Matthew Horne

I took IB Lit HL with him. As expected, it is an extremely rigorous course. You will do a lot of writing (multiple paper 1s and 2s). The reading quizzes are super difficult so I recommend thoroughly reading the books, and tbh even if you do that you can never guarantee a perfect score. It's pretty much impossible to get a perfect score on anything, specifically the important tests. However, don't be too scared. It's not impossible to get an A, and if you're in lit HL, then you should be pretty adept at writing. The grading system is different from every other class but it's honestly pretty great. I won't explain it here but just know that if you get as many points from formatives as possible, you won't have to be a genius on the big exams. Also, obviously you should expect a lot of writing. The books aren't too long but you'll also be reading various short stories, poems, and a lot of critical essays. One more thing, you'll do a fair amount of presentations which are graded pretty harshly. You can still use index cards when you're presenting but don't depend on them. Some people memorize their whole scripts but that's too much work and then they end up delivering the presentation like a robot, which is bad and you'll lose points. Ensure that you have ample time to prepare for everything. You will get a lot of work! We once got a 5-10 minute presentation assigned one class and due two days later. Have fun!