PART 1-

WRITTEN TASK 1: CREATIVE TEXT AND RATIONALE

PART 1 – LANGUAGE IN A CULTURAL CONTEXT.

 The goal of the written task is to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of an aspect of the
material concerning any of the topics that we have explored in an imaginative way. It must show critical
engagement with an aspect of a text and a topic from either unit we have studied so far.

The subject must be based upon a specific primary source text either that we examined in class or one that
has been approved by your teacher. In addition, you should make reference to and draw upon the secondary
sources we have read/viewed.
 Your written task must address at least one of the learning outcomes for a particular part of the course.
PART1 – LEARNING OUTCOME
THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS

Although there is no one guaranteed recipe for a successful

written task 1, you can avoid these 'pitfalls' by including all of
the following ingredients:
Text type - If you write a speech, your speech should look and
sound like a speech. If you write a letter to the editor, it should
look and sound like a letter to the editor. In other words, each
type of text has its own set of stylistic and structural
conventions. Ask yourself what characteristics define the type
of text you plan to write.
 Primary source - Your written task should be rooted in a primary source. If you are writing about a literary work
for Part 3 or 4, the poem, novel or play is the primary source.Your task should reflect your understanding of it. For
the non-literary parts of the syllabus, be sure you comment on a primary text. If you looked at the representation
of women in advertising, comment on an actual ad. If you looked at a political campaign, focus on one ad, website or
poster.
 Secondary source - Since the written task is not an essay, you are not asked to give your personal opinion on a
subject matter or literary text. Instead, you are expected to be knowledgeable on the subject matter or the literary
text. Even the best opinion columns inform readers to a great extent. You want to prove to the examiner that you
have understood the course work and you have done your homework! This can also be achieved through the
rationale, where applicable terms and concepts can be explained. Find secondary sources that comment on the
texts you have worked on. For example, if you read an article about John Fowles and existentialism, this may inspire
you to write a missing chapter to his novel, The Collector. If you explored women in advertising, you will want to
find some statistics or articles on the effects of these ads on women.

Information source:
http://www.thinkib.net/englishalanglit/page/2886/wt1-tips
 TEXT TYPES
 For a written task, you could choose one of the following text types:
 · An opinion column
 · A formal letter
 · A letter to the editor
 · A transcript of an interview
 · A feature article
 · A newspaper or magazine article
 Remember that your choice of text types should clearly correspond with your purpose. You wouldn’t write a
diary entry to advocate for an end to racial profiling. The more authentic the task is to the real world, the more
successful it will be.

Your imaginative response must look like the text type you are emulating.
 Length: The task must be 800–1,000 words in length. The rationale should be 200–300 words in length. If
the word limit is exceeded, the assessment of the combined task and rationale will be based on the first 1,300
words.
 In your rationale you must explain:
• how the content of the task is linked to a particular part of the course
• how the task is intended to explore particular aspects of the course
• the nature of the task chosen
• information about audience, purpose and the varying contexts in which the task is set.
 RATIONALE

 The rationale should not only include knowledge about the text or topic studied, but also about the formal
conventions of the text type produced and how they relate to the aims of the task.
You should therefore define the purpose of your task and choose the type of text that best suits your objectives.
Refer to your Language and Literature Guide for the types of texts you can consider. Once you have made a choice
then decide on the appropriate register and style.
 The guide states that written task 1 is an 'imaginative piece'. Imagination, however, is not the skill that is assessed
when you look at the criteria. In fact there are other 'hard' skills that you can develop in order to do well on the
written task 1. For example you will have to write a certain type of text, and so you will want to focus on the
conventions for writing in a particular style or genre. Simply developing a relevant idea for written task 1 is in itself a
skill that you will want to develop.
 RATIONALE (200-300 WORDS)

In the rationale you must answer the following questions:

 How does the content of your response link to a particular part and topic of the course?
 Which learning outcomes are you addressing? (See outcomes above)
 How do you intend go about exploring this aspect of the course through your written task?
 What is the nature of the written task you have chosen?
 What type of written text have you chosen to produce and why?
 From whose perspective is the response being written and why?
 For what kind of publication?
 Who is the intended audience?
 What is the intended purpose of the response?
 What is the social, cultural or historical context in which the imaginative response is set?
 What are the structural and stylistic conventions of type of text you have chosen to emulate, and how do these relate to the
aims of the task?
COMMON PITFALLS
What WT1 is NOT
A creative writing assignment
WT1 is not the opportunity to write a fantastical short
story, a hypothetical play script or a cryptic poem. If you
want to write a new ending to a novel or a missing
chapter, it has to be in the spirit of the author’s
intentions. WT1 is not solely the product of your
imagination.
Out of context
It is not enough to state in your rationale,
“I’m writing a opinion column about
advertising.” In which magazine or
newspaper does your column appear? Is
it in the style of a particular columnist?
What it IS
A type of text
Instead, you have to show that you have understood a
‘text type’. Each text has structural conventions. For
example, if you write a speech, it has to have rhetorical
devices that are characteristic of speech writing. Be sure
that the text type lends itself well to the content you
are writing about. Study a few examples of the text type
that you want to write.
In context
Place your WT1 in a context. For example, if you want to
write an opinion column about advertising, write about a
particular ad campaign that has received attention in the
news. Imitate the style of a famous columnist. What
would he/she say in response to a topic?
What WT1 is NOT
A persuasive essay
WT1 is not a test of your opinion. This is
not your chance to vent your frustrations
about a particular topic that you feel
passionate about.
A summary
Examiners are not interested in reading
the summary of a text that you read. This
is not a ‘book report’
What it IS
An understanding of course work
Instead, WT1 is a test of the course
work. How will you demonstrate your
understanding of language and/or
literature? Is your written task rooted in a
particular text?
An interpretation
There should be some evidence of
critical thinking. For example, writing a
letter from one character to another
provides you the chance to show that
you’ve understood the work thoroughly.
PRACTICAL REQUIREMENTS

 You may include illustrations in support of your work where this is appropriate. These must always be
electronically embedded, not separately reproduced and physically attached. Written tasks submitted for
assessment must be word processed and the electronic files must not exceed a maximum size, including any
images, of 2 MB.

Students must acknowledge all sources used.

Where appropriate—for example, when the task relies on the reader referring to stimulus material such as an
illustration or lyrics of a song, in order to understand what the student is attempting to do—the source material
must be clearly referenced in a bibliography. These documents may be referred to by the examiner but will not be
taken account of in the assessment; nevertheless they are important information for the assessor.
WRITTEN TASKS

 Weighting 20%
 A written task demonstrates the students’ ability to choose an imaginative way of exploring an aspect of the
material studied in the course. It must show a critical engagement with an aspect of a text or a topic.
 Students complete at least four written tasks, two of which are submitted for external assessment.
SAMPLE TOPIC
 SAMPLE QUESTIONS
 Question: How do accents come about? Why do they exist? Why are they different based on where you live?
Text type: Diary of a tourist
 Question:To what extent does learning a new language determine your character or affect the culture of your mother tongue?
Text type: Memoir/Screen play
 Question: How has the dialogue of English humour in movies changed over the years from the beginning of film making to now? What are the
cultural factors that have brought about this change? Comparison of comedies from 1940's to 1960's to 2000 and the respective comedians.
Text type: Screenplay
 Question:Why are the minority languages in China dying out and the relationship of this to the domination of Mandarin as well as strong
influence of English.
Text type: Interview
 Question: How a global language, as English, has allowed countries, with many different ethnic groups--like Singapore-- to forge unity amongst
themselves, and how English became simplified in the process producing what the locals deem, Singlish.
Text type: Travel writing
 Question: Should dying languages be saved, and thus just adopt English as a global language and not worry about these dying languages?
Text type: Editorial
 Question: Can three students with different languages (English, French and Spanish)
 communicate with the use of Code Switching?
Text type: Blog Page
WT ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR HL