IB MYP Language Acquisition – Multimodal texts and visual elements Revision Notes

These revision notes condense the multimodal texts study guide – go there for full explanations and worked examples. They cover IB MYP Language Acquisition and are 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 units and to eAssessment from the May 2023 and November 2023 sessions onwards.

MYP has no prescribed content list – schools design their own units. These notes cover a skill named in the brief’s criteria: working with multimodal texts. Notes are in English; practise every frame in your target language.

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

Key definitions

• Mode – one channel of meaning: written, spoken, visual, spatial, aural.
• Multimodal text – a text that combines two or more modes (poster, web page, video, infographic, comic, social media post).
• Spatial aspects – layout: position, size, order, grouping and white space.
• Denotation – what is literally shown or heard.
• Connotation – what a detail suggests or makes you feel.
• Interplay – the brief’s idea that the aspects of a text work together to convey ideas, values and attitudes.
• Multiliteracy – the brief’s term for skills across many kinds of text; one of the stated aims of the subject.

What the brief says each criterion expects (paraphrased)

Criterion	Multimodal focus
A Listening	Meaning from spoken text, and how images and spatial aspects shown with it convey ideas, values and attitudes
B Reading	Meaning from written text, and how its spatial and visual aspects convey ideas, values and attitudes
C Speaking	Interacting on personal, local and global topics, supported by spoken, written and visual texts
D Writing	Language suited to audience and purpose; understanding of language, form, mode and medium

Each criterion: eight achievement levels (1-8) in four bands. Your teacher will share the task-specific clarifications.

eAssessment facts from the brief

Component	Objective	Criterion	Marks
On-screen examination	Comprehending spoken multimodal texts	A	24
On-screen examination	Comprehending written multimodal texts	B	24
On-screen examination	Writing in response to multimodal texts	D	24
Speaking examination	Speaking in response to multimodal texts	C	24

• On-screen examination: three tasks; receptive (A, B) and productive (D).
• Marks per task may vary by no more than three from the blueprint (so 21 to 27 around each 24).
• Speaking: interactive, internally assessed by your class teacher, sample moderated by the IB.
• Courses assessed at one of three proficiency levels: emergent, capable, proficient.
• Timing and exact task format: confirm with your school.

Visual vocabulary

Term	Meaning	Typical effect
Close-up	Face or object fills the frame	Emotion, intimacy, detail
Long shot	Whole figure plus setting	Context, isolation, scale
Low angle	Camera looks up	Subject seems strong or important
High angle	Camera looks down	Subject seems small or vulnerable
Direct gaze	Subject looks at viewer	Demands a response, creates contact
Indirect gaze	Subject looks away	Viewer observes, feels outside the scene
Foreground	Nearest part of image	What the designer puts first
Salience	What stands out most (size, colour, contrast)	Where the eye lands first
Typography	Font, size, capitals, weight	Tone: shouting, calm, playful, official
White space	Empty area around elements	Calm, focus, a premium feel
Icon/symbol	Simple image standing for an idea	Fast meaning across languages

Sound vocabulary for Criterion A: tone of voice, pace, pause, volume, music (mood, change of track), sound effects (setting), silence (emphasis).

Four text-image relationships

Relationship	What happens	Quick example
Anchor	Words fix the meaning of an open image	Caption tells you a smiling crowd is celebrating, not protesting
Reinforce	Words and image say the same thing	“Clean beaches” over a photo of a clean beach
Extend	One mode adds what the other leaves out	Chart shows the numbers, text gives the reason
Contrast	Words and image pull against each other	“Relaxing holiday?” over a packed, noisy airport

Method in steps: Notice – Connect – Explain

1. NOTICE   one precise detail (denotation)      "In the foreground..."
2. CONNECT  it to the words / sound / layout      "...which contrasts with the headline..."
3. EXPLAIN  effect + idea, value or attitude      "...so the reader feels... This shows the text values..."

Repeat the cycle for two or three details, not ten. Depth beats a list.

Method in steps: responding to a multimodal stimulus in writing (D)

1. Identify the task's text type, audience and purpose.
2. Pick 3-4 facts or ideas from the stimulus that you need.
3. Rephrase them -- do not copy whole phrases.
4. Add your own opinion, reason or example.
5. Check register (formal / informal) and text-type conventions.

Method in steps: talking about an image (C)

1. Overview: what kind of text, who it is for.         (1 sentence)
2. Describe: 2-3 key details, foreground first.         (2-3 sentences)
3. Interpret: purpose, message, values.                 (2-3 sentences)
4. Personal link: your view or experience.              (1-2 sentences)
5. Be ready for a follow-up question on any of these.

Phrase bank (translate into your target language)

• At first sight… / The first thing I notice is…
• On the left / right / at the top / at the bottom…
• The colour … creates a … mood.
• The headline anchors the photo by…
• The image adds something the text does not say:…
• The target audience seems to be… because…
• The text suggests that… / It implies that…
• In my culture this colour would mean…, but here…

Worked reminders

• Weak: “The poster is blue. It is nice.”
• Better: “The poster is mainly pale blue, which suggests calm. This fits the headline ‘Take a breath’, so the reader feels invited to relax.”
• Listening note-taking: two columns – heard / saw. “Heard: ‘everyone welcome’ / Saw: people of all ages at one table” -> reinforce.

The same detail at three levels (rough guide only)

Level	What an answer about one detail might look like
Emergent	“The girl is smiling. She is happy.” – accurate description, one simple idea
Capable	“The girl is smiling because the advert wants volunteering to look fun.” – description linked to purpose
Proficient	“Her direct smile at the camera invites the reader in, so the advert feels personal rather than a request from an organisation.” – effect on the audience and an implied attitude

This is not an IB descriptor; your teacher will tell you what your level’s tasks expect.

Must-know distinctions

• Describe vs interpret: describing names what is there; interpreting explains what it means and why it is there.
• Denotation vs connotation: literal content vs suggested meaning.
• Receptive vs productive vs interactive: A and B receptive; D productive; C interactive (the brief’s wording).
• Explicit vs implicit: a stated message (“Recycle!”) vs an attitude you infer (the text assumes the reader is careless).
• Layout vs content: where something is placed is meaning too, not just what it is.
• Proficiency level vs criterion level: the proficiency level (emergent, capable, proficient) sets the course; the criterion level (1-8) judges your performance in it.

Quick self-test

1. Name five modes a text can use.
2. What is the difference between denotation and connotation?
3. A caption tells you a photo of an empty street shows a curfew, not an early morning. Which text-image relationship is this?
4. What effect does a low camera angle usually create?
5. How many marks does the brief’s blueprint give the on-screen examination in total?
6. By how many marks may the marks in an on-screen task vary from the blueprint?
7. Which criterion is assessed in the internally assessed, IB-moderated examination?
8. What are the three steps of Notice – Connect – Explain?
9. Why should you be careful when interpreting colour?
10. In a listening task, what two things should you note side by side?
11. Name the three proficiency levels.

Answers

1. Written, spoken, visual, spatial, aural (non-speech sound).
2. Denotation is what is literally there; connotation is what it suggests.
3. Anchor – the words fix the meaning of an open image.
4. The subject looks strong, powerful or important.
5. 72 marks (24 each for A, B and D).
6. By no more than three marks.
7. Criterion C: Speaking.
8. Notice a detail, connect it to the words, sound or layout, explain its effect and the idea, value or attitude.
9. Colour meanings depend on culture, so link them to the community the text was made for.
10. What you heard and what you saw at the same moment.
11. Emergent, capable, proficient.

Where marks are usually lost

• Answering a reading question about a poster using only the written words.
• Naming a feature (“there is a close-up”) without saying what it does.
• Interpreting with no evidence – every “this suggests” needs a named detail before it.
• Listing six visual features at surface level instead of explaining two in depth.
• Missing a contrast between words and image, and so missing irony or humour.
• In listening, forgetting the on-screen images and on-screen text.
• In writing, lifting whole sentences from the stimulus instead of rephrasing.
• In writing, ignoring the text type and register the task sets.
• In speaking, describing the image for too long and never giving an interpretation or opinion.
• Assuming a colour or gesture means the same in every culture.

Official syllabus

International Baccalaureate Organization, Middle Years Programme Subject Brief – Language acquisition, from 2020 (first eAssessment May 2023/November 2023). Published by the International Baccalaureate Organization, 2020.