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IB Chinese A: Literature Paper 1 Drill Guide: Form, Convention and the Guiding Question
Name the form before the technique
Paper 1 gives two unseen literary texts of different forms, each with a guiding question: SL writes one analysis for twenty marks in seventy-five minutes, HL writes two for forty in two and a quarter hours, both worth thirty-five per cent. Four criteria decide the mark: understanding and interpretation, analysis and evaluation, focus and organisation, and language. Most answers stop at what the text says; marks come from naming the form, its conventions, how the writer uses or breaks them, and the effect on the reader. Every paragraph needs one technique and one effect, and the close must return to the question’s key words.
How is IB Chinese A: Literature Paper 1 assessed, and what does each part carry?
Paper 1: guided literary analysis: Two unseen literary texts of different forms, each with a guiding ques (SL 35% / HL 35%); Paper 2: comparative essay: One of four questions; compare and contrast two literary works in cont (SL 35% / HL 25%); Individual oral (internal): 15 min, 40 marks: one work written in the language studied and one in (SL 30% / HL 20%); HL essay (HL only): A 1,200-1,500 word essay exploring one line of inquiry into a work or (HL 20%)
Assessment at a glance (2027)
| Component | Content | Weighting | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: guided literary analysis | Two unseen literary texts of different forms, 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 literary works in content and form; closed book, no quotations expected | SL 35% / HL 25% | 1 h 45 min |
| Individual oral (internal) | 15 min, 40 marks: one work written in the language studied and one in translation, linked to a shared global issue | SL 30% / HL 20% | 15 min |
| HL essay (HL only) | A 1,200-1,500 word essay exploring one line of inquiry into a work or a body of work | HL 20% | coursework |
SL: one analysis, 20 marks, in 1 h 15 min. HL: two analyses in 2 h 15 min, about 60 minutes each – take the text you are surer of first.
What each paper is actually testing
| Paper | Drill focus | How marks are lost |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: guided literary analysis | name the authorial choice (perspective, structure, imagery, language, sound) and the effect it creates | Content is retold without naming the form or its conventions. |
| Paper 2: comparative essay | the comparison must be explicit (criterion B2); two separate mini-essays score badly | The comparative essay lists two works with no shared axis. |
| Individual oral (internal) | show how the global issue is presented through specific textual detail, not generalities | The oral stays on content and loses the shared global issue. |
| HL essay (HL only) | keep the inquiry focused; an essay that introduces the work scores poorly | The HL essay’s line of inquiry is too broad to go beyond summary. |
What is each IB Chinese A: Literature Paper 1 paper really testing, and what should you drill?
Paper 1: guided literary analysis: name the authorial choice (perspective, structure, imagery, language, sound) and the effect it creates; 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 work 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: drill the five-minute reading only, putting three lines on paper first – the form, its conventions, what the question asks. Weeks 4-6: two texts a week at seventy-five minutes, one convention sentence and one effect sentence per paragraph. Weeks 7-9: full HL doubles at two and a quarter hours, the stronger text first and an hour ring-fenced for the second. Weeks 10-12: unseen forms only, self-marked against the four criteria.
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 literary 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 original-language work in detail first, then bridge to the translated 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: Literature Paper 1 paper?
Paper 1: guided literary 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 original-language work in detail first, then bridge to the translated 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retelling instead of analysing | Two-thirds of the response summarises the text, with one closing line about how moving it is | Almost all of criterion B is lost and criterion A stays literal | Every paragraph carries at least one technique-effect-detail set |
| Quotation with no work done | A line is quoted, but nothing is said about how it is written or what it does | The quotation decorates rather than analyses | Follow every quotation with what the choice makes the reader do |
| Ignoring the guiding question | Writing a personal response instead of answering the question | Criterion C (focus) falls away; good writing still scores low | Copy the key words of the guiding question and answer them paragraph by paragraph |
| Losing the clock | SL spends 90 minutes on one analysis; HL over-writes the first and has 30 minutes for the second | The gap between the two responses widens and the total drops | About 60 minutes each; start with the text you are surer of |
The error log and the mark scheme
Three columns: the form and question number; whether the loss was understanding, analysis or focus; the repair, naming the sentence to add next time. Three losses of the same kind means three texts of that form back to back the following week.
How many years should you drill?
The current Literature course has used the same paper shape since first assessment in 2021, so papers from 2021 onwards are directly usable. Older papers predate the change and serve only as practice in analytical phrasing.
How many years of past papers is enough?
The current Literature course has used the same paper shape since first assessment in 2021, so papers from 2021 onwards are directly usable. Older papers predate the change and serve only as practice in analytical phrasing.
Frequently asked questions
Is this page a mock paper or a drilling guide?
This is the IB Chinese A: Literature Paper 1 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: Literature Paper 1 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.
At SL, should I read both texts?
Yes. Reading both is what gives you a choice: take the text whose form you can name and whose conventions you can describe in detail. Ten minutes on both, then seventy-five on the chosen one.
How much quotation is enough?
One or two short quotations per paragraph; the sentence after them carries the marks. A long block earns only literal credit, while three to five words analysed closely read stronger.
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 English A: Language and Literature Paper 1 mock (same subject group, in English) | The English-language version of the same course’s Paper 1 |
| practice area | Original mock papers and drilling guides across subjects |
Related: IB Chinese A: Literature Paper 2 mock · IB Chinese A: Language and Literature Paper 1 mock · IB English A: Language and Literature Paper 1 mock · practice area
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