IB ENGLISH · PAPER 1

IB Paper 1 — Unseen Text Analysis

A six-lesson programme from Band 5 to Band 7 — one paragraph shape, one verb toolkit, one self-mark protocol.

The Full Exam Landscape — where this course fits
All four IB components (Paper 1, Paper 2, HL Essay, Individual Oral) with weightings, timings, and why Paper 1 is where this course invests. Start here for the big picture.
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Paper 1 — The Learning Pathway (this course)
Zoom in: the six-station route, the PACER paragraph, the band-progression bar, and the text types the exam will serve up. One page, at a glance.
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The 6-lesson sequence

Each lesson is 50 minutes. Open in order — every lesson builds on the previous one. The Reference materials are teacher-facing and should not be opened on the student's screen.

Student-facing lessons

Lesson 1 · 50 min

Three Levels of Analysis

The ladder from identification → description → analysis. Diagnoses what is missing in current writing using sample Orwell passages and the student's own recent essay.

Diagnostic Criterion A
Lesson 2 · 50 min

Naming the Technique

A library of 15 named techniques in 3 categories. Spotting game, Orwell close-read, annotation practice.

Vocabulary Criterion A
Lesson 3 · 50 min

Effect on the Reader

The verb toolkit — positions, unsettles, reframes. The half of the sentence that earns Band 6+ marks. Animal Farm practice.

Effect verbs Band 6+
Lesson 4 · 50 min

The PACER Framework

5 paragraph slots: Position, Apply, Connect, Evaluate, Reader. Annotated models on unseen extracts and Orwell. Build-your-own scaffold.

Structure Criterion B
Lesson 5 · 50 min

Comparing, Not Stapling

Connector toolkit for integrated comparison. Where… / by contrast / together… Rebuild a stapled paragraph into an integrated one.

Comparison Paper 1 & 2
Lesson 6 · 50 min

Timed Essay & Self-Marking

Unseen Woolf passage. 10-min plan, 30-min write, 10-min self-mark with the Criterion A rubric. Click-to-start timers.

Assessment Capstone

Techniques in Action — six short-story workshops

Companion practice for Lesson 3 (Effect on the Reader). Each lesson takes a canonical short story and drills the same loop: spot the technique, name it precisely, and pin down the effect verb — what the text does to the reader. Order is flexible; pick whatever fits the student's interest.

Gogol

The Overcoat

Free-indirect discourse, bathos, and the verbs of pity and disdain. How the narrator's distance unsettles the reader's sympathy.

Narrative voice Effect verbs
Poe

The Tell-Tale Heart

Unreliable narration, repetition, and rising syntax. The verbs that name how a sentence destabilises the reader.

Unreliable narrator Effect verbs
Bierce

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Shifting time, sensory imagery, and the twist. Verbs of perception and misdirection — how structure manipulates trust.

Structure Imagery
Chopin

The Story of an Hour

Compression, irony, and the verb that pivots — "abandoned", "reframed", "released". A masterclass in how a short text changes the reader's stance.

Irony Pivot verbs
Jacobs

The Monkey's Paw

Foreshadowing, the rule of three, and atmosphere. Verbs of dread — how the text tightens, encloses, foreshadows.

Foreshadowing Atmosphere
Saki

The Open Window

Embedded narrative, comic deflation, and the verbs of misdirection. How a single line "recasts" everything the reader has just believed.

Comic technique Misdirection

The IB pathway — which programme is this for?

The IB has two relevant programmes. A typical diagnostic worksheet — hybrid of MCQ comprehension and essay analysis — fits both, but the essay register ("authorial choices", "effects on the reader") is firmly in the Diploma Programme (DP) register. Most students using this course are in DP1 (Year 12) preparing for Paper 1.

MYP English Language & Literature

Years 7–11 (Ages 11–16)

Four criteria, each marked out of 8:

  • A: Analysing
  • B: Organising
  • C: Producing text
  • D: Using language

Final assessment in Year 11 (eAssessment). Worksheets in this programme tend to use simpler register — "techniques and their effects" rather than "authorial choices".

DP English Language & Literature (more likely)

Years 12–13 (Ages 16–18)

Three external assessments:

  • Paper 1: Guided textual analysis of an unseen non-literary text (1.25 hrs SL / 2.25 hrs HL)
  • Paper 2: Comparative essay on two studied literary works (1.75 hrs)
  • HL Essay / IO: Coursework + Individual Oral (10 mins recorded analysis)

The typical diagnostic worksheet — "authorial choices" + reader effect — is straight DP Criterion A territory. This is the most likely match.

The 4 DP assessment criteria (out of 10 each, except Crit D which is out of 5)

CriterionWhat it measuresWhere this course targets it
A Analysis & Evaluation Understanding of the text + interpretation of authorial choices and their effects. Lessons 1, 2, 3, 6 — the spine of the course.
B Focus & Organisation Coherent structure, paragraph development, logical sequencing. Lessons 4 (PACER) + 5 (integration).
C Knowledge & Understanding (Paper 2) Grasp of the studied literary works and their context. Targeted in separate literature lessons (not in this course).
D Language Clarity, accuracy, register, style of the student's own prose. Light-touch coverage in Lesson 6 self-mark; a separate "register" lesson would deepen this if needed.

Where the typical entry student sits (best estimate from a diagnostic essay)

  • Criterion A: Band 4–5 of 10. Identifies techniques but rarely names them precisely; rarely articulates the effect on the reader.
  • Criterion B: Band 4–5 of 10. Paragraphs exist but lack a 5-slot shape; ideas are listed rather than argued.
  • Criterion D: Band 3 of 5. Clear prose with some imprecise vocabulary ("shows", "tells us").
Realistic target after the 6 lessons: Criterion A → Band 6/7 of 10; Criterion B → Band 6 of 10; Criterion D → Band 4 of 5. Translates to an overall grade jump of roughly one IB level (e.g. 4 → 5, or 5 → 6) by the next mock.

The 9 sub-skills, mapped across the 6 lessons

Each lesson trains specific sub-skills. The grid below shows where each is introduced (●) and where it is reinforced (◐).

Sub-skill L1L2L3L4L5L6
Move beyond identification → analysis●◐◐◐◐◐
Name techniques precisely◐●◐◐◐◐
Articulate effect on the reader◐◐●◐◐◐
Build a paragraph with a thesis◐●◐◐
Connect two pieces of evidence◐●◐◐
Evaluate (zoom out from evidence)◐●◐◐
Compare two texts / two moments◐●◐
Use precise academic register◐●●◐●◐
Self-assess against a rubric◐◐◐●

● = primary focus   ◐ = practised / reinforced

Visualised sequence

1 Diagnose
the gap
→
2 Name
techniques
→
3 Add the
effect
→
4 Shape the
paragraph
→
5 Integrate
evidence
→
6 Time
& self-mark
Why this order matters: students who jump straight to PACER (L4) without effect verbs (L3) end up with elegantly structured paragraphs that still sit at Band 4. The verbs come before the structure.

How to run the course

Per-lesson rhythm (50 minutes)

  1. 0–5 min — Recall. One question from last week's lesson (e.g. "Name three effect verbs from Lesson 3"). Use the Cheat Card from the previous lesson if needed.
  2. 5–15 min — Tab 1 of the lesson. The hook / weak-vs-strong comparison. Keep it conversational.
  3. 15–35 min — Tabs 2–3. The new vocabulary / framework + worked examples. Reveal answers after the student attempts.
  4. 35–47 min — Tab 4 ("Your Turn"). Student writes; you coach. Use the Answer Key (Lesson 1) or the embedded reveal buttons.
  5. 47–50 min — Cheat Card & assignment. Quick review + the homework note inside that lesson.

Between lessons

  • Open the IB Teacher Tracker and update the coverage grid + lesson notes.
  • Tick the band you would award the student's work this week. The trajectory chart will fill in over the 6 weeks.

Adapting for a single 50-minute slot

If you only get one slot rather than six, run a diagnostic-and-toolkit lesson:

  • 10 min — Lesson 1 Tab 2 ("The Ladder")
  • 10 min — Lesson 2 Cheat Card (technique vocabulary)
  • 15 min — Lesson 3 Tab 1 + Tab 4 (effect verbs in context)
  • 15 min — Lesson 4 Tab 2 (PACER slots) + one written paragraph

If the student gets stuck on a specific slot

  • Cannot write a P (thesis): ask "what is the writer doing that they did not have to do?" Force an arguable claim.
  • Cannot write a C (connection): insist on one connector phrase from Lesson 5 Tab 1 — e.g. "this is extended by…", "by contrast…".
  • Cannot write an E (evaluate): prompt with "Together, these two choices…" and have the student finish the sentence.
  • Writes "this shows that…": stop, point to Lesson 3 Cheat Card, replace with an effect verb on the spot.
Programme philosophy: the goal is not to teach every IB technique. It is to give the student repeatable moves they can run on any unseen text in any pressure situation. Six lessons. One paragraph shape. One verb toolkit. One self-mark protocol.

File quick-reference

FileAudiencePurpose
ib_lesson_01_three_levels.htmlStudentLesson 1 (50 min)
ib_lesson_02_naming_techniques.htmlStudentLesson 2 (50 min)
ib_lesson_03_effect_on_reader.htmlStudentLesson 3 (50 min)
ib_lesson_04_pacer_framework.htmlStudentLesson 4 (50 min)
ib_lesson_05_comparing_not_stapling.htmlStudentLesson 5 (50 min)
ib_lesson_06_timed_essay.htmlStudentLesson 6 (50 min) — assessment
ib_lesson_01_answer_key.htmlTeacher onlyL1 worked answers + 50-min flow
ib_teacher_tracker.htmlTeacher onlyPrivate progress dashboard
ib_course_dashboard.htmlBothThis page — programme overview