IB Docs (2) Team
WT1 HL S6 (The Black Cat)
Written Task 1 is a bit like the Wild West: wide open, extremely exciting and well, potentially very dangerous. Students have an almost unlimited number of options and possibilities available to them. As long as they write about course content, the text type they choose can be as varied as the students we teach. Here at InThinking, we've cataloged a wide range of exemplars to use with your students. In no particular order, they include the following text types: speeches, letters of all sorts (here, here and here), blogs (here and here), opinion editorials, magazine columns, pastiches or additional scenes in the style of the author, new endings to a novel, newspaper editorials, satirical flyers, vignettes, diary entries, and even a translation of sorts.
This is another edition to the Wild West: a psychological profile of a character in literature. Taken from Part 4 of the course, the student analyzes the unnamed narrator in Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Black Cat." You can find the short story online through a simple search, although it is linked here as well.
The psychological profile does many things well: it strikes the right tone using the register of a psychiatrist; it present the information in a formal and professional layout; and finally, it uses key information from the short story to analyze the narrator's traits. The task also demonstrates the potential pitfall of delving into too much description or plot summary.
Use this exemplar with your students to help them get their head around this assessment task. You might couple it with another very different option on the site to demonstrate just how open, or wild, this assessment can get.
Sample Written Task
Written Task HL (The Black Cat)
N.B. This Written Task is only available in PDF format.
Teacher's Comments
Criterion A - Rationale - 2 marks
The rationale explains how the task is connected to the coursework.
2 out of 2: The rationale is clear and explicit in terms of audience and purpose. It shows the connection to the part of the course and the objective as well. It also explains the style and tone of the piece in a detailed manner.
Criterion B - Task and Content - 8 marks
The content of a task should lend itself well to the type of text one chooses. The task should demonstrate an understanding of the coursework and topics studied. Finally, there should be evidence that the student has understood the conventions of writing a particular text type.
6 out of 8: The task is focused on the characterization, specifically the mental state, of the narrator. The use of quotations aids in the analysis of the narrator. The formatting, layout, and overall style also adhere to the text type (a psychological profile). However, the candidate describes the narrator and his actions a bit too much. Less plot and more analysis of his mental state is needed.
Criterion C - Organization - 5 marks
The task is organized effectively and appropriately with a regard for the text type. There must be a sense of coherence.
5 out of 5: This task is very effectively organized. It flows logically and is very coherent. Unfortunately, because of the nature of the text type, the student moves into description or plot a bit too often, but this is a fault in Criterion B, not C. The text type almost requires this background information and that is something candidates will need to consider when choosing a text type.
Criterion D - Language - 5 marks
The language of the task must be appropriate to the nature of the task. This means that students use an appropriate and effective register and style. Whatever the nature of the task, ideas must be communicated effectively.
4 out of 5: The student uses a very clear and effective style, sounding and responding like a doctor. A few too many errors in expression though are enough to keep this at a 4 in this criterion.
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