Masterclass Format

This VIRTUAL Masterclass will be delivered by IBICUS via ZOOM by a fully-trained leader. The timings are 09:00-13:30 UK time with a set-up / introductory meeting starting at 08:30 UK time.  Please note that IBICUS Masterclasses are not official IB PD workshops are any certificates issues do not count towards school authorisation and evaluation.

About the Masterclass

Strong analytical writing begins with strong reading. Students who summarise a text, list techniques or reproduce a prepared interpretation may appear knowledgeable, but they are not yet demonstrating the critical independence expected in DP Language A.

This masterclass helps Arabic A teachers develop a coherent approach to critical reading and analytical writing across the two-year course. Participants will explore how students can move from understanding what a text says to examining how meaning is constructed through language, form, structure, voice, imagery, perspective and context. The session considers both literary works and non-literary bodies of work. It also examines how discussion, annotation, comparative thinking, planning and formative writing can prepare students for assessment without turning the course into continuous examination practice.

Participants will

• Design reading activities that foreground interpretation and authorial choice.
• Help students move from identifying features to explaining their effects.
• Teach the selection and integration of precise textual evidence.
• Develop coherent arguments rather than collections of disconnected observations.
• Build critical writing progressively while preserving student independence.

Practical outcomes

• A set of activities connecting annotation, discussion, planning and writing.
• A framework for comparing descriptive, competent and genuinely analytical responses. 
• A practical progression for critical reading and writing across the course.

Masterclass Leader(s)