Important information for the May 2021 session
Paper 2 removed for May 2021
An email was sent by the IB on Tuesday 11th August, detailing significant adaptations to subject assessments for the May 2021 session. As the email states, these adaptations come in response to "requests from our community to mitigate the loss of instructional time and logistical challenges" due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With many schools across the world remaining shut and the school year beginning in online and time-reduced versions in most places, this news was welcomed by IB DP coordinators, teachers and students, even while the implications are still being processed and questions remain.
For English A Literature teachers, the key information to note is that Paper 2 has been removed. This is big news and it will have a significant impact on our plans for the coming academic year. While it means one less assessment for students to prepare for, it will be a decision that some teachers and students will have mixed feelings about: it is one less opportunity for students to show what they are capable of, and some students thrive when given the opportunity to write a comparative exploration of texts they have engaged with at a deep and personal level.
However, given that DP teachers, students and parents worldwide have been hoping for some reduction of content and adaptation from the IB, it seems churlish to complain when they do make such dramatic alterations in acknowledgment of the challenges this cohort of students have had to face, especially when there is no end to the disruptions in sight.
Of course, many questions remain and we will do our best to update you as the IB release more information. Perhaps the most significant question is how the remaining components will be weighted now that Paper 2 has been removed. The IB's communication states that "additional support and guidance will be provided to schools" in the coming months, including FAQs, so such matters will be addressed. The IB have sent the initial information about adaptations out now as many schools are due to return and many of us will be grateful for the timing of this as we are in the midst of plans for the start of the school year.
As English teachers and departments, we will all need to process, meet and discuss what this means for our DP2 plans in the coming year. Will we change when we were planning to do the IO? The HL essay? Every school's context is different and it is important that decisions are not reactive, but are made in collaboration and with a careful consideration of what is best for students in terms of their learning and wellbeing. A reduction of assessment tasks does not have to mean a reduction in learning, nor a reduction in the number of literary texts studied. Indeed, there is no suggestion that the number of texts to be studied has changed but the removal of Paper 2 does mean the emphasis and the way we teach some of these texts can change. While we are all facing significant challenges, there are also opportunities: this change might mean we can find more time for student voice, choice, creativity, and the other things we value but that sometimes get neglected due to the pressures of exams.
As the IB releases more information, we will continue to update and offer guidance on here.