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Video Overview

Site authors

Mark Beverley currently teaches at Sevenoaks School, where he is Director of Curriculum and  teacher of the Literature...more
David White (BA, MA) has taught IB Literature since 2002, as well as the IB Language and Literature, TOK and Film courses....more

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Recommendationsmore

The site offers an engaging and imaginative approach to IB English - clear and informative it would be of use to both new and experienced teachers alike.

Jane Henshaw, Sevenoaks, United Kingdom

I was very impressed with the site. It is very user friendly, gives students (and teachers) easy access to excellent resources. I also enjoyed the opportunity to be able to check my marks (and my students peer marking) for tasks against IB criteria and...

Martyn Fernandes, Australian International School, Singapore

It's easy to navigate, straightforward, and helpful. Even for an experienced IB teacher, the website provides helpful ways to reconsider curriculum and lesson plans.

Abigail Xiaoxuan Chen, Taipei American School, Taiwan

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New feature: paper 1 revision pages

22 November 2021

Student Paper 1 revision pagesWith no Paper 2 again this year, students have just the one examination to prepare for in Language A courses,... more

May 2021 exam report

8 October 2021

You may well have already seen the exam report from the IB, published a few days ago on MyIB. It contains a lot of useful information and casts... more

Subscriber comments

  • 1 Dec Sigrid Merethe Hanssen
    Global Issues
    Thanks again, yes, I agree, one poem should be enough material.
  • 1 Dec Martin Chaffee
    Paper 1
    For me, Paper 2 is the task I still have the most questions about (as everyone does, I suppose). More example essays would be helpful, and similar 'planning scaffolding', similar to what you provide for the IOs (which have also proved immensely...
  • 30 Nov David White
    Global Issues
    Yes, sorry - should have written 'Language A'!  No, students can't choose more than one poem for their extract - one should be enough, even if it is well below the 40 lines - I have seen students do excellent work with a sonnet as one...
  • 30 Nov Mark Beverley
    Paper 1
    Your comments make good sense, Martin - thank you for posting them.  Glad the video has proven useful - I intend to get more of those done over the next few weeks.  If you think of anything in particular that you would like to see...
  • 30 Nov Mark Beverley
    Individual oral: sample extracts and outline
    Hi Abigail: you are not permitted to include two poems for a single extract, I'm afraid. 40 lines is indeed the upper limit - and my advice (unless e.g the student has chosen a poem with short lines), that fewer than 40 is typically better....
  • 30 Nov Sigrid Merethe Hanssen
    Global Issues
    Hi David.Thanks for clearing up. "Originally written in English" scared me for a moment though, untill I read the guide again: "a work written originally in the language A studied". Another question also came up: Can a student choose more than...
  • 30 Nov Abigail Chen
    Individual oral: sample extracts and outline
    Hello! I have a question about extract length.Would it be possible to use two poems in an extract if both poems are fairly short? For example, could a student select two 15 line poems from the same poetry collection studied? Does anyone...
  • 29 Nov David White
    Higher Level Essay
    Hi Tiffany.  You are correct that they are similar in terms of style of writing (formal, analytical) and focus on authorial choices.  The main difference, other than one being guided and the other completely student-directed, is the...
  • 29 Nov David White
    Higher Level Essay
    Hi Stephanie.  We will try and get a sample for prose non-fiction up soon.  
  • 29 Nov David White
    Paper 1 sample response #13
    Hi Richard.  This response was written by a Standard Level student - that is why it is termed as such.  When it comes to Paper 1, the assessment criteria are the same for Standard and Higher Level students - the main difference is...
  • 29 Nov Mark Beverley
    The Learner Portfolio - a guide for students
    Hi Matthew: yes the SL texts can count. As for 'catching up', my instinct would be to have them read the required works and perhaps set a reflective task on each for their learner portfolio?
  • 29 Nov Mark Beverley
    Extended Essay: the basics
    Hi Laura:  yes, this is fine.  A student is not permitted to do an EE on a text you have studied, but can choose a different work by the same author.