IB MYP Language Acquisition – Criterion B – Reading written multimodal texts Revision Notes

For full explanations and worked texts, read the Criterion B study guide first.

These revision notes cover Criterion B – Reading for IB MYP Language Acquisition, aligned to the International Baccalaureate Organization, Middle Years Programme Subject Brief – Language acquisition, from 2020 (first eAssessment May 2023/November 2023). They suit MYP years 4 and 5 (no SL/HL split) and apply to school reading tasks and the on-screen examination from the May 2023 and November 2023 sessions onwards. MYP has no prescribed content list – schools design their own units – and this page covers a skill named by one of the brief’s four criteria. Model texts are in English; apply every method to texts in your target language.

Links: practice questions, course hub, printable checklist, assessment revision notes, criteria in practice revision notes.

Key facts from the brief

Fact	What the brief says
Criterion name	Criterion B: Reading
What it assesses	Constructing meaning from written, spatial and visual aspects of texts, and how they work with the words to convey ideas, values and attitudes
Achievement levels	Eight (1-8), in four bands; four criteria weighted equally
On-screen exam	Three tasks; “comprehending written multimodal texts” = Criterion B, 24 marks
Proficiency levels	Emergent, capable or proficient
Topics	Any topic from the language acquisition list

Anything else – strand wording, descriptors, task lengths – comes from your teacher, who will share the task-specific clarifications.

Definitions

• Multimodal text: a text that makes meaning through more than one mode – words plus images, layout, colour or typography.
• Main idea: the central point of a whole text or section, usually in your own words.
• Supporting detail: a fact, example, figure or reason that backs up a main idea.
• Text-type conventions: the typical features of a kind of text (a blog’s title, date and comments; a leaflet’s headings and contact details).
• Visual aspect: photos, drawings, icons, charts, logos, colour.
• Spatial aspect: where things sit on the page, their size, boxes, columns, grouping, white space.
• Purpose: why the text was written (inform, persuade, entertain, advise, instruct).
• Audience: who the text is for, shown by register, vocabulary and where it appears.
• Perspective: whose point of view the text presents.
• Values and attitudes: what the writer shows they believe is important, and how they feel about the subject.
• Inference: a conclusion the text supports but does not state directly.

Feature, question, effect

Feature	Ask	Typical effect
Large headline at the top	What is read first?	Sets the main message or hook
Photo of people	Who, doing what, with what expression?	Makes the message personal; suggests who the audience is
Icons in a row	What do they stand for?	Lets readers scan quickly
Coloured box or strip	What is separated from the rest?	Highlights rules, warnings or practical details
Bold or capitals	Which words stand out?	Stresses a key instruction or claim
Chart or infographic	What trend or comparison?	Gives evidence in a quick visual form
Caption	Does it repeat, add or change the image’s meaning?	Adds humour, context or a viewpoint

The three-pass routine

Pass	What you do	What it gives you
1. Skim	Title, headings, images, captions, first and last lines	Text type, audience, rough main idea
2. Scan	Question key words, then the same words or synonyms in the text	The right place to look
3. Close read	The sentences around the match; negatives, contrasts, time words	The precise answer and your evidence

In your target language

• Learn the question words (who, when, why, according to, what does … mean) so you know exactly what each question asks.
• Learn the connectives that flip meaning (but, however, although, not, never, only) – they decide many true/false answers.
• Keep a vocabulary list for talking about visuals: photo, caption, heading, icon, colour, layout, in the foreground, stands out.
• Collect short authentic texts on your unit topics and practise the steps below on them every week.

Method in steps

Finding the main idea

1. Read the title, headings, first and last sentences.
2. Ask what every paragraph has in common.
3. Write one sentence in your own words.
4. Check it covers the whole text, not one detail.

Explaining a visual or spatial element

1. Name it (photo, icon, green strip, bold heading).
2. Describe it precisely (who, what, where on the page).
3. Explain its effect: does it repeat, add to or contrast with the words?
4. Link it to purpose or audience.

Identifying purpose and attitude

1. Label the purpose (one or more).
2. Quote the words that show it (commands persuade or instruct; figures inform; jokes entertain).
3. For attitude, find loaded word choice or tone (“finally”, “sadly”, “at last!”).
4. Add a visual that supports the same reading.

True or false, with justification

1. Find the part of the text the statement refers to.
2. Check negatives, contrast words and time words.
3. Decide, then copy the shortest phrase that proves it.

Small worked reminders

• Statement: “Volunteers at the community garden must bring their own tools.” Text: “Tools and gloves provided.” False – “Tools and gloves provided”.
• “Why is the time and place in a separate green strip?” – It groups the practical details so readers can find them quickly; green links to nature and the garden.
• Attitude from word choice: “finally trusted with the big knife” shows pride in progress; “allowed to use a knife” would be neutral.

Must-know distinctions

Pair	Difference
Main idea vs detail	The main idea covers the whole text; a detail supports one point
Purpose vs perspective	Purpose = why it was written; perspective = whose view it gives
Stated vs implied	Stated = in the words; implied = you infer it and must give evidence
Describe vs explain a visual	Describe = what it shows; explain = what it adds to the meaning
Fact vs opinion	A fact can be checked; an opinion shows a judgement or feeling
Visual vs spatial	Visual = what is shown; spatial = where and how it is placed

Quick self-test

Use this original leaflet for questions 1-7.

Source – original text written for Marlbridge

Brookside Leisure Centre (fictional) – New swimming timetable [header photo: a lifeguard kneeling at the poolside, helping a small child with a float] Pool open daily 07:00-21:00. Lane swimming only before 09:00. Family splash sessions: Saturday and Sunday, 14:00-16:00. Prices: adults £4.50, under-16s £2.25. Under-8s must be accompanied in the water by an adult. [red box with a warning-triangle icon] Please shower before entering the pool. No running on the poolside. [bottom corner: QR code] Scan to book. Sessions fill up fast!

1. Give two purposes of the leaflet.
2. For how many hours is the pool open each day?
3. You want to swim casually, not in lanes, at 08:00. Can you? Justify with the text.
4. What do two adults and two 12-year-olds pay in total?
5. Explain why the safety rules are placed in a red box with a warning triangle.
6. What does the header photo add to the written text?
7. Find the phrase that creates a sense of urgency.
8. Explain the difference between a main idea and a supporting detail.
9. Explain the difference between purpose and perspective.
10. Which three aspects of texts does the brief’s description of Criterion B name?
11. How many marks does Criterion B carry in the on-screen examination, and how many achievement levels does each criterion have?

Answers

1. To inform (times, prices, rules) and to persuade readers to book (“Scan to book”).
2. 14 hours (07:00 to 21:00).
3. No – “Lane swimming only before 09:00.”
4. £13.50 (2 × £4.50 + 2 × £2.25).
5. Red and the triangle signal a warning; the box separates the rules from the rest, so readers notice them.
6. It shows staff helping a young swimmer, suggesting the pool is safe and family-friendly; it supports the family sessions and the under-8s rule.
7. “Sessions fill up fast!”
8. The main idea is the central point of the whole text; a supporting detail is a fact or example that backs it up.
9. Purpose is why the text was written; perspective is whose point of view it presents.
10. Written, spatial and visual.
11. 24 marks; eight levels (1-8) in four bands.

Where marks are usually lost

• Giving one detail as the main idea of the whole text.
• Describing an image (“there is a photo of a lifeguard”) without explaining what it adds.
• Ignoring layout, colour and typography because “it’s a reading task”.
• Missing “only”, “not” or “before” and reversing a true/false answer.
• True or false with no quotation, or a whole paragraph copied as evidence.
• Lifting a full sentence when the question asks for your own words.
• Naming a purpose or attitude with no evidence from the text.
• Answering from general knowledge instead of the text in front of you.
• Mixing up the writer’s perspective with your own opinion.

Next steps

Practise with the Criterion B practice questions, revisit the study guide for any weak skill, and see eAssessment exam preparation for the exam format.

Official syllabus

International Baccalaureate Organization, Middle Years Programme Subject Brief – Language acquisition, from 2020 (first eAssessment May 2023/November 2023), published by the IB. The brief names Criterion B: Reading and lists “comprehending written multimodal texts” for 24 marks in the on-screen examination. All texts here are original.