Language A HL essay structure: sections, criteria and word count

At a glance

The structure, section by section

1. Title

Common practice · Criterion: C (indirect) · Outside the word count

The work or text and its author, and a short phrase that points to the focus.

1. Name the work or text and its author.
2. Add a few words that point to your focus.
3. Keep it to 1 line.
4. Revise it after drafting so it matches your final argument.

2. Introduction with the line of inquiry

Required by the IB · Criterion: C, A

The work or text and its author; the line of inquiry, stated explicitly; the route the argument will take; only the context the argument uses. For a set of non-literary texts: the text type, the author and each text.

1. Identify the work or text and its author.
2. Write your line of inquiry as 1 clear statement or question.
3. Set out the order of your argument in 1 or 2 sentences.
4. Keep only the context your argument uses.
5. For a set of non-literary texts, name the text type, the author and each text.
6. After drafting, check that your conclusion answers this exact line of inquiry.

3. Body sections (usually 3 to 5)

Rewarded by a criterion · Criterion: A, B, C

1 sub-claim per section; precise references and short quotations; analysis of how choices of language, technique and style shape meaning; for non-literary texts, the conventions of the text type.

1. Sort your learner portfolio notes by sub-claim.
2. Order the sub-claims so each one moves the line of inquiry forward.
3. Open each section with its sub-claim.
4. Quote or reference precisely, then explain how each choice shapes meaning.
5. End each section by linking back to the line of inquiry.
6. Cut any plot summary that does no analytical work.

4. Secondary sources (optional, inside the body sections)

Common practice · Criterion: A, B · Only when it applies

A critical, theoretical or linguistic source that tests the student's own reading; optional under the guide.

1. Decide whether a source sharpens your argument.
2. Keep your own reading in the lead and use the source to test it.
3. Cite it at the point of use.
4. Add it to your works cited.

5. Conclusion

Rewarded by a criterion · Criterion: C

A direct answer to the line of inquiry; the strongest findings drawn together; brief significance or limits; all of it before word 1,500.

1. Answer your line of inquiry directly.
2. Draw your strongest findings together.
3. State their significance or limits in 1 or 2 sentences.
4. Check the running count: your conclusion must end before word 1,500.

6. Works cited

Required by the IB · Outside the word count

Every source used, starting with the edition of the primary text, in 1 style.

1. Record the edition of your primary text.
2. Add each source the first time you use it.
3. Use your school's style throughout.
4. Check that every in-text citation has an entry.

7. Footnotes

Common practice · Criterion: C (guards) · Outside the word count · Only when it applies

References only, when the chosen style uses notes; not counted.

1. Use notes for references only.
2. Keep every point of argument in the body.

What counts toward the limit

Counts: the introduction, body, conclusion and quotations, plus headings, table text and caption words, because no rule was found for those. Does not count: the title, in-text citations and page or line references, footnotes and endnotes, the works cited and appendices.

The limit: 1,200 to 1,500 words. Examiners stop reading at the limit.

Graphs and visuals

• Reproduction of an analysed non-literary visual text (advertisement, cartoon, photograph), Language and literature only Image, occasional
  Caption with maker, title, date and source, add an in-text citation, and keep it a legible size. The frequency is inferred from the text types the guide allows, and no IB statement on embedding images was found.
• Table Table, rare
  Give it a numbered caption. No criterion rewards tabulation.
• Graph Plotted, rare
  No special conventions are needed.

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, so the school chooses and you apply one consistently. MLA is the default here; no source confirms it as the usual Language A style, and a secondary source also suggests Chicago or APA.

The workspace keeps your sources and writes the bibliography in MLA 9th to start with. You can switch to APA 7th, Chicago author-date, Chicago notes (footnotes) or Harvard at any point.

Pitfalls

• A work already used for the individual oral, or a work planned for Paper 2.
• A narrow commentary on 1 passage, or a contextual, historical, political, philosophical or sociological angle that pushes the literary or linguistic analysis aside.
• A conclusion that falls after word 1,500 and goes unread, or an essay under 1,200 words.
• Analysis moved into footnotes, which examiners may disregard.
• In Language and literature, a set of non-literary texts that mixes text types or authors, has none studied in class, or relies on an amateur translation.
• A work too thin to sustain a developed argument.

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Sources

• IB, Examiner Instructions 2027: Language A (Higher level essay section)
• Examiner instructions 2026: Studies in language and literature
• Language A: literature guide, first assessment 2021
• IB, "Read curriculum updates" (page last updated 24 March 2026)
• Language A: literature guide, first assessment 2021 (published Feb 2019)
• Language A: language and literature guide, first assessment 2021 (published Feb 2019)

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 →