DP essentials
Sample essays
As you prepare the extended essay, you will want to study several sample essays. This will help give you an impression of the final product and an understanding of what is expected. You can do a lot with...
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Benetton is at it again Free
Many of you may be familiar the Benetton ads from the 1980s and 1990s. Their ads have always been controversial and bold, exploring themes of race, AIDS, poverty and religion. In November 2011, Benetton...
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Written task 2: debunking the myths Free
At workshops some questions have arisen about the nature of written task 2. I put these questions to the IB and received answers that I'd like to share with everyone here. These questions about the written...
DP essentials
Ambiguity and spam
How can you identify spam quickly? This question, though seemingly simple, relates to the Theory of Knowledge (TOK), since TOK asks: 'How do we know what we know?' One way to develop critical literacy...
Resources
Shock advertising
Shock advertising is used to gain attention. If an advertisement is controversial, then it gains free publicity through the press and on blogs. Even though this kind of publicity can be negative, it is...
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Specimen papers Free
For those who have not noticed yet, specimen papers are available on the OCC. As I write, the OCC is slightly under construction. The papers can be found on the Language A1 section (soon to be found in...
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FOA reflective statement Free
As we start assessing this first cohort of Language and Literature students, we are already conducting further oral activities (FOAs). The Language and Literature guide states clearly that student must...
Resources
Viral
The term 'viral' is a combination of two words 'commercial' and 'virus'. It is a commercial that travels like a virus from friend to friend, via social networks and e-mail. These videos usually involve...
Resources
Use of celebrities
In advertisements, public service announcements and propaganda, we often see the use of celebrities to try to sell us an idea or product. It is an age-old technique in the world of advertising and marketing....
Resources
Textuality
When we refer to 'textuality' we mean the characteristics that define a text. What makes a speech a speech? What makes a blog a blog? What are the inherent structures that define a text? This is what...