IB DP Language B: Identities

This guide covers Identities, one of five compulsory themes for IB Diploma Programme Language B, first assessment 2020. The full syllabus guide confirms all five prescribed themes are compulsory and examined through unseen material in Paper 2, alongside Sharing the Planet.

Where this fits in the syllabus

Because Paper 2’s listening and reading sections use unseen material across all five themes, an unfamiliar text on Identities is just as likely to appear as one on any other theme. Concentrating revision only on the themes discussed most in classroom speaking practice – Identities is often the first theme taught, and so risks being under-revised once teaching moves on – leaves real gaps in comprehension for the exam’s unseen material.

What Identities covers

Explores the nature of the self and what it means to be human. Recommended topics include lifestyles, health and well-being, beliefs and values, subcultures, and language and identity. The theme’s guiding question – how do language and culture contribute to forming an identity? – is a useful lens to apply to any Identities text, whether written, audio, visual or audio-visual, rather than a fixed list of facts to memorise.

Vocabulary and comprehension practice

Because Paper 2’s reading and listening sections are worth 50% combined – as much as productive writing and the internal oral put together – comprehension vocabulary specific to this theme (describing personality, values, cultural belonging, lifestyle choices) deserves dedicated practice time, not just the vocabulary needed to talk about the theme yourself. A student who can discuss Identities fluently in speaking practice but has not built comprehension vocabulary for it separately is only prepared for half of what the exam actually tests.

Worked example: applying the guiding question to an unseen text

An unseen reading passage discusses how a community’s traditional dress has changed across generations. The surface content simply describes changes in traditional dress over time. Applying the theme’s guiding question means asking how the described change in dress reflects a shift in how the community’s identity is expressed or understood across generations. The comprehension skill actually being tested is connecting a specific detail in the passage – what changed, when, why – to this broader theme question, rather than only extracting isolated facts. Practising this connection, specific detail to broader theme question, under timed conditions is more useful preparation than memorising vocabulary lists in isolation.

Text types and register

For Paper 1’s writing task, if a question falls under Identities, practise the specific text types the syllabus expects (a blog post, a formal letter, an article) using vocabulary and register appropriate to discussing lifestyle, values or personal identity specifically – format and register are assessed alongside content, so a well-argued response written in the wrong text-type conventions still loses marks.

The individual oral connection

For SL students, the individual oral uses a visual stimulus relevant to one of the five themes – if that stimulus relates to Identities, be ready to discuss lifestyle, values, subcultures or personal identity using the theme’s specific vocabulary rather than generic conversational language. For HL students, whose oral stimulus comes from one of their two studied literary works, check early whether either work engages with identity-related content, since a work that clearly connects to this theme gives a ready source of textual reference to draw on if an Identities-related discussion arises.

Cultural variation within the theme

Because Language B is taught across many different school and cultural contexts, “identity” itself can be discussed very differently depending on the target-language culture being studied – family structure, social expectations and the language used to discuss personal identity vary meaningfully between cultures. Paying attention to how identity is discussed specifically within the culture or cultures associated with your target language, rather than assuming your own cultural assumptions transfer directly, strengthens both comprehension of unseen material and the authenticity of your own spoken and written responses.

Common exam pitfalls

Discussing surface content of an Identities text without connecting it back to the theme’s guiding question about language, culture and identity formation is the most common gap – a summary of what a passage says is not, on its own, an answer to a comprehension question that expects the broader theme applied. Assuming familiarity with a theme discussed heavily in class guarantees comprehension of unfamiliar texts on it in the exam is a second common mistake: fluent speaking practice on Identities does not automatically transfer to strong listening or reading comprehension of a genuinely unseen text on the same theme, since the two skills draw on different vocabulary recognition and processing demands. A third is neglecting register in the Paper 1 writing task – a well-argued response about lifestyle or personal values that ignores the required text-type conventions (a blog post’s informal, first-person voice versus a formal letter’s conventions, for instance) is marked down even where the content itself is strong.

A note on assessment weighting

Like the other four themes, Identities is not tested as a separately named exam section – it is one of the five themes Paper 2’s unseen material can be drawn from, and one of several possible sources for Paper 1’s writing task and the individual oral’s stimulus. Preparation is most effective when it builds transferable comprehension and production fluency around the theme’s vocabulary and guiding question, rather than treating Identities as a fixed block of content to recall verbatim.

How to approach it

Build vocabulary across all five recommended Identities topics, not just the one or two discussed most in class. Practise unseen listening and reading comprehension on Identities specifically, not only speaking and writing output, since receptive skills carry equal weighting. For HL, check whether either of your two studied literary works connects to the Identities theme, since the individual oral stimulus is drawn from one of them. Treat Identities as a lens applied fluently to unfamiliar material, rather than a fixed block of content to recall verbatim.

Official syllabus

International Baccalaureate Organization, Diploma Programme Subject Brief – Language B, first assessment 2020 – the same source already cited by the full syllabus guide and the revision notes already on the site. Verified 2026-09-06.