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Higher level essay

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  • Higher level essay

The Higher Level Essay is a 1200-1500 word essay completed internally in your class but is externally assessed by an examiner.  It is worth 20% of your final IB grade.  It is a processed piece of writing that is completed over time and with guidance from your teacher.  It is the only opportunity for you, as a Higher Level student, to write an essay not under exam conditions.  As the title suggests, this is for HL students only.

You may write about a non-literary body of work you've studied in class or you may use any one of the six literary works you have studied as part of the course.

Key tip:  You can use any literary work or non-literary body of work studied in the course for one assessment component only.  Therefore, if you use Hamlet for the Higher Level Essay, you cannot use Hamlet in either your IO or Paper 2.

If you decide to focus on non-literary texts, and if you need to consult a number of texts, it is important that these texts are of the same text type, and that the texts are the work of one writer or producer (a "body of work"). Also, at least one of the non-literary texts you write about must have been studied in class as part of the course.  You may base your essay on texts or works in translation.  These should be professional translations.

Key tip: Texts and works in other languages that have not been professionally translated are inappropriate.  You can't watch a TV commercial and translate it yourself!

You may choose to use the course concepts to help narrow down your topic, title, line of inquiry, and thesis.  However, the HLE must be your own work and thinking.  Your teacher cannot prescribe topics or titles.     

The basics

  • The HLE is a 1200-1500 word formal, academic essay.
  • The HLE is a processed essay and will take time to develop.
  • The HLE is based on work(s) or text(s) studied in the course.
  • You select your own topic, title, line of inquiry and thesis although your teacher is there to guide and support you in the process.
  • You cannot base your essay on any work or text that was used for the Individual Oral or that will be used for Paper 2.
  • It is not a requirement to use or consult secondary sources although you may if you so desire.