In recent years, the category of general interest scientific writing has exploded in both quality and quantity. Fuelled by charismatic scientists – who also happen to be great speakers and writers – such as Michio Kaku, Brian Cox and Sabine Hossenfelder, and crossing media from books to television documentaries to podcasts, blogs, vlogs and video lectures, this genre actually has a long and distinguished history…
This text was provided by the IB as an example of what kind of writing to expect in Paper 1, so it’s worth paying attention to. In the past, there have been several examples of something you might call ‘general interest scientific writing,’ whether the journey of a water molecule through the universe, an investigation into declining bee populations, or an article about robotics and artificial intelligence…
While Paper 1 is not a formal essay ( you only have 1 hour and 15 minutes to compose your answer), you are still required to organise your response. In fact, 25% of your marks are gained through the way you structure and focus on the ideas you want to write about…
Persuasion in one form or another is an element of many mass media texts. You may find yourself studying all kinds of texts and topics in order to learn the language of persuasion: speeches, emotive appeals, adverts, even propaganda posters from the past. It’s unlikely you’ll cover all the possible types of persuasive text; so something you may have to do when you’re sitting Paper 1 is to transfer your learning from other parts of the course into this exam…
Less a text type, and more a category of writing, texts which appeal to children might appear in Paper 1. Whether a website with accessible or interactive features, a text book designed to educate or, like this text, a story presented in an engaging way, learning to identify features of texts written for children is a skill you can transfer across a variety of text types…
When preparing for Paper 1, you are encouraged to explore as many different text types as possible; nevertheless, it’s impossible to predict what might come up in your exam. The Lang and Lit subject guide states explicitly that you are not meant to try to memorise features of every text type. Instead you should transfer your learning from one part of the course to another where you can…
The ability to be a critical and independent thinker is highly prized by the IBDP. Attributes such as ‘inquirer,’ ‘thinker’ and ‘risk-taker’ are boiled in to the IB Learner Profile, providing clues as to how to approach your day-to-day learning. The following response demonstrates how taking a critical position on a text can result in strong analysis and evaluation…
Travel writing in different forms is a relatively popular text type that you might encounter when you sit your Paper 1 exam. Travel writing is very flexible in form; it may be autobiographical, descriptive, literary or, like today’s text, persuasive. Travel guidebooks and brochures seek to arouse a reader’s curiosity, giving them a tantalising glimpse of the experiences and adventures that await in a particular destination…
In many ways, the Language and Literature course relates more closely to Theory of Knowledge than any other subject. This text has a definite ToK feel to it. While the topic of the text is Climate Change, careful reading reveals the author is interested in the way some people jump to conclusions based on their own perceptions and have a habit of denying other, more compelling, evidence…
Charity appeals are a sub-genre of advertising and, as such, you can easily transfer your learning about advertising techniques – especially persuasive techniques – onto appeals. The topic of a charity appeal could be anything from homelessness, to famine, to refugees from war, animal adoption, and more…
IB Language and Literature 2.0 