Italian a Literature Past Papers 2026
Browse all available Italian a Literature sessions from 2013-2025. This archive currently includes 38 official papers and 0 donated papers.
11
Sessions
38
Papers
38
Official
2013-2025
Years
May 2025
Latest Session
11
Sessions
2013–2025
16
Question Papers
2
Markschemes
13% coverage
Components: 2 papers.
May 2025
Latest Session
11
Sessions
2013–2025
16
Question Papers
2
Markschemes
13% coverage
Components: 2 papers.
Yearly Exam Sessions
About IB Italian a Literature
IB Italian a Literature is a Group 1 Studies in Language and Literature subject offered to students whose first language or heritage language is Italian. Italian is spoken by approximately 85 million in Italy, Switzerland (Ticino), San Marino, Vatican City, and Italian diaspora communities worldwide. Italian literature stands at the foundation of the Western literary canon. Dante's Divine Comedy, Petrarch's sonnets, and Boccaccio's Decameron shaped European literature for centuries. Modern Italian literature continues to produce Nobel laureates and internationally celebrated novelists. Students who sit this course bring a deep cultural connection to the language, and examiners expect engagement with the literary and cultural context of Italian-language texts.
The IB Italian a Literature curriculum requires students to study a range of texts — poetry, prose, and drama — drawn from the Italian literary tradition. Distinguished voices such as Dante Alighieri, Italo Calvino, Dario Fo (Nobel laureate) are representative of the kinds of authors and works that may be studied. Past papers for this subject include Paper 1 (textual commentary) and Paper 2 (comparative literary essay).
Exam Format
Paper 1 (SL: 1 hr 15 min / HL: 2 hr 15 min)
Guided textual analysis of an unseen extract. SL students receive a guiding question; HL students analyse without a guiding question and must independently identify literary devices and their effects.
Paper 2 (SL/HL: 1 hr 45 min)
Comparative literary essay on two works studied in class. Students choose one question from four options. Requires a structured argument with textual evidence.
SL vs HL
SL students analyse a single unseen text in Paper 1 with a guiding question. HL students are given two texts and must choose one to analyse without guidance, demonstrating greater independence. HL students also submit a Higher Level Essay (HLE) as part of Internal Assessment, giving them an additional extended writing opportunity.
Study Tips for IB Italian a Literature
- ✓Always identify the text type, genre, and cultural context before beginning your analysis.
- ✓Use precise literary terminology — diction, imagery, tone, syntax, structure, and narrative voice all attract marks.
- ✓In Paper 2, compare both texts throughout the essay; never discuss one text then the other in separate halves.
- ✓Quote directly and briefly from the text — long quotations with no comment waste exam time.
- ✓Plan your Paper 2 essay before writing: a clear thesis and paragraph structure improves coherence significantly.
- ✓For HL, practise unseen analysis with no guiding question to build the analytical independence the exam demands.
- ✓Develop a strong knowledge of Italian literary history and at least 2–3 major authors so contextual references strengthen your analysis.
Questions, answered.
IB Italian a Literature is a Group 1 subject in the IB Diploma Programme. It is designed for students whose first or strongest language is Italian. The course develops skills in literary analysis and critical thinking through the study of texts from the Italian literary tradition.
A Literature focuses exclusively on literary texts. A Language and Literature also includes non-literary texts such as media, advertising, and public discourse. Both are Group 1 subjects.
Yes. Our archive includes question papers and mark schemes for available sessions. Mark schemes for A Literature subjects include commentary assessment criteria and essay marking notes.
The Internal Assessment is an Individual Oral (15 minutes) in which students present an analysis of an extract from a literary work and connect it to a global issue. HL students also submit a Higher Level Essay.
Schools choose their own texts from Italian-language literature. Well-known authors from this tradition include Dante Alighieri, Italo Calvino, Dario Fo (Nobel laureate). The IB requires that at least one work is studied in translation from another language tradition.