Survival Guide for IB English Paper 2
The 'little sister' of Analysis Simplified. Cram-friendly and full of practical goodness.
The Paper 2 monster
Preparing for the IB English Paper 2 exam can seem a bit like a complicated mess, because... it is!
I mean, where do we begin? We have to know about our texts, understand specific aspects about our texts (but which aspects?), know how to compare and contrast texts... The list goes on.
That's why this course exists: An antidote to all the madness that is IB English Paper 2.
A practical guide
This course simplifies the process and gives you practical advice to improve your Paper 2 skills right away.
We simplify Paper 2 preparation into three logical steps:
- Understanding EXACTLY what you need to know about your texts to achieve a 7
- Understanding EXACTLY how to plan, brainstorm and structure your Paper 2 essay to achieve a 7
- Understanding EXACTLY how to write the essay: introduction, comparative analysis, and conclusion
Your Instructor
Jackson Huang is an IB 45 grad. He was admitted to Harvard, Amherst and Williams Colleges for the Class of 2019; he also received full scholarships to the University of Melbourne and Queensland. He won the 2013 International Brain Bee Championship, and presented his chemistry EE to Nobel Prize laureate Buckminster Fuller in the US.
In 2014, he scored 20/20 in IB English Paper 1 with only two main points (because he understood how structure + analysis really work--no, you don't need 3 points). After graduating, Jackson taught IB English for two years before founding LitLearn in 2016. LitLearn's IB English Method has since helped 400,000+ students.
What do I get in this course?
The course has three sections. Each section contains written guides.
Part 1: Understanding the text
We talk about four levels of understanding for IB English texts, and then we give you some questions to answer to help you reach each level.
Part 2: How to plan and brainstorm for Paper 2
Planning and brainstorming are the most important parts of Paper 2. Without good ideas from the beginning, no amount of analytical skill will be able to save your essay.
We talk about:
- a basic and an advanced essay structure
- how to brainstorm strong ideas
- how to go from unrelated evidence to a cohesive, sophisticated argument
- how to craft a strong thesis for Paper 2
Part 2: How to write comparative analysis
We talk about:
- how to write an effective introduction for Paper 2
- what is a good vs. bad introduction
- how to write comparative analysis -- the core part of Paper 2
- how to write conclusions
The Survival Guide for IB English Paper 2 is a concise course that teaches you the tips and tricks on how to do well in the exam.
What is not included in this course?
This course does not provide exemplar essays. It does however provide illustrative examples of exemplar introductions and analysis. Exemplar Paper 2 essays will be a separate LitLearn product.
Is this course for me?
LitLearn created this course for someone who:
- Studies IB English Literature or Language/Literature
- Wants to learn the proven approach to preparing for and writing Paper 2 essays
- Is stressed or confused about IB English Paper 2
- Hasn't received useful, concrete steps from your teacher
- Is short on time and can't afford to waste it on long, drawn-out textbooks
How much time will this course take?
You're probably (no, definitely!) busy preparing for 5 other subjects, 2 other Internal Assessments, and 10 other exams.
That's why we've made this course as concise as possible with the essential information. Nothing less, nothing more. The course will take at most 2 hours to read through, with some exercises that requires ongoing effort (e.g. gathering quotes, understanding the themes in your texts better; you know, that stuff).
If all the course content was pasted into a Google Doc, it'd be no more than 30 pages (including some images and memes)!