'Life after 60' IB DP English B HL: Listening, Reading & Writing Assessment

While we are making steps towards being a more inclusive society, there is still much to be done in terms of shifting attitudes towards ageing. Just think about how many anti-ageing face cream ads you've seen today! You need to be discussing these mindsets with your students.

This unit based on 'life after 60' is designed for first year English B HL students. It develops listening, reading and writing skills in three resources:

✅ listening comprehension practice for Paper 2

✅ reading comprehension practice for Paper 2

✅ an overview of a diary entry and writing prompts for Paper 1

These resources are perfect for when you need to hone the required skills for Papers 1 and 2, but are bored with the past papers on offer. With this bundle, your English B students can prepare for their external assessment, while still having opportunities to make connections and reflect critically as the overarching concept of 'life after 60' links all of these resources together.

How it works:

Resource 1: Listening comprehension activity

Students watch 'The Father' film which can be found on major streaming networks. They answer 20 listening comprehension questions, which are the same style and format found in previous English B listening exam papers. A detailed answer key is included.

Resource 2: Reading comprehension activity

Students read three authentic texts about 'life after 60', which were sourced from reputable news sources. They answer 31 reading comprehension questions, and 2 bonus questions to identify themes within the texts, justify their opinion and develop reflection skills.

Activity is the same format, length, marks and question types as English B Paper 2 Reading HL. A detailed answer key is included.

Resource 3: Text type overview and writing prompts

This is a powerpoint, which includes an overview of a diary entry as a text type, including its purpose, audience, context and conventions. After the overview, students create their own diary entry from the perspective of someone over 60, using photos as prompts. Guiding questions and rubrics are included.

Benefits:

✅ NO PREPARATION REQUIRED. All you need to do is print the resources or share them digitally with your students.

✅ Engaging, topical activities which can be used as formative or summative assessment

✅ 'Life after 60' and ageing are topics which can be linked to ALL of the English B themes:

• how memory loss affects our sense of "identity"
• finding new passions and life "experiences" after the age of 60
• finding new forms of self and artistic expression after the age of 60 -"human ingenuity"
• how society views and cares for older persons - "social organisation"
• how dementia is affecting global health systems as part of "sharing the planet".

✅ International-mindedness: these resources highlight stories from different countries and cultures. Use them to develops empathy and discuss ethics.

I'm here to help if you have any further questions, so please feel free to send me a message.

Click herefor another engaging, time-saving unit for your English B class.