Quick answer
Choose a speech only when it is one of the options in your task and it serves the stated audience and purpose. The goal is not to reproduce a memorized template. Make the relationship between reader, purpose, content and form visible throughout the response.
When a speech makes sense
Listeners who need to follow the message in real time rather than reread it.
Inform, persuade, motivate or mark an occasion through language that sounds natural aloud.
Start by writing a one-line communication brief: who is reading or listening, what they need from you and what should happen after they receive the text. If another allowed form would make that job clearer, choose the other form.
A practical structure, not a memorized template
Audience orientation, a clear reason for speaking, signposted main points, selective direct address and a closing line that leaves the audience with a next step or idea.
Conventions should make the communication easier to understand. They are not decoration. If a heading, greeting, direct address or sign-off does not help the reader understand the relationship and purpose, do not add it simply because an online template told you to.
- Audience is obvious
- Purpose appears early
- Required content is covered
- The form remains consistent
- The ending completes the communication job
English practice in Nektar
Build your English while English B is in preview.
IB English B sets and assessments are not available yet. Use Nektar’s existing General English tools for reading and vocabulary practice, and use official IB material for exam tasks.
Original opening example
For an original food-waste practice task, one possible opening is: “Look at the person next to you. By lunch tomorrow, our school will have thrown away enough untouched food to fill several tables like this one.”
Do not memorize that sentence. Instead, explain why it suits this audience and purpose, then rewrite the opening for a different context. If changing the recipient barely changes your language, you may be writing a generic essay rather than controlling register and form.
Original Paper 1-style practice prompt
Give a speech to a student assembly persuading students to take part in a one-month food-waste reduction challenge.
This is an original Nektar practice prompt, not an official IB examination question. Plan the audience, purpose and required details before drafting. After writing, cover the prompt and ask another reader to infer who the text is for and what response you wanted.
Return to the main Paper 1 guide to compare this form with other choices.
Common mistakes to catch in revision
A useful revision asks whether the form improves communication, not whether it contains a checklist of surface features. The most important problems usually come from a mismatch between the task and the writing.
- Writing dense paragraphs that are hard to follow aloud
- Repeating rhetorical questions instead of developing reasons
- Forgetting who is listening and what you want them to do
Frequently asked questions
Can I always choose a speech in English B Paper 1?
No. Choose only from the text types offered in the actual task and select the one that best serves its audience and purpose.
Should I memorize a fixed speech template?
No. Learn useful conventions, but adapt structure and register to the specific communication job.
Is the practice prompt on this page an official IB question?
No. It is an original Nektar prompt. Use official specimen material and your teacher for exam-specific practice and marking.
English practice in Nektar
Build your English while English B is in preview.
IB English B sets and assessments are not available yet. Use Nektar’s existing General English tools for reading and vocabulary practice, and use official IB material for exam tasks.