Yes. The IB has published a revised Language B syllabus for first assessment in 2029. The course retains its five prescribed themes and familiar assessment structure, but the revised framework clarifies the status of recommended topics, restates Paper 1 writing requirements, and confirms that the Higher Level individual oral is based on a literary extract.
For students taking examinations before 2029, the current syllabus remains applicable. This distinction matters because students should prepare for the specification assigned to their examination session rather than combining instructions from different versions of the course.
When does the revised Language B syllabus take effect?
The revised course has first assessment in 2029, according to the IB's official Language B subject brief for first assessment 2029. Students sitting their final examinations before that session continue to follow the existing syllabus and assessment documentation provided by their school.
Because Diploma Programme courses normally run across two academic years, many schools will begin teaching the revised course before 2029. The exact starting date can depend on the school's academic calendar and whether it follows the May or November examination session, so students should confirm their syllabus version with their Language B teacher or DP coordinator.
A simple rule is:
- Final assessment before 2029: prepare using the current Language B guide.
- Final assessment in 2029 or later: prepare using the revised syllabus and the resources issued for that course.
Do not assume that a recently published specimen paper applies to your cohort. Check the document's stated first-assessment year before using it for timed practice.
What is changing in Language B?
The revision is better understood as a clarification and refinement of the existing model than a complete redesign. Language B remains a language-acquisition course for students who already have some experience of the target language, and it continues to develop receptive, productive and interactive skills through language, themes and texts.
Recommended topics are explicitly optional
The five themes remain prescribed, but the topics listed beneath them are explicitly framed as optional recommended topics, not a compulsory body of factual content. Teachers can therefore select appropriate contexts, texts and questions according to the target language, its cultures and their students' interests.
For example, a class studying human ingenuity might examine artificial intelligence, film, architecture or medical innovation. Another class could approach the same theme through social media and artistic expression. Both can satisfy the syllabus because the theme is compulsory, while individual topic choices are flexible.
This distinction prevents a common misconception: students do not need to memorize every topic appearing in a syllabus table. They do need enough linguistic range and cultural understanding to communicate about unfamiliar material connected to any of the five themes.
Paper 1 writing requirements are restated
The revised subject brief presents Paper 1 as one writing task selected from three options. Students must use an appropriate text type and respond within the stated range:
- SL: 250-400 words
- HL: 450-600 words
These are the ranges stated in the published 2029 subject brief. They are also the ranges shown in the public subject brief for the current course, so students should not interpret the 2029 publication as evidence that every language has received a radically different writing load. The important point is that the ranges and task expectations are formally stated within the revised assessment model.
Paper 1 is not simply a test of grammatical accuracy. A successful response must address the prompt, develop relevant ideas, suit the intended audience and purpose, and use the conventions of the selected text type.
The HL individual oral uses a literary extract
Under the revised model, the HL individual oral begins with a student presentation based on a literary extract. This is followed by a student-teacher discussion and a broader conversation that includes at least one additional course theme.
The requirement fits the continuing expectation that HL students study two literary works originally written in the target language. Literature therefore supports language development, interpretation and discussion rather than functioning as a separate Language A-style literary analysis course.
Students should also recognize an important point of continuity: the current Language B course already uses an extract from a studied literary work for the HL oral. The 2029 brief retains and clearly describes that approach rather than introducing literature to HL for the first time.
What stays the same?
The central architecture of Language B remains recognizable. Students still learn to communicate across personal, academic, cultural and social contexts rather than completing a fixed factual-content syllabus.
| Course feature | Revised syllabus for first assessment 2029 |
|---|---|
| Prescribed themes | Identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization and sharing the planet |
| Levels available | SL and HL |
| Paper 1 | Productive skills through one writing task |
| Paper 2 | Listening and reading comprehension based on three audio passages and three written texts |
| Individual oral | Visual stimulus at SL; literary extract at HL |
| HL literature | Two works originally written in the target language |
| External assessment | 75% |
| Internal assessment | 25% |
The five prescribed themes continue to be:
- Identities, examining the self, values, lifestyles and the relationship between language and identity.
- Experiences, exploring events, journeys, traditions and experiences that shape people's lives.
- Human ingenuity, considering creativity, technology, media, artistic expression and innovation.
- Social organization, investigating relationships, communities, education, work and social systems.
- Sharing the planet, addressing environmental, ethical, political and social challenges affecting communities.
These themes are contexts for communication, not five isolated units to memorize. A discussion of migration, for instance, could connect experiences, identities, social organization and sharing the planet.
How will Language B be assessed from 2029?
The official 2029 subject brief gives the following assessment outline for both levels:
| Component | Format | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | One writing task chosen from three | 25% |
| Paper 2 listening | Comprehension based on three audio passages | 25% |
| Paper 2 reading | Comprehension based on three written texts | 25% |
| Individual oral | Presentation, discussion and wider thematic conversation | 25% |
Although the weightings are shared across SL and HL, the linguistic demands are not identical. HL students are expected to understand and produce more complex, nuanced language, complete a longer writing task and engage with two literary works.
At SL, the oral presentation is based on a visual stimulus connected to a prescribed theme. At HL, it is based on a literary extract, followed by discussion and conversation extending beyond that extract.
Students can review the present course structure through RevisionDojo's Language B syllabus and study strategy guide and complete Language B paper format overview. When revised specimen materials become relevant to a cohort, teachers should use the official version assigned to that examination session.
How should students prepare for the revised syllabus?
The most effective preparation remains skill-based. Broad topic knowledge helps, but assessment performance depends on what students can understand and produce in the target language.
Build flexible thematic vocabulary
Organize vocabulary by concepts and communicative functions rather than memorizing isolated lists. For each theme, learn how to:
- explain causes and consequences
- compare cultural perspectives
- express and qualify opinions
- describe change over time
- propose and evaluate solutions
- support claims with examples
RevisionDojo's English B Study Notes provide an example of how themes, text types and assessment skills can be organized. Students studying another Language B can apply the same method in their target language.
Practise writing for audience and purpose
For every Paper 1 prompt, identify the audience, context, purpose and required message before choosing a text type. A formal proposal, personal blog entry and public speech should not sound identical even if they discuss the same issue.
Complete timed tasks within the range assigned to your level, then review recurring errors in tense, agreement, register, paragraphing and text-type conventions. RevisionDojo's guide to common Language B writing mistakes can help structure that review.
Train reading and listening with unfamiliar material
Since Paper 2 uses unseen texts, avoid revising only familiar classroom passages. Practise identifying main ideas, speaker attitudes, implied meaning, reference words and transitions in authentic material from different regions and registers.
The Language B exam strategy guide and Paper 1 versus Paper 2 comparison explain how productive and receptive tasks require different timing decisions.
Prepare for interaction, not a memorized speech
For the oral, practise responding to unpredictable follow-up questions. Record short presentations, listen for hesitation and repetition, and develop phrases for clarifying, qualifying and correcting your ideas.
HL students should annotate their literary works throughout the course, tracking characters, conflicts, cultural contexts, recurring ideas and significant moments. Jojo AI can be used to generate follow-up questions for speaking practice, while RevisionDojo Flashcards, Questionbank and Mock Exams can support vocabulary retrieval and timed preparation.
Common mistakes when interpreting the change
The first mistake is assuming that every student must switch immediately. The revised syllabus applies according to the first-assessment year, not simply the publication date.
A second mistake is treating recommended topics as a checklist of compulsory content. Students remain responsible for all five themes, but teachers have flexibility over the specific topics and texts used to explore them.
A third mistake is concluding that literature is new to Language B HL. Two literary works and a literary basis for the HL oral already feature in the present course, so the revised brief largely preserves this relationship.
Finally, students should not use unofficial summaries as substitutes for the guide assigned by their school. Summaries are useful for orientation, but official instructions, specimen papers and assessment criteria determine what applies in an examination session.
Conclusion
The IB Language B syllabus is changing for first assessment in 2029, but it is not being rebuilt from the ground up. The five themes, four assessed skill areas, two HL literary works and overall assessment structure remain, while the revised documentation clarifies optional recommended topics and restates the writing and oral requirements.
Students should first establish which syllabus applies to their examination session, then continue developing transferable reading, listening, writing and speaking skills. RevisionDojo's Study Notes, Flashcards, Questionbank, Mock Exams and Jojo AI can support that preparation, provided practice materials are matched carefully to the correct syllabus version.
Sources and referenced URLs
- Official IB Language B subject brief -- first assessment 2029
- Official IB Language B subject brief for the current course
- Official IB overview of Language B
- Official IB English B specimen papers
- RevisionDojo Language B syllabus and study strategy
- RevisionDojo Language B paper format guide
- RevisionDojo English B Study Notes
- RevisionDojo guide to common Language B writing mistakes
- RevisionDojo Language B format, timing and strategy guide
- RevisionDojo Paper 1 versus Paper 2 guide