IB · SSST · SL
IB Danish A: Literature tutor guide
Your IB school does not teach Danish literature. It may have asked you to find a tutor. Start with the tutor’s role, a reading routine and an analysis exercise in Danish.
By Emil Brandt Rex, upper secondary teacher.
Danish A: tutor arrangements and fees
This guide is for students taking Danish A: Literature through the school-supported self-taught (SSST) pathway at Standard Level (SL) in the IB Diploma Programme. Parents and school coordinators can use it to clarify responsibilities. The site navigation and full biography lead to Danish resources; the guidance below is available in English.
On this page: Responsibilities · Portfolio · Comparison · Oral practice · For schools
How a tutor can support your work
Emil is an upper secondary teacher with experience teaching in the IB and guiding self-taught Danish A: Literature. The method here is to choose textual evidence, explain your reading and apply feedback to a new passage. His role is literary guidance in Danish; the school coordinates the course and assessment. Full biography in Danish.
Emil Brandt Rex has previously mentored students attending International School of Hellerup. That experience informs support for your reading, your own analytical practice and coordination with the school.
Subject-specific tutor support focuses on what you need to be able to do yourself:
- Organise your reading: connect the agreed reading list with the school’s timeline and identify a next reading and practice task.
- Analyse in Danish: develop an observation through textual evidence, the writer’s choices and a justified interpretation.
- Compare works: investigate a shared question and explain similarities and differences.
- Explain orally: practise justifying your choices through specific passages in the works.
- Use feedback: apply a next practice point and keep your own reflection in the portfolio.
An independent tutoring arrangement needs an agreed working method, progress review and school coordination. The guide below shows what to prepare and how to continue working independently.
Find help for the task in front of you
I need to find a tutor: Use the questions for your tutor and school before agreeing how to work together.
I can retell the plot, but I need to analyse: Try the Alma exercise and justify one interpretation with textual evidence.
My comparisons become two separate summaries: Try the two short passages and explain how a choice in each text answers the same question.
If your timetable says Danish B, Danish A at HL or Language A: Language and Literature, ask your coordinator to confirm your exact subject. The exercises and assessment explanations in this guide follow Literature through SSST at SL.
What does self-taught mean in the IB?
Self-taught means that you work independently with support from your school and a tutor. It is a specific pathway through Language A: Literature when your school does not teach your language. The subject belongs to group 1, Studies in language and literature, in the IB Diploma Programme. You still attend an IB school and take your Diploma Programme through that school.
The SSST pathway is available at SL. Danish A at HL, Danish B and beginner Danish require different arrangements. Danish A: Literature focuses on reading, analysing and comparing literature in Danish.
An independent tutor can work with your school. The school needs to clarify the tutor’s role and remain responsible for the course arrangements and your registration.
How to find a Danish A: Literature tutor
Ask your coordinator who is responsible for finding a tutor and what the school requires. At the International School of Hellerup, the student must find and pay the tutor under its Language Policy, version 2.1, applicable from January 2025 to January 2027. Other schools may organise this differently. See ISH’s Language Policy, self-taught section.
When speaking to a prospective tutor, check:
- Experience with this subject. Can they support Danish A: Literature as SSST SL and literary analysis in Danish? General Danish language teaching serves a different purpose.
- School coordination. How will they obtain the school’s guide, timeline and agreed reading list? Who follows up on your progress?
- A concrete working method. What will you read and prepare, how will you practise, and how will feedback help you move forward?
- An arrangement that works. Who pays, how much support has been agreed, and what happens if a meeting is cancelled or deadlines change? Clarify this with your parents and school.
You can explore the tutor’s approach through a passage: ask how you would work together on your own observations and an interpretation. A corrected text tells you less about what you learn than an explanation you can apply to the next passage.
School, tutor and student: who does what?
Your school and SSST coordinator:
confirm the guide for your examination session, oversee course arrangements and follow up on requirements, deadlines and assessment. Check who acts as your supervisor. The guide with first assessment 2026 requires a tutor in your first and best language and a class for the school’s SSST cohort scheduled in the school timetable. Ask your coordinator how both are arranged for your cohort. An external tutor does not replace the school’s shared SSST support.
Your tutor:
helps with literature in Danish, reading plans, analysis and practice. Work selection and preparation must fit the school’s arrangements. The tutor and the responsible member of school staff agree how to follow your progress.
You:
read the works, keep your own notes, test interpretations and do your own writing and speaking. A parent can help you maintain a routine without taking over the work.
First steps: three checks with your school
Confirm three things with your school’s coordinator before choosing new books or planning assessment preparation:
- Your subject and examination session. Ask for the guide and assessment criteria your school uses for Danish A: Literature SSST SL for your cohort.
- Your reading list and deadlines. Which works have been agreed, which choices still need checking, and when does your school review progress? In SSST, all works must be by authors on the IB’s Prescribed reading list. The list must also meet the other course requirements, which your school checks. A reading list for a Danish national upper secondary class is not an IB reading list.
- Your route to help. Who is the coordinator, supervisor and tutor? Who answers questions about course rules, and who helps with literature in Danish?
You could write: “I am taking Danish A: Literature as SSST SL. Could we confirm my examination session, the applicable guide, my reading list and the responsibilities of the school and tutor?”
If your examination session changes, have your school recheck your reading list and assessment preparation.
From a reading list to a working routine
Start with your school’s timeline. Put the agreed works and deadlines in your calendar and divide the reading into manageable sections. Leave time to reread, write and compare. A work becomes useful for further study when you can find passages and explain your choices.
Here is one possible practice cycle. Adapt it to your school’s course plan and the time you have:
- Read and choose. Read the agreed section. Choose a short passage where the language, narrator or a conflict makes you pause.
- Record an observation. Note a specific detail and one question. Try a short analytical paragraph rather than summarising the entire plot.
- Discuss with your tutor. Explain your reading in Danish. Ask for feedback on one practice point, such as the connection between textual evidence and interpretation.
- Try again and keep a record. Apply the practice point to a new passage. Keep your own notes and a brief reflection: What can I explain now, and what should I investigate next?
Your learner portfolio records your work as it develops. It can include passages, questions, attempts, comparisons and reflections. Follow your school’s instructions on its form and content. A collection of someone else’s finished notes does not show your own progress.
For parents: agree on a quiet time for reading and ask what your child has noticed. You do not need to know the book to listen to an explanation. Leave the analysis and writing to the student.
Use an analytical approach from your other Language A subject
If you also take another Language A subject, try using an analytical approach from that class in Danish. For example, if you have examined what a narrator knows and withholds, choose a passage from an agreed Danish work. Use textual evidence to explain what the reader learns and what remains uncertain. Write your own explanation in Danish. The concept can help in both subjects; tasks, material choices and assessment requirements must follow each subject’s own instructions.
A portfolio note you can fill in
Copy the fields into your own document and complete them after one practice cycle. This is a practice worksheet, not a required IB template. Follow your school’s learner portfolio requirements. Write your literary observations and explanations in Danish.
- Work, author and passage: [title, author, page or lines].
- My observation: [what I notice and the brief textual evidence].
- The writer’s choice: [for example narrator, word choice, contrast or structure].
- My interpretation: [what the choice could mean and why].
- Another possible reading: [an explanation the text could also support].
- Feedback and next attempt: [one practice point and a new passage to try it on].
- My reflection afterwards: [what I can now explain and what remains unclear].
Practise literary analysis in Danish
Once your works have been agreed, start with one passage. Record what you can actually see in the text, then consider how the writer’s choices shape your reading.
Original practice passage written by Studiekompasset. It is not a prescribed work or an examination task:
Da bussen kom, lod Alma den køre. Hendes taske stod stadig mellem fødderne. På skærmen lyste beskeden: “Vi venter.”
The passage says that Alma lets a bus leave without boarding. Her bag remains between her feet, and a message on her screen says, “We are waiting.”
“Alma er usikker” (Alma is uncertain) might be a starting point. To develop an analysis, it needs evidence. Try these three steps:
- Find a specific detail: Alma “lod … den køre”. She lets this bus leave rather than boarding it.
- Examine a choice: the brief message “Vi venter” is unexplained. The reader does not know who is waiting or why.
- Test an interpretation: the missing explanation can leave the situation unresolved and draw attention to Alma’s hesitation. What other interpretation could the text support?
These are practice questions, not an official IB model. Apply them to a passage from an agreed work: What do I notice? How is it written? How does that shape my understanding? Keep the passage, your own reflections and your next question in your learner portfolio, following your school’s instructions.
The explanations here are in English to help students, families and schools share an overview. They do not change the course language: literary work for Danish A is in Danish.
Check what the text actually shows
Write your reason for each claim before reading the explanations. Find the words in the Alma passage that support or challenge the claim. The practice claims remain in Danish:
“Alma kommer for sent til bussen.”
“Beskeden fortæller, at nogen venter.”
“Alma er bange for dem, der venter.”
Compare your reasons with these explanations
Claim 1: The text says that Alma “lod … den køre”. The wording presents her as letting the bus leave. It does not say that she arrives late. We do not know her reason.
Claim 2: “Vi venter” appears in the message. The claim therefore reports what the message says. We still do not know who “vi” refers to, whether the message is true, or certainly whom they are waiting for.
Claim 3: Fear can be proposed as an interpretation, but the passage does not establish it. Which words support fear specifically? Could Alma hesitate for another reason? Your explanation needs to connect the detail to the interpretation.
Now take a passage from an agreed course work. Write one sentence about what the text states and one about a possible meaning. Support that meaning with a detail and test another reading. Use the distinction to revise your own practice note. These explanations concern our original text; they are not an official IB answer key.
An analytical paragraph in Danish
Original model for this practice passage:
Almas handling beskrives med ordene “lod … den køre”. Formuleringen fremstiller det som et valg at lade bussen køre frem for blot at komme for sent. Samtidig står tasken “stadig mellem fødderne”, så hun bliver på stedet. Beskeden “Vi venter” antyder, at andre forventer hende, men fortælleren forklarer ikke, hvem de er. Den tilbageholdte information gør derfor hendes tøven til et spørgsmål for læseren: Undgår hun et møde, eller har hun en anden grund til at blive? Passagen kan understøtte begge muligheder; den viser ikke sikkert, at Alma er bange.
What the paragraph does:
- Starts with evidence. “Lod” and “stadig” support the explanation rather than decorate an assertion.
- Explains the writer’s choices. It examines how the action is phrased and what the narrator leaves unexplained.
- Connects choice and effect. Missing information leaves the reader uncertain about Alma’s reason for staying.
- Tests the interpretation. It allows another reading and distinguishes textual evidence from a guessed emotion.
Try your own paragraph in Danish about the bag or the message’s “vi”. Use your own evidence and explanation. Afterwards ask: Have I explained a choice in the text, or only retold what happens? The model is teaching material for this original practice passage, not an answer to an IB assessment.
Use feedback on a different detail
Here is an imagined feedback cycle for the Alma exercise. The practice writing and feedback stay in Danish.
First attempt: “Alma er bange og tager derfor ikke bussen.”
Tutor feedback: “Du har fundet handlingen: Alma lader bussen køre. Men teksten siger ikke direkte, at hun er bange. Skeln mellem det, du ser, og det, du fortolker. Prøv samme skelnen på tasken: Hvad gør ordet ‘stadig’ ved din læsning?”
New attempt, using the bag: “Tasken står ‘stadig mellem fødderne’. Ordet ‘stadig’ fremhæver, at placeringen er uændret. Mens bussen kommer og kører videre, bliver tasken på stedet. Det kan understrege pausen i Almas handling, men forklarer ikke, hvorfor hun bliver.”
Check your own explanation:
- Can I point to the words supporting my explanation?
- Have I explained an effect and identified what the text leaves uncertain?
Now try without the model: explain how the word “lyste” shapes your reading. Write in Danish and save your own attempt with one sentence about how you used the feedback. This uses our original practice passage, not work for assessment.
Process overview
From evidence to interpretation
The same practice questions can be seen as a sequence.
- FindChoose a specific detail in the text.
- ExamineExplain a choice in the language or narrative.
- InterpretTest an effect and another possible reading.
Paper 1, Paper 2 and the individual oral
Paper 1 involves analysing an unseen literary text. Paper 2 asks you to compare studied works in response to a question. The individual oral explores a global issue through one work originally written in Danish and one work studied in translation. Under the guide with first assessment 2026, the SSST oral is a 15-minute student response without subsequent teacher questions and is externally assessed. Obtain your school’s precise instructions for your examination session before selecting assessment material.
First identify where you get stuck. Can you find evidence but struggle to explain its effect? Can you analyse two works separately but struggle to compare them? Your tutor can then focus practice on the specific difficulty.
Practise comparing two texts
Practise one comparative point supported by evidence. Both mini-passages are original exercises written by Studiekompasset. They are not course works, material for your individual oral or a complete Paper 2 task. For Paper 2, use two studied works by different authors according to your school’s instructions. Write your practice response in Danish.
Practice text A, in Danish:
Ved aftensmaden holdt Nora brevet under bordet. “Du bliver jo her,” sagde faren og skubbede kartoflerne hen til hende. Hun foldede brevet en gang til. Ingen spurgte, hvem det var fra.
Practice text B, in Danish:
Toget stod med åbne døre. Malik læste sin mors besked: “Vi har dækket op til dig.” Han skrev “Jeg kommer” og slettede det. Da fløjten lød, trådte han ind.
Practice question, in Danish:
Hvordan fremstiller de to tekster spændingen mellem familiens forventninger og den unges valg?
Before writing, identify the question’s focus: family expectations and the young person’s choices. The question asks how that tension is presented, so examine choices in the language and narrative. Select details that help answer this particular question. Noticing that both passages contain something left unsaid is a starting observation; also explain how that silence relates to family expectations in each passage.
Start with one point about both texts. Choose a detail from each and explain a difference in how the choice is presented. Finish by explaining what that difference means for your reading. Here is one possible paragraph in Danish:
Begge tekster lader familiens forventning møde et uudtalt svar. Faren tager med “jo” Noras tilstedeværelse for givet, mens morens besked til Malik knytter forventningen til det dækkede bord. Nora folder brevet og lader dets indhold forblive skjult. Malik sletter sit svar, men træder derefter ind i toget. Forskellen er, at tekst A holder valget åbent gennem tilbageholdt information, mens tekst B afsluttes med en synlig handling. Vi ved dog ikke, hvor toget kører hen; handlingen beviser ikke i sig selv, at Malik afviser sin familie.
Commentary: The opening connects both passages to the practice question. The paragraph then explains specific choices in each. The comparison considers both the expectation and how the narrative presents a choice. The final sentence limits the interpretation to what the evidence supports. This is one possible reading and a practice approach, not an official IB template.
Try a different point about the replies that remain unspoken. Underline the sentence where you actually compare. If you have two summaries, explain the connection between them. Then use the approach with two agreed works and find support across the works as a whole. Quotations make the evidence visible here; this is not a requirement to quote verbatim in Paper 2.
Practise explaining your reading aloud
For ordinary practice, record a short explanation in Danish of the Nora passage or a passage from an agreed work. Our suggestion is to speak for about two minutes:
- State one interpretation and identify the evidence supporting it.
- Explain how a choice in the language or narrative shapes meaning.
- With an agreed work, connect the passage to another part of the work. With the Nora passage, explain what you cannot know without a longer text.
Listen back. Note one clear explanation and one place where you only recount events. Record that part again with evidence and explanation. A tutor can ask questions during this ordinary exercise within your school’s rules. The practice duration is our suggestion, not the IB assessment duration.
Before preparing an assessed individual oral, confirm your examination session, the two works, extracts, global issue and permitted support with your school. Explore how each work presents your global issue, through both its extract and the work as a whole. A broad topic such as “family” does not yet establish that focus. The IO does not require a comparison of the works as Paper 2 does. Under the guide with first assessment 2026, the SSST oral consists of your own 15-minute response without subsequent teacher questions. This mini-exercise is therefore not a mock IO or approval of your assessment material.
Tutor support and assessed work
A tutor can explain concepts, ask questions, discuss criteria and give feedback on clearly identified practice tasks within the school’s arrangements. Help with work for assessment must follow the school’s and IB’s rules.
Studiekompasset does not write, rewrite or edit the content of assessed work for you. You need to explain and defend your own choices. Keep practice tasks clearly separate from work that will be assessed.
Sources and school arrangements
Course requirements are checked against the IB Language A: literature guide, first assessment 2026, particularly the school-supported self-taught section. Your school’s current instructions establish the edition used by your cohort. ISH’s Language Policy, version 2.1 is used here for school arrangements, not as a replacement for the IB course guide. UWC ISAK Japan’s role description for external SSST tutors describes another school model.
Studiekompasset is an independent guidance site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the International Baccalaureate Organization. This guide does not replace your school’s instructions for your examination session.
Overview for your school coordinator
Download the English coordinator checklist (one-page PDF). The complete checklist is also available as text below.
For the school coordinator, language tutor and student · Standard Level
Use this checklist to make the student’s reading, practice and school arrangements fit together. It describes coordination, not enrolment or an agreed tutoring service. The applicable IB guide and the school’s instructions govern the course.
Before learning support starts
- Confirm Danish A: Literature, SL, school-supported self-taught (SSST), the examination session and applicable guide edition. This checklist uses the guide with first assessment 2026; it does not approve an individual session.
- Check the booklist together against the guide. SSST authors must be on the Prescribed reading list. Confirm which works may be used for each assessment component.
- Name the school’s coordinator and SSST supervisor; confirm the timetabled school SSST class, deadlines and responsibilities for assessment administration.
- Agree the tutor’s tasks, meeting format and frequency, progress updates, and what happens if a deadline is missed or a meeting cannot take place.
- Agree a secure way to share relevant work and concerns. Use the school’s safeguarding procedure; do not share login credentials.
Keep the responsibilities clear
School: confirms the student’s course and session, provides current instructions and school support, and coordinates registration, assessment arrangements and submission. Any mock marking or other school reporting must be agreed explicitly.
Language tutor: works within the school plan, supports literary analysis in Danish, and gives feedback on practice. The tutor reports relevant progress or concerns through the agreed route. This checklist assigns no role in predicted grades or official assessment authentication.
Student: reads the works, prepares practice, maintains a learner portfolio, meets deadlines and explains their own choices. Decisions and the submitted work remain the student’s.
A learning cycle with visible evidence
- Prepare: the student brings a passage, an interpretation and a question about an author’s choice.
- Practise: discuss the evidence; identify one strength and one specific next step. Use a practice task distinct from assessed work.
- Apply: the student tries the next step on another passage and explains what changed, orally or in writing in Danish.
- Reflect: add the passage reference, feedback and the student’s own reflection to the portfolio. Share an agreed progress note with the school when required.
Set the rhythm around the school plan and the student’s needs. Review the plan with the coordinator if the examination session, booklist or assessment instructions change.
Protect the student’s authorship
Support should help the student understand, choose and explain. Studiekompasset does not write, rewrite or edit the content of work submitted for assessment. Check permitted assistance with the school before working on an assessment task.
Relevant teaching experience
Emil Brandt Rex taught Danish at STX and IB level at Herlufsholm (2011-2022) and has experience guiding Danish A: Literature SSST study. He holds a cand.mag. in History with an elective in Danish and completed upper-secondary teacher training in Danish and History in 2014. These qualifications do not imply IB examiner status or IB endorsement. Studiekompasset is an independent educational project.
Free resources
- Student guide in English
- Student guide in Danish
- Official IB Language A: literature guide, first assessment 2026: learner portfolio, school-supported self-taught students and SSST assessment sections. Ask the school for current session instructions.
Prepared 6 October 2026. A coordination aid; school-specific documents still need to be checked.