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Paper 1: write for the task

SL and HL share the need to communicate appropriately for a stated context, audience and purpose.

Current assessment overview

SL

75 minutes · 250–400 words · choose one of three tasks.

HL

90 minutes · 450–600 words · choose one of three tasks.

Choose from the text-type options provided for your selected task. Decide which best serves the audience and required purpose before drafting.

Review through three lenses

Language · 12 marks

Vocabulary, range and accuracy of grammatical structures, and clarity of communication.

Message · 12 marks

Task relevance, development and support of ideas, and coherent organisation.

Conceptual understanding · 6 marks

Appropriate text type, register and tone, and use of its conventions.

Plan deliberately

  1. Identify the reader, writer’s role, situation and required actions.
  2. Compare the offered text types. Explain why your choice is the best fit.
  3. Plan enough development for each action; choose concrete examples.
  4. Write in a consistent voice and leave time to review the message and language.

A headline or greeting helps establish a form, but cannot replace a relevant, developed message. Do not invent a fixed rule such as “three rhetorical questions earns full marks”.

2029 course transition

The revised course begins first teaching in August 2027 and first assessment in May 2029. IB states that Paper 1 and Paper 2 retain their assessment model. Use the subject guide and session-specific instructions for your cohort.

Course references: IB Language B · 2026 examiner guidance · 2029 course update. Checked 13 October 2026. Text-type conventions and practice tasks here are original teaching guidance, not guaranteed marking-note checklists.