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IB French A (Language & Literature and Literature) Tutoring

IB French A tutoring for both courses, Language and Literature and Literature, at HL and SL. Your tutor works with you on Paper 1 unseen analysis, the Paper 2 comparative essay, the Individual Oral and the HL essay, all in French.

French A is the IB French course for students who are fluent in French, usually native or near-native speakers, and you study it through literature and textual analysis rather than language practice. It comes in two versions: Language and Literature, which pairs literary works with non-literary texts such as speeches, adverts and opinion columns, and Literature, which studies literary works only, including works in translation. Both courses share the same assessments, so tutoring covers Paper 1, Paper 2, the Individual Oral (IO) and, at HL, the HL essay. If you are learning French as an additional language, you are on French B or French ab initio, which have their own tutoring pages.

Quick answer: IB Doctor offers 1-to-1 IB French A (Language & Literature and Literature) tutoring for course content, each assessment component and coursework. Lessons follow the syllabus and assessment criteria, and the work stays your own. Review tutor verification, student results and methodology before booking.
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French A tutoring prices

From £52.50 to £70 per hour, depending on bundle size. Each bundle covers one subject.

  • Taster Bundle
    3 hours
    £210
    £70 per hour
  • Starter Bundle
    5 hours
    £330
    £66 per hour
  • Coursework Bundle
    10 hours
    £650
    £65 per hour
  • Assessment Bundle
    20 hours
    £1,250
    £62.50 per hour
  • Guardian Bundle
    50 hours
    £2,900
    £58 per hour
  • Ultimate Bundle
    100 hours
    £5,250
    £52.50 per hour
See full bundle details

What You Get with IB French A (Language & Literature and Literature) Tutoring

Comprehensive support designed to help you achieve your target grade

Paper 1 and Paper 2

  • Paper 1 guided analysis in French: a repeatable method for unseen non-literary texts (Lang & Lit) or literary passages (Literature)
  • Turning the guiding question into a clear argument in 1 hour 15 minutes (SL) or two analyses in 2 hours 15 minutes (HL)
  • Paper 2 comparative essay: matching the right two works to each of the four questions and comparing throughout
  • Writing to the Paper 2 criteria used from May 2026, where analysis (B1) and comparison (B2) are marked separately

Individual Oral and HL Essay

  • Testing whether a global issue is genuinely shared by two works
  • Mock IOs on practice extracts of up to 40 lines: 10 minutes of analysis plus 5 minutes of questions
  • HL essay: shaping a line of inquiry into a 1,200-1,500 word argument in French
  • Close reading and argument practised on other texts, while your IO and essay stay yours

Your Texts and Your French

  • Close reading of the works on your school's reading list, including works in translation
  • Non-literary text types for Lang & Lit: adverts, speeches, opinion columns, infographics and cartoons
  • Precise analytical vocabulary and a formal academic register in written French
  • A study plan built around your exam dates and your weakest component
Real student results

Students Improving Their French A Grades

4 → 7
"My tutor helped me develop a genuine analytical voice in French. Paper 1 used to terrify me, but now I enjoy breaking down texts."
C

Chloé D.

French A HL, May 2024

3 → 6
"Comparative essays were my weakness. My tutor taught me how to structure arguments and find meaningful links between works."
A

Antoine M.

French A SL, May 2024

5 → 7
"The individual oral preparation was incredible - mock sessions with detailed feedback helped me feel completely ready."
L

Léa P.

French A HL, Nov 2023

How It Works

Simple steps to get started with IB French A (Language & Literature and Literature) tutoring

1

Buy a Bundle

Choose 3 to 100 hours based on your needs. Split across subjects if needed.

2

Complete Onboarding

Tell us your course and level, weak areas, goals, and scheduling preferences.

3

Get Matched & Start

Matched within 24 hours. Schedule your first session immediately.

First Session Guarantee

Not satisfied? Contact us within 24 hours. We'll address concerns, offer a rematch, or provide a full refund.

French A HL vs SL: What's the Difference?

Understanding the requirements at each level

SL
HL
Teaching Hours
150 hours
240 hours
Works (Language & Literature)
4 literary works plus non-literary texts
6 literary works plus non-literary texts
Works (Literature, from May 2026)
At least 7 works
At least 10 works
Paper 1
Analyse one of two unseen texts, 1 hr 15 min
Analyse both unseen texts, 2 hrs 15 min
HL Essay
Not taken
1,200-1,500 words, 20% of the grade
Weightings
Paper 1 35%, Paper 2 35%, IO 30%
Paper 1 35%, Paper 2 25%, IO 20%, HL essay 20%

IB French A (Language & Literature and Literature) Topics We Cover

Both French A courses are organised around three areas of exploration: readers, writers and texts; time and space; and intertextuality: connecting texts. Language and Literature adds the study of non-literary texts alongside literary works, and both courses include works in translation. You keep a learner portfolio throughout the course. Tutoring follows the works and text types your school has chosen, at SL or HL.

Paper 1: Guided Analysis

  • Annotating an unseen text quickly
  • Building a thesis from the guiding question
  • Analysing language, structure and style with evidence
  • Non-literary text types (Lang & Lit)
  • +1 more
    • Prose, poetry and drama extracts (Literature)

Paper 2: Comparative Essay

  • Unpacking the four general questions
  • Choosing two works that answer the question
  • Comparing authorial choices, not just content
  • Recalling quotations without the texts
  • +1 more
    • Planning to the 1 hour 45 minute limit

Individual Oral (IO)

  • Choosing a global issue within a field of inquiry
  • Selecting two extracts of up to 40 lines
  • Linking each extract to its whole work or body of work
  • Delivering 10 minutes from brief notes
  • +1 more
    • Handling 5 minutes of teacher questions

HL Essay

  • Turning an interest into a line of inquiry
  • Testing whether your work can support the question
  • Sustaining an argument over 1,200-1,500 words
  • Using critics without losing your own reading
  • +1 more
    • Referencing and academic integrity

Areas of Exploration

  • Readers, writers and texts
  • Time and space
  • Intertextuality: connecting texts
  • Works in translation
  • +1 more
    • The learner portfolio

IO Fields of Inquiry

  • Culture, identity and community
  • Beliefs, values and education
  • Politics, power and justice
  • Art, creativity and the imagination
  • +1 more
    • Science, technology and the environment
Assessment breakdown

IB French A (Language & Literature and Literature) Assessment Structure

French A: Language and Literature and French A: Literature share one assessment model. Paper 1 is a guided analysis of unseen texts: non-literary texts in Language and Literature, literary passages in Literature. Paper 2 is a comparative essay on two works you have studied. The Individual Oral is the internal assessment, a 15-minute oral on a global issue in two extracts. HL students also write the HL essay. From May 2026, Paper 2 is marked out of 25 with separate criteria for analysis and comparison, and the Literature course requires fewer works.

Paper 1 - Guided Analysis

External Assessment
SL: 35%
HL: 35%

Guided analysis in French of previously unseen texts, each with a guiding question. Language and Literature uses non-literary texts; Literature uses literary passages from different literary forms.

SL: 1 hour 15 min | HL: 2 hours 15 min
SL: analyse one of two texts (20 marks) | HL: analyse both texts (40 marks)

Paper 2 - Comparative Essay

External Assessment
SL: 35%
HL: 25%

One essay comparing two literary works studied in the course, answering one of four general questions, without the texts in the exam

SL: 1 hour 45 min | HL: 1 hour 45 min
From May 2026: criteria A, B1 (analysis), B2 (comparison), C and D, 5 marks each

Individual Oral (IO)

Internal Assessment
SL: 30%
HL: 20%

Oral in French exploring how a global issue of your choice is presented in an extract from each of two works, and in those works as a whole

15 minutes: 10 min analysis + 5 min teacher questions
Lang & Lit: one literary work + one non-literary body of work | Literature: one work originally written in French + one work in translation

HL Essay (HL only)

External Assessment
HL only: 20%

1,200-1,500 word essay on a line of inquiry you develop during the course, marked by IB examiners

Lang & Lit: a literary work or a non-literary body of work | Literature: one literary work

Key Assessment Notes

  • From May 2026, Paper 2 is marked out of 25 (previously 30), with separate marks for analysing each work and for comparing them.
  • From May 2026, French A: Literature requires at least 7 works at SL and 10 at HL; Language and Literature still requires 4 (SL) or 6 (HL) literary works.
  • The works you use for your IO cannot be used again in Paper 2 or the HL essay.
IB French A: Language and Literature grade distribution and average gradeHow students actually scored in the latest IB results: the share of each grade, HL vs SL, and how many got a 7.IB French A: Literature grade distribution and average gradeHow students actually scored in the latest IB results: the share of each grade, HL vs SL, and how many got a 7.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about IB French A (Language & Literature and Literature) tutoring

Yes. French A comes in two courses, Language and Literature and Literature, and both use the same assessments: Paper 1, Paper 2, the Individual Oral and, at HL, the HL essay. The difference is the material. Language and Literature adds non-literary texts such as adverts, speeches and articles, while Literature studies literary works only, including works in translation. Tell us your course, level and works when you sign up so your tutor can prepare.

French A is for students who are already fluent, usually native speakers, and is a literature and textual analysis course taught in French. French B is a language acquisition course for students who have studied French before, with writing, listening, reading and an oral on five themes. French ab initio is for beginners. If your exams include a comparative essay on works you studied, you take French A. If they include a listening paper, you take French B.

Yes, and it is a good place to start, because the method works on any text. You practise annotating an unseen text quickly, turning the guiding question into a thesis, and analysing how specific choices create meaning instead of retelling the content. Language and Literature students work on non-literary text types such as adverts, speeches and opinion columns; Literature students work on prose, poetry and drama. HL students also build the stamina to write two analyses in 2 hours 15 minutes.

Yes. From May 2026, Paper 2 is marked out of 25 instead of 30: criterion A fell from 10 to 5 marks, and criterion B is split into B1, analysis of each work, and B2, comparison of the two, at 5 marks each. French A: Literature also now requires at least 7 works at SL and 10 at HL. The same rules apply in May 2027, and tutoring follows them.

Yes. In French A the internal assessment is the Individual Oral: 10 minutes on how a global issue appears in two extracts of up to 40 lines and their wider works, then 5 minutes of teacher questions. It is worth 30% at SL and 20% at HL. In Literature, one work must be originally written in French and the other a work in translation. Your tutor can help you test whether a global issue is workable and run timed mock IOs with you on practice extracts, while your global issue and choice of extracts stay your own.

Yes. The HL essay is a 1,200-1,500 word essay in French on a line of inquiry you choose, worth 20% of the HL grade and marked by IB examiners. A tutor can help you test whether a line of inquiry is workable and practise close reading and sustained argument on other texts. The ideas and writing remain yours, and feedback on your draft comes from your teacher. You cannot use a work from your IO in the HL essay.

The skills are the same at both levels; HL adds volume. HL students write two Paper 1 analyses in 2 hours 15 minutes instead of one, complete the HL essay, and study more works: 6 literary works instead of 4 in Language and Literature, and at least 10 instead of 7 in Literature. Paper 2 is the same exam at both levels, though it carries 35% of the grade at SL and 25% at HL.

Often, yes. The IB allows Language A: Literature to be taken at SL as a school-supported self-taught course when your school has no class in your language. You read the works largely on your own, a supervisor at school guides your reading list and runs the IO, and you sit the normal assessments. A tutor who knows the course can give regular feedback on your analyses and practice orals. If you complete two Language A courses with a 3 or higher in both, you can earn the IB bilingual diploma.

In May 2026 (IB provisional statistical bulletin), 5.5% of French A: Language and Literature HL candidates and 5.7% at SL got a 7, with a mean grade of 4.9 at both levels. In French A: Literature, 3.4% got a 7 at HL and 7.6% at SL, with a mean of 5.0 at both levels. In each course and level, more than half of candidates scored a 4 or a 5, so precise analysis in every component is what moves you higher.

Yes. Close to the exams, sessions usually focus on timed Paper 1 practice with feedback, planning Paper 2 answers for the works you will use, and quotation recall. Most students are matched with a tutor within 24 hours, so you can start quickly. Earlier support gives more room for the IO and the HL essay, which are completed during the course.

We offer a first session guarantee. If you're not satisfied after your first session, we'll rematch you with a different tutor or give you a full refund.

Recommended Guides

Choosing the Right Global Issue for Your IO

Pick a global issue that both of your works can support in depth.

Read guide

Handling Examiner Questions in Your IO

Use the 5-minute question section to extend your analysis.

Read guide

How to Use Past Papers Effectively

Timed Paper 1 and Paper 2 practice that builds exam technique.

Read guide

Understanding IB Assessment Criteria

See how the Language A criteria reward analysis, organisation and language.

Read guide
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