Written Tasks are an excellent opportunity for students to produce high quality work that achieves a good grade. Whilst the IB Diploma is a demanding course of study, and students have much to do beyond their Group 1 studies, it needs to be impressed on students of Language and Literature that they should spend time on Written Tasks, polishing their work so that, ultimately, it is the best work they are capable of producing.

Prior to the submission of Written Tasks – the one or ones selected for assessment – it can be useful to reinforce to students that Written Tasks constitute 20% of their grade. Encourage students to write as well as they can, and to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. The following document can help guide students.

A Student's Guide

Written Tasks: A Guide to Getting it Right

Dear Students,

Here are a few tips for final submission of your Written Task(s). You may decide how much effort to put into the submission of Written Tasks. However, it is the case that Written Tasks are worth 20% of your final course grade; this is significant. And, the better your Written Tasks are, the better your final course grade is likely to be. Follow this advice, please:

-       It is important you stick to any deadline your teacher sets. If you do not stick to deadlines, you may receive less guidance from your teacher, and the greater is the risk that something, such as a signature on a cover sheet, is missed. If you do not sign your cover sheet, your work will not be marked.

-       Complete the Cover Sheet(s) completely and accurately. Use black ink and/or type information as instructed by your teacher. You must sign your Cover Sheet(s).

-       Ensure that for each Written Task you submit, your candidate session number is on each page of your task, including the rationale and (for HL students) the outline.

-       Stick to word limits. Written Tasks should be between 800-1000 words. A rationale should be between 200-300 words, and it is useful to aim to be as detailed as the word limit permits. Outlines (for HL students) have no word limit (but see below).

-       The rationale for Written Task 1 (completed by both SL and HL students) should contain at least the following detail: how the content of the task is linked to a particular part of the course; how the task is intended to explore a particular aspect of the course; the nature of the task chosen; information about audience, purpose and the varying contexts in which the task is set.

-       The outline for Written Task 2 (completed by HL students only) should include the following: the prescribed question that has been chosen; the title of the text(s) for analysis; the part of the course to which the task refers; three or four points that explain the particular focus of the task. The outline has no word limit; aim to be clear, precise, and succinct.

-       HL students must submit two Written Tasks. One of the tasks submitted – Task 2 – must be a critical response to one of the six prescribed questions (that your teacher has provided).

-       For HL students, one of the tasks submitted must be based on a literary text studied in Part 3 or 4 of the course. The other must be based on material studied in Part 1 or 2 of the course.

-       All pages should be numbered. The first page you should number is your rationale and (for HL students) outline. Your rationale and (for HL students) outline should precede your Written Task.

-       It is really important that you do not plagiarize. If you plagiarize, it is highly likely that you will not receive your IB Diploma. Accordingly, you should reference appropriately, acknowledging all sources used. Your list of works cited should be included on a separate piece of paper immediately following your Written Task. In Written Task 1 (which both SL and HL students complete), it may be the case that you embed an idea or direct quotation from a text into your Written Task. You need not include an ‘in-text’ citation or footnote to acknowledge this (as this may lead to your text appearing ‘inauthentic’), but you must acknowledge this in your references/works cited, including actual quotations where relevant. For Written Task 2, you should reference in exactly the same way as you would reference other essays (such as your Extended Essay, or TOK essay). If you are in any doubt about what constitutes appropriate referencing, or if you think you risk plagiarizing, please consult your teacher.

-       Successful Written Tasks give the impression of being authentic. For example, if you write an editorial intended to be included in The Straits Times, then what you write, including the physical appearance/layout, style, register, and vocabulary, should aim to ‘replicate’ the authentic text. You may append an authentic text to your Written Task. Do not include any appended example text in your page numbering or word count, but do include (i.e. count) the page(s) as you complete the ‘total number of sheets attached’ box on your cover sheet. Examiners are not obliged to read attachments to Written Tasks, but the practice may help examiners in understanding your Written Task, and enable them to ‘credit it’ with higher marks. 

-       Written tasks should be free of spelling and grammatical error, unless, in the interests of authenticity, deviation from standard spelling and grammar is a feature of your text type.

-       You should have access to the grading criteria for Written Tasks. When you are confident that your Written Task(s) is as good as it possibly can be, you may want to self-assess your work against the grading criteria. And, then, you may decide that your work can be further improved.

-       Finally, ask yourself if your work is your best possible effort. Is it?