Quick answer
The Human ingenuity theme covers how human creativity and innovation affect our world: entertainment, the arts, communication and media, technology and science. These 15 questions are original Nektar practice questions in three steps: describe, justify and evaluate. They are not official IB questions. Your teacher asks their own questions in the individual oral, so use these to practise the kinds of answers you will need.
Where theme questions come up
In the current course the individual oral has a presentation, a follow-up discussion about your stimulus and a general discussion that moves to at least one other theme. You cannot know the questions in advance. You can practise the moves: describing, giving an opinion with a reason, comparing and evaluating.
The timing guide shows how long each part lasts.
Step 1: describe and explain
Name a specific example rather than technology in general.
- Which invention do you use every day, and how would your life differ without it?
- Describe a film, book or piece of music that changed your opinion about something.
- How do you decide whether a news story is reliable?
- What role do the arts play in your school?
- Which app has changed the way you study?
IB English B in Nektar
Practise IB English B in the Nektar app.
Choose SL or HL, work through reading, listening and vocabulary lessons, and get feedback on Paper 1 writing and individual oral responses. Keep official IB material for your checkpoints.
Step 2: compare and justify
State a benefit and a limit before your conclusion.
- Does social media bring people together or push them apart?
- Should artificial intelligence be allowed for school assignments?
- Is streaming good or bad for musicians and film makers?
- Are scientists responsible for how their discoveries are used?
- Do printed books still have a place in classrooms?
Step 3: evaluate and connect
Link the theme to another theme or to an English-speaking culture you have studied.
- How does technology change the way communities are organized?
- Who is left behind by rapid innovation, and what should be done about it?
- Can art change public opinion on an environmental issue?
- How has a media product from an English-speaking country shaped views of that culture?
- Should there be limits on scientific research, and who should set them?
A frame for a strong answer
Answer the question in your first sentence. Add a reason, then a specific example from your own life, your school or something you have read. Finish with a limit or a second point of view. Four sentences in that order take about thirty seconds and give the teacher something to follow up.
Record three answers from different steps and listen back. Check whether you answered the question that was asked, whether the example was specific and whether you repeated the same few words. The Human ingenuity vocabulary list gives you alternatives.
In the Nektar app you can record individual oral responses at SL or HL and get feedback on language, message and interactive skills. It is practice feedback, not an IB mark.
- Direct answer
- Reason
- Specific example
- Limit or other view
Frequently asked questions
Are these official IB English B oral questions?
No. They are original Nektar practice questions. In the individual oral your teacher asks questions based on your stimulus and your answers.
Should I memorize answers to these questions?
No. Memorized answers break down when the question changes slightly. Practise the answer frame with different questions instead.
Can I use these questions for Paper 1 ideas?
Yes. Many of them work as starting points for an opinion column, a speech or a blog post on the Human ingenuity theme.
IB English B in Nektar
Practise IB English B in the Nektar app.
Choose SL or HL, work through reading, listening and vocabulary lessons, and get feedback on Paper 1 writing and individual oral responses. Keep official IB material for your checkpoints.