Is a 5 In English A1SL difficult to get?

[khalid]

I got a B in my IGCSE First language exam as well as my IGCSE English Literature Exam. However, I have been told by teachers and students that a 'B' in IGCSE is terrible for IB English A1. In their opinions, I should change to English A2. If I were to take English A1, I would take it at a standard level. But it is very crucial for me to get 5, is it hard? What Should i do to ensure i get a 5?

Thank you very much for your opinions and advices.

Edited May 19, 2011 by khalid

[ocfx]

I got a B in my IGCSE First language exam as well as my IGCSE English Literature Exam. However, I have been told by teachers and students that a 'B' in IGCSE is terrible for IB English A1. In their opinions, I should change to English A2. If I were to take English A1, I would take it at a standard level. But it is very crucial for me to get 5, is it hard? What Should i do to ensure i get a 5?

Thank you very much for your opinions and advices.

I've just taken my exams so take my answer with a pinch of salt (I hope I'm getting a 6 or a 5 from English A1 SL).

Since you're a 2013 candidate isn't it so that you have the new A language not A1 anymore so you have an option of choosing Language A - literature (the current A1 curriculum) or Language A - Language and Literature (Something similar to the current A2)? You're school apparently offers both so you should choose between literature analysis only or literature analysis and some media and drama stuff. English A1 or English A - literature isn't necessarily hard, but it requires some kind of analytical insight. You don't necessarily have to be very creative in your analysis, but you need to be interested in literature and need to open yourself to the texts you will be studying. Your teacher will provide you with the tools you will need for analysing them. Don't start looking for hidden meanings, because they don't exist... only the meanings of the words on the page, which can form a larger more hollistic meaning, which you can interpret. In general the literature language A is literature analysis so don't expect anything else from it. I don't know what a B in IGCSE means in terms of IB, but what I do know is that you can develop yourself and your skills a lot during two years. Just read and absorb the texts

When I started the IB I really didn't have any experience of literature analysis (thank god for Pre-IB), but I learnt it and by now I can say I know something about it. Based on what I was predicted and the grades I got from my IA (6-7) I don't think it's hard to get a 5. English or any Language A is a subject where a 5 is often the grade awarded for work that is of good quality and is something that most students can achieve (like most IB subjects), but getting a 4 is in my experience already on the difficult side if you're not just paraphrasing the text; providing weak analytical interpretation of the emotional effects of the literary means used in the text you are analysing. It may be that my teacher is just nice, but very few people in my class have got 3-4's from their exams during the years and they were mainly at the beginning of the course and from people who didn't bother with the texts.

Edited May 19, 2011 by ocfx

[Gee :)]

I got a B in my IGCSE First language exam as well as my IGCSE English Literature Exam. However, I have been told by teachers and students that a 'B' in IGCSE is terrible for IB English A1. In their opinions, I should change to English A2. If I were to take English A1, I would take it at a standard level. But it is very crucial for me to get 5, is it hard? What Should i do to ensure i get a 5?

Thank you very much for your opinions and advices.

I take english HL and my friends who got A's and B's in their IGCSE's take SL english.THey are often very frustrated because it is challenging and I predict they get shoul4s and 6's.If you are prepared to work really hard and take criticism I think you should be able to get a 5.But obviously taking A2 would be much easier.I got a B in my Language exam and I'm surviving HL (then again,I love english) so I don't think you'd struggle that imuch.If you can,take A1 SL for a trial period and switch to A2 if it gets too hard.