carry?
Paper 1: guided textual analysis: Two unseen non-literary texts from different text types, each with a g (SL 35% / HL 35%); Paper 2: comparative essay: One of four questions; compare and contrast two studied literary works (SL 35% / HL 25%); Individual oral (internal): 15 min, 40 marks: a literary work plus a body of non-literary texts re (SL 30% / HL 20%); HL essay (HL only): A 1,200-1,500 word essay (1,440-1,800 characters in Chinese) exploring (HL 20%)
Assessment at a glance (2027)
| Component | Content | Weighting | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: guided textual analysis | Two unseen non-literary texts from different text types, each with a guiding question; SL writes one analysis, HL writes one on each text | SL 35% / HL 35% | SL 1 h 15 min; HL 2 h 15 min |
| Paper 2: comparative essay | One of four questions; compare and contrast two studied literary works in content and form (25 marks: criteria A, B1, B2, C, D at 5 each); closed book, no quotations expected | SL 35% / HL 25% | 1 h 45 min |
| Individual oral (internal) | 15 min, 40 marks: a literary work plus a body of non-literary texts read through a shared global issue; ten minutes presenting plus five minutes of questions | SL 30% / HL 20% | 15 min |
| HL essay (HL only) | A 1,200-1,500 word essay (1,440-1,800 characters in Chinese) exploring one line of inquiry into a single literary work or a group of non-literary texts | HL 20% | coursework |
1 h 45 min, 25 marks: 15 minutes planning (comparative line plus three points), 75 writing, 15 checking; criteria A, B1, B2, C and D are worth 5 marks each.
What each paper is actually testing
| Paper | Drill focus | How marks are lost |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: guided textual analysis | tie every claim to the conventions of the text type and to a specific authorial choice (layout, image-text relation, register, rhetoric) and its effect | One paragraph per work, so comparison is only nominal. |
| Paper 2: comparative essay | the comparison must be explicit (criterion B2); two separate mini-essays score badly | The axis is too broad and the three points drift apart. |
| Individual oral (internal) | show how the global issue is presented through specific textual detail, not generalities | Quotations paraphrased with no wording to support them. |
| HL essay (HL only) | keep the inquiry focused; an essay that introduces the text scores poorly | Checking time is eaten by writing, so criteria go unchecked. |
What is each IB Chinese A: Language and Literature Paper 2 paper really testing, and what should you drill?
Paper 1: guided textual analysis: tie every claim to the conventions of the text type and to a specific authorial choice (layout, image-text relation, register, rhetoric) and its effect; Paper 2: comparative essay: the comparison must be explicit (criterion B2); two separate mini-essays score badly; Individual oral (internal): show how the global issue is presented through specific textual detail, not generalities; HL essay (HL only): keep the inquiry focused; an essay that introduces the text scores poorly
Drill order: by topic, then by year, then the mark scheme
| Step | What you do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. By topic | Work through each topic, starting with the paper that allows least help (no calculator / closed book) | Exposes what is genuinely not understood |
| 2. By year | Whole papers to time, one or two a week | Trains pace, stamina and question selection |
| 3. Mark scheme | Go through the marking scheme question by question and log the scoring steps you missed | Most lost marks are written wrong, not thought wrong |
Should drilling go by topic first or by year?
By topic first, then whole papers by year, then the mark scheme. The first third of the time goes topic by topic (8-10 years of the same topic back to back), the middle switches to timed whole papers, and the last fortnight only redoes the recurring errors from your log.
A 12-week drilling timetable
| Week | Phase | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-3 | By topic: foundation | Topic by topic, starting with the easiest marks, building habits and recall |
| Weeks 4-6 | By topic: core | 8-10 years of the same topic back to back, errors classified by topic |
| Weeks 7-8 | By topic: advanced and electives | Elective and higher-order topics, now under time pressure |
| Weeks 9-10 | By year: timed papers | One full paper a week, timed, no reference materials |
| Week 11 | Mark scheme work | Question by question against the marking scheme; list the scoring steps you omitted |
| Week 12 | Plug holes and simulate | Only the recurring errors from your log, then one full exam simulation |
Subject-specific weighting for this timetable: Weeks 1-3: three axes per pair of works, one sentence each, no development, training the eye. Weeks 4-6: three points per axis, each with a quotation and a line of analysis on both sides, inside seventy-five minutes. Weeks 7-9: three full timed papers, the first fifteen minutes on the plan only, and keep every plan. Weeks 10-12: mark old answers against the criteria, find the one that stays low and rewrite for it.
Use it properly: this is not a checklist to finish. Every week must keep time for redoing errors, or from week 9 you will be repeating the same batch.
Pacing
| Paper | Time | Suggested split |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: guided textual analysis | SL 1 h 15 min; HL 2 h 15 min | SL: 5 min choosing and unpacking the question, 60 writing, 10 checking; HL: about 60 min per analysis, take the surer text first |
| Paper 2: comparative essay | 1 h 45 min | 15 min planning the comparative line, 75 writing, 15 checking |
| Individual oral (internal) | 15 min | work the literary work in detail first, then bridge to the non-literary body of work; prepare keywords, not a script |
| HL essay (HL only) | coursework | narrow the line of inquiry to one page first, then build three levels of analysis |
How should the time be split inside each IB Chinese A: Language and Literature Paper 2 paper?
Paper 1: guided textual analysis: SL: 5 min choosing and unpacking the question, 60 writing, 10 checking; HL: about 60 min per analysis, take the surer text first; Paper 2: comparative essay: 15 min planning the comparative line, 75 writing, 15 checking; Individual oral (internal): work the literary work in detail first, then bridge to the non-literary body of work; prepare keywords, not a script; HL essay (HL only): narrow the line of inquiry to one page first, then build three levels of analysis
The drilling mistakes that cost the most marks
| Mistake | What it looks like | What actually happens | Instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two mini-essays | One paragraph on work A, one on work B, with no comparative language between them | Criterion B2 requires the comparison to be explicit; this cannot reach the top bands | Use “whereas”, “by contrast”, “both present X but differ in Y” in every paragraph |
| Writing a book report | Opening with the author’s life and period | The question asks for content and form; background earns nothing | Keep only the background sentence that supports the comparative line |
| Themes without form | Discussing loneliness or growing up with no attention to narration, structure or language | Half the task (form) is missing | Attach one formal choice to every thematic claim |
| Memorised quotations | Packing in quotations that are misremembered or misattributed | Paper 2 is closed book and quotations are not expected; errors damage criterion A | Use accurate scenes and detail instead; fewer and right beats many and wrong |
The error log and the mark scheme
Three columns: the question and the works used; whether the loss was a vague axis, points sitting side by side, quotations reduced to paraphrase, a criterion left unaddressed, or the clock; the repair, naming the paragraph to rewrite or the criterion to cover. One criterion low three times takes the next week.
How many years should you drill?
Under the current course the Paper 2 format and criteria are stable, but questions change by series and the works are the candidate’s own choice, so past questions are best used for axis-building and timing; check the pairing against the current course and official book list, and five to eight sessions covers the question types.
How many years of past papers is enough?
Under the current course the Paper 2 format and criteria are stable, but questions change by series and the works are the candidate’s own choice, so past questions are best used for axis-building and timing; check the pairing against the current course and official book list, and five to eight sessions covers the question types.
Frequently asked questions
Is this page a mock paper or a drilling guide?
This is the IB Chinese A: Language and Literature Paper 2 drilling guide: assessment structure, drill order, a 12-week timetable, pacing, common mark losses and the error-log method. For questions with answers, use the IB Chinese A: Language and Literature Paper 2 mock papers linked under Related.
By topic or by year first?
By topic. Eight to ten years of the same topic back to back is what exposes repeating errors; going straight to whole papers just repeats the same batch under time pressure.
How should the error log be written?
Do not copy out questions. Per error record four things: question reference, which step failed (concept, wording, calculation), what the mark scheme requires, and the correct action next time.
Must both works carry equal weight?
Yes. Every point needs evidence and analysis on both sides; one work dominating turns the essay into a single-text study and costs criterion B.
How much should the 15-minute plan contain?
The axis, three points, and a quotation cue for each side. It is a running order, not a draft.
Official references
| Resource | What to use it for |
|---|---|
| IB Studies in Language and Literature course page | Confirm the Paper 1 / Paper 2 structure and weightings |
| IB Chinese A: Language and Literature Paper 2 mock | The other paper of the same course: four comparative questions with 25-mark frames |
| IB Chinese A: Literature Paper 1 mock | The literature course in the same subject group, for cross-course comparison |
| practice area | Original mock papers and drilling guides across subjects |
Related: IB Chinese A: Language and Literature Paper 1 mock · IB Chinese A: Literature Paper 2 mock · IB Chinese B Paper 1 and Paper 2 reading mock · practice area
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