1. Identities  

2. Experiences 

3: Human Ingenuity 

4. Social Organization 

5. Sharing the Planet 

Exam folder Summer 2025

Texts

In theory, a text is anything from which information can be extracted, including the wide range of oral, written and visual materials present in society. For example: 

• single and multiple images, with or without written text 

• non-literary and literary written texts and extracts 

• broadcast media texts: films, radio and television programmes, and their scripts 

• oral texts: presentations, debates, interviews, speeches, recorded conversations, and their transcripts 

• electronic texts that share aspects of the above areas: text messaging, web pages and blogs, social media and video-sharing websites. 

For the purposes of teaching and learning in a language acquisition course, the language B and language ab initio syllabuses organize written, visual, audio and audio-visual texts into three broad categories: personal, professional and mass media texts. The guiding principle for using texts in the DP language acquisition courses is to develop students’ receptive, productive and interactive skills in the target language by focusing their attention on the ways in which good communicators consider the audience, context and purpose of what they want to say or write in the process of choosing and developing an appropriate text type to convey a message. 

Teachers should provide frequent opportunities for students to understand and use a variety of text types in relation to the prescribed themes and related course content. The categories are described below, and the table that follows provides examples of text types for each category. The examples shown are neither prescriptive nor exhaustive.

Personal texts 

Personal texts are shared by the person creating the message and an audience who may be family members, friends or groups with a common interest; a personal text may also be directed to oneself. Personal texts tend to be characterized by attention to the everyday interests or the affective needs of individuals rather than the analysis of information. Personal texts have a variety of functions including, but not limited to, describing, narrating, entertaining, recommending and persuading. The level of formality in the register of these texts will vary according to the linguistic and sociocultural norms of the target language. 

Professional texts 

Professional texts are created for an intended audience in contexts where no personal relationship is assumed between the producer of the text and the recipient(s); however, the producer of the text can assume that the recipient(s) will have an interest in receiving and understanding the message. Professional texts tend to be characterized by attention to the cognitive needs of individuals, the transfer of knowledge and the logical presentation of information; these texts employ clear, factual language and a formal register. Professional texts have a variety of functions including, but not limited to, informing, instructing, explaining, analysing, convincing, interpreting and evaluating. 

Mass media texts

 Mass media texts are created for distribution to a large audience that is targeted because of an interest that, at least initially, lies primarily with the producer of the text, since the person or entity responsible for a mass media text has no way of knowing exactly who will take the time and interest to understand the message or who will ignore it. Mass media texts tend to be characterized by the need of the producer of the text to project authority, desirability or exclusivity, and the conscious choice of a particular medium or technology that is appropriate to reach the targeted audience. The level of formality in the register of these texts will vary according to the linguistic and sociocultural norms of the target language.

Literature Reading 

literature in the target language can be an enjoyable journey into cultures where the target language is spoken. Literature can exemplify one or more of the prescribed themes of the language B course, and can help students to broaden their vocabulary and use language to express opinions and explore ideas. Reading literature helps students to develop fluent reading skills as they progress from comprehension to interpretation and inference. Literature is also an especially appropriate vehicle for promoting the development of international-mindedness, which is a key aim of the DP language acquisition courses. The use of literary works to develop students’ receptive and productive skills is encouraged at all levels of language acquisition in the DP; however, in terms of formal requirements of the syllabus and assessment outline, the study of two literary works originally written in the target language is a requirement at HL in language B. HL students are expected to understand fundamental elements of the literary works studied, such as themes, plot and characters. It must be emphasized that literary criticism is not an objective of the language B course; literary criticism lies within the remit of the DP studies in language and literature courses. In language acquisition courses, specifically language B HL, literature is intended as a stimulus for ideas to be explored, principally through oral assessment. The term “literary works” refers to works of prose fiction, prose non-fiction, poetry and drama. When choosing literary works, teachers should consider carefully how to use literature in relation to one or more of the prescribed themes, and they should also bear in mind the interests and general language proficiency of their students. The term “literary text” refers to an extract from a complete literary work, for example, a scene from a play, several paragraphs from a novel or a single poem from a larger collection. As with any resources used in the classroom, literary works should be chosen in order to allow students to achieve the aims and objectives of the course, be culturally relevant to the target language and linguistically accessible for language acquisition students. Literary works that feature a high degree of linguistic complexity, arcane language or an enigmatic subject matter are not appropriate in the DP language acquisition classroom context. Works in translation or “easy reader” versions of literary texts are not helpful for students to achieve the aims and objectives of the course and must be avoided.

Assessments

Predictive tool IB grades

Independent, informal grade calculator  (this tool is only to be used as an aid, and has no official role. It serves as a helpful estimation of a grade, based on last year's grade boundaries)