Everything you need to prepare for IB English B (Standard Level): a paper-by-paper strategy across writing, listening, reading and the individual oral, a 6-week revision timeline, theme and skill checklists, and links to free notes and flashcards. English B rewards range, accuracy and the right register — this guide shows you how to practise all of them.
Want to focus your final weeks? English B is built on five prescribed themes — Identities, Experiences, Human ingenuity, Social organization, and Sharing the planet — and a fixed set of text types. We track which themes and text types recur so you can target your vocabulary and writing practice. Revise all five themes, but rehearse the text types and grammar that earn the most marks.
In English B you can write or speak fluently and still drop marks if you ignore how the task is assessed. The same three criteria shape your Paper 1 writing and the individual oral — learn what each one rewards before the exam.
Criterion A — Language
Range and accuracy of your English: a variety of tenses and connectors, complex sentences, and accurate grammar — articles, prepositions, agreement, and natural word order. Show range AND control — a few ambitious structures used correctly beat lots of errors.
Criterion B — Message
How clearly and relevantly your ideas are developed. Support each idea with a reason or example and address the whole task. Develop one idea fully rather than listing five you never explain.
Criterion C — Conceptual
Register, tone and text-type conventions: the right level of formality for your audience, and a blog, email or speech laid out the way each should be. These are the easiest marks to lose by accident — decide audience and text type first.
Not sure what you need across Paper 1 (25%), Paper 2 (50%) and the individual oral (25%) to land a 7? Use our interactive grade calculator to enter your mock or target scores and see exactly how they convert to final IB grades, based on historical English B boundaries.
What grade are you on track for?
Enter your marks per paper and see the grade boundaries you are aiming at.
The biggest revision mistake is studying content but ignoring format. Know exactly what each paper asks for before you start practising.
Paper 1SL1 hour 15 minutes25%
Productive writing. One written task of 250–400 words, chosen from three options that span the five prescribed themes. Each option fixes a text type — blog, email, article, speech, set of instructions — and is marked on three criteria: A Language /12, B Message /12, C Conceptual /6.
Choose the option whose theme and text type you handle best — you only answer one
Decide your audience and register (formal vs informal) before you write a word — it shapes the whole task
Match the text-type conventions: a formal letter, blog and speech open and close differently
Use a range of tenses and connectors accurately — that is what lifts Criterion A
Paper 2SLListening ~45 min + Reading 1 hour50%
Receptive skills, marked objectively against an answer key. Listening: three recordings, each played twice, drawn from across the themes. Reading: several authentic texts of increasing difficulty (articles, blogs, adverts, interviews). Question types include multiple choice, true/false with justification, gap-fill, matching and short answer.
Read every question before the audio starts so you know what to listen for
In Reading the text stays visible — locate and underline the evidence for each answer
For true/false, always copy the exact words that justify your choice, or you score zero
In gap-fill, copy the word exactly with correct spelling
Individual OralSL~12–15 minutes (internal)25%
A recorded conversation with your teacher (internal assessment). You present and interpret a visual stimulus — an image, advert or infographic — linked to one of the five prescribed themes, then have a follow-up conversation and a wider discussion. Marked A Language /12, B Message /12, C Interactive & receptive /6.
Spend about two minutes describing the image, then interpret it — what is its message and theme?
Link the stimulus to the prescribed theme and to the English-speaking world
Never answer in one word — extend every response with a reason, opinion or example
Prepare connectors and opinion phrases so the conversation flows naturally
Start dedicated English B revision about 6 weeks before the exam. Language skills build with daily contact, so spread short sessions of vocabulary, listening and reading across the weeks rather than cramming — and leave time to practise timed writing and rehearse the individual oral.
What is on IB English B Paper 2?+
Paper 2 is the receptive paper, worth 50%. It has two parts: a listening section (three recordings, each played twice) and a reading section (several authentic texts). Answers are marked objectively against an answer key, with question types like multiple choice, true/false with justification, gap-fill and short answer.
How is IB English B graded?+
English B has three components: Paper 1 writing (25%), Paper 2 listening and reading (50%), and the individual oral (25%). The productive components — writing and the oral — are marked on Language, Message and Conceptual/Interactive criteria, while Paper 2 is marked objectively against an answer key.
How do I get a 7 in English B?+
Show range and control in your English — a few ambitious tenses and connectors used accurately beat lots of errors (Criterion A). Develop one idea with a reason and example rather than listing many (Message), and lock in register and text-type conventions, which are the easiest marks to lose by accident. Read every Paper 2 question before you answer, and never give a one-word answer in the oral.
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Turn your English B revision plan into results
Aimnova builds a personalised study plan around your exam date — it tracks your progress across writing, listening, reading and speaking, surfaces weak themes, and schedules exactly what to review each day.