IB English SL Paper 2 – Model Practice Questions
POWER, OPPRESSION & SOCIETY
1. In what ways do the authors of two works you have studied show that systems of
oppression shape individual identity?
2. How do two works you have studied suggest that social systems are more powerful than
individual choice?
3. To what extent do the authors of two works you have studied show that injustice is
normalised within society?
COMPLICITY, SILENCE & RESPONSIBILITY
4. In what ways do the authors of two works you have studied portray characters who
become complicit in systems they claim to resist?
5. How do two works you have studied show that silence can function as a form of
oppression?
6. Discuss how fear influences moral choices in two works you have studied.
IDENTITY & SELFHOOD
7. How do two works you have studied explore the conflict between personal identity and
socially imposed roles?
8. In what ways do the authors of two works you have studied show that identity is shaped
by external forces rather than personal freedom?
9. Discuss how feelings of belonging and exclusion are presented in two works you have
studied.
DESIRE, CONTROL & CONFLICT
10. How do two works you have studied portray the conflict between personal desire and
social expectation?
11. In what ways do the authors of two works you have studied show that attempts at
freedom lead to destructive consequences?
12. Discuss how love or human connection is limited or distorted by society in two works you
have studied.
JUSTICE, MORALITY & POWER
13. To what extent do the authors of two works you have studied challenge traditional ideas of
justice?
14. How do two works you have studied show that morality is shaped by social power rather
than universal principles?
15. Discuss how law and authority are used to maintain control in two works you have
studied.
STRUCTURE & AUTHORIAL CHOICES (HIGH SCORING)
16. In what ways is narrative structure important in shaping meaning in two works you have
studied?
17. How do the authors of two works you have studied use perspective or voice to influence
the reader’s understanding of power?
18. Discuss how setting contributes to the presentation of social conflict in two works you
have studied.
HISTORY & CONTINUITY
19. In what ways do two works you have studied suggest that history repeats itself through
patterns of oppression?
20. How do two works you have studied show that the past continues to shape the present?