Exam practice

Higher level
Paper 1 Writing
Complete one task. Use an appropriate text type from the options below the
task you choose. Write 450–600 words.

1 As part of your school project, you have recently interviewed a marine

biologist who travelled the world to discover the true dangers of plastic in
our oceans. Write a text in which you describe the true dangers of plastic in
our oceans and explore possible solutions to the global crisis.

Speech Proposal Editorial

2 You recently saw a theatre performance which you thought expressed the
current youth culture in a very creative way. The performance is produced
by a small local production company and it is run for a short period of time.
You think more people should know about this brilliant performance. Write a
text in which you describe your experience and you promote this talented
production company.

Review Article Journal entry

3 You had a work experience at a broadcasting house. Although you are

pleased that you have learned a great deal about journalism, you are
disappointed to learn that gender inequality is still prevalent in the company.
Write a text in which you explain the problem, how it can be overcome, and
why it is important to take action.

Blog Pamphlet Formal letter

English B for the IB Diploma © McGowan, Owen and Deupree 2019 1

Paper 2 Listening comprehension
Text A
You will hear a news report on the UN report about climate change which
includes a phone interview. https://listenwise.com/teach/events/1240-un-report-
warns-about-climate-change

Write below the words that could be used to fill each gap. Use no more than
three words for each gap.

Notes on the news reports about the UN report of climate change.

 The report is released by the UN’s [ 1 ] on climate change.
 It calls for [ 2 ] to get climate change under control and warns of dire
consequences if we fail.
 The temperature increase of 1°C has meant changes in a number of ways
that are harmful to us and [ 3 ].
 A large body of scientific evidence suggests further warming will lead to big
consequences.
 The adverse consequences include hostile weather conditions for crops,
increased water stress, and more extreme and [ 4 ].
 If the US withdraws from the Paris agreement, it puts the ambition higher for
other countries to reduce their [ 5 ].

English B for the IB Diploma © McGowan, Owen and Deupree 2019 2

Text B
You will hear a news report on a scientific breakthrough.
https://listenwise.com/teach/events/1231-debate-should-mosquitoes-be-
genetically-modified-to-self-destruct

Answer the following questions.

6 Which dangerous species and disease do scientists hope to remove by

introducing a new kind of genetic engineering?

7 As a result of a genetic modification, what will happen to all the female

mosquitoes? List two changes.

8 What is the biggest fear about using this self-destruct mutation method?

9 What is needed before any genetically engineered organisms can be

released into the world?

English B for the IB Diploma © McGowan, Owen and Deupree 2019 3

10 Look at the statements. Five of them are true. Write the letters in the boxes
provided.

A This new scientific breakthrough involves modifying genes of a species so

that it becomes self-destructive.
B The new scientific advance has not been tested.
C We can use the genetically modified species as a powerful weapon.
D Being able to eliminate a dangerous species using a genetic construct is a
real game-changer.
E Scientists hope to save a lot of lives with this new method.
F This new genetic engineering is praised by all.
G The biggest fear about this method is expressed by the animal rights group.
H Nnimmo Bassey thinks that Africa should not be a testing ground for a
technology that has not been proven.
I The scientists are certain of the consequences of this new genetic
engineering.
J Scientists agree that more research is needed to ensure the safety of the
new technology.

English B for the IB Diploma © McGowan, Owen and Deupree 2019 4

Text C
You will hear a talk given by eL Seed about street art:
www.ted.com/talks/el_seed_street_art_with_a_message_of_hope_and_peace

Tick the correct answer.

11 The speaker found the public reaction to the graffiti he created on the
minaret of Jara Mosque…

a upsetting.

b surprising.

c disappointing.

d mundane.

12 When the speaker told the imam of Jara Mosque what he intended to do,
the imam felt…

a grateful.

b doubtful.

c uninterested.

d curious.

13 The speaker uses quotes or poetry for his calligraffiti to promote…

a art.

b peace.

c Islam.

d identity.

English B for the IB Diploma © McGowan, Owen and Deupree 2019 5

14 When the painting on the minaret got so much attention from international
press, the local people became…

a paranoid.

b obsessed.

c proud.

d disappointed.

15 The speaker’s artwork…

a contains Arabic calligraphy that is easy for Arabic-speaking
people to understand.

b contains messages.

c is aesthetically challenged.

d segregates the Arabic culture from the rest of the world..

16 Look at the statements. Five of them are true. Write the letters in the boxes
provided.

A The speaker was born and raised in Tunisia.

B The speaker only writes messages in Arabic.
C The speaker has experienced positive reactions all around the world.
D The local community of Rio de Janeiro were not interested in his artwork.
E The speaker dismissed the request to write in English in Cape Town.
F When he experienced a negative reaction to his artwork in Paris, he
complained to the organizer of the event.
G The speaker hopes to break the negative stereotypes with the beauty of
Arabic script.
H The speaker thinks it is important to understand the message to appreciate
his artwork.
I The speaker has always been able to write and read Arabic.
J His artwork received mixed reactions from people.

English B for the IB Diploma © McGowan, Owen and Deupree 2019 6

Paper 2 Reading comprehension
Text A

Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep

Introduction
Sleep is an important part of your daily routine – you spend about one-third of your
time doing it. Quality sleep – and getting enough of it at the right times – is as
essential to survival as food and water. Without sleep you can’t form or maintain the
pathways in your brain that let you learn and create new memories, and it’s harder to
concentrate and respond quickly.
Sleep is important to a number of brain functions, including how nerve cells
(neurons) communicate with each other. In fact, your brain and body stay
remarkably active while you sleep. Recent findings suggest that sleep plays a
housekeeping role that removes toxins in your brain that build up while you are
awake.
Everyone needs sleep, but its biological purpose remains a mystery. Sleep affects
almost every type of tissue and system in the body – from the brain, heart, and lungs
to metabolism, immune function, mood, and disease resistance. Research shows that
a chronic lack of sleep, or getting poor quality sleep, increases the risk of disorders
including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, and
obesity.
Sleep is a complex and dynamic process that affects how you function in ways
scientists are now beginning to understand.
How Much Sleep Do You Need?
Your need for sleep and your sleep patterns change as you age, but this varies
significantly across individuals of the same age. There is no magic ‘number of sleep
hours’ that works for everybody of the same age. Babies initially sleep as much as
16 to 18 hours per day, which may boost growth and development (especially of the
brain). School-age children and teens on average need about 9.5 hours of sleep per
night. Most adults need 7–9 hours of sleep a night, but after age 60, night-time sleep
tends to be shorter, lighter, and interrupted by multiple awakenings. Elderly people
are also more likely to take medications that interfere with sleep.
In general, people are getting less sleep than they need due to longer work hours and
the availability of round-the-clock entertainment and other activities.
Many people feel they can ‘catch up’ on missed sleep during the weekend but,
depending on how sleep-deprived they are, sleeping longer on the weekends may not
be adequate.

English B for the IB Diploma © McGowan, Owen and Deupree 2019 7

 Dreaming
Everyone dreams. You spend about 2 hours each night dreaming but may not
remember most of your dreams. Its exact purpose isn’t known, but dreaming may
help you process your emotions.
Events from the day often invade your thoughts during sleep, and people suffering
from stress or anxiety are more likely to have frightening dreams. Dreams can be
experienced in all stages of sleep but usually are most vivid in REM sleep. Some
people dream in color, while others only recall dreams in black and white.
Tracking Sleep Through Smart Technology
Millions of people are using smartphone apps, bedside monitors, and wearable items
(including bracelets, smart watches, and headbands) to informally collect and
analyze data about their sleep. Smart technology can record sounds and movement
during sleep, journal hours slept, and monitor heart beat and respiration. Using a
companion app, data from some devices can be synced to a smartphone or tablet, or
uploaded to a PC. Other apps and devices make white noise, produce light that
stimulates melatonin production, and use gentle vibrations to help us sleep and wake.
Tips for Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
Getting enough sleep is good for your health. Here are a few tips to improve your
sleep:
 Set a schedule – go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
 Exercise 20 to 30 minutes a day but no later than a few hours before going to
bed.
 Avoid caffeine and nicotine late in the day and alcoholic drinks before bed.
 Relax before bed – try a warm bath, reading, or another relaxing routine.
 Create a room for sleep – avoid bright lights and loud sounds, keep the room at a
comfortable temperature, and don’t watch TV or have a computer in your
bedroom.
 Don’t lie in bed awake. If you can’t get to sleep, do something else, like reading
or listening to music, until you feel tired.
 See a doctor if you have a problem sleeping or if you feel unusually tired during
the day. Most sleep disorders can be treated effectively.

Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke:
www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Understanding-Sleep

English B for the IB Diploma © McGowan, Owen and Deupree 2019 8

Answer the following questions.

1 According to the text, what are the three things that essential to survival?

2 Despite the scientific understanding of sleep, what remains undiscovered?

3 According to a research, what does a chronic lack of sleep do?

4 List two reasons why people are getting less sleep than they need.

5 Look at the statements. Five of them are true. Write the letters in the boxes
provided.

A We spend about one-third of lifetime sleeping.

B A lack of sleep causes you to respond slowly.
C Sleep only affects your memory.
D Your brain is turned off while you sleep.
E We have had a scientific understanding of sleep for a long time.
F Sleep is something you can always catch up on if missed.
G The consequences of a chronic lack of sleep can be detrimental to your
health.
H It is normal to have shorter and lighter sleep at night when you are over 60.
I People with stress and anxiety often dream in black and white.
J You can dream in all stages of sleep.

English B for the IB Diploma © McGowan, Owen and Deupree 2019 9

Tick the correct answer.

6 Which of the following is not recommended for a good night’s sleep?

a Going for a jog every day.

b A glass of whisky before bed.

c Listening to music in bed.

d Having a bath before bed.

7 How does smart technology help you sleep?

a By making white noise.

b By producing light.

c By recording sounds and movement.

d By monitoring heart beat and respiration.

English B for the IB Diploma © McGowan, Owen and Deupree 2019 10

Text B

English B for the IB Diploma © McGowan, Owen and Deupree 2019 11

 Iceberg Ahead!
NASA’s Operation IceBridge flew over a new iceberg that is three times the size of
Manhattan on Wednesday – the first known time anyone has laid eyes on the giant
berg, dubbed B-46, that broke off from Pine Island Glacier in late October.
The flight over one of the fastest-retreating glaciers in Antarctica was part of
IceBridge’s campaign to collect measurements of Earth’s changing polar regions.
Surveys of Pine Island are one of the highest priority missions for IceBridge, in part
because of the glacier’s significant impact on sea level rise.
On Wednesday, IceBridge’s approach to the iceberg began far above the glacier’s
outlet, in the upper reaches of ice that will eventually flow into the glacier’s trunk.
There, as far as the eye can see, it was flat and it was white.
As the aircraft headed toward the glacier’s outlet in the Amundsen Sea, snow-
covered crevasses became visible when sunlight struck at just the right angle. Every
once in a while, a dark hole appeared in the crevasses where the snow had fallen
through, providing a glimpse into the depths of the ice sheet. Then the holes got
bigger.
The crevasses and dunes became a jumbled mess of ice, as Pine Island Glacier picks
up speed as it flows to the sea. The crevasses got deeper and wider, swirling around
each other. Striated snow layers in white and pale blue were visible down the
crevasse walls, like an icy version of the slot canyons in the American West.
Then finally – the berg. Satellite imagery had revealed a massive calving event from
Pine Island in late October, and the IceBridge crew was the first to lay eyes on the
newly created iceberg.
The glacier ends in a sheer 60-meter cliff, dropping off into an ocean channel filled
with a mix of bergy bits, snow, and newly forming sea ice. On the other side, a
matching jagged cliff marked the beginning of B-46, as it stretched across the
horizon.
“From this perspective at 1,500 feet, it’s actually really difficult to grasp the entire
scale of what we just looked at,” said Brooke Medley, Operation IceBridge’s deputy
project scientist who has studied Pine Island Glacier for 12 years. “It was absolutely
stunning. It was spectacular and inspiring and humbling at the same time.”
Even though it had calved just over a week ago, the berg was already showing signs
of wear and tear. Cracks wove through B-46, and upturned bergy bits floated in wide
rifts. The iceberg will probably break down into smaller icebergs within a month or
two, Medley said.
Iceberg calving is normal for glaciers – snow falls within the glacier’s catchment and
slowly flows down into the main trunk, where the ice starts to flow faster. Eventually
it encounters the ocean, is lifted afloat, and over time travels to the edge of the shelf.
There, ice breaks off in the form of an iceberg. When the amount of snowfall and ice
loss (from iceberg calving and melt) are the same, a glacier’s in balance. So it’s hard
to link a particular iceberg like B-46 to the increasing ice loss from Pine Island
Glacier.

English B for the IB Diploma © McGowan, Owen and Deupree 2019 12

 But the frequency, speed, and size of the calving is something to keep an eye on,
Medley said. In 2016, IceBridge saw a crack beginning across the base of Pine
Island; it took a year for an actual rift to form and the iceberg to float away.
The crack that would become B-46 was first noticed in September 2018 – and the
berg broke the next month.
They’re not the biggest glaciers on the planet, but Pine Island and its neighbor,
Thwaites, have an oversized impact on sea level rise. Enough ice flows from each of
these West Antarctic glaciers to raise sea levels by more than 1 millimeter per
decade, according to a study led by Medley. And by the end of this century, that
number is projected to at least triple.
“It’s deeply concerning,” Medley said. The geography of these glaciers make them
highly susceptible to ice loss: relatively warm waters cut under the ice shelf,
weakening it from below. This shock to the system has the capability to initiate an
unstoppable retreat of these glaciers. There’s a reason Pine Island and Thwaites are
dubbed the “weak underbelly” of Antarctica.
NASA has been monitoring Pine Island Glacier from aircraft since 2002, and
IceBridge started taking extensive measurements of the fast-moving ice in 2009.
“Both Pine Island and Thwaites are ready to go and to take their neighboring glaciers
with them,” Medley said. “Ice is getting sucked out into the ocean – and it’s hard to
stop it.”

Kate Ramsayer, Iceberg Ahead!: https://blogs.nasa.gov/earthexpeditions/2018/11/08/iceberg-ahead/

Answer the following questions.

8 What is the objective of NASA’s Operation IceBridge?

9 Where is the outlet for Pine Island Glacier?

10 How high is the cliff the ends Pine Island Glacier?

11 How soon will the new iceberg break into smaller icebergs?

English B for the IB Diploma © McGowan, Owen and Deupree 2019 13

12 When was the crack that would make the new iceberg first spotted?

Tick the correct answer.

13 Which word does not describe the impact of the glaciers on sea level rise?

a massive

b immense

c minimal

d colossal

14 What word best describes the article’s tone regarding the impact of the
glaciers losing ice?

a positive

b amused

c curious

d worried

English B for the IB Diploma © McGowan, Owen and Deupree 2019 14

Write below the words you can find in the text to fill the gaps. Use one word for
each gap.

Operation IceBridge collects [ 15 ] of Earth’s changing polar regions. They

learned that Pine Island had a massive [ 16 ] event that created a new iceberg,
B-46. Although it was newly formed, B-46 already had lots of [ 17 ] in it,
showing that it was breaking apart. It had taken only one [ 18 ] for the iceberg to
form from when IceBridge first noticed it breaking away. If Pine Island and
Thwaites and surrounding glaciers break apart their ice will get drawn out into
the [ 19 ].

15

16

17

18

19

English B for the IB Diploma © McGowan, Owen and Deupree 2019 15