Presentation for 2nd Seniors on IB English B SL Programme. English Department - The Mackay School 2015

1. English B – Standard Level

2.  Pre-university course
 Duration: 2 years
 Goal: Encourage students to feel the desire to
know more, to ask more questions, to take
care of others and to be compassionate.
 Development of INTERCULTURAL awareness,
OPEN-MINDEDNESS, and ATTITUDES to
evaluate different points of view.

4.  Standard Level
 Focus: Language acquisition and
development of language skills
 It works with everyday oral exchanges to
literary texts, related to the culture concerned

5. Course Receptive skills Productive skills Interactive skills
Language B
SL
Understand
straightforward
recorded or
spoken
information on
the topics
studied.
Understand
authentic
written texts
related to the
topics studied
and that use
mostly
everyday
language.
Communicate orally
in order to explain a
point of view on a
designated topic.
Describe with some
detail and accuracy
experiences, events
and concepts.
Produce texts where
the use of register,
style, rhetorical
devices and structural
elements are
generally appropriate
to the audience and
purpose.
Demonstrate
interaction that
usually flows
coherently, but
with occasional
limitations.
Engage in
conversations on
the topics studied,
as well as related
ideas.
Demonstrate some
intercultural
engagement with
the target language
and culture(s).

6. SL
CORE
Communication and
Media
Global Issues
Social Relationships
HL
2 OPTIONS
Cultural Diversity
Customs and Traditions
Health
Leisure
Science and Technology
Literature
2 works

7. Assessment Component Weighting
External Assessment
• Paper 1 (1 hour 30 minutes): Receptive skills
Text-handling exercises on four written texts, based on the core.
• Paper 2 (1 hour 30 minutes): Written productive skills
One writing exercise of 250-400 words from a choice of five, based on
the options.
• Written assignment: Receptive and written productive skills
Intertextual reading followed by a written task of 300-400 words
plus a 150-200 word rationale, based on the core.
70 %
25 %
25%
20 %
Internal Assessment
Internally assessed by the teacher and externally moderated by the IB.
• Individual Oral (8-10 minutes)
Based on the options: 15 minutes’ preparation time and a 10-minute
(maximum) presentation (image analysis) and discussion with the teacher.
• Interactive Oral Activity
Based on the core: Three classroom activities assessed by the teacher.
30 %
20 %
10 %

8. 1st Semestre
Period 1: March – April
CORE: GLOBAL ISSUES
Units:
- 2.1 "Ending poverty" (p.44)
A) Exploring texts (Reading Strategy: Mind Maps)
B) Form and Meaning: Commas, If-Clauses (Second
Conditional)
C) Image Reading
D) Writing: A Testimonial, An Essay, A Blog Entry
- 2.2 "Global Warming" (p.56)
A) The Greenhouse Effect (Explanation Text)
B) Exploring texts (Reading Strategy: SQ3R)
C) Form and Meaning: Direct Speech, Reported Speech
D) Image Reading
E) Writing: A Letter, A News Article, A journalistic review

9. 1st Semestre
Period 2: May – June
CORE: GLOBAL ISSUES
Units:
- (CC) Racism and Discrimination: "Ignoring the Bananas" (p. 176-181)
A) Figurative Language
B) Paper 1 Training
C) Form and Meaning: Past vs Perfect Tenses Review
C) Writing: A News Report
- Famine: "Home" Documentary
A) Words in Context
B) Language for Argumentation
C) Structuring a Debate
- 2.3 Speeches (p.69)
A) Ethos, Pathos, Logos
B) Rhetoric Devices
C) Form and Meaning: Modals 1
D) Writing: A Speech

10. 2nd Semestre
Period 3: August-September
OPTION: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Units:
- 8.1 "Future Humans" (p.278)
A) Exploring texts (Reading Strategy: KWL Diagrams)
B) Form and Meaning: Modals 2
C) Writing: News Report w/ Interview, Balanced Essay (Pros and Cons)
- 8.2 Animal Testing
A) Paper 1 Training
B) Form and Meaning: Active into Passive (Present Simple to Present
Perfect)
C) Venn Diagrams
D) Writing: A Formal Letter, An imagined interview transcription
- 8.3 Official Report
A) Understading and interpreting graphs
B) Writing a report based on a graph

11. 2nd Semestre
Period 4: October-November
CORE: SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
Units:
- 3.1 "Minorities and education" (p.82)
A) Paper 1 Training
B) Form and Meaning: Adjectives and Adverbs
C) Writing: A Memoir
- 3.2 "Partners for life" (p-96)
A) Paper 1 Training
B) Form and Meaning: Prepositions, Punctuation (Quotation
marks)
C) Writing: A Recount (Short Story), A Sattire
- (CC) Language and Cultural Identity (p.156)
A) Paper 1 Training