Transformation is one of 7 concepts that underpin teaching and learning in the English A: Language and Literature Course. Linking to the 3 areas of exploration, these 7 concepts enable students to make connections between works and texts as they transition across their course of study.

The concept of transformation is bound to the idea of intertextuality. Texts may be said to exist not as isolated unitary works, but rather as intertexts in which the meanings of any one text is always bound to other earlier texts. Such an understanding highlights the connections that exist between a text, other texts, and meaning. Texts may be said to appropriate and borrow from other texts, extending, changing, and challenging in creative and imaginative ways that which has gone before. Readers too are transformed by texts where reading is understood as an act of creative construction rather than linear transmission. Moreover, the act of reading may transform readers in more direct ways. That is, reading can influence how we think and how we behave. If the IB mission statement endeavours to establish a better and more peaceful world, it can be useful for teachers to think about selecting literary works and non-literary texts that have the potential to transform hearts and minds.