I am struggling with English: Language & Literature (HL) Paper 2. When I write practice papers, I never know how to structure my work to include the criterion A) knowledge of texts and contexts.

Paper 2 is among the most challenging Lang & Lit assignments, but don’t worry, with enough practice and a clear structure in your head, the 2-hour exam can be about you ‘filling in the blanks’. First of all, I recommend limiting yourself to only 2 texts in your answer. This way you can develop your analysis more and your paper will be easier to navigate both for yourself and the examiner. Speaking of making your paper easier to navigate, and I cannot stress this enough, include a thesis statement at the end of your introduction! Providing a sentence or two that outline your argument can make the difference between a 5 and a 6 / between a 6 and a 7. Now for the criterion A). You can get a half of A) out of the way in your introduction. When establishing what texts you will be writing about, include the name of the author, their country of origin, and descriptive adjectives - for example, one could describe Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go as a ‘dystopian novel’. You should include a sentence or two summarizing the basic plot of the books, but remember, your paper should be analytical, not descriptive. The rest of A) you can tackle by supporting your analysis ( criterions B) and C) ) with references to specific moments within the books. Again, do not just retell the plot, but prove to the examiner that you have read the texts, be specific. The easiest way of doing so is to memorize 3 - 5 short quotes from each text you might be using for your exam.