Do Language B SL and HL have the same exams?

They have the same assessment outline: Paper 1 writing, Paper 2 listening and reading, and an individual oral. The weightings are also identical, with Paper 1 worth 25%, listening worth 25%, reading worth 25%, and the oral worth 25%. However, the papers are not identical sets of questions because their difficulty, length, and linguistic demands are level-specific. HL students write a longer Paper 1 response and encounter more complex receptive material. The oral also uses different stimuli, with a visual stimulus at SL and a literary extract at HL.

Does Language B HL require literary analysis?

HL requires students to study two literary works originally written in the target language, and the individual oral is based on an extract from one of them. Students should be able to discuss the extract’s events, characters, ideas, messages, and relationship to the wider work. Some attention to authorial choices can strengthen a response when it supports meaning. However, Language B remains a language acquisition course rather than a Group 1 literature course. The central assessment focus is the student’s ability to understand, communicate, interact, and express developed ideas in the target language.

What language level should I have before choosing Language B HL?

The IB does not impose one universal CEFR entry requirement for every Language B student. Published guidance suggests that learners around B1 to B2 can often take HL comfortably, while A2 to B1 may be more typical for SL. These ranges are guidance rather than automatic eligibility rules because previous courses and school placement policies differ. Before choosing HL, test whether you can sustain conversation, understand authentic articles and audio, and write connected arguments without constant translation. Your current language teacher is usually best placed to judge whether HL represents an appropriate level of challenge.

Can I switch from Language B SL to HL?

A switch may be possible if your school permits it and the change fits your Diploma Programme subject combination. Moving to HL requires catching up with the two prescribed literary works and adapting to longer, more complex written and receptive tasks. It may also affect your timetable, required HL subject count, and preparation for the individual oral. The earlier the decision is made, the more realistic the transition will be. Discuss the change with your Language B teacher and DP coordinator rather than relying only on recent test scores.

Is a grade 7 easier to achieve in Language B SL than HL?

SL has lower linguistic and task demands, but that does not make a grade 7 automatic or universally easier. Students are assessed against expectations appropriate to their registered level, and strong SL performance still requires accurate, varied, and purposeful communication. HL may suit a highly proficient student better because the longer tasks allow more room to demonstrate range and depth. Conversely, choosing HL without sufficient proficiency can make consistency across writing, listening, reading, and speaking difficult. Select the level that matches your current ability, available study time, and capacity to meet its assessment demands.

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IB Language B SL vs HL: What Is the Difference?

Q: Is IB Language B HL much harder than SL?

HL is substantially more demanding, although its assessment components and percentage weightings are the same as SL. Students must write 450-600 words in Paper 1 instead of 250-400 and deal with more complex language, ideas, and receptive texts. They must also study two literary works originally written in the target language. The HL individual oral begins with a literary extract rather than a visual stimulus. A student with strong prior proficiency may find these demands manageable, but HL normally requires more frequent exposure and independent practice.

• 23 Jul 2026•15

IB Language B SL vs HL: What Is the Difference?

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IB Language B SL vs HL: What Is the Difference?

• 23 Jul 2026•15

IB Language B Standard Level and Higher Level have the same assessment components and weightings, but HL demands greater linguistic proficiency, longer writing, more complex comprehension, and the study of two literary works. The most visible assessment difference is the individual oral: SL uses a visual stimulus, while HL uses an extract from one of the literary works studied.

This distinction matters because HL is not simply SL with additional content. Students work through the same five prescribed themes and sit the same types of assessment, but HL expects more sophisticated, sustained, and nuanced communication.

IB Language B SL vs HL at a glance

IB Language B is a language acquisition course for students who already have experience in the target language. It is not intended for complete beginners, although the amount and type of previous study will vary among students and schools.

Feature	Language B SL	Language B HL
Recommended teaching time	150 hours	240 hours
Prescribed themes	The same five themes	The same five themes
Expected entry proficiency	Usually appropriate for students around A2 to B1	Usually appropriate for students around B1 to B2
Paper 1 writing length	250-400 words	450-600 words
Paper 1 time	1 hour 15 minutes	1 hour 30 minutes
Paper 2	Listening and reading comprehension	Listening and reading comprehension, with greater linguistic complexity
Literary works	Not required	Two works originally written in the target language
Individual oral stimulus	Visual stimulus	Extract from a studied literary work
Overall expectation	Clear, effective communication	Sustained, nuanced communication using greater range and complexity

The CEFR ranges in this table are placement guidance, not universal IB entry requirements. Schools remain responsible for placing students in the course and level that provide an appropriate academic challenge.

What stays the same at SL and HL?

The assessment outlines are identical. Both levels have Paper 1, Paper 2, and an internally assessed individual oral, with the same percentage weightings.

Assessment	What it assesses	Weighting at SL	Weighting at HL
Paper 1	Productive skills through writing	25%	25%
Paper 2 listening	Receptive skills	25%	25%
Paper 2 reading	Receptive skills	25%	25%
Individual oral	Productive, receptive, and interactive oral skills	25%	25%

Both levels are also organized around the same five prescribed themes:

Identities
Experiences
Human ingenuity
Social organization
Sharing the planet

These themes provide contexts for communication rather than fixed lists of facts to memorize. A unit on technology, for example, may develop vocabulary and ideas connected with human ingenuity, but students must still learn to explain opinions, evaluate consequences, understand authentic texts, and adjust language for different audiences.

The same broad assessment objectives apply at both levels. Students must communicate clearly, use language appropriate to context and purpose, organize ideas, respond to written and spoken texts, and demonstrate intercultural understanding. The difference lies in the level of competency and complexity expected.

For a broader overview, RevisionDojo’s IB Language B syllabus guide explains how the themes connect to exam preparation.

The central difference: expected language proficiency

HL students are expected to enter with a stronger foundation and develop a higher level of control during the course. They should be able to understand denser texts, follow more extended arguments, express qualifications, and discuss abstract or unfamiliar issues with reasonable fluency.

At SL, effective communication still matters more than producing only simple language. A strong SL student should explain and justify ideas, use relevant examples, vary sentence structures, and maintain an appropriate register. However, the required response is normally shorter, and the linguistic and conceptual demands are less extensive than at HL.

A useful comparison is how each level might address the effects of social media. An SL response could clearly describe advantages and disadvantages and give a supported personal opinion. An HL response would be expected to sustain the discussion further, perhaps evaluating competing perspectives, distinguishing short-term and long-term consequences, and using more precise language to qualify its conclusions.

IB-supported CEFR benchmarking found that outcomes vary by language and final IB grade. It should therefore not be assumed that every HL student automatically reaches one CEFR level or that SL corresponds to a single lower level. Proficiency depends on both the course and the student’s demonstrated achievement.

Paper 1: the clearest written difference

In Paper 1, students at both levels choose one task from three and select an appropriate text type from the options provided. They must respond to the specified audience, context, and purpose while using the conventions of the chosen format.

The principal structural difference is length:

SL: 250-400 words in 1 hour 15 minutes
HL: 450-600 words in 1 hour 30 minutes

The extra 15 minutes at HL does not fully compensate for the substantial increase in required output. HL students need to plan quickly, maintain coherence across a longer response, develop ideas in greater depth, and demonstrate a broader range of vocabulary and grammatical structures.

The prompts at HL also demand more complex language and higher-order thinking. A task may require students to compare alternatives, evaluate a proposal, explain conflicting viewpoints, or reach a justified conclusion. Simply writing more sentences at SL level will not satisfy that demand.

At both levels, successful writing depends on three connected decisions:

What must the message communicate?
Who is the audience, and what register suits that audience?
Which text type best serves the purpose?

RevisionDojo’s IB Language B paper format guide provides a practical overview of these decisions. Students should then practise under the correct time and word constraints rather than drafting every response without a limit.

Paper 2: the same skills at different levels of complexity

Paper 2 assesses receptive skills through listening and reading comprehension. At both SL and HL, students respond to three audio passages and three written texts connected with the prescribed themes.

The outline and weightings are the same, but HL materials may contain:

More sophisticated or idiomatic vocabulary
Denser information and less predictable organization
More implicit attitudes and viewpoints
Longer or more complex arguments
Greater shifts in register, tone, or perspective
Questions requiring careful inference rather than direct retrieval

Students often misinterpret this difference as a need to understand every word. That is not the goal at either level. Effective comprehension involves identifying the main message, following relationships between ideas, recognizing attitude and purpose, and locating precise evidence.

For listening, students should practise predicting content, recognizing discourse markers, and recovering after missing a phrase. The RevisionDojo guide to IB language listening exams offers a useful framework for separating first-listen understanding from second-listen verification.

Literature and the HL individual oral

The most important curriculum difference is that HL students must study two literary works originally written in the target language. This is an official requirement, not an optional enrichment activity.

The purpose is to extend language learning through sustained engagement with authentic literary expression. Students encounter voice, characterization, cultural context, figurative language, and more complex ways of presenting ideas. However, Language B HL does not become a Language A literature course, and students are not expected to perform the same kind of detailed literary analysis required in Group 1.

The literature requirement changes the basis of the individual oral:

SL individual oral

At SL, the student receives a choice of visual stimuli connected to the prescribed themes. The presentation should move beyond listing visible details. Students need to interpret the image, connect it to a course theme and target-language culture, and develop relevant ideas before responding to the teacher’s questions.

HL individual oral

At HL, the stimulus is a literary extract taken from one of the two works studied. The student presents the extract, discusses its events, ideas, characters, or messages, and connects it meaningfully to the work as a whole. The teacher then asks follow-up questions before broadening the conversation to at least one additional course theme.

At both levels, the oral assesses communication and interaction, not memorized performance. Students must respond spontaneously, clarify ideas, expand answers, and maintain the conversation. RevisionDojo’s Language B oral preparation strategies can help students build a repeatable speaking routine.

Which level should you choose?

Choose HL because your current proficiency and academic plans make the additional challenge appropriate, not simply because HL may appear more impressive. A student who can already sustain conversation, understand substantial authentic texts, and write organized arguments is in a stronger position for HL.

Consider HL if you can usually:

Express and defend opinions without relying heavily on translation
Understand the main ideas and important details in authentic audio and articles
Write several connected paragraphs with varied grammar
Discuss abstract social or cultural issues
Read literature in the target language with support
Commit enough time to regular language exposure and practice

SL may be the better choice if you have previous experience but still need substantial support to sustain longer communication. SL remains a rigorous language course and can produce a high level of practical proficiency.

If you are deciding between Language B and a beginner course rather than between SL and HL, consult the Language B versus ab initio comparison. Your school’s language-placement policy and teacher recommendation should also influence the decision.

Common misconceptions about SL and HL

“HL has different themes.” It does not. Both levels use the same five prescribed themes.

“The HL grade is mostly based on literature.” It is not. Literature directly shapes the HL oral and contributes to language development, but the assessment weightings remain Paper 1 at 25%, Paper 2 at 50%, and the oral at 25%.

“A fluent speaker will automatically succeed at HL.” Fluency helps, but students must also control register, organize writing, understand exam questions, select appropriate text types, and provide precise answers in comprehension tasks.

“SL only requires basic language.” SL rewards clarity, accuracy, range, organization, and appropriate communication. Its expectations are lower than HL, but they are not elementary.

“HL means writing the same answer with more words.” HL requires more developed reasoning and more sophisticated language. Repetition and padding do not demonstrate higher proficiency.

How to prepare effectively for your level

Build revision around assessed skills rather than vocabulary memorization alone. Each week should include timed writing, listening, reading, and spontaneous speaking.

For SL, prioritize accurate core grammar, flexible theme vocabulary, text-type conventions, and clear development of ideas. For HL, add regular work with complex authentic texts, nuanced argument, idiomatic expression, and the two literary works.

Use RevisionDojo’s IB English B resource hub or the relevant language hub to combine Study Notes, Questionbank practice, Flashcards, and timed tasks. Jojo AI can generate follow-up oral questions or help identify patterns in repeated language errors, but feedback should lead to another attempt rather than replace active practice.

Conclusion

IB Language B SL and HL share the same themes, assessment components, and weightings. HL differs through its higher expected proficiency, 450-600-word Paper 1, more demanding receptive texts, required study of two literary works, and literature-based individual oral.

The correct level is the one that provides meaningful challenge without making sustained communication unrealistic. Once the level is settled, RevisionDojo’s Questionbank, Flashcards, Study Notes, Mock Exams, and Jojo AI can support a balanced revision routine across writing, listening, reading, and speaking.

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