# IB DP English B Course Overview

## Course Aims
- Develop international-mindedness through study of languages and cultures
- Enable communication in target language in various contexts
- Encourage awareness and understanding of different perspectives
- Develop students' understanding of relationship between languages and cultures
- Develop students' awareness of importance of language in relation to other areas of knowledge
- Provide enjoyment, creativity and intellectual stimulation through knowledge of target language
- Provide foundation for further study, work and leisure through target language
- Foster curiosity, creativity and lifelong enjoyment of language learning

## Assessment Objectives
1. Communicate clearly and effectively in various situations
2. Understand and use language appropriate to various purposes and audiences
3. Understand and use register appropriate to various situations
4. Identify, organize and present ideas on various topics
5. Understand, analyze and respond to written, audio, visual and audio-visual texts

## Course Structure

### SL and HL Core
- **Receptive skills**: Reading, listening, viewing
- **Productive skills**: Writing, speaking
- **Interactive skills**: Speaking

### Recommended Teaching Hours
- SL: 150 hours
- HL: 240 hours

## Five Prescribed Themes
All themes must be taught at both SL and HL:

1. **Identities** - Lifestyle, health and well-being, beliefs and values, subcultures, language and identity
2. **Experiences** - Leisure activities, holidays and travel, life stories, rites of passage, customs and traditions, migration
3. **Human Ingenuity** - Entertainment, artistic expressions, communication and media, technology, scientific innovation
4. **Social Organization** - Social relationships, community, social engagement, education, the working world, law and order
5. **Sharing the Planet** - The environment, human rights, peace and conflict, equality, globalization, ethics, urban and rural environment

## Text Types (Receptive and Productive)
Students must be familiar with these text types:
- Advertisement
- Article  
- Blog/diary/journal/online posting
- Brochure/leaflet/flyer/pamphlet
- Correspondence (email, letter, postcard)
- Essay
- Guidelines/instructions
- Interview
- News report
- Proposal
- Review
- Set of instructions/directions
- Speech/presentation/talk
- Text message/announcement

## Language Levels
- **SL**: B1 level (CEFR) at start, B2 by end
- **HL**: B2 level at start, approaching C1 by end