How Long Is the IB Language B Writing Task?

The IB Language B writing task, officially called Paper 1: Productive skills -- writing, lasts 1 hour 15 minutes at Standard Level (SL) and 1 hour 30 minutes at Higher Level (HL). SL students write 250--400 words, while HL students write 450--600 words. At both levels, you complete one task selected from three questions and choose an appropriate text type from the options provided.

These requirements apply to the current course, first assessed in 2020. The IB's revised Language B subject brief for first assessment in 2029 retains the same word ranges and overall task structure, so students preparing under either framework should recognize the format.

IB Language B writing task length at a glance

The extra 15 minutes at HL does not fully compensate for the additional 200 words expected at the lower end of the range. HL students must therefore write more efficiently while developing a more complex and sustained response. The IB explains that HL tasks require a broader range of language, more complex structures, and higher-order thinking.

Paper 1 should not be confused with an ordinary essay examination. Depending on the question, you might produce a speech, blog, formal letter, report, article, review, interview, diary entry, or another communicative text. The official IB English B specimen papers show how the instructions, questions, and text-type options appear in an examination.

What do you have to write in Paper 1?

Each paper presents three questions, normally connected to different prescribed course themes. You select one question and then choose the most appropriate text type from the options printed beneath it. You do not write all three responses, and you should not combine two questions.

The five prescribed themes are:

• Identities
• Experiences
• Human ingenuity
• Social organization
• Sharing the planet

The questions establish a situation, audience, and purpose. For example, a task might ask you to inform students about a school environmental initiative and persuade them to participate. If the options were a personal diary, a speech, and an official report, the speech would probably communicate most directly with the stated audience and support the persuasive purpose.

The broader IB Language B syllabus breakdown can help you organize vocabulary and examples around these themes. However, Paper 1 primarily assesses your ability to communicate, not your ability to reproduce memorized factual content.

How the 30 marks are awarded

The response is assessed using three criteria. Understanding their relative value explains why writing more words does not automatically produce a better score.

A grammatically accurate response can still lose substantial marks if it does not answer every part of the question. Likewise, a detailed response written in the wrong format or register may be weakened under conceptual understanding. The aim is to produce a complete message that sounds as though it was genuinely written for the stated reader.

The official IB Language B subject brief confirms that Paper 1 is worth 25% of the final grade at both SL and HL. This makes task selection, planning, and text-type control as important as vocabulary revision.

How much should you aim to write?

A practical target is approximately 320--360 words at SL and 500--550 words at HL. These are recommendations rather than additional IB rules, but they provide enough room to develop ideas while leaving a margin below the upper limit.

Writing close to the minimum can work if the response is focused and fully developed. In practice, however, students who stop at exactly 250 or 450 words often struggle to address every instruction, provide examples, and reproduce the conventions of the selected text type. Writing far beyond the maximum can create repetition, weaker organization, and insufficient proofreading time.

Do not add empty sentences simply to reach a number. Each paragraph should perform a clear function, such as:

• establishing the situation and purpose
• explaining a problem or experience
• developing a reason with an example
• comparing perspectives
• proposing a solution
• persuading the audience to act
• reflecting on the significance of an event

Follow the wording and counting conventions printed on your examination paper, particularly if your target language uses a writing system for which counting differs from ordinary English word counting. Your teacher should train you using the instructions applicable to your specific Language B course.

A practical Paper 1 timing plan

The IB specifies the total examination time, but it does not require students to divide that time in one particular way. The following plan is therefore practical advice rather than an official rule.

During selection, compare all three questions rather than choosing the first familiar theme. The best question is the one for which you can understand every instruction, generate relevant ideas, use suitable vocabulary, and confidently reproduce one of the offered text types.

Before writing, identify four elements:

1. Context: What situation has caused this text to be written?
2. Audience: Who will read or hear it?
3. Purpose: Are you informing, persuading, reflecting, evaluating, complaining, or recommending?
4. Message: Which specific points must be covered?

The RevisionDojo Paper 1 format and timing notes provide further practice with this planning process.

Choosing the right text type quickly

Each question gives text-type options, but they are not necessarily equally suitable. You must judge which one best matches the audience, context, and purpose. This decision directly affects Criterion C: Conceptual understanding.

For instance, a diary entry suits private reflection because it permits a personal voice, emotional detail, and no external audience. A speech is more suitable when addressing a group and calling for action. An official report usually requires headings, an objective tone, findings, and recommendations.

Do not select a text type only because you have memorized its layout. First ask what the writer is trying to accomplish. Then use recognizable conventions without allowing decorative formatting to replace meaningful content.

Useful conventions include:

• an appropriate title, heading, date, greeting, or sign-off
• direct audience address where suitable
• a consistent formal, semi-formal, or informal register
• paragraphing or headings that fit the format
• an ending appropriate to the purpose, such as a recommendation, reflection, or call to action

RevisionDojo's guide to avoiding common Language B writing mistakes includes a concise checklist for text type, audience, purpose, and register.

Common mistakes related to task length

Spending too long choosing a question

Ten or fifteen minutes can disappear while a student repeatedly changes their choice. Compare the questions systematically, commit to one, and begin planning. Changing questions after writing a substantial section is rarely recoverable.

Treating the word range as the only target

A response is not complete merely because it contains the right number of words. The examiner rewards relevant, developed, and logically organized ideas. A shorter focused response can outperform a longer text filled with repetition.

Writing an essay regardless of the selected format

Paper 1 assesses communication through different text types. A speech should sound addressed to listeners, while a formal letter should establish a clear relationship with its recipient. Generic essay paragraphs may prevent you from demonstrating the expected conceptual understanding.

Leaving no editing time

The final minutes should be used strategically. Check recurring errors involving verb forms, agreement, word order, accents, characters, spelling, and register rather than attempting to rewrite the entire response. Also confirm that every part of the prompt has been addressed.

How to practise for the required length

Complete timed writing regularly instead of waiting for a full mock examination. Start by planning several prompts in five to ten minutes, since rapid planning can be practised without writing a complete response every time. You can then write one full task each week under the correct SL or HL time limit.

After each attempt, record:

• total writing time and approximate length
• whether every instruction was addressed
• repeated language errors
• missing text-type conventions
• paragraphs that needed more development
• ideas that became repetitive or irrelevant

Use the IB English B Paper 1 Questionbank to practise varied prompts, then ask a teacher or Jojo AI for focused feedback against Language, Message, and Conceptual understanding. The aim is not merely to receive a score, but to rewrite weak sections and prevent the same mistake in the next timed response.

Conclusion

The IB Language B writing task lasts 75 minutes at SL and 90 minutes at HL. You write one response from three questions, producing 250--400 words at SL or 450--600 words at HL, and the paper contributes 25% of the final grade.

Strong performance depends on more than reaching the word range. Select the task carefully, match the text type to the audience and purpose, develop every required point, and reserve time for correction. RevisionDojo's Study Notes and Questionbank are useful for building the method, while timed Mock Exams and Jojo AI feedback can help you apply it consistently under examination conditions. You can also use the RevisionDojo Grade Calculator to track how practice-paper performance may affect your overall target.

Sources and referenced URLs

• Official IB Language B subject brief, first assessment 2020
• Official IB Language B subject brief, first assessment 2029
• Official IB English B specimen papers and markschemes
• Official IB Language B curriculum page
• RevisionDojo IB Language B paper format guide
• RevisionDojo IB Language B syllabus breakdown
• RevisionDojo Language B writing mistakes guide
• RevisionDojo Paper 1 format and timing notes
• RevisionDojo IB English B Paper 1 Questionbank
• RevisionDojo Grade Calculator