English HL 2026 Examination Schedule and Module Breakdown

English HL Preliminary Assessment Details

  • Assessment Date: 2929 May 20262026
  • Assessment Session: Morning Session
  • Allocated Marks: 8080
  • Duration: 1 hour1\, \text{hour}
  • Content Structure by Module:
    • Module 11: Identity, belonging and self
    • Module 22: Relationships
    • Module 33: Social Media

English HL Paper 1 Examination Specifications

  • Paper Designation: Paper 11
  • Scheduled Date: Tuesday, 99 June 20262026
  • Examination Session: Morning Session
  • Total Assessment Marks: 80 Marks80\, \text{Marks}
  • Duration: 2 Hours2\, \text{Hours}
  • Curricular Breakdown:
    • Comprehension
    • Summary
    • Seen and Unseen Poet
    • Critical Literacy
    • Language
  • Candidate Guidance:
    • The paper has been explicitly divided into sections.
    • Learners are expected to be thoroughly familiar with this structure.

English HL Paper 2 Examination Specifications

  • Paper Designation: Paper 22
  • Scheduled Date: Wednesday, 1414 June 20262026
  • Total Assessment Marks: 80 Marks80\, \text{Marks}
  • Duration: 2 Hours2\, \text{Hours}

  1. Comprehension

    • Definition: Comprehension is the ability to understand what you read or hear.
    • Skills Needed:
      • Literal Comprehension: Understanding the main ideas and details directly stated in the text.
      • Inferential Comprehension: Making guesses based on clues in the text to figure out the meaning that isn't directly stated.
      • Evaluative Comprehension: Thinking critically about the text, including judging how well it presents its ideas.
    • Techniques for Improvement:
      • Highlight or underline important points while reading.
      • Ask yourself questions about the content to deepen understanding.
      • Connect the text to things you already know or have experienced.

  2. Summary

    • Definition: A summary is a brief retelling of the main points of a text in your own words.
    • Importance:
      • Helps you remember key information.
      • Encourages you to understand and simplify complex ideas.
    • Steps to Create a Summary:
      • Read the text carefully.
      • Find the main idea and key details.
      • Write a concise summary that includes these important points, leaving out unnecessary details.
      • Edit your summary to make sure it is clear and easy to understand.

  3. Seen and Unseen Poetry

    • Seen Poetry:
      • Poems you have read and analyzed before.
      • Skills Needed:
      • Looking at language, structure, and techniques used by the poet (like rhythm or rhymes).
      • Understanding themes and feelings the poem conveys.
    • Unseen Poetry:
      • Poems that you read for the first time, often in tests or exams.
      • Skills Needed:
      • Quickly figuring out the main ideas and feelings of the poem.
      • Recognizing literary techniques and discussing how they enhance meaning.
      • Techniques for Analysis:
      • Read the entire poem first to get a sense of it before analyzing details.
      • Notice how the structure and sound of the poem affect what it feels like to read.

  4. Critical Literacy

    • Definition: Critical literacy is about questioning and analyzing texts to understand what they really mean and who benefits from them.
    • Key Ideas:
      • Textual Analysis: Looking closely at how texts shape our understanding of the world.
      • Power and Representation: Considering who is telling the story and whose voices are missing.
    • Skills Required:
      • Asking questions about the text's message.
      • Exploring various viewpoints and contexts to build a richer understanding of the content.

  5. Language

    • Role of Language:
      • Language is essential for communication and expressing thoughts.
      • It impacts how we think and how our identities are formed.
    • Aspects to Analyze:
      • Diction: The choice of words in writing, which helps set the mood and tone.
      • Syntax: The arrangement of words in sentences and how that affects meaning.
      • Figurative Language: Using similes, metaphors, and other comparisons to make writing more interesting and vivid.
    • Practical Applications:
      • Writing essays that clearly express thoughts about what you read.
      • Engaging in conversations that explore how language shapes our understanding.
      • Practicing using different styles of writing and vocabulary to improve your communication skills.