IB DP Language B: Sharing the Planet -- Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, in the style and at the standard of the examination. They are not reproduced past-paper questions – the IB holds copyright in its own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available through your school or the IB store.

Related: Sharing the Planet revision notes and the IB DP Language B syllabus guide.

This resource is structured in English to build the comprehension and planning skills Sharing the planet requires; apply the same task types to authentic target-language material with your teacher.

Section A – Vocabulary and topic recall

1. Name the seven recommended topics within the Sharing the planet theme. [7]

2. State which two skills together make up 50% of Paper 2’s weighting. [2]

3. Give one text type Paper 1 might ask you to produce if a prompt draws on this theme. [1]

Section B – Comprehension-style practice

Read the following short original text (written for Marlbridge, in English, modelling the kind of unseen material Sharing the planet’s comprehension papers use), then answer the questions below.

A city council announces a plan to convert a disused rail line into a public park and cycle path. Supporters argue the project will improve air quality, provide green space in a densely populated area, and encourage healthier commuting. Opponents argue the funds would be better spent on existing park maintenance, and that construction noise will disrupt nearby residents for at least a year. The council has opened a public consultation before making a final decision.

4. Identify two arguments given in favour of the project. [2]

5. Identify two arguments given against the project. [2]

6. State what stage of decision-making the council is currently at, according to the text. [1]

7. Explain, using cause-and-effect language, why supporters believe the project will “encourage healthier commuting.” [2]

Section C – Writing-task planning

8. A Paper 1 prompt asks you to write a formal letter to your city council, arguing either for or against a similar green-space project in your own town. Outline a plan for this letter: state your position, and list three points you would include, each with the type of language (opinion, cause-and-effect, or comparison) it would require. [6]

Worked answers

1. The environment, human rights, peace and conflict, equality, globalization, ethics, and urban and rural environments. [7]

2. Listening and reading comprehension. [2]

3. Any valid example specified by the syllabus, e.g. a blog post, an article, a formal letter, or a report. [1]

4. Any two of: improved air quality, provision of green space in a densely populated area, encouragement of healthier commuting. [2]

5. Any two of: funds would be better spent on existing park maintenance, construction noise will disrupt nearby residents, disruption would last at least a year. [2]

6. The council is at the public consultation stage, before making a final decision. [1]

7. Supporters reason that converting the rail line into a cycle path gives residents a safer, more accessible route for cycling or walking (the cause), which they expect will lead more people to choose active travel over cars for short journeys (the effect) – an explicit because/as-a-result chain linking the infrastructure change to a behavioural outcome. [2]

8. A strong plan states a clear position (for or against) at the outset, then lists three distinct points matched to appropriate language types – for example: (1) an opinion-based point on the project’s community value (“I believe this project would…”), requiring opinion language; (2) a cause-and-effect point on an expected outcome (e.g. reduced traffic congestion leading to lower local air pollution), requiring cause-and-effect language; (3) a comparison point contrasting the proposed project with an alternative use of the same funds (e.g. comparing this project’s benefits against maintaining existing parks), requiring comparison language. A strong answer explains briefly why each language type suits its point, rather than only listing content. [6] (2 marks per point: 1 for a relevant point, 1 for correctly identifying and briefly justifying its required language type.)

Adapting Section B to your own target language

Once the comprehension approach above feels comfortable in English, repeat the same task type with a genuine target-language text on a related Sharing the planet topic (a news article on a local environmental project, a public announcement, or a short opinion piece), sourced with your teacher. Keep the same question structure – identify supporting arguments, identify opposing arguments, locate the stage of a process or decision, and explain a stated cause-and-effect relationship – since this structure mirrors how Paper 2’s comprehension questions are actually built around an unseen text, regardless of which target language the course is taught in. Practising the identical task type first in a language you are fully fluent in, then in your target language, isolates the language-comprehension challenge from the task-recognition challenge, which is a more efficient way to build genuine exam readiness than attempting unfamiliar task types and unfamiliar language difficulty at the same time.

Why this practice set uses an English-language model text

Because Language B is taught and examined in many different target languages, this set demonstrates the task types and skills (comprehension of an issue-driven text, identifying arguments for and against, planning a register-appropriate written response) in English so they can be directly adapted to genuine target-language material with a teacher, rather than assuming one specific target language. The comprehension text is deliberately built around comparison and cause-and-effect content, matching the revision notes’ point that Sharing the planet leans more heavily on this kind of language than a personally-focused theme like Identities.

Official syllabus

International Baccalaureate Organization, Diploma Programme Subject Brief – Language B, first assessment 2020, (c) 2018 – the same source cited by the Sharing the Planet revision notes and the IB DP Language B syllabus guide.