IB DP Language & Literature

Written Task 1: Overview (SL & HL)

In the Written Task(s), the focus is on student production. It is an opportunity to
demonstrate how fully you understand the manner in which meaning is
constructed by language. This is the one area where the skills learned in all
parts of the course may be indirectly assessed. Here you will be expected to
dene your own audience and the purpose for which your work is intended.
Whether you ha!e chosen an addition to an existing work of literature, a parody,
or an ad!ertising campaign, you will be expected to explain your language
choices in the context of your work, such as assuming the correct register and
!ocabulary.
The process by which this occurs will be determined by the types of texts you
ha!e studied and your ability to understand concepts such as"
audience and purpose
theme and content
tone and mood
stylistic de!ices
images and structure
#ou will be marked on the appropriateness of their language in relation to the
task. $ rationale must accompany the work and demonstrate to the examiner
the depth of your understanding by placing the work in context.
$ written task demonstrates your ability to choose an imaginati!e way of
exploring an aspect of the material studied in the course. It must show a critical
engagement with an aspect of a text or a topic. The written task is assessed
according to the attached criteria.
Written tasks are designed to demonstrate your ability to produce or critically
reproduce types of work studied in the course. #ou are expected to be able to
state the audience for your work and the purpose for which it was produced
and, in doing this, you then must use the language appropriate to the task. This
could take the form of mimicking the style of a writer from one of the works
studied, or producing a piece of work for an intended purpose such as a letter of
appeal. #ou must be aware of the contexts in which the work was produced,
both historical and cultural.
#ou should take a look at the learning outcomes specic to the part of the
course for which you are writing your written task. They are a!ailable on the
class website.
Task % (both &' ( H'), not including the rationale, must be 8001000 w!r"s in
#engt$. The rati!na#e s$!u#" %e &00'00 w!r"s in #engt$. If the word
limits are exceeded, the assessment will be based on the rst %,))) words of
the task and on the rst *)) words of the rationale.
()a*+#es !, Written Tasks
The following are examples of possible types of written tasks. These are
intended for guidance only and are neither exhausti!e nor compulsory.
+ $ newspaper article which shows the dangers of stereotyping particular
social groups
+ $n additional episode that takes place before the beginning of a no!el and
pro!ides context for the opening se,uence
+ $ letter from one ctional character to another, which re!eals a change in
the relationship between the two characters
+ $n opinion column that emphasi-es the per!asi!eness of ad!ertising and
how certain brands are promoted for the purpose of raising company
prots
+ $ short story exploring a minor character.s !iew of the main action of a
literary text
+ $ public information document explaining the e/ects of new legislation on
a community
+ $ diary entry in which a character from a work of ction re!eals his or her
true feelings about another character or any aspects of the action of a
literary text
+ $n episode from a literary text rewritten to place the action in another
setting
+ $n opinion column that emphasi-es the per!asi!eness of female
stereotyping in ad!ertising and how these stereotypes are promoted for
the purpose of raising company prots
0nce you ha!e decided on your area of study and your particular title, you are
free to produce any text type that is appropriate to the task. 1or example, a
written task discussing the representation of an aspect of gender from part %
could be written as a newspaper editorial (see the example below). $nother
example might be an imagined 2ournal entry from a character in one of the
no!els studied.
'earning
0utcomes
Topic(s) 3ourse
&ection
Text Type
of Task
Title of the Task
4olitical and &tereotypes 4art 5 6ewspap 78other, Wife, 3areer
ideological
in9uence of
the media.
The way
mass media
use language
and image to
inform,
persuade or
entertain
The
representation
of gender in
ad!ertisement
s for
household
goods
er
editorial
Woman and 8aid:
What is a Woman.s
Work;<
=ationale would
identify the
newspaper.s stance
and the way
language is used to
present an opinion
-ati!na#e
The rationale is not included in the word count (>))?%,))) words) for Written
Task % and should be 5))?*)) words in length. Text titles or topics recorded on
the rationale are expected to match those recorded on the co!ersheet.
In their rationale you must explain"
+ how the content of the task is linked to a particular part of the course
+ how the task is intended to explore particular aspects of the course
+ the nature of the task chosen
+ information about audience, purpose and the !arying contexts in which
the task is set
The rationale should not only include knowledge about the text or topic studied,
but also about the formal con!entions of the text type produced and how they
relate to the aims of the task.
Pra.ti.a# -e/uire*ents
#ou may include illustrations in support of their work where this is appropriate.
These must always be electronically embedded, not separately reproduced and
physically attached. Written tasks submitted for assessment must be word
processed and the electronic les must not exceed a maximum si-e, including
any images, of 5 8@. The task must be written in the language $ studied.
#ou must acknowledge all sources used. Where appropriate:for example, when
the task relies on the reader referring to stimulus material such as a key
passage in a literary text, or an illustration, in order to understand what the
student is attempting to do:the source material must be clearly referenced in a
bibliography. These documents may be referred to by the examiner but will not
be taken account of in the assessmentA ne!ertheless they are important
information for the assessor. In addition, this promotes good academic practice.
0riteria ,!r t$e Written Task (SL)
0riteri!n 1: -ati!na#e (!ut !, &)
+ Boes the rationale for the written task explain how the task is linked to the
aspect of the course being in!estigated;
6ote" The word length for the rationale is 5))?*)) words. If the word limit
is exceeded, % mark will be deducted.
8arks 'e!el Bescriptors
) The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors
below.
% The rationale shows some explanation and understanding of the
aspects being in!estigated.
5 The rationale shows clear explanation and understanding of the
aspects being in!estigated.
0riteri!n B: Task an" .!ntent (!ut !, 8)
+ To what extent does the task show understanding of the topic(s) or text(s)
to which it refers;
+ How appropriate is the content to the task chosen;
+ To what extent does the task show understanding of the con!entions of
the text type chosen;
6ote" $ formal essay, such as that produced for paper 5, is not an
appropriate text type for the written task. &ubmission of a formal essay
will limit the marks a!ailable for this criterion.
8arks 'e!el Bescriptors
) The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors
below.
%?5 The task shows little understanding of the topic(s) or text(s) to
which it refers. The content is generally inappropriate to the task
chosen. The task shows little understanding of the con!entions of
the text type chosen.
*?C The task shows some understanding of the topic(s) or text(s) to
which it refers. The content is partially appropriate to the task
chosen. The task shows some understanding of the con!entions of
the text type chosen.
D?E The task shows an ade,uate understanding of the topic(s) or text(s)
to which it refers. The content is generally appropriate to the task
chosen. The task shows an ade,uate understanding of the
con!entions of the text type chosen.
F?> The task shows a good understanding of the topic(s) or text(s) to
which it refers. The content is consistently appropriate to the task
chosen. The task shows a good understanding of the con!entions of
the text type chosen.
0riteri!n 0: Organi2ati!n (!ut !, 3)
+ How well organi-ed is the task;
+ How coherent is the structure;
6ote" The word length for the written task is >))?%,))) words. If the word
limit is exceeded, 5 marks will be deducted.
8arks 'e!el Bescriptors
) The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors
below.
% 'ittle organi-ation and structure are apparent.
5 &ome organi-ation is apparent. The task has some structure,
although it is not sustained.
* The task is organi-ed. The task has some structure, although it is not
sustained.
C The task is organi-ed. The structure is generally coherent.
D The task is well organi-ed. The structure is coherent.
0riteri!n D: Language an" st4#e (!ut !, 3)
+ How e/ecti!e is the use of language and style;
+ How appropriate to the task is the choice of register and style; (7=egister<
refers, in this context, to the student.s use of elements such as
!ocabulary, tone, sentence structure and idiom appropriate to the taskA
register is assessed on the task itself.)
6ote" $ student who writes an appropriate rationale but fails to achie!e an
appropriate register in the task cannot score more than * marks.
8arks 'e!el Bescriptors
) The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors
below.
% There is little clarity, with many basic errorsA little sense of register
and style.
5 There is some clarity, though grammar, spelling and sentence
structure are often inaccurateA some sense of register, style and
appropriate !ocabulary.
* The use of language and the style are generally clear and e/ecti!e,
though there are some inaccuracies in grammar, spelling and
sentence constructionA generally appropriate in register, style and
!ocabulary.
C The use of language and the style are clear and e/ecti!e, with a
good degree of accuracyA sentence construction and !ocabulary are
!aried, showing a growing maturity of styleA the register is
appropriate.
D The use of language and the style are !ery clear and e/ecti!e, with a
!ery good degree of accuracyA sentence construction and !ocabulary
are goodA the style is condent and the register e/ecti!e.
0riteria ,!r Written Task 1 (HL)
0riteri!n 1: -ati!na#e (!ut !, &)
+ Boes the rationale for the written task explain how the task is linked to the
aspects of the course being in!estigated;
6ote" The word length for the rationale is 5))?*)) words. If the word limit
is exceeded, % mark will be deducted.
8arks 'e!el Bescriptors
) The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors
below.
% The rationale shows some explanation and understanding of the
aspects being in!estigated.
5 The rationale shows clear explanation and understanding of the
aspects being in!estigated.
0riteri!n B: Task an" .!ntent (!ut !, 8)
+ To what extent does the task show understanding of the topic(s) or text(s)
to which it refers;
+ How appropriate is the content to the task chosen;
+ To what extent does the task show understanding of the con!entions of
the text type chosen;
$ formal essay, such as that produced for paper 5, is not an appropriate
text type for the written task. &ubmission of a formal essay will limit the
marks a!ailable for this criterion.
8arks 'e!el Bescriptors
) The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors
below.
%G
5
The task shows a supercial understanding of the topic(s) or text(s) to
which it refers. The content is generally inappropriate to the task
chosen. The task shows a supercial understanding of the
con!entions of the text type chosen.
*G
C
The task shows a mostly ade,uate understanding of the topic(s) or
text(s) to which it refers. The content is generally appropriate to the
task chosen. The task shows an ade,uate understanding of the
con!entions of the text type chosen.
DG
E
The task shows a good understanding of the topic(s) or text(s) to
which it refers. The content is mostly appropriate to the task chosen.
The task shows a good understanding of the con!entions of the text
type chosen.
FG The task shows an excellent understanding of the topic(s) or text(s) to
> which it refers. The content is consistently appropriate to the task
chosen. The task shows an excellent understanding of the
con!entions of the text type chosen.
0riteri!n 0: Organi2ati!n (!ut !, 3)
+ How well organi-ed is the task;
+ How coherent is the structure;
6ote" The word length for the written task is >))?%,))) words. If the word
limit is exceeded, 5 marks will be deducted.
8arks 'e!el Bescriptors
) The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors
below.
% 'ittle organi-ation is apparentA the task has little structure.
5 &ome organi-ation is apparentA the task has some structure,
although it is not sustained.
* The task is organi-edA the structure is generally coherent.
C The task is well organi-edA the structure is mostly coherent.
D The task is e/ecti!ely organi-edA the structure is coherent and
e/ecti!e.
0riteri!n D: Language an" st4#e (!ut !, 3)
+ How e/ecti!e is the use of language and style;
+ How appropriate to the task is the choice of register and style; (7=egister<
refers, in this context, to the student.s use of elements such as
!ocabulary, tone, sentence structure and idiom appropriate to the taskA
register is assessed on the task itself.)
6ote" $ student who writes an appropriate rationale but fails to achie!e an
appropriate register in the task cannot score more than * marks.
8arks 'e!el Bescriptors
) The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors
below.
% There is little clarity, with many basic errorsA little sense of register
and style.
5 There is some clarity, though grammar, spelling and sentence
structure are often inaccurateA some sense of register, style and
appropriate !ocabulary.
* The use of language and the style are generally clear and e/ecti!e,
though there are some inaccuracies in grammar, spelling and
sentence constructionA generally appropriate in register, style and
!ocabulary.
C The use of language and the style are clear and e/ecti!e, with a good
degree of accuracyA sentence construction and !ocabulary are !aried,
showing a growing maturity of styleA the register is appropriate.
D The use of language and the style are !ery clear and e/ecti!e, with a
!ery good degree of accuracyA sentence construction and !ocabulary
are goodA the style is condent and the register e/ecti!e.