Key Idea: Preparing for the HL IA means presenting one literary extract: place it in the book, sum it up, then climb from the extract to the themes and the world.
Presenting the extract
- Place — Say where the extract comes in the work.
- Sum up — One sentence on what happens. Never retell.
- Introduce — Say what you will focus on.
- Quote — Every quotation gets a comment.
About one minute. Use the present tense for what happens in the book.
From the extract to themes & culture
- Extract — Start from one short quotation.
- Work — Show how it fits the whole book.
- Theme — Name a theme and justify it with because.
- World — End on an open question that leads into Part 3.
Climb the ladder one step at a time: extract, work, theme, world.
Which tense do you use for events in the book? The present tense.
How long should the summary of the extract be? One sentence.
What must follow every quotation? A comment on it.
How do you end, to lead into Part 3? With an open question.
Where does the ladder start? With one short quotation from the extract.