IB Written Task #1 - External Assessment

IB Curriculum Part II: Language and Mass media

A written task...
demonstrates your ability to choose an imaginative way of exploring an aspect of the material studied.
shows critical engagement with a text or a topic.
demonstrates how fully you understand the manner in which meaning is constructed by language.
demonstrates your ability to produce or critically reproduce types of work studied in the course.

Learning Outcomes:
Examine different forms of communication within the media
Show an awareness of the potential for educational, political or ideological influence of the media
Show the way mass media use language and image to inform, persuade or entertain

Formal requirements for task #1:

Task must be 800-1,000 words in length, accompanied by a rationale of 200-300 words.
Content of task must relate to one of the four parts of the course (in this case, it will relate to Part II:
Language and Mass Media)
You are free to choose a text type that is appropriate to the content of the task. (However, a formal essay is
not an acceptable text type for task 1.)
A rationale must precede task 1.
Note: You may include illustrations in support of your work where this is appropriate. These must always be
electronically embedded, not separately reproduced and physically attached. Written tasks submitted for assessment
must be word processed and the electronic files must not exceed a maximum size, including any images, of 2 MB.

Supervision and teacher assistance:

Teachers can give advice to students on the first draft of the task. This advice should be in terms of the way in
which the work could be improved, but this first draft must not be annotated or edited by the teacher. After
making general comments on the first draft, teachers should not provide any further assistance.

The role of the teacher:

provide guide to students on the selection of the task, its development, and level of challenge.
discuss the relationship between the written task and the stimulus material.
ensure that the topic is of an appropriate level of challenge and suitable to the length and focus of the task
any aspect of the action in the book.

Suggested topics for Written Task 1

You can use these topics, but you are also encouraged to come up with your own ideas with teacher approval.
a tabloid front page revealing the real story behind media bias, or a current event, or any of the topics you
covered in your summer read
an opinion column you express the opinion of whether or not new media is impacting our ability to think
an editorial about the treatment of a certain event in the news or political campaign event
a listicle about 6 Things You Should Know about something related to media
an interview with someone involved in a recent event whose voice is absent from mainstream media.
Written Task 1 - Rationale
The rationale should be 200-300 words in length. Text titles or topics recorded on the rationale are expected to
match those recorded on the cover sheet.

The rationale should not only include knowledge about the text or topic studied, but also about the formal
conventions of the text type produced and how they relate to the aims of the task.

In your rationale, you must explain:

how the content of the task is linked to a particular part of the course
how the task is intended to explore particular aspects of the course
the nature of the task chosen
information about audience, purpose, and the social, cultural, or historical context in which the task is set.

In paragraph one of your rationale, include:

The part of the course your task relates to. In our case: Part II: Language & Mass Communication.
The text(s)/author your task relates to.
Briefly (1-2 sentences) describe your written task including its text type and purpose.
An explanation of how your written task demonstrates what you learned about the text(s) and/or topic(s)
related to the text (2-3 sentences).
For example, your written task might demonstrate your knowledge of specific literary devices,
elements, themes, or patterns. Your written task might demonstrate your ability to critically analyze
texts and draw inferences from textual evidence.
In paragraph two of your rationale, include:
An explanation of why you chose the text type you did. How does this specific text type demonstrate your
knowledge of the text and related topics? (1-2 sentences).
A description of the conventions (style, structure, language techniques) of the text type you chose and how
they relate to the aims/goals/purposes of your task. (2-3 sentences)
Some context for your written task. (2-4 sentences)
Who is the narrator/speaker/author?
Who is the intended audience?
Where/when is the task shared?
Give background info that your audience will need to fully understand the purpose of the task.
Checklist:
200-300 words with a maximum of 300 words (IB examiners recommend getting close to 300 words).
At least two paragraphs.
Words are well chosen and rationale is clear and concise.
Student Exemplar Rationale:

This written task relates to Dave Eggers Zeitoun, a novel we read in Part II-: Language and Mass
Communication. I chose to write a blog post from the perspective of Kathy, one of the protagonists in Zeitoun,
depicting her memory of an experience rendered in the novel. I hoped to accentuate certain themes from the
encounter, while also giving a personal voice to Kathy, who I felt was somewhat underrepresented in the novel.
This task demonstrates the effects of islamophobia and sexism on characters in the novel and on Muslims in the
United States. I analyzed the way this experience might have made the character feel, and portrayed them in an
extended personal reflection. Furthermore, I manipulated the chain of events slightly in order to more clearly
highlight the points I wanted to make.
I felt that because Kathy is portrayed as a somewhat introspective character, it makes sense that she would
analyze her experiences through a blog post. This text type is relevant to the time period of Zeitoun and gives the
ideas a conversational element. The language I used was fairly casual overall in order to establish the connection
Kathy (as a blog writer) might feel towards her readers, and to emulate the style that a lot of real--life bloggers use in
their posts. This conversational language shows that Kathy would be writing to an audience with whom she relates
to on social matters like the one discussed in this post. However, my aim as an author would be to reach people
who do not know much about Muslim customs, and who dont hear Muslim perspectives in mainstream media. I
know that ignorance regarding hijabs is widespread, and I feel that hearing stories like this one will help people
break down stereotypes they have internalized about Muslim people.