How DP Language B Is Assessed: Revision Notes

Condensed for quick recall of how the course is assessed. For the full subject overview, use the IB DP Language B subject overview.

Ab initio as a third option

For students with no prior background in the target language at all, some schools instead offer Language ab initio rather than Language B – a separate course with its own, more foundational assessment structure. Language B itself is intended for students who already bring some prior experience of the target language, so confirming which of the two courses your school has entered you for is worth checking explicitly, since the assessment structures, required vocabulary range and oral formats differ between them.

Same weightings at SL and HL — the difference is complexity, not structure

Component	Weight
Paper 1 (productive writing, choice of tasks)	25%
Paper 2 (listening + reading comprehension)	50% (25% each)
Individual oral (recorded by your own teacher)	25%

SL vs HL — what actually differs

• HL only: study of two literary works originally written in the target language.
• HL students are expected to extend the range and complexity of language used/understood.
• HL individual oral: built around an extract from one of the two literary works, connected to a broader theme.
• SL individual oral: based on a photograph or short stimulus connected to one of the five prescribed themes (identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization, sharing the planet).

The individual oral in more depth

The oral is graded against criteria covering: language (range, accuracy and fluency appropriate to the level); the ability to respond to and develop the stimulus or extract in a structured way, rather than simply describing what is shown or narrated; and, at the level appropriate to SL or HL, the depth of analysis and connection made to the relevant prescribed theme or literary work. A common weakness at both levels is spending too much of the prepared time describing the surface content of the stimulus or extract, leaving too little time to develop an argument or connect it to the broader theme – examiners consistently reward students who move beyond description into interpretation and connection within the time available.

Command terms and the two papers

Paper 1’s productive writing task is assessed against text-type conventions (for example, the register and structure expected of a formal letter versus an informal blog post) as much as against grammatical accuracy – choosing a text type that doesn’t match the task’s purpose or audience loses marks even when the language itself is correct. Paper 2’s listening and reading comprehension exercises are more variable in question format across the different target languages this course covers, but consistently test detailed understanding rather than only gist – skimming a passage for general meaning is not sufficient preparation; practice should include locating and extracting specific detail under timed conditions.

Why SL and HL share weightings but differ in demand

Unlike some DP subjects where SL and HL differ in which components are assessed, Language B keeps an identical percentage structure across both levels – what changes is the complexity and range of language used and understood, the number of literary works studied (two at HL, none required at SL, though schools may still choose to include literary material at SL), and the format of the individual oral. This means a Language B revision plan built around the weightings table above transfers directly between levels; only the specific content (vocabulary range, grammatical complexity, and whether literary works are involved) needs to be adjusted for HL’s additional demand.

How this compares to Language A courses

Language B is studied as an additional, typically non-native language, whereas the two Language A courses (Language and Literature, and Literature) are studied in a student’s best language, usually their native or most fluent one. This distinction shapes assessment design directly: Language B’s Paper 1 and Paper 2 test productive and receptive skill in a language still being actively acquired, while Language A’s assessment (a wider Paper 1/Paper 2 split, an HL essay, and a differently structured oral) assumes near-native fluency and instead tests literary and textual analysis at a more sophisticated level.

Exam traps

• Preparing for the oral using the wrong format for your level (photograph/stimulus at SL, literary extract at HL).
• Underpreparing Paper 2, since it’s worth 50% — half the total grade — split evenly between listening and reading.
• HL students not building familiarity with both required literary works before the oral.

Self-test

1. What is Paper 2 worth, and how is it split?
2. What’s required only at HL, not SL?
3. What is the SL individual oral based on?
4. Who conducts and records the individual oral?
5. Name one criterion the individual oral is graded against, beyond language accuracy.
6. How many literary works are required to be studied at HL?

Answers: 1. 50%, split evenly between listening comprehension (25%) and reading comprehension (25%). 2. Study of two literary works originally written in the target language. 3. A photograph or short stimulus connected to one of the five prescribed themes. 4. The student’s own teacher. 5. The ability to respond to and develop the stimulus or extract in a structured way, or the depth of analysis and connection made to the relevant theme/work. 6. Two.

Official syllabus

International Baccalaureate Organization, Diploma Programme Subject Brief – Language B, first assessment 2020, published 2018 – the same source cited by the full syllabus guide and the subject overview.