Q: The goal of Language and Literature coursework in the International Baccalaureate program, in English and otherwise, is to develop skills in textual analysis, oral and written communication, and recognition of contexts, themes, forms, styles, and aesthetics. For English A1, there are three major assessment objectives:  First, “knowledge and understanding.”  The goal here is to develop your ability to read and respond to texts of various types, by recognizing elements such as stylistic choices and cultural contexts for both creation and reception of the work. Second, “analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.”  The coursework aims to enhance your skills at critically analyzing a text through thoughtful interpretation and evaluation, along with your ability to synthesize ideas from multiple works into evaluations of literary techniques, genres, and conventions. Third, “selection and use of appropriate presentation and language skills.”  Comprehension and analysis are inherently weakened without the ability to clearly and coherently write and speak about a subject in an appropriately structured and formal language, so the maturation of such skills is another goal of the program. It is broken up into four parts, which in combination are prescribed to take a minimum of 150 hours (SL) or 240 hours (HL).  Please note:  IB courses are offered at both a standard (SL) and advanced (HL) level.  The essential goals and basic structures of the course remain the same, but HL requires a greater time commitment and demands a more rigorous evaluation criteria.  Unless otherwise noted, this article refers to the HL course, although it is largely applicable to SL as well. The four parts described below are the same in HL and SL, but the number of works within each varies. Part 1:  Works in Translation.  Three translated foreign-language works from the prescribed literature in translation (PLT) list are chosen, with the goal of furthering understanding of cultural contexts in the production and reception of texts.  This is commonly referred to as “World Lit.” Part 2:  Detailed Study.  Three works, each from a different literary genre, are selected from the prescribed list of authors (PLA) for close analysis of form, style, content, and context.  At least one of the works will be poetry. Part 3:  Literary Genres.  Three works, all from the same genre, are selected from the PLA  to provide a more thorough investigation of the conventions of a particular literary genre. Part 4:  Options.  This section provides the flexibility to choose and study three works regardless of genre or form.  They need not appear on the PLA or PLT. In some corners of the academic world, IB students are rather notorious for procrastination, for instance by waiting until the night before to complete the “World Lit” assignment that constitutes 25% of the grade.  Procrastination is possible not because the coursework is easy for most students, but because of the amount of self-guidance and self-motivation required for the program.  High school students who are used to very structured and supervised daily assignments and regular assessments can find it hard to adjust, or simply assume that they need not keep their “noses to the grindstone.” IB programs are thus excellent preparation for college, where self-guidance and self-motivation are essential.  Professors, after all, will not “hold your hand.” Establish a clear schedule to keep up with your assignments, and set your own deadlines if necessary to make sure that you don’t fall behind.  Don’t be afraid to ask your teacher for guidance or assistance. There is no getting around the fact that there is a substantial amount of reading in IB Diploma English.  Simply reading the material, however, is unlikely to be enough to secure that score of seven.  Read each selection more than once, whenever possible.  The more familiar you are with the work, the better able you will be to effectively analyse it. Take notes as you read.  Jot down key details of each work — setting, main subject(s) or character(s), etc. — along with identifying key themes, stylistic elements, and so on.  Highlighters can be your friend here as well. WikiHow offers several articles on effective note taking in a variety of settings. As you read, ask yourself questions like:  “In what conditions/contexts did the author create this work?”; “How does the use of language and style reflect the author’s intent?”; “How does this work reflect and/or diverge from common literary genres?”; and, most simply “Why did the author write this piece?”  Considering such questions as you read will better prepare you for your assessments. Even the best notes are worthless if you cannot find them when needed.  You are likely to end up with far more notes than you are used to in high school classes, so organization is critical — and good practice for college coursework.  Clearly label and identify your notes.  For handwritten notes, use a clean sheet for each new note-taking session, with the topic and date clearly marked.  For typed notes, create individual documents, and label and store them in a manner that makes them easy to identify and retrieve. Invest in a good binder that allows you to store your notes in one place, and also reorganize them as needed to maximize their accessibility and utility. Good organization also refers to the basics:  make sure you do the correct assignments for each class meeting, and bring the proper materials with you.
A: Be clear on the course objectives. Prepare for each component of the course. Don’t procrastinate. Read with a purpose. Stay organized.

Q: Once you commit to a gluten-free lifestyle, you’ll quickly learn which foods and ingredients you can have and which you must avoid. The sooner you master these lists, the easier (and more cost effective) your grocery shopping will be.  GF grains include rice, wild rice, corn, sago, soy, potato, tapioca, beans, sorghum, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, arrowroot, amaranth, teff, Indian ricegrass, and uncontaminated oats (labeled as gluten-free oats). Other GF foods include (but aren’t limited to) milk, fresh fruits and vegetables, non-malt vinegars, eggs, lentils, peanuts, seeds, tree nuts, fresh fish and shellfish, fresh meats, and honey. Foods to avoid contain wheat (including einkorn, durum, farro, graham, Kamut, semolina, spelt), rye, barley (including malt products), and triticale. When it comes to prepared, processed, or packaged foods, it’s best to assume they have gluten in them unless they’re clearly labeled as gluten-free. In order to avoid wasting money—or worse, consuming gluten that may make you ill—work on becoming an expert food label reader.  Even foods labeled gluten-free are permitted to contain minute amounts of gluten (in the U.S., it’s less than 20 parts per million). If you’re avoiding gluten due to a medical condition, talk to your doctor about the safety of consuming trace amounts of gluten. If you see wheat, rye, barley, oats, malt, or brewer's yeast listed anywhere on the label, don’t buy the product. The fewer ingredients a product has, the easier it is to ensure that it doesn’t contain gluten. Adjust your diet to prioritize single-ingredient foods like fresh fruits and veggies, plain rice, fresh meats and seafood (without coatings, glazes, fillings, etc.), and whole eggs. While they require more prep work, single-ingredient foods also tend to be less expensive per unit than packaged and processed foods. There are now GF versions of nearly every type of food product, from soy sauce to beer. However, if you simply try to switch from traditional to GF versions of the foods on your typical shopping list, your grocery bill may double or even triple.  Instead, it’s more cost-effective to embrace going gluten-free as an overall lifestyle change. Use GF versions of non-GF foods only as “bridges” to help get you to a new, naturally GF diet. This doesn’t mean you have to swear off GF cakes or frozen pizzas entirely, of course. Just make them occasional treats instead of weekly items.
A:
Memorize your “go-to” and “must avoid” foods. Learn to read labels to avoid hidden gluten. Buy single-ingredient foods whenever possible. Alter your diet instead of finding GF versions of what you now eat.