IB Classical languages HL composition: provisional structure and steps
The HL composition is an externally assessed Classical languages coursework task. Students write a prose composition of 100 words of Latin or 120 words of Greek and a rationale of at most 10 entries, for 25 marks in total. This structure has 3 sections and is provisional, because the criterion names are not yet confirmed here.
Some details on this page are still being checked against the IB guide.
At a glance
| Task | HL composition |
|---|---|
| Guide | Classical languages guide, first assessment 2024 |
| Sessions | Latin: Latin candidates in May 2027, November 2027 and May 2028 Classical Greek: Classical Greek candidates in May 2027, November 2027 and May 2028 |
| Levels | HL |
| Assessment | External |
| Weighting | 20% at HL |
| Limit | Latin: 100 words of Latin, in a free prose composition with a rationale of at most 10 entries; what happens over the limit is not confirmed. Classical Greek: 120 words of Greek, in a free prose composition with a rationale of at most 10 entries; what happens over the limit is not confirmed. |
| Criteria | Composition (6), Commentary and rationale (19): 25 marks. The 25 marks and the 6 for the composition come from a teacher's published account of the guide. The IB's criterion names and the split of the other 19 marks are not confirmed, so the 2 row names describe the parts. |
| What is changing | No new Classical languages course is announced, so one structure covers all 3 sessions. |
This piece has 2 versions, each with its own structure below. Write the one for your session.
The structure, section by section: Latin
Sessions: Latin candidates in May 2027, November 2027 and May 2028.
1. Statement of intentions
Rewarded by a criterion · Criterion: Commentary and rationale · Outside the word count
The author or style the composition emulates and the features it will show; the rationale is judged against it.
- Choose the author or style you will emulate.
- List the features your composition will show.
- Match the list to the rationale entries you plan.
2. Composition
Required by the IB · Criterion: Composition
Prose of 100 words of Latin or 120 words of Greek.
- Draft in Latin or Greek.
- Check morphology and syntax.
- Count against 100 (Latin) or 120 (Greek).
- Revise for style.
3. Rationale
Required by the IB · Criterion: Commentary and rationale · Outside the word count
At most 10 entries, each pointing to exact words and explaining the choice and its model.
- Pick your 10 most telling choices.
- For each, quote the exact words.
- Explain the choice and its model.
- Tie each entry to a stated intention.
The structure, section by section: Classical Greek
Sessions: Classical Greek candidates in May 2027, November 2027 and May 2028.
1. Statement of intentions
Rewarded by a criterion · Criterion: Commentary and rationale · Outside the word count
The author or style the composition emulates and the features it will show; the rationale is judged against it.
- Choose the author or style you will emulate.
- List the features your composition will show.
- Match the list to the rationale entries you plan.
2. Composition
Required by the IB · Criterion: Composition
Prose of 100 words of Latin or 120 words of Greek.
- Draft in Latin or Greek.
- Check morphology and syntax.
- Count against 100 (Latin) or 120 (Greek).
- Revise for style.
3. Rationale
Required by the IB · Criterion: Commentary and rationale · Outside the word count
At most 10 entries, each pointing to exact words and explaining the choice and its model.
- Pick your 10 most telling choices.
- For each, quote the exact words.
- Explain the choice and its model.
- Tie each entry to a stated intention.
What counts toward the limit
Latin (Latin candidates in May 2027, November 2027 and May 2028)
Only the composition is counted against 100 words of Latin or 120 words of Greek; the statement of intentions and the rationale of at most 10 entries are outside that count. How the IB counts Latin and Greek words is not confirmed.
The limit: 100 words of Latin, in a free prose composition with a rationale of at most 10 entries; what happens over the limit is not confirmed.
Classical Greek (Classical Greek candidates in May 2027, November 2027 and May 2028)
Only the composition is counted against 100 words of Latin or 120 words of Greek; the statement of intentions and the rationale of at most 10 entries are outside that count. How the IB counts Latin and Greek words is not confirmed.
The limit: 120 words of Greek, in a free prose composition with a rationale of at most 10 entries; what happens over the limit is not confirmed.
Graphs and visuals
- Rationale entries beside the words they explain Table, occasional
2 columns. No source supports this frequency.
The frequencies are our estimates, from what the IB guide expects and what teachers advise. We did not count them in marked work.
Citations
The IB prescribes no style and no rule specific to this task was found; author-date styles such as Harvard are common in classical studies. List any model texts you used.
The workspace keeps your sources and writes the bibliography in Harvard to start with. You can switch to APA 7th, MLA 9th, Chicago author-date or Chicago notes (footnotes) at any point.
Pitfalls
- A composition over 100 words of Latin or 120 words of Greek.
- A rationale with more than 10 entries.
- Rationale entries that do not quote the exact words they explain.
- A statement of intentions that the rationale entries do not match.
Write it in the workspace
These sections in order with their steps, a word counter that counts the way this page says, your sources and a bibliography, and graphs from your own data. Export to Word or PDF.
The workspace is free with an account, and it never writes or rewrites your text. What we will and will not do with your coursework →
Sources
- IB, Classical languages subject brief, first assessment 2024
- IB blog post on the classical languages guide transition
- IB, "Read curriculum updates" (page last updated 24 March 2026)
The IB documents behind this page, checked 29 October 2026. The linked ones are on ibo.org; the others are IB documents we read in copies hosted elsewhere, so we name them without a link. Everything above is in our own words: the official wording is in your subject guide, which your coordinator can give you. LimeAdmissions is independent of the International Baccalaureate Organization, which has not endorsed this page. Every coursework structure →