📘 How to Start and Write a Strong HL Essay for IB English (With Examples + What to Avoid)
Writing the HL Essay can feel intimidating — it’s long, formal, and totally different from the in-class assignments you’re used to. But once you understand what IB is asking for and how to approach it step-by-step, it becomes much more manageable.
This guide covers everything you need to do to get started, including:
✅ What to do first
📚 An example of how to choose and refine your topic
✍️ How to start your introduction the right way
❌ Common mistakes to avoid
✍️ A checklist to keep you on track
Let’s dive in!
✅ Step 1: What You Need to Do First
Before writing even a single sentence, you need to plan. The IB wants your HL Essay to show independent thinking and focused analysis — not just another summary of the book.
1. Choose a Text or Body of Work You Actually Liked
Choose something you connected with or found interesting. This could be a novel, a play, a collection of poems, or a non-literary body of work like advertisements or speeches. Avoid picking a text just because you think it’s “easy” or “short.” It has to have depth.
2. Find a Focus
Ask yourself:
What stood out to me when I read this?
Were there patterns, techniques, or stylistic choices that made me think?
Was there a character, theme, or idea that seemed complex or layered?
Choose one element to explore in detail.
3. Turn That Focus Into a Line of Inquiry
This is your research question. It should be analytical, not descriptive. You’re not asking what happens — you’re asking how meaning is created.
Bad Example: "What are the themes in The Things They Carried?"
Better Example: "How does Tim O’Brien use metafiction to blur the line between truth and fiction in The Things They Carried?"
This version is focused, academic, and leads to deeper analysis.
📚 Step 2: Example of a Strong Topic
Let’s say you studied Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Step A – Choose Your Text:
Half of a Yellow Sun by Adichie
Step B – What Stood Out?
You noticed how the novel constantly switches between time periods and characters. It doesn’t follow a straight path, which reflects how the characters experience trauma and memory.
Step C – Create a Research Question:
"How does Adichie use fragmented narrative structure to reflect the psychological effects of war in Half of a Yellow Sun?"
This question allows you to:
Analyze structure
Explore psychological themes
Focus on how form creates meaning
✍️ Step 3: How to Start Your Essay
Your introduction should:
Mention the text and author
Introduce your line of inquiry
State your argument (thesis)
Briefly outline how you will support your argument
Example Introduction:
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun explores the psychological toll of war through a fragmented narrative structure. By alternating timelines and perspectives, Adichie disrupts linear storytelling in a way that reflects her characters’ fractured experiences of trauma, memory, and loss. This essay argues that the novel’s narrative fragmentation mirrors the emotional dislocation caused by war, especially as seen in the inner lives of Olanna and Ugwu. Through narrative shifts, recurring motifs, and gaps in chronology, Adichie creates a structural echo of psychological fragmentation, ultimately suggesting that identity and memory cannot remain whole in the face of violence.
❌ Step 4: What to Avoid
Here are some common mistakes students make — and how to avoid them.
❌ 1. Don’t Summarize the Plot
The HL Essay is not a book report. You don’t need to tell the examiner what happens. Focus instead on how the author crafts meaning.
Bad: "Olanna and Odenigbo have to move during the war."
Better: "Olanna’s displacement is echoed in the novel’s disrupted timeline, reinforcing how war destabilizes both physical space and mental clarity."
❌ 2. Avoid Vague or Broad Questions
Too Broad: "How does the author show love?"
Too Generic: "What is the theme of identity?"
Better: "How does the use of shifting perspectives reflect the instability of personal identity in the novel?"
❌ 3. Don’t Ignore Techniques
Literary techniques are your best friends. Focus on tools like:
Narrative voice
Imagery
Symbolism
Structure
Tone and mood
Always tie technique to meaning.
❌ 4. Don’t Use Overly Complicated Language
Your language should be academic, but not pretentious. Clarity is more important than complexity.
Bad: "The author indulges in verbiage that articulates profound paradigmatic dissonance."
Better: "The author uses fragmented sentences to reflect the narrator’s mental breakdown."
❌ 5. Don’t Leave It to the Last Minute
Start early so you have time to:
Refine your research question
Collect quotes and examples
Write and revise
Proofread
This is one of the few IB tasks where time management directly affects your final grade.
📝 Step 5: Checklist Before Writing
Use this checklist before you write your first body paragraph:
✨ Final Thoughts: You’re Ready to Start
Once your question is solid and your structure is planned, writing the HL Essay becomes much easier. Focus on crafting clear paragraphs that support your argument and stay focused on the question. Your goal is to show how authors use specific techniques to create meaning — that’s what the IB is looking for.
Want to learn how to structure your body paragraphs or write a conclusion that actually impresses the examiner? Check out Part 2: How to Structure HL Essay Body Paragraphs (Coming Soon!)
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