September/October Updates
By Joe O'Callaghan
The smell of fireworks is thick in the London air as I write this blog. Diwali celebrations continue throughout October and merge with Guy Fawkes Night celebrations in early November. It's noisy, but a great example of how Anglophone culture manifests itself in the UK capital! Check out our latest updates on the site in September and October.
Welcome to a brand new feature on the site: the Academic Word List. This list contains the 560 most frequently used words in academic texts, excluding subject-specific terminology and words from the general service list (everyday vocabulary). The list has been divided into ten sublists, and this is how we're organising this section. Each sublist will contain a Quizlet flashcard set for students to learn, a Paper 2-style reading activity, a written task and Individual Oral practice, designed to consolidate knowledge of these words by getting students to use them in different contexts. The first two sublist pages are now live, with the remaining to be published over the coming months.
Set these pages for students to complete at their own pace or use them in class. Many schools offer additional English support classes for students below CEFR B2 level who are entitled to 25% extra time in their exams (groups 3-6) and use of a bilingual exam dictionary. Helping students master the AWL vocabulary will enable them to access their other subjects and communicate their understanding effectively in exams and IAs.
Paper 1 Writing
Following on from the streamlining of this section, we now have a detailed infographic that outlines the key details of this assessment component. You can share it in class using presentation mode, and it is also available directly to students. Check it out here.
Like Paper 1, the listening section also has an infographic detailing key aspects of this exam. You can find it here.
We've also got an infographic for the reading section. Find it right here.
Three of our popular existing pages relating to the core (EE, TOK, CAS) have received a makeover, highlighting the key information for you and your students. This page outlines CAS requirements and suggests ways of connecting it to English B. Here, you can find an examiner's view of the Extended Essay. Finally, we've got this example of an excellent EE that models outstanding writing.
The latest short story to join our collection is Ray Bradbury's dystopian vision, “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow”, which explores the prescribed themes of Sharing the Planet and Social Organization. This page features the story, accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation of discussion activities, Paper 1, and Paper 2 practices, along with vocabulary flashcards.
The Individual Oral is the one component where there's a major difference between higher and standard level. These pages have been updated to answer many of the questions you may have about the requirements and how to apply the assessment criteria.
There will be further pages added to the Individual Oral section, including detailed instructions on how to run this exam in your school.
The May 2025 subject report was recently released, and we've been busy unpacking it. Look out for a new page outlining the key takeaways and how we can adapt our teaching to ensure students achieve their potential on the exams.
We're also excited about our ongoing work on a complete unit of study for the Trevor Noah memoir “Born a Crime”. We hope to unveil it early in 2026.
If you have any comments, queries, or suggestions for the site, we'd love to hear from you. Just post a comment on any page and we'll get back to you pronto!
All the best to students in the Southern Hemisphere taking exams in November!
Whether you're new to English B or keen to deepen your understanding of the assessment components, InThinking offers a range of Think Ins to support you. These short, specific professional development sessions start at 2pm Central European time and last for three hours. Check out the options below, all run by our very own Susan Menand.
