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Language B flashcards

34 cards covering every topic of the syllabus (First assessment 2020). Study one topic or mix them all, turn each card, and mark yourself honestly.

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Topic 1: Identities

What does the Identities theme explore?: The nature of the self and what it means to be human. A guiding question: how do language and culture contribute to forming an identity?
Name the recommended topics for Identities: Lifestyles; health and well-being; beliefs and values; subcultures; language and identity.
What are the five prescribed themes of Language B?: Identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization and sharing the planet. They frame the texts studied and the stimuli used in the assessments.
What does Paper 1 (productive skills) involve?: One writing task chosen from three. Each task sets a context, audience and purpose and lists text types to choose from. 25% of the final grade, 30 marks. SL: 1 hour 15 minutes, 250–400 words. HL: 1 hour 30 minutes, 450–600 words, with more complex language and higher-order thinking.
What is register, and how is formal register signalled?: Register is how formal or informal the language is. Formal signals: the polite "you" form of the language (such as vous, usted or Sie), titles and surnames, set opening and closing formulas, precise impersonal vocabulary, complete linked sentences.
Tone versus register: Register is the level of formality. Tone is the writer's attitude (urgent, reassuring, critical, ironic), shown through intensifiers, modal verbs, punctuation and the balance of facts and feelings. A formal text can still be enthusiastic.
What conventions should a personal text type show?: Personal texts (diary, personal email or letter, personal blog post) for yourself or people you know: a date or greeting, first person, feelings and reflection, and an informal to neutral register.

Topic 2: Experiences

What does the Experiences theme explore?: The stories of the events, experiences and journeys that shape our lives. Possible questions: How does our past shape our present and future? How and why do different cultures mark important moments in life?
Name the recommended topics for Experiences: Leisure activities; holidays and travel; life stories; rites of passage; customs and traditions; migration.
What does Paper 2 (receptive skills) involve?: Separate listening and reading sections, 50% of the final grade in total. Listening: 25 marks, 25%. Reading: 40 marks, 25%. Reading is nearly two-thirds of the raw marks.
How long are the Paper 2 sections at SL and HL?: Listening: 45 minutes at SL, 1 hour at HL. Reading: 1 hour at both levels. Only the listening section gets longer at HL.
How should you approach a Paper 2 listening task?: Before: read all questions and predict answer types (number, place, reason, feeling). During: notes and symbols, not sentences; keep going if you miss one. Watch for self-corrections, two numbers, options mentioned then rejected. After: fill gaps and check spelling.
Why does Experiences often call for past-tense control?: Life stories, travel and rites of passage are usually told in the past, so a text needs the language's completed-past form, its background or habitual past form, and an earlier-past (pluperfect) form, used accurately together.

Topic 3: Human ingenuity

What does the Human ingenuity theme explore?: The ways in which human creativity and innovation affect our world. Possible questions: What can we learn about a culture through its artistic expression? How do the media change the way we relate to each other?
Name the recommended topics for Human ingenuity: Entertainment; artistic expressions; communication and media; technology; scientific innovation.
What are the five conceptual understandings of Language B?: Context (the situation around a text), audience (who it is for and the writer–reader relationship), purpose (why it exists), meaning (what it communicates, explicitly or implicitly) and variation (how language changes with the other four).
What kinds of variation does Language B ask you to notice?: Register (formal to informal); tone (the writer's attitude); medium (spoken is looser than written, a message shorter than a letter); and regional variety in vocabulary, pronunciation and some grammar.
How do you answer a Paper 2 reading question?: Circle the question word (who, why, how many) to fix the answer type; underline key words and note the marks; list synonyms; scan for them; read the full sentence and the next one; answer only what is asked.
How do you answer true/false with justification and reference-word questions?: True/false: decide, then quote the shortest words from the text that prove it. Reference word: look back for what the word refers to, check agreement, substitute it and reread.
How do you answer an inference question?: Quote the line → state its literal meaning → state what it implies. The answer must be supported by the text, not by general knowledge.

Topic 4: Social organization

What does the Social organization theme explore?: The ways in which groups of people organize themselves, or are organized, through common systems or interests. Possible questions: What is the individual's role in the community? What role do rules and regulations play in forming a society?
Name the recommended topics for Social organization: Social relationships; community; social engagement; education; the working world; law and order.
What conventions should a professional text type show?: Professional texts (formal letter or email, report, proposal) for an organisation: purpose stated early, one point per paragraph, formal opening and closing formulas, formal register, and headings in a report.
What are the Paper 1 assessment criteria?: A: Language (12 marks). B: Message (12 marks). C: Conceptual understanding (6 marks) — choosing and using the right text type, register and conventions for the context, audience and purpose. Total 30.
What is the HL literature requirement?: HL students study two literary works originally written in the target language. The HL individual oral uses an excerpt from one of them as its stimulus. (HL only)
Direct versus indirect characterisation: Direct: the text tells you what a character is like ("She was proud"). Indirect: you infer it from actions, speech, appearance or others' reactions. Useful when analysing an HL literary extract. (HL only)
Literary theme versus prescribed theme: A literary theme is an idea a work explores (belonging, loss). A prescribed theme is one of the five course themes. In the HL oral, link the literary theme of the extract to a prescribed theme. (HL only)

Topic 5: Sharing the planet

What does the Sharing the planet theme explore?: The challenges and opportunities faced by individuals and communities in the modern world. Possible questions: What environmental and social issues challenge the world, and how can they be overcome? What challenges and benefits does globalization bring?
Name the recommended topics for Sharing the planet: The environment; human rights; peace and conflict; equality; globalization; ethics; urban and rural environment.
What is the individual oral in Language B?: Internal assessment, 25% of the final grade, 30 marks, conducted by your teacher. SL: based on a visual image linked to a theme (15 minutes' preparation). HL: based on an excerpt from one of the two literary works (20 minutes' preparation). It tests receptive, productive and interactive skills.
What are the individual oral assessment criteria?: A: Language (12). B1: Message — visual stimulus at SL, literary extract at HL (6). B2: Message — conversation (6). C: Interactive skills — communication (6). Total 30.
How do you read an SL visual stimulus?: Literal: who, where, what in 2–3 sentences. Theme: which theme and topic, and which details show it. Lens: one possible question as your main idea. Culture: one specific example from a target-language culture.
What is the most common weakness in the individual oral?: Spending too much of the presentation describing the surface of the stimulus or extract, leaving too little time to develop an argument and link it to the theme and target-language culture.
How does Language B differ from Language A and ab initio?: Language B is an additional language for students with some prior learning. Language A courses are studied in a student's best language. Ab initio is a separate SL course for beginners with no background in the language.

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Written for International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Language B, (First assessment 2020).

Cards by Marlbridge Academic Team. This deck has not yet been reviewed as a whole by a subject teacher. Report an error.

All Language B notes, practice and topics