Language and prejudice
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 and starring...
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Appropriate?
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 the most...
The Crown
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...
Child's eye view
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...
Brave New AngloWorld
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...
On jargon
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 to the...
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Update – Student Access & distance learning
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...
Student access (& COVID-19)
. The English B site continues to evolve. The latest project in development is that of providing much more emphasis on Student Access. This means creating pages specifically designed for students to read...
Of guts and minds
Looking back over my erratic entries in this blog, I see that the commonest subject matter has been politics. Is this of relevance in a website dedicated to English B? I feel that it is… because we teach...
Happy May Exams!
. A Happy New Year to all followers of this English B website! In professional terms, a significant event of 2020 will be the first assessment under the new system specified by the 2018 Subject Guide....