IB Diploma Programme Language B – Paper 1: productive skills and text types Revision Notes

For full explanations and worked examples, use the Paper 1 study guide. These notes condense the writing skills behind Paper 1 of IB Diploma Programme Language B for the final weeks. They follow the IB Language B subject brief for first assessment 2020, which remains the examined course until the new syllabus is first assessed in May 2029, so they apply to the 2026, 2027 and 2028 sessions. They cover SL and HL across all five prescribed themes. Apply each point to your target language.

Test yourself afterwards with the Paper 1 practice questions. Course links: Language B hub · printable checklist.

Paper 1 facts from the brief

Fact	What the brief says
Name	Paper 1 (productive skills)
Task	One writing task from a choice of three
Weighting	25% of the final grade (external)
Marks	Writing—30 marks
SL and HL	Same outline; the nature of the assessment differs
HL	Tasks require more complex language and structures and demand higher-order thinking skills; a higher word range

Not in the brief: word ranges, the list of text types and the marking criteria. Get these from your teacher, who has the full subject guide.

Definitions

Term	Meaning for Paper 1
Text type	The kind of text: letter, blog post, report, speech, article and so on
Conventions	The features a reader expects of that text type: layout, opening, closing, register
Register	How formal or informal the language is
Context	Where and why the text exists (a magazine, a council, a club newsletter)
Audience	Who reads it, and your relationship to them
Purpose	What the text must do: inform, persuade, request, complain, advise, reflect
Meaning	The main message the reader should take away
Variation	How language changes by region, group and situation

Context, audience, purpose, meaning and variation are the five conceptual understandings the brief names for the course.

Register markers at a glance

Marker	Informal	Formal
Form of address	Familiar “you” (tu, du, tú)	Polite “you” (vous, Sie, usted)
Greeting	First name, “Hi”	Title and surname, formal formula
Vocabulary	Everyday, slang, emotive	Precise, impersonal
Sentences	Fragments, questions, exclamations	Complete, linked, measured
Requests	“Let me know!”	“I would be grateful if you could…”
Closing	Friendly sign-off	Fixed formal formula

Neutral register sits between the two: clear, standard language for a wide public.

Text-type families

This page groups text types by audience. Learn the list your teacher gives you.

Family	Reader	Examples	Must-show conventions
Personal	Yourself or people you know	Diary, personal email or letter, personal blog post	Date or greeting; first person; feelings; informal to neutral
Professional	An organisation, or you in a working role	Formal letter, formal email, report, proposal	Purpose stated early; one point per paragraph; formal formulas; headings in reports
Mass media	A wide public	Article, opinion piece, speech, leaflet, review	Headline or greeting to audience; neutral register; devices that engage many readers

Method in steps: decoding a task

1. Read all three tasks to the end.
2. For each, underline: role, reader, purpose, text type, content points.
3. Ask: do I control this text type? Do I have the topic vocabulary?
4. Choose the task where both answers are yes, and commit.

Method in steps: planning and checking

1. Write the one-sentence meaning you want the reader to take away.
2. Set the register from the reader, and fix your form of address.
3. Plan one paragraph per point, in an order that suits the purpose.
4. Draft the opening and closing first: they carry most conventions.
5. Write, then check: every content point covered; register held to the end; conventions visible throughout, not only at the start.
6. HL: check that you weigh, evaluate or answer an objection, not only describe.

Must-know distinctions

• Audience vs purpose. Audience is who reads; purpose is what the text must do to them. A letter to a manager (audience) can complain, request or apply (purpose).
• Formal letter vs formal email. Both use a formal salutation and close. The email has a subject line, is shorter, and usually drops postal addresses.
• Article vs blog post. An article is usually third person and neutral, with a headline and quotations. A blog post is first person, more personal, and invites comments.
• Report vs proposal. A report sets out findings and recommendations about what happened. A proposal argues for something that should happen, with a plan and benefits.
• Speech vs essay. A speech greets an audience, signposts for listeners, uses spoken devices and ends with thanks or an appeal. An essay does none of these.
• Review vs article. A review judges something (a film, a restaurant, an app) and gives a verdict. A feature article explores a subject without needing a verdict.
• Neutral vs formal. Neutral is for the wide public: clear and polite. Formal is for a reader in authority: fixed formulas, polite address, impersonal phrasing.

Worked reminders

One set of facts, two text types. A school ran a week without single-use plastic (Sharing the planet).

• Blog post: “Day three and I cracked: I bought a bottle of water. Has anyone else found this harder than they expected?” First person, informal, a question to readers.
• Report: “Aim: to measure the effect of the plastic-free week. Findings: most classes reduced their waste. Recommendation: repeat the week each term.” Headings, impersonal, recommendations.

One slip, whole text. “Dear Mr Hale, I am writing to apply for the summer post… Anyway, hope to hear from you soon!” The last line is informal. Replace with: “I look forward to hearing from you.”

From describing to weighing (HL). Describing: “The new timetable starts at eight. Lessons are longer.” Weighing: “Although an earlier start may tire some students, longer lessons would give us time for the practical work we currently rush.” The concession (“although…”) and the conditional (“would give”) show the complex structures and higher-order thinking HL tasks demand.

(All three examples are original texts written for Marlbridge.)

For theme vocabulary to fill your plans, use the theme pages: Identities, Experiences, Human ingenuity and Sharing the planet. For the whole assessment, see the assessment revision notes.

Target-language checklist

Before the exam, write these down in your target language and learn them:

• A formal opening and closing formula for letters and emails.
• The polite and familiar forms of “you”, and the verb forms and possessives that go with each.
• Three ways to state purpose: “I am writing to…”, “The aim of this report is…”, “Today I want to talk about…”.
• Three polite request structures, one using a conditional.
• Five connectives for a formal text (however, furthermore, therefore, on the other hand, finally).
• Two structures of concession (“although…”, “even if…”) for HL-style argument.

Quick self-test

1. How many writing tasks do you choose from in Paper 1, and how many do you complete?
2. What is Paper 1 worth, and how many marks is it out of?
3. Name the five conceptual understandings the brief lists.
4. What two things does the brief say HL Paper 1 tasks demand, beyond a higher word range?
5. A task asks you to write to a local council about bus services. Which register, and why?
6. Give two conventions of a formal letter’s opening paragraph.
7. What is the main difference in purpose between a report and a proposal?
8. Name two conventions that show a text is a speech.
9. A blog post opens “The aim of this text is to inform readers about…”. What is wrong?
10. Which part of a text carries most of its conventions?
11. In a formal letter in French, which form of “you” do you use?

Answers

1. A choice of three; you complete one.
2. 25% of the final grade; 30 marks.
3. Context, audience, purpose, meaning, variation.
4. More complex language and structures, and higher-order thinking skills.
5. Formal: the reader is an official body you do not know, and the purpose (a complaint or request) needs a polite, measured tone.
6. Any two: formal salutation; purpose stated in the first sentence; polite form of address; context for writing (where you saw the notice, why you are writing now).
7. A report sets out findings about what happened, with recommendations; a proposal argues for something that should happen, with a plan.
8. Any two: greeting to the audience; signposting for listeners; rhetorical questions; inclusive “we”; thanks or an appeal at the end.
9. The register and opening belong to a report. A blog post needs an engaging, personal first line.
10. The opening and the closing.
11. Vous.

Where marks are usually lost

• Writing the right content in the wrong text type: an essay when a speech or leaflet was asked for.
• Setting the register at the start and losing it by the last paragraph, especially in the closing line of a formal letter.
• Mixing polite and familiar forms of “you” in the same text, including in verb endings.
• Showing conventions only in the heading, then writing plain paragraphs with no sign of the type.
• Covering one content point and forgetting the second one in the task.
• Choosing a task for its topic without the vocabulary to write about it.
• Translating English formulas word for word instead of using the target-language ones.
• At HL, describing or reporting without weighing, evaluating or answering an objection.

Official syllabus

International Baccalaureate Organization, Diploma Programme Subject Brief, Language B, first assessment 2020 (2018). The Paper 1 facts and the five conceptual understandings come from it. Text-type conventions are general writing practice; check the list and criteria your teacher shares from the full subject guide.