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LANGUAGE-B · IB Diploma Programme

LANGUAGE-B/11

(Writing)

Language B · June 2025 · Variant 1

Relative difficulty

Moderate · 2.0/5

Analysis source: International Baccalaureate Organization

Analysis aligned to the official syllabus and assessment design.

Relative difficulty

2.0 / 5

Total marks

30

Duration

75 min

Most tested topic

Social organization & Experiences

Cohort performance

Session statistics from official examination reports

Total marks

30

Duration

75 min

Session difficulty

2.0 / 5

Key examiner messages

Top priorities from the principal examiner before you revise

1

The May 2025 English B Standard Level Paper 1 is an incredibly accessible and student-friendly exam.

2

Consisting of three distinct tasks mapped to Core Themes, it presents candidates with familiar scenarios: establishing a community garden, recounting solo holiday travel, or maintaining long-distance relationships.

3

The difficulty is rated 2 out of 5, as the prompts are straightforward, require direct personal or community engagement, and offer highly logical text-type combinations that prevent students from straying too far into excessively formal registers.

Question difficulty map

How candidates performed on each question in this series

No data available in official reports

Assessment objectives

Skill and AO weighting from official examiner commentary

No data available in official reports

Method marks watchlist

Where working, steps, or method marks were commonly lost

No data available in official reports

Recurring mistakes across years

Themes examiners flag in multiple recent sessions for this subject

No data available in official reports

Question choice intelligence

Mean scores and popularity for optional questions (HKDSE electives)

No data available in official reports

Level exemplars

What candidate scripts at each grade level looked like

No data available in official reports

Grade & admission context

How marks relate to grade thresholds and entry standards

Report type

IB subject report — grade distributions, IA weighting, and HL/SL distinctions

Level 7

Excellent — top band for competitive university offers

Level 6

Very good — strong HL performance

Level 5

Good — solid pass at higher level

Level 4

Satisfactory — minimum for many university credits

Level 3

Mediocre

Level 2

Poor

Level 1

Very poor

Deep insights

What top candidates did

Techniques and approaches examiners rewarded in this series

No data available in official reports

Command word playbook

How to match each command word to the expected response style

No data available in official reports

Time traps

Sections where candidates spent disproportionate time relative to marks

No data available in official reports

Syllabus traceability

Topics linked to questions and mark weighting in this session

Community (Social organization)

30 marks this session

Holidays and travel (Experiences)

30 marks this session

Social relationships (Social organization)

30 marks this session

MCQ trap analytics

Commonly chosen wrong options from examiner commentary

No data available in official reports

Topic heatmap across years

Mark concentration by topic and exam year for this subject

Mark intensity

LowHigh
Topic
2023
2024
2025
Σ

Holidays and travel (Experiences)

14
30
44

Community (Social organization)

30
30

Social relationships (Social organization)

30
30

Education (Social organization)

13
13

The working world (Social organization)

13
13

Technology

10
10

The environment

10
10

Community

10
10

Difficulty trend

How session difficulty has shifted across recent years

202320242025
2023 June 2023 · 3.1/52024 June 2024 · 2.5/52025 June 2025 · 2.0/5

Paper comparison

Marks and duration breakdown across papers in this session

Paper 1 (Productive Skills: Writing):

30 marks75 min

Marks you can still earn

Where valid approaches outside the mark scheme may still gain credit

No data available in official reports

Practise what examiners flagged

Target weak topics from this report inside the Revui app

Self-diagnostic checklist

Key actions before you sit this paper — copy and tick off as you revise

  • 1Message

    The May 2025 English B Standard Level Paper 1 is an incredibly accessible and student-friendly exam.

  • 2Message

    Consisting of three distinct tasks mapped to Core Themes, it presents candidates with familiar scenarios: establishing a community garden, recounting solo holiday travel, or maintaining long-distance relationships.

  • 3Message

    The difficulty is rated 2 out of 5, as the prompts are straightforward, require direct personal or community engagement, and offer highly logical text-type combinations that prevent students from straying too far into excessively formal registers.

Teacher briefing pack

One-page session summary for tutors and classroom review

June 2025 2025

Language B

The May 2025 English B Standard Level Paper 1 is an incredibly accessible and student-friendly exam. Consisting of three distinct tasks mapped to Core Themes, it presents candidates with familiar scenarios: establishing a community garden, recounting solo holiday travel, or maint

  • The May 2025 English B Standard Level Paper 1 is an incredibly accessible and student-friendly exam.

  • Consisting of three distinct tasks mapped to Core Themes, it presents candidates with familiar scenarios: establishing a community garden, recounting solo holiday travel, or maintaining long-distance relationships.

  • The difficulty is rated 2 out of 5, as the prompts are straightforward, require direct personal or community engagement, and offer highly logical text-type combinations that prevent students from straying too far into excessively formal registers.

Total marks
30
Duration
75 min
Session difficulty
2.0 / 5

Session analysis

The May 2025 English B Standard Level Paper 1 is an incredibly accessible and student-friendly exam. Consisting of three distinct tasks mapped to Core Themes, it presents candidates with familiar scenarios: establishing a community garden, recounting solo holiday travel, or maintaining long-distance relationships. The difficulty is rated 2 out of 5, as the prompts are straightforward, require direct personal or community engagement, and offer highly logical text-type combinations that prevent students from straying too far into excessively formal registers.

Updated Jun 14, 2026

Paper breakdown

Paper 1 (Productive Skills: Writing):

30 marks75 min

Top chapters

Community (Social organization)30 marks
Holidays and travel (Experiences)30 marks
Social relationships (Social organization)30 marks

Introduction & Difficulty Verdict

The May 2025 English B Standard Level Paper 1 is an incredibly accessible and student-friendly exam. Consisting of three distinct tasks mapped to Core Themes, it presents candidates with familiar scenarios: establishing a community garden, recounting solo holiday travel, or maintaining long-distance relationships. The difficulty is rated 2 out of 5, as the prompts are straightforward, require direct personal or community engagement, and offer highly logical text-type combinations that prevent students from straying too far into excessively formal registers.

Exam tips

Paper format

Duration
1h 15min
Total marks
30
Question types
Extended Response

Analysis is paraphrased for study purposes. Always verify against the official examiner report and mark scheme.

LANGUAGE-B/11 — IB Diploma Programme Language B (June 2025) | Revui