How To Write A Blog English B

Text types & Themes 8 December 2021

Feedback concerning the November 2021 exams has raised a couple of interesting issues, specifically about the English B HL Paper 1, but with more general application.The first concerns the area of text... more

Inclusive language 17 September 2021

In a working party gathered to explore and discuss ideas for inclusion in the next Group 2 Subject Guides (due for introduction around 2026), the issue of 'inclusive' and/or 'non-binary' language... more

Kazuo Ishiguro 24 July 2021

I have just finished reading Kazuo Ishiguro's latest novel Klara and the Sun. I find it a brilliant novel, absorbing and moving, and emblematic of Ishiguri's superb skills as a novelist. I recommend... more

Language and prejudice 1 May 2021

On television a few nights ago, I watched a film I'd never even heard of before - 'Gentleman's Agreement'. It's an elegant black and white Hollywood quality production, directed by Elia Kazan... more

Appropriate? 21 April 2021

In Paper 1 Writing, in May, students will have to decide which text type is 'appropriate' for the task they choose. But what does 'appropriate' mean… and how will students recognize which is... more

The Crown 7 February 2021

I have been watching the series The Crown on Netflix. I find it impressive. To start with, the settings are often spectacular – for example, the many interior shots of the vast and over-decorated Buckingham... more

Child's eye view 7 November 2020

I recently answered a question on this website about an Extended Essay that proposed to deal with the technique of using a child narrator in To Kill a Mockingbird. It seemed to me to be an interesting... more

Brave New AngloWorld 13 September 2020

It is a truism that English is a world language, but what exactly does that mean? Clearly, you can't go absolutely everywhere in the world and expect to communicate in English. On the other hand, there... more

On jargon 12 June 2020

The IB's house style in its official documents tends towards… shall we say 'grandiloquence'. To a large extent, this is understandable: the IB wishes to convey the seriousness of its commitment... more

Update – Student Access & distance learning 15 March 2020

I am very well aware that many teachers are under pressure, due to COVID-19, to produce distance learning arrangements for their students very quickly. So, I am working hard to adapt teaching material... more