IB MYP Language Acquisition – Text types and their conventions Revision Notes

These revision notes condense text types and their conventions 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 apply to eAssessment sessions from May 2023 onwards and suit MYP years 4 and 5. There is no SL/HL split; courses are assessed at emergent, capable or proficient level. MYP has no prescribed content list – schools design their own units – and this page covers a skill Criterion D (Writing) names and the brief’s example related concept “conventions”.

For full explanations and three annotated models, read the study guide first. Then test yourself with the practice questions. Course links: course hub, printable checklist, criteria in practice revision notes, assessment revision notes.

All examples below are original and in English. Apply the same conventions in your target language, using the fixed formulas your teacher gives you.

What the brief says (and does not say)

• Criterion D: Writing asks you to use language suitable to the audience and purpose, and to apply your understanding of language, form, mode and medium.
• The brief’s examples of registers include the language of home and of the classroom, formal and informal exchanges, and social and academic language.
• Word choice, conventions and idiom are the brief’s examples of related concepts.
• In the on-screen examination, “Writing in response to multimodal texts” is Criterion D and carries 24 marks. Each criterion has eight achievement levels (1–8) in four bands.
• The brief does not list text types, task wording or word limits. Your teacher will share the task-specific clarifications.

Key definitions

• Text type: a recognisable form of text (email, blog, speech…) with a typical purpose and layout.
• Conventions: the features readers expect in a text type – layout, openings, closings, typical language.
• Register: how formal or informal the language is, chosen to suit audience and purpose.
• Audience: who will read or hear the text.
• Purpose: what the text must do – inform, persuade, describe, recount, advise, complain, thank.
• Format signals: the visible layout cues (subject line, headline, date, headings) that identify a text type before a word is read.

Conventions at a glance

Text type	Must-have layout	Usual register	Typical opening	Typical ending
Formal email	Subject line, greeting, paragraphs, sign-off, name and role	Formal	“I am writing to…”	Polite formula + request for reply
Informal email	Subject line, first-name greeting, sign-off	Informal	News or a question	“Write back soon”
Blog post	Title, date, author, short paragraphs	Semi-formal to informal	A hook to readers	Question or call for comments
Article	Headline, byline, optional subheading	Semi-formal to formal	A hook that summarises	Return to the headline idea
Speech	Greeting to audience, signposts	Depends on audience	“Good morning, everyone…”	Memorable line + thanks
Brochure	Title, slogan, headings, bullets, contact details	Semi-formal, persuasive	Slogan or question	Call to action
Review	Title naming the subject, key facts, rating	Semi-formal	What, where, who	Recommendation
Diary entry	Date, optional “Dear Diary”	Informal	Feeling or event	Worry, hope or plan

Method in steps: planning a writing task

Step 1. Underline the text type, the audience and the purpose in the task. Step 2. Choose the register and write it down: formal, semi-formal or informal. Step 3. Sketch the layout first: subject line, headline, date, headings. Step 4. Write one line per paragraph saying what it does. Step 5. Pick the opening and ending conventions for this text type. Step 6. Write, then check the first and last paragraphs have the same register.

Spend about a tenth of your time on steps 1 to 5. A clear plan prevents register drift later. If the task names a reader you do not know, or someone in authority, start from formal and relax only if the text type allows it.

Worked reminders: switching register

Same meaning, two registers. Notice what changes: pronoun of address, contractions, vocabulary, sentence length.

Informal	Formal
Hi Nia! Can you send me the times?	Dear Mr Lee, could you please send me the opening times?
Thanks loads for the help.	Thank you very much for your assistance.
The trip was a total disaster.	Unfortunately, the trip did not go as planned.
Let me know soon!	I look forward to hearing from you.

In your target language, the switch usually also changes the pronoun (French tu → vous, German du → Sie, Spanish tú → usted) and the verb forms that go with it.

Two mini models

Review opening (original):

Review: Fields of Glass, Harwick Youth Theatre ★★★★☆ The Harwick Youth Theatre’s new play, Fields of Glass, runs until Saturday. It follows two sisters who inherit a failing flower farm. The acting is strong and the set is simple but clever. The second half drags, though, and one scene could be cut. Even so, I recommend it to anyone over twelve.

Conventions shown: title naming the play and venue, rating, key facts, a short description with no spoiler, a strength, a weakness and a recommendation.

Speech opening (original):

Good morning, everyone. My name is Tomás, and I am here to ask you one question: when did you last spend a whole day offline? Today I want to give you three reasons to try it – for your sleep, for your friendships and for your grades.

Conventions shown: greeting, self-introduction, rhetorical question, a list of three that also signposts the structure.

Must-know distinctions

• Blog vs diary: both use “I”. A blog has readers and speaks to them; a diary has none.
• Article vs speech: an article is read, so it uses a headline and paragraphs; a speech is heard, so it uses signposts and repetition.
• Article vs brochure: an article develops one story in paragraphs; a brochure is scanned, so it uses headings, bullets and practical details.
• Review vs summary: a summary retells; a review judges and recommends.
• Formal vs informal email: same layout skeleton, different greeting, pronoun, vocabulary and closing.
• Register vs tone: register is how formal you are; tone is the attitude (angry, warm, excited). A formal complaint can be firm in tone and still polite in register.

Quick self-test

1. Name two format signals that identify an article.
2. What is the main difference between a blog post and a diary entry?
3. Rewrite formally: “Can you tell me when it starts?”
4. Which three things decide the register of a text?
5. A text has a slogan, headings, bullet points and a phone number. Which text type is it?
6. Give two conventions a speech uses because listeners hear it only once.
7. What must a review contain that a summary does not?
8. In French, which pronoun of address fits a formal email to a stranger?
9. Name the three example related concepts the brief lists for language acquisition.
10. A formal email ends “Cheers, Jo”. What is wrong and how would you fix it?
11. Your speech is for the head teacher and governors, not your friends. What should change?
12. Give one difference between register and tone.

Answers

1. Any two of: headline, byline, subheading.
2. A blog has an audience and addresses readers; a diary is private and addresses nobody but the diary.
3. “Could you please tell me when it begins?” (or a close equivalent with a polite request form).
4. Text type, audience and purpose.
5. A brochure or leaflet.
6. Any two of: greeting the audience, signposting, repetition, rhetorical questions, lists of three, direct address with “you” and “we”.
7. An evaluation of strengths and weaknesses, and a recommendation.
8. Vous.
9. Word choice, conventions and idiom.
10. “Cheers” is informal and breaks the register; use a formal closing such as “Yours sincerely” (or “Kind regards” for semi-formal) followed by the full name and role.
11. The register rises: a formal greeting (“Good evening, Ms Patel and members of the board”), no slang, fewer contractions, and more careful vocabulary. The spoken conventions (signposts, rhetorical questions, a clear ending) stay.
12. Register is how formal the language is; tone is the attitude it shows. A letter can be formal in register and angry, warm or disappointed in tone.

Where marks are usually lost

• The register slips mid-text: formal greeting, then slang or contractions in the body.
• Polite and familiar forms of “you” appear in the same text.
• The text type’s layout is missing, so the reader cannot tell a blog from an article.
• The opening chats before stating the purpose, so a formal email’s request is hard to find.
• A review retells the plot and never gives a recommendation.
• A speech has no greeting to the audience and no signposts.
• A brochure is written in long paragraphs with no call to action.
• An English idiom is translated word for word into the target language.
• The task’s purpose is ignored: the text is on the topic but does not ask, persuade or advise as instructed.

Official syllabus

International Baccalaureate Organization, Middle Years Programme Subject Brief – Language acquisition, from 2020 (first eAssessment May 2023/November 2023), published by the IB, 2020. The brief names Criterion D: Writing and gives word choice, conventions and idiom as example related concepts. It does not prescribe text types; the selection here is Marlbridge’s. All examples are original.