Portuguese a Literature Past Papers 2026

IB Portuguese a Literature is a Group 1 Studies in Language and Literature subject offered to students whose first language or heritage language is Portuguese. Portuguese is spoken by approximately 260 million in Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and nine other countries as an official language. Portuguese is the only language other than English to have produced major literary traditions on multiple continents. From the medieval lyric poetry, through Camões' epic Os Lusíadas, to the Brazilian modernism of the 20th century and the celebrated Lusophone African literatures, Portuguese is a richly diverse literary language. Students who sit this course bring a deep cultural connection to the language, and examiners expect engagement with the literary and cultural context of Portuguese-language texts.

The IB Portuguese a Literature curriculum requires students to study a range of texts — poetry, prose, and drama — drawn from the Portuguese literary tradition. Distinguished voices such as Luís de Camões, Fernando Pessoa, José Saramago (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).