English B: Higher Level

1. 1.

   Read the text “The last glacier guide”. A feature article: [1] For thirty years, Lars Eriksen led tourists across the Breiflaten glacier. Now he leads them to the place where it used to be. [2] “People expect me to be angry,” he says, standing on bare grey rock that was buried under ice when he started. “Mostly I feel like a museum guard whose painting has been stolen.” [3] Eriksen’s tours have become a kind of pilgrimage. Visitors photograph the markers that show where the ice reached in 1990, 2005 and 2020; the gaps between them grow wider each decade. [4] Some scientists worry that “last-chance tourism” adds to the problem, since most visitors fly long distances. Eriksen accepts the contradiction. “If people never see what is lost,” he says, “they will never believe it was here.” (a) How has Eriksen’s job changed? (b) Explain the simile Eriksen uses in paragraph 2. (c) What do the markers show, and why are the gaps significant? (d) Explain the contradiction described in paragraph 4. (e) How does Eriksen justify his tours?

   [5 marks] · no calculator

   Syllabus placement evidence: Language B guide: Paper 2 receptive skills (reading). Sharing the planet (HL): comprehension of an original theme-related text.

   Worked explanation

   1. Read each question, then scan the matching paragraph for the exact detail; keep answers short and use the text's words where a quotation is requested.
   2. Model answers: (a) He used to guide tourists across the glacier; now he shows them where it used to be. (b) “like a museum guard whose painting has been stolen”: he has spent his life protecting and presenting something that has now disappeared, so he feels loss rather than anger. (c) Where the ice reached in 1990, 2005 and 2020; the growing gaps show the glacier is melting faster. (d) Visitors fly long distances to see the effects of climate change, and flying contributes to climate change. (e) Seeing the loss in person is what makes people believe it is real.

   Common mistake: Copying a long section of the text or answering from general knowledge instead of giving the precise detail, word or short quotation the question targets.

   Marking points

   • (a) He used to guide tourists across the glacier; now he shows them where it used to be.
   • (b) “like a museum guard whose painting has been stolen”: he has spent his life protecting and presenting something that has now disappeared, so he feels loss rather than anger.
   • (c) Where the ice reached in 1990, 2005 and 2020; the growing gaps show the glacier is melting faster.
   • (d) Visitors fly long distances to see the effects of climate change, and flying contributes to climate change.
   • (e) Seeing the loss in person is what makes people believe it is real.

   Examiner tip: Feature articles mix narrative, quotation and argument; questions may target any of them, so note who is speaking in each paragraph.

2. 2.

   Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the text “The last glacier guide”. A feature article: [1] For thirty years, Lars Eriksen led tourists across the Breiflaten glacier. Now he leads them to the place where it used to be. [2] “People expect me to be angry,” he says, standing on bare grey rock that was buried under ice when he started. “Mostly I feel like a museum guard whose painting has been stolen.” [3] Eriksen’s tours have become a kind of pilgrimage. Visitors photograph the markers that show where the ice reached in 1990, 2005 and 2020; the gaps between them grow wider each decade. [4] Some scientists worry that “last-chance tourism” adds to the problem, since most visitors fly long distances. Eriksen accepts the contradiction. “If people never see what is lost,” he says, “they will never believe it was here.” (a) How has Eriksen’s job changed? (b) Explain the simile Eriksen uses in paragraph 2. (c) What do the markers show, and why are the gaps significant? (d) Explain the contradiction described in paragraph 4. (e) How does Eriksen justify his tours?” Their response addresses only this point: “(a) He used to guide tourists across the glacier; now he shows them where it used to be.” Evaluate the response against the complete 5-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.

   [5 marks] · no calculator

   Marking points

   • Recognises credit for the stated point: (a) He used to guide tourists across the glacier; now he shows them where it used to be.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (b) “like a museum guard whose painting has been stolen”: he has spent his life protecting and presenting something that has now disappeared, so he feels loss rather than anger.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (c) Where the ice reached in 1990, 2005 and 2020; the growing gaps show the glacier is melting faster.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (d) Visitors fly long distances to see the effects of climate change, and flying contributes to climate change.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (e) Seeing the loss in person is what makes people believe it is real.

   Examiner tip: Check each criterion, including equivalent work already shown. Do not demand an extra step merely to rewrite an equivalent answer. Do not award the same idea twice or infer work the learner did not show.

3. 3.

   Read the text “Water”. An original poem: In my grandmother’s village / water was a walk: / two kilometres there, / a song to make it shorter, / a jar balanced like a question / on a girl’s head. / In my city / water is a tap I forget is a miracle. / I leave it running while I brush my teeth / and think about other things, / mostly myself. (a) What does “water was a walk” mean? (b) Explain the simile “a jar balanced like a question”. (c) How does the speaker present water in the city, in contrast? (d) What is the effect of the final line, “mostly myself”? (e) What message about sharing resources does the poem convey?

   [5 marks] · no calculator

   Syllabus placement evidence: Language B guide: Paper 2 receptive skills (reading). Sharing the planet (HL): HL reading of an original literary text.

   Worked explanation

   1. For each part, find the exact words that support your interpretation, quote them briefly, and explain their effect rather than paraphrasing the plot.
   2. Model answers: (a) Getting water meant walking a long way; water took time and effort. (b) The jar is balanced carefully and uncertainly, suggesting the uncertainty of the water supply or of the girl’s future. (c) As easy and taken for granted (“a tap I forget is a miracle”), even wasted. (d) It is self-critical and ironic: the speaker admits to selfishness and a lack of awareness of others. (e) Access to resources is unequal, and those with easy access should value them and think of others.

   Common mistake: Retelling what happens instead of naming the technique, quoting it briefly and explaining its effect on meaning.

   Marking points

   • (a) Getting water meant walking a long way; water took time and effort.
   • (b) The jar is balanced carefully and uncertainly, suggesting the uncertainty of the water supply or of the girl’s future.
   • (c) As easy and taken for granted (“a tap I forget is a miracle”), even wasted.
   • (d) It is self-critical and ironic: the speaker admits to selfishness and a lack of awareness of others.
   • (e) Access to resources is unequal, and those with easy access should value them and think of others.

   Examiner tip: Contrast is often the backbone of a short poem; identify the two sides first, then explain what the contrast reveals.

4. 4.

   Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the text “Water”. An original poem: In my grandmother’s village / water was a walk: / two kilometres there, / a song to make it shorter, / a jar balanced like a question / on a girl’s head. / In my city / water is a tap I forget is a miracle. / I leave it running while I brush my teeth / and think about other things, / mostly myself. (a) What does “water was a walk” mean? (b) Explain the simile “a jar balanced like a question”. (c) How does the speaker present water in the city, in contrast? (d) What is the effect of the final line, “mostly myself”? (e) What message about sharing resources does the poem convey?” Their response addresses only this point: “(a) Getting water meant walking a long way; water took time and effort.” Evaluate the response against the complete 5-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.

   [5 marks] · no calculator

   Marking points

   • Recognises credit for the stated point: (a) Getting water meant walking a long way; water took time and effort.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (b) The jar is balanced carefully and uncertainly, suggesting the uncertainty of the water supply or of the girl’s future.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (c) As easy and taken for granted (“a tap I forget is a miracle”), even wasted.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (d) It is self-critical and ironic: the speaker admits to selfishness and a lack of awareness of others.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (e) Access to resources is unequal, and those with easy access should value them and think of others.

   Examiner tip: Check each criterion, including equivalent work already shown. Do not demand an extra step merely to rewrite an equivalent answer. Do not award the same idea twice or infer work the learner did not show.

5. 5.

   An international youth forum is collecting ideas on how globalization affects local cultures. Write a text that examines both the opportunities and the threats globalization brings to a community you know, and argues for a balanced response. Choose one of these text types: speech at the forum, report for the forum organisers, opinion article. Write 450–600 words.

   [6 marks] · no calculator

   Syllabus placement evidence: Language B guide: Paper 1 productive skills (writing), criteria A–C. Sharing the planet (HL): HL writing task on a prescribed-theme context.

   Worked explanation

   1. Decide the text type first, then list what the task requires: the audience, the purpose and every content point. Plan one paragraph for each main idea and aim for 450–600 words. For this task: examines specific opportunities and threats, grounded in a real or plausible local example. argues convincingly for a balanced, practical response.
   2. Check each line of the self-check list against your draft: two content points (criterion B), clear linked paragraphs (B), the conventions of your chosen type and a consistent register (C), and accurate, varied language (A).

   Common mistake: Writing a generic essay that ignores the stated audience, purpose and text type, which limits criteria B and C however accurate the language is.

   Marking points

   • Content (criterion B): examines specific opportunities and threats, grounded in a real or plausible local example.
   • Content (criterion B): argues convincingly for a balanced, practical response.
   • Message (criterion B): ideas are developed with specific details or examples and organised in clear, logically linked paragraphs.
   • Conventions (criterion C): uses features of the chosen type, e.g. audience address and rhetorical structure for a speech; title, headed sections, findings and recommendations for a report; headline and argued paragraphs for an article.
   • Register (criterion C): formal and considered, suited to an international audience; avoids local slang.
   • Language (criterion A): varied vocabulary and a range of accurate simple and complex structures; any errors do not obstruct meaning.

   Examiner tip: “Balanced” does not mean neutral: weigh both sides, then make and justify a clear recommendation. This checklist is a self-review aid; the real paper is marked with criteria A (12), B (12) and C (6), and a response that ignores audience, context and purpose can score zero for B and C.

6. 6.

   Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “An international youth forum is collecting ideas on how globalization affects local cultures. Write a text that examines both the opportunities and the threats globalization brings to a community you know, and argues for a balanced response. Choose one of these text types: speech at the forum, report for the forum organisers, opinion article. Write 450–600 words.” Their response addresses only this point: “Content (criterion B): examines specific opportunities and threats, grounded in a real or plausible local example.” Evaluate the response against the complete 6-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.

   [6 marks] · no calculator

   Marking points

   • Recognises credit for the stated point: Content (criterion B): examines specific opportunities and threats, grounded in a real or plausible local example.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: Content (criterion B): argues convincingly for a balanced, practical response.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: Message (criterion B): ideas are developed with specific details or examples and organised in clear, logically linked paragraphs.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: Conventions (criterion C): uses features of the chosen type, e.g. audience address and rhetorical structure for a speech; title, headed sections, findings and recommendations for a report; headline and argued paragraphs for an article.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: Register (criterion C): formal and considered, suited to an international audience; avoids local slang.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: Language (criterion A): varied vocabulary and a range of accurate simple and complex structures; any errors do not obstruct meaning.

   Examiner tip: Check each criterion, including equivalent work already shown. Do not demand an extra step merely to rewrite an equivalent answer. Do not award the same idea twice or infer work the learner did not show.

7. 7.

   Complete each sentence with the correct form of the word in capitals. (1) The ___ of the rainforest threatens thousands of species. (DESTROY) (2) Many fishing communities have become ___ on tourism. (DEPEND) (3) The report highlights the ___ between rich and poor regions. (EQUAL) (4) Plastic waste is ___ harming marine life. (INCREASE)

   [4 marks] · no calculator

   Syllabus placement evidence: Language B guide: Paper 2 receptive skills (reading). Sharing the planet (HL): language use in a theme-related context.

   Worked explanation

   1. Decide the word class each gap needs: after “The” a noun; after “become” an adjective; after “is” before a verb an adverb.
   2. Gap (3) needs a negative meaning: the report is about difference, so “inequality”, not “equality”.

   Common mistake: Choosing an answer from the word next to the gap instead of the grammatical structure and meaning of the whole sentence.

   Marking points

   • (1) destruction.
   • (2) dependent.
   • (3) inequality.
   • (4) increasingly.

   Examiner tip: Word formation tests both grammar and meaning; check whether the sentence needs a negative prefix.

8. 8.

   Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Complete each sentence with the correct form of the word in capitals. (1) The ___ of the rainforest threatens thousands of species. (DESTROY) (2) Many fishing communities have become ___ on tourism. (DEPEND) (3) The report highlights the ___ between rich and poor regions. (EQUAL) (4) Plastic waste is ___ harming marine life. (INCREASE)” Their response addresses only this point: “(1) destruction.” Evaluate the response against the complete 4-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.

   [4 marks] · no calculator

   Marking points

   • Recognises credit for the stated point: (1) destruction.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (2) dependent.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (3) inequality.
   • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (4) increasingly.

   Examiner tip: Check each criterion, including equivalent work already shown. Do not demand an extra step merely to rewrite an equivalent answer. Do not award the same idea twice or infer work the learner did not show.

9. 9.

   Read the short text “Charity appeal”. “Imagine walking six hours for water that might make your children ill. For Amina, that was every day. Today, thanks to supporters like you, her village has a clean well. But two hundred villages are still waiting. £20 can help fund a water filter for a family. Will you help the next Amina?” (a) Identify the text type and its purpose. (b) Identify two persuasive techniques and explain their effect. (c) Why does the final question use “the next Amina”?

   [3 marks] · no calculator

   Syllabus placement evidence: Language B guide: text types and conceptual understanding (criterion C). Sharing the planet (HL): identifies text type, audience and register in an original sample.

   Worked explanation

   1. Decide the text type, audience and purpose from the layout and wording, then quote the features that prove each point.
   2. Model answers: (a) A charity appeal (advertisement / leaflet) intended to persuade readers to donate. (b) Any two with effect: direct address and “Imagine” (makes readers picture the situation); a named individual, Amina (creates empathy); statistics (“two hundred villages”, “£20”) (shows the scale and makes giving seem achievable); a rhetorical question (prompts action). (c) It turns one person’s story into a symbol of many others in need, making the reader feel personally responsible for helping someone specific.

   Common mistake: Naming a feature ("it is informal") without quoting it or linking it to the audience and purpose of the text.

   Marking points

   • (a) A charity appeal (advertisement / leaflet) intended to persuade readers to donate.
   • (b) Any two with effect: direct address and “Imagine” (makes readers picture the situation); a named individual, Amina (creates empathy); statistics (“two hundred villages”, “£20”) (shows the scale and makes giving seem achievable); a rhetorical question (prompts action).
   • (c) It turns one person’s story into a symbol of many others in need, making the reader feel personally responsible for helping someone specific.

   Examiner tip: Name the technique and its effect on this audience; a list of techniques without effects earns little.

10. 10.

    Marking analysis: A learner attempts the following task: “Read the short text “Charity appeal”. “Imagine walking six hours for water that might make your children ill. For Amina, that was every day. Today, thanks to supporters like you, her village has a clean well. But two hundred villages are still waiting. £20 can help fund a water filter for a family. Will you help the next Amina?” (a) Identify the text type and its purpose. (b) Identify two persuasive techniques and explain their effect. (c) Why does the final question use “the next Amina”?” Their response addresses only this point: “(a) A charity appeal (advertisement / leaflet) intended to persuade readers to donate.” Evaluate the response against the complete 3-mark task. Identify what earns credit and state every additional requirement needed for full marks.

    [3 marks] · no calculator

    Marking points

    • Recognises credit for the stated point: (a) A charity appeal (advertisement / leaflet) intended to persuade readers to donate.
    • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (b) Any two with effect: direct address and “Imagine” (makes readers picture the situation); a named individual, Amina (creates empathy); statistics (“two hundred villages”, “£20”) (shows the scale and makes giving seem achievable); a rhetorical question (prompts action).
    • Checks this criterion, crediting equivalent work already shown or identifying what is missing: (c) It turns one person’s story into a symbol of many others in need, making the reader feel personally responsible for helping someone specific.

    Examiner tip: Check each criterion, including equivalent work already shown. Do not demand an extra step merely to rewrite an equivalent answer. Do not award the same idea twice or infer work the learner did not show.

Original, unofficial practice questions from SubjectScout — not official past-paper questions or complete syllabus coverage.