IB MYP Language Acquisition – Multimodal texts and visual elements Study Guide

This study guide teaches you how to read, hear, describe and interpret multimodal texts in IB MYP Language Acquisition. It is aligned to the International Baccalaureate Organization, Middle Years Programme Subject Brief – Language acquisition, from 2020 (first eAssessment May 2023/November 2023), and suits MYP years 4 and 5 (MYP has no SL/HL split). It applies to your school units and to MYP eAssessment from the May 2023 and November 2023 sessions onwards.

MYP has no prescribed content list – schools design their own units. This page covers a skill the brief’s assessment criteria name directly: every one of the four eAssessment objectives in the brief is described as working with multimodal texts. The page is written in English, with model sentences in English. Apply each method in your target language, at the level your teacher has set for you.

Quick links: revision notes, practice questions, course hub, printable checklist.

What this unit covers

Skill	What you must be able to do	Criterion it feeds
Recognising modes	Name the modes a text uses: written words, speech, images, layout, sound	A, B
Describing visuals	Say precisely what an image shows, using the right terms	B, C
Linking words and images	Explain how the words and the visuals support, extend or contrast with each other	A, B
Interpreting	Move from what you see or hear to the ideas, values and attitudes behind it	A, B, C
Responding	Use a multimodal text as the starting point for your own writing or speaking	C, D

From the brief: there are four equally weighted criteria (A Listening, B Reading, C Speaking, D Writing), each with eight achievement levels (1-8) in four bands. Your teacher will share the task-specific clarifications for each task.

1. What makes a text multimodal

A mode is a channel that carries meaning. A text is multimodal when it combines two or more modes. Most texts you meet outside a textbook are multimodal.

Mode	What it includes	Example
Written	Headlines, body text, captions, labels	The slogan on a poster
Spoken	Voice, tone, pace, accent, pauses	A presenter in a video
Visual	Photos, drawings, colour, icons, logos	A photo of a crowded beach
Spatial	Layout, position, size, white space, order	A headline placed above a photo
Aural (non-speech)	Music, sound effects, silence	Traffic noise under a voice-over

Typical multimodal texts in language acquisition units include posters, leaflets, web pages, infographics, social media posts, advertisements, video clips, podcasts with images, and comics.

The brief’s description of Criterion A talks about images and spatial aspects that come with oral text. Criterion B talks about written, spatial and visual aspects. So in both receptive skills, the visuals and the layout are part of what you are expected to understand – not decoration you can skip.

2. Describing visual elements

Before you interpret anything, describe it accurately. Use this checklist.

Element	What to notice	Question to ask
Subject	Who or what is shown	Who is the focus? What are they doing?
Foreground and background	What is close, what is far	What is placed first for the viewer?
Shot distance	Close-up, mid shot, long shot	How close are we to the subject? Why?
Angle	High, eye-level, low	Does the subject look powerful, equal or small?
Gaze	Looking at the viewer, or at something else	Is the viewer invited in or watching from outside?
Colour	Dominant colours, contrasts	What do these colours suggest in this culture?
Typography	Size, weight, capitals, font style	Which words shout, which whisper?
Layout	Position, order, white space, grouping	What does the eye see first, second, third?
Symbols	Icons, logos, arrows, crossed-out signs	What does each symbol stand for?

Denotation and connotation

• Denotation is what is literally there: “a green headline”, “two people fixing a bicycle”.
• Connotation is what it suggests: green can suggest nature, recycling or “go”; people working side by side can suggest community.

Always state the denotation first, then the connotation. A connotation with no described detail behind it is just an opinion.

Connotations depend on culture. White can suggest weddings and purity in some cultures and mourning in others. When you interpret colour, think about the community the text was made for. This links to the brief’s aim of understanding the cultural characteristics of communities where the language is spoken.

3. How words and images work together

The brief says the aspects of a text interplay to convey ideas, values and attitudes. Four relationships cover most texts:

1. Anchor – the words fix the meaning of an image that could be read in many ways. A photo of an empty beach means “peace” with the caption “Escape the crowds” and “loss” with the caption “Where did the tourists go?”
2. Reinforce – the words and the image say the same thing, so the message is stronger.
3. Extend – the image adds information the words do not give (or the other way round). An infographic chart shows the scale; the text gives the reason.
4. Contrast – the words and the image pull against each other, often for humour, irony or shock.

Worked example

Source A – original text written for Marlbridge. A leaflet for a fictional charity run in a town called Eastmere. A large photo shows one runner, alone, on a rainy road at dawn, taken from a low angle. Above the photo, in thin white capitals: “YOU ARE NOT RUNNING ALONE.” Below it, a row of forty small figure icons in orange, and the line “Join 40 neighbours this Sunday.”

Step 1 – Describe. The photo is a long shot of a single runner on a wet road in low light. The low angle makes the runner look strong. The headline is in thin white capitals above the image. Forty orange figure icons run across the bottom.

Step 2 – Relationship. The headline contrasts with the photo: the image shows one person, the words say “not alone”. The icons then extend the message by showing the forty other runners visually.

Step 3 – Interpret. The designer wants you to feel the loneliness of training first, then offers the solution: a group. The warm orange of the icons contrasts with the grey photo, so the group is linked to warmth and energy.

Step 4 – Values and attitudes. The text values community and mutual support. Its attitude to the reader is encouraging: it treats the reader as someone who already runs but may feel isolated.

4. Sound and image in spoken multimodal texts

For Criterion A you work with spoken text plus images and other spatial aspects. Listen and watch for:

• Tone of voice – warm, urgent, ironic, formal.
• Pace and pauses – a pause before a key word gives it weight.
• Music – a change of music often marks a change of section or mood.
• Sound effects – they set the scene (rain, a crowd, a school bell).
• Visuals on screen – what the camera shows while each sentence is spoken, and any on-screen text.

Worked example

A fictional video for a town library. The voice-over says, calmly, “Our library is quiet.” On screen, a group of teenagers is laughing around a game table. Upbeat music starts on the word “but”: “But it’s never boring.”

• The image contrasts with the first sentence, so the viewer suspects the library is not only quiet.
• The music change on “but” signals the turn in the message.
• Interpretation: the video targets young people who think libraries are dull. It keeps the traditional value (quiet study) and adds a new one (a social space).

When you answer listening questions, note what you saw at the moment you heard a key phrase. Two short notes side by side (“heard: quiet / saw: laughing group”) are enough to support an interpretation later.

5. From description to interpretation: a method

Use Notice – Connect – Explain for any visual or multimodal question.

1. Notice one specific detail (denotation). “In the foreground there is…”
2. Connect it to the words or the sound. “This matches / contrasts with the headline…”
3. Explain the effect on the audience and the idea, value or attitude behind it. “This suggests that… because…”

Sentence frames to translate into your target language:

• The image shows… / In the background we can see…
• The colour … suggests…
• The headline … while the photo…
• The designer wants the reader to feel… because…
• This text values… / The attitude towards … is…

Adjusting to your proficiency level

The brief says courses are assessed at one of three proficiency levels: emergent, capable or proficient. As a rough guide only:

• Emergent – short, accurate sentences that describe what you see and give one simple reason. “There is a man. He is happy. The poster is positive.”
• Capable – link the visual to the words and explain the purpose. “The man is smiling because the poster wants to show that repairing is fun.”
• Proficient – interpret implicit attitudes and the effect on a specific audience, and compare modes. “The smiling faces soften the command in the headline, so the message feels like an invitation rather than a rule.”

See proficiency phases for how levels and phases differ.

6. Multimodal texts in the eAssessment

The brief’s blueprint:

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 (internally assessed, IB-moderated)	Speaking in response to multimodal texts	C	24

The brief also says the on-screen examination has three tasks, receptive and productive, and that the marks in each may vary by no more than three from the blueprint. The speaking task is interactive and is marked by your class teacher; the IB moderates a sample from each school. Confirm the timing and the exact task format with your school; your teacher will share the task-specific clarifications.

What this means for preparation:

• Listening and reading (A, B): expect questions about the visuals and layout, not only the words. Practise the four text-image relationships.
• Writing (D): you respond to a multimodal text. Use its information and ideas, but write in your own words and in the text type the task asks for. Criterion D rewards language suited to audience and purpose.
• Speaking (C): the brief says speaking is supported by spoken, written and visual texts. Practise describing and interpreting an image aloud for one to two minutes, then answering a follow-up question.

For criterion-by-criterion standards, see the criteria in practice and eAssessment exam preparation.

Common errors

• Describing only the written words and ignoring the image, colour and layout.
• Giving a connotation (“it feels hopeful”) with no detail named to support it.
• Listing every visual feature without saying how any of them connects to the message.
• Treating colour meanings as universal instead of linked to a culture.
• In listening tasks, noting what was said but not what was on screen at that moment.
• In writing tasks, copying phrases from the stimulus instead of reusing the ideas in your own language.
• Writing “the picture is nice” – an evaluation with no effect or audience named.

Next steps

• Condensed recall: revision notes
• Test yourself: practice questions
• Criterion units: A Listening, B Reading, D Writing; text types and conventions
• Background: subject guide, syllabus guide, assessment revision notes
• Course hub and printable checklist

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.