The IB DP is an academically challenging and rigorous program.

It puts a lot of pressure and responsibility on students, and despite there being fewer assessed components than before, the recently revised English A course is no different.

Indeed, when the IBO released the revised Language and Literature curriculum for first teaching in 2019 and assessments in 2021, it offered greater flexibility and freedom for teachers and students.

However, it also raised a lot of questions and concerns.

How should you structure the course? What is the significance of the learner portfolio? What are global issues? How do you prepare students for the Individual Oral (IO)? These are just some of the things that were going through my mind at the start of the last academic year.

Whether you are new to the course, or an experienced teacher looking for some reassurance, below are four things I have learned in the last 12 months that will help you tackle the course. 

1. Embrace flexibility 

The course structure is very flexible. This gives you the freedom to experiment, but it could also be a constraint.

The key is to find an approach that will work for you and your students. There is no right or wrong way, as long as your choice of texts meets the course requirements - see the course guide, available on MyIB.

This can still be tricky to know you are getting right.

So perhaps the easiest and perhaps the most logical way of structuring the course is by the seven guiding concepts. Use them to frame your units of study, and do not be afraid to group the concepts as some texts will address more than one!

For example, 1984 could fit into Perspective as well as Representation, whereas Persepolis could be taught through the concepts of Culture and Identity.

Or another way of structuring the course could be by areas of exploration prescribed by the IBO.

Group your text choices into the following: Readers and Writers, Time and Space, and Intertextuality. Use the guiding questions as a way ‘in’ to your chosen texts. 

2. Set clear expectations

The purpose of the learner portfolio is for students to read, write and document ideas. It is not only an excellent reflective tool but also a place for students to track their growth and development as critical thinkers.

The portfolio is not formally assessed, therefore it is easy to lose sight of it in favour of an assessed component. However, it is vital to your students’ success on the course and beyond.

The first thing to consider is the format of the portfolio - which again is ultimately up to you.

Some platforms to consider are Google Sites, Google Drive folder, Padlet, ManageBac or a good old-fashioned scrapbook. My favourite portfolios use Google Sites and Padlet.

Tell students exactly what you want to see in the portfolio. Once again, there is no right or wrong approach but it is important you decide what you want and set the guidelines from there so they have a consistent understanding of your expectations.

Give them lesson time to complete portfolio pieces - model reviews, creative responses, analysis and other text types. The more text types your students analyse and produce, the easier they will prepare for the non-fiction Paper 1 exam.

Another good idea is to ask them to present their portfolios and explain their thought processes to their classmates - this will help with the development of communication and social skills as well and deal with critical evaluations from their peers.

You should also challenge students to draw links to the Theory of Knowledge - this will enable them to develop skills of inquiry, critical thinking and reflection, whilst also guiding them to access higher-order thinking.

And to underpin all of this come up with success criteria and provide regular feedback - this is vital for keeping students engaged with the portfolio throughout the course.

3. Give guidance - but not too much

The Individual Oral asks students to find connections between a literary extract, a non-literary body of work, and a global issue of their choice.

This is one of the most exciting aspects of the new course, but it may also seem the most intimidating.

Ideally, I would recommend choosing bodies of work that link to your literary texts, and let students find these connections by themselves. Model how this should be done, but let them be the thinkers.

You can then allow students to create their own lines of inquiry, even if these are not what you would choose.

You should also definitely build in a lot of time to practice this in class - students only get one chance to complete their IO, so they must get it right.

Some of the best IOs I have listened to last year came up with global issues and connections that I was initially sceptical about, or would not have considered myself. One standout example was the exploration of internalised oppression in Othello and the documentary 13th on Netflix.

4. Ask questions, seek help, and share your thoughts

You are not alone!

One year on, many of us still have questions about aspects of the course. Reach out to other teachers, who may be able to help. Equally, reach and share your expertise and experiences.

There are multiple subject-specific IBDP groups on Facebook and Twitter, where educators from all around the world contribute ideas and answer each other’s queries.

Many of those contributing are also workshop leaders and examiners, so their advice is invaluable.

The IB Learner Profile encourages students to be open-minded inquirers, thinkers and communicators.

These values are also at the heart of the new Language A course.

Karolina Malinowska is an assistant head of English at an international school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.