Japanese A1 Past Papers 2026

IB Japanese A1 is a Group 1 Studies in Language and Literature subject offered to students whose first language or heritage language is Japanese. Japanese is spoken by approximately 125 million in Japan and Japanese diaspora communities worldwide. Japanese literature has a continuous tradition dating back over 1,300 years. The Tale of Genji (11th century) is often cited as the world's first novel. Japanese poetry forms — haiku, tanka, and renga — have influenced global literature. 20th-century Japanese writers achieved major international recognition. Students who sit this course bring a deep cultural connection to the language, and examiners expect engagement with the literary and cultural context of Japanese-language texts.

The IB Japanese A1 curriculum requires students to study a range of texts — poetry, prose, and drama — drawn from the Japanese literary tradition. Distinguished voices such as Murasaki Shikibu, Yasunari Kawabata (Nobel), Haruki Murakami 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).