Breaking Down the Criteria: Paper 1 Criterion A
Criterion A — Knowledge & Understanding
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Executive Summary: In gist, to score well in Criterion A in Paper 1, you need to do three things:
break down and encapsulate the literal meaning of the text (whether it is the author’s line of arguments, presentation of visual elements, etc.);
identify, decipher and analyze the implied meaning within the text (what is the author trying to suggest? What are the subtext and underlying themes? Are there any connections to social, philosophical and political context?); and
Use ample and deliberate referencing to support your understanding of both literal and implied meaning of the text (e.g., important quotes that encapsulate the author’s line of arguments; description of visual elements; identifying evidence that suggest the author’s arguments beyond what is overtly stated).
About Paper 1
Paper 1 consists of two previously unseen non-literary passages from two different text types, each accompanied by a guiding question. SL students will have 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes + 5 minutes reading time) to write an analysis on one passage while HL students will have 135 minutes (2 hours and 15 minutes + 5 minutes reading time) to write on both.
Paper 1 is assessed based on four criteria: Criterion A (Understanding and Interpretation — 5 marks); Criterion B (Analysis and Evaluation — 5 marks); Criterion C (Coherence, Focus and Organization — 5 marks); and Criterion D (Language — 5 marks). The maximum marks you can get for your Paper 1 is 20 marks for SL students and 40 marks for HL student (same criteria, assessed twice).
Some of the common text types students have been assessed on are:- advertisements, speeches, opinion columns, comic strips, satirical cartoons, magazine covers, blogs, infographics, scientific articles, news reports, diaries, letters, and travel writings. Throughout the two years, it is imperative for students to develop a high level of visual literacy and the ability to identify visual literary techniques pertaining to different text types.
“Throughout the two years, it is imperative for students to develop a high level of visual literacy and the ability to identify visual literary techniques pertaining to different text types.”
Breaking Down the Criteria: Criterion A — Understanding and Interpretation (5 Marks)
“The response demonstrates a thorough and perceptive understanding of the literal meaning of the text. There is a convincing and insightful interpretation of larger implications and subtleties of the text. References to the text are well-chosen and effectively support the candidate’s ideas.” (A5 Descriptor, Paper 1)
To score well on Criterion A, students have to excel in: (1) demonstrating a deep and thorough understanding of the text (both literal and implicative); and (2) using ample references.
1) Deciphering Implications — Literal and Implied Meaning
What this means is identifying and understanding both the primary purpose (i.e., the literal meaning) and the secondary purpose of the text (i.e., the implied meaning).
Identifying the literal meaning of the text is merely an exercise of description. For example, if you are presented with an opinion column on ChatGPT (May 2024 Higher Level, Paper 1 Text 1), you can decipher the literal meaning of the text by delineating and encapsulating the author’s arguments—for example, you may say something like: “In the article, the author laments on the “problem of originality” posed by an over-reliance on ChatGPT, criticising the use of data and patterns in machine learning to churn out predictive content, and ultimately propagating a ‘radical’ use of ChatGPT”. Essentially, it is a matter of paraphrasing, testing your ability to summarize what was (literally) said and presented within the text.
However, encapsulating the text’s literal meaning will only take you so far—at most, you will score 2 or 3 marks out of 5. To score full marks in Criterion A, you must read between the lines and decipher both the literal and implicative meaning. According to the Level 5 descriptor for Criterion A, the student must demonstrate a “perceptive understanding of the literal meaning of the text”—this means perceiving and understanding the deeper meaning beyond what was overtly stated, analyzing the subtext and underlying themes of the text and identifying the deeper social, cultural, or philosophical ideas being conveyed. Ultimately, this boils down to an exercise of interpretation.
Tip: Use the sentence stems below to alert the examiner that you have indeed understood the implied meaning of the text:-
“While not overtly stated, the author insinuates that…”
“By …, the readers can deduce that…”
“While not explicitly stated, the readers can infer that…”
“The implications are clear: …”
Sample Analysis: November 2024, Paper 1
Moms Demand Action, 2017
An interpretive exercise can be conducted on a recent November 2024 paper which featured a public service announcement (PSA) published by Moms Demand Action in 2017.
Literal meaning: A literal analysis of the text would point out the foregrounding of two young girls in the centre of the image on the ground of what appears to be a school library, one holding the children’s book Red Riding Hood and the other holding a rifle. It may even comment on the hypophoric caption asking the reader to guess which of the two objects is banned, deciphering the PSA as an advocate for stricter gun control in the United States.
Implications:
Government inaction / futile legislations: A deeper, more interpretive and intricate analysis would deduce that the author is not only advocating for stricter gun control but will also point out the futility of government’s legislations, emphasizing the irony of banning such innocuous pieces of children literature as Red Riding Hood as opposed to destructive weapons like guns.
Connection to social and political context: A more intricate analysis would also connect to recent tragedies like the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, in which 26 people were killed including 20 children aged 6 to 7 years old at an elementary school. It may even connect to the tragic shooting at Columbine High School over 20 years ago — and how the cycle of such violent and tragic events is repeated throughout history due to government inaction against gun control.
References to authorial choices: References, being another important element in Criterion A, can be used to decipher implied meaning behind the literal text. For example, one may point out the use of direct gaze to create a sense of discomfort and confrontation (especially against legislators in the US).
2) Ample Referencing
The more quotes you use, the higher you will score
After deciphering the underlying implications of the text, your interpretation must also be supported by evidence through direct references to the text. If it’s a ‘word-heavy’ text, this might be direct quotes from the passage evidencing the author’s line of arguments (and this includes both overt and implied arguments). If it’s a ‘visual-heavy’ text, you may need to delineate the presentation of visual elements within the text, be it the use of colour, foregrounded subjects, framing and so forth.
Not only ample referencing, but also deliberate referencing
However, it is not enough that you reference the text, the references you choose must also be deliberate — it is important that you choose the right quotes to convey the right ideas. The more quotes you have to support your arguments, the more effective your analysis will be, and the higher you will score for Criterion A.
“It is not enough that you reference the text, the references you choose must also be deliberate — it is important that you choose the right quotes to convey the right ideas”
Sample Analysis: May 2024, Paper 1
Look at the sample analysis below on Text 2 of May 2024 Higher Level, Paper 1, in which the student used ample evidence to support her thorough understanding of the text. Note: The text in question is an infographic published by the Africa Digital Media Foundation in 2020 titled ‘The Woods’.
In the chosen text, the author uses visual symbolism and imperative language to highlight the value of individual contributions in contributing to the collective growth of the African digital economy. This is substantiated by the asyndetic enumeration of ‘Politicians. Ambassadors. Celebrities. Influencers.’ and declarative statement ‘The country needs to get behind it’ which stresses the necessity for everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status, to unite in support of their local economy. The iconographic world map titled ‘The Woods’ reinforces the author’s patriotic message, acting as a visual prompt for readers about their duty to improve the nation while the understatement‘Every Nigerian who can afford a $2 DVD has the opportunity to be a patron’ subtly shifts the onus of enhancing the African digital economy to individuals illustrating how simple it is to support the entertainment sector. Through its comparison with Hollywood, the enumeration of ‘Actors, film directors, dolly grips, stunt doubles, but also make-up artists, sound engineers, and digital marketers’ highlights the need for Nollywood to evolve and reach international standards. By emphasizing the collaborative and interdisciplinary efforts vital for the advancement of East African economies, this infographic subtly instils patriotic values in the audience.
Note: In the annotated passage above, we have highlighted the student’s use of referencing in bold. We have also identified the student’s analysis of the implications and deeper meaning within the text (note the repeated use of “subtly” to highlight what is not overtly stated), demonstrating why the student scored top marks in Criterion A.
