中文（繁體）
中文（简体）
English
IB English A Paper 1 Drill Guide: Text Type, Guiding Question, Three-Step Analysis
Technique, effect, purpose
Paper 1 gives an unseen text with one guiding question: SL writes one analysis for twenty marks in seventy-five minutes, HL two for forty in two and a quarter hours, both worth thirty-five per cent. Four criteria decide the mark: understanding, analysis, focus and organisation, language. Losses cluster in two places: devices listed without effect, and drift – the question asks how a writer builds an impression, and an answer about which devices appear earns half. Every paragraph moves technique, effect, purpose; quotations stay short; the close returns to the question.
How is IB English A Paper 1 assessed, and what does each part carry?
Paper 1 (guided textual analysis): SL one text/20 marks; HL two/40 (SL 35%／HL 35%); Paper 2 (comparative essay): one essay (30 marks) comparing two studied works (SL 35%／HL 25%)
Assessment at a glance (2027)
| Component | Content | Weighting | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (guided textual analysis) | SL one text/20 marks; HL two/40 | SL 35%／HL 35% | SL 1 h 15 min / HL 2 h 15 min |
| Paper 2 (comparative essay) | one essay (30 marks) comparing two studied works | SL 35%／HL 25% | 1 h 45 min |
IB English A Paper 1 drilling technique: read the text type first (ad, speech, blog, cartoon) – conventions shape meaning; every paragraph moves technique -> effect -> purpose, never a list of devices; the guiding question runs through the whole answer (framed in the intro, answered in the body, returned to in the conclusion); quote briefly and precisely, to analyse rather than display.
What each paper is actually testing
| Paper | Drill focus | How marks are lost |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (guided textual analysis) | non-literary text + technique and effect | Devices are listed with no effect or purpose. |
| Paper 2 (comparative essay) | integrated comparison + argument | The comparative essay contrasts themes and never form. |
What is each IB English A Paper 1 paper really testing, and what should you drill?
Paper 1 (guided textual analysis): non-literary text + technique and effect; Paper 2 (comparative essay): integrated comparison + argument
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: just the opening four minutes – text type, audience, purpose, the question’s key words on four lines. Weeks 4-6: two texts a week at seventy-five minutes, fifty-five of them on body paragraphs, every paragraph carrying an effect sentence. Weeks 7-9: HL doubles at two and a quarter hours, spending five minutes narrowing the second argument. Weeks 10-12: unseen types only, self-marked, with device vocabulary varied so no paragraph opens with the same verb.
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: 4 min intro, 55 min body, 6 min conclusion |
| Paper 2 (comparative essay) | 1 h 45 min | about 50 min per work |
How should the time be split inside each IB English A Paper 1 paper?
Paper 1 (guided textual analysis): SL: 4 min intro, 55 min body, 6 min conclusion; Paper 2 (comparative essay): about 50 min per work
The drilling mistakes that cost the most marks
| Mistake | What it looks like | What actually happens | Instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listing devices without effect | Name ten techniques | Each technique needs its effect and purpose | technique -> effect -> purpose |
| Paraphrasing content | Sentence-by-sentence translation | Quote only the shortest, most telling words | analyse, not narrate |
| Ignoring the guiding question | Free-form commentary | The guiding question is the thesis spine | answer the guiding question |
| Ignoring the text type | Ad and speech treated alike | Identify the type, then its conventions | read the type first |
The error log and the mark scheme
Three columns: the text type and question number; whether the loss was understanding, analysis or focus; the repair, naming the sentence to add or the paragraph to cut. Three of the same loss means three texts of that type in one week.
How many years should you drill?
The current English A course has used the same paper shape since first assessment in 2021, so papers from 2021 onwards are directly usable. Earlier papers predate the change and serve only as sentence-level practice.
How many years of past papers is enough?
The current English A course has used the same paper shape since first assessment in 2021, so papers from 2021 onwards are directly usable. Earlier papers predate the change and serve only as sentence-level practice.
Frequently asked questions
Is this page a mock paper or a drilling guide?
This is the IB English A 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 English A 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.
Can I answer the same text type twice?
You can, but it is risky: the second answer tends to score lower because the analysis repeats. Safer to take one type with explicit conventions and leave the other for narrative or a cartoon.
Should I include the writer’s background?
Only when it explains the text. A sentence of background that no quotation supports reads as drift and costs marks on focus.
Official references
| Resource | What to use it for |
|---|---|
| IB Language and Literature subject page (IBO) | Confirm the Paper 1/2 marks and times |
| https://www.tutorzone.com.hk/en-ib-geography-paper-1-mock-2027/ | IB Geography Paper 1 drilling mock |
Related: practice area · IB Global Politics mock · IB Chinese A: Literature Paper 1 mock
Next step: find a tutor / register as a tutor
After drilling, the hard part is telling a conceptual error from a writing error. Tell us the year group, the school and your available times, and TutorZone will match you with a tutor who knows the HKEAA assessment requirements.
Demand for tutors in this subject is steady, and those who can explain the marking scheme and where marks are won are especially sought after. Register free; you pay only when a match succeeds.