Student Workbook
IB DP Language and Literature
For IB Diploma Language A: Language and Literature
10 cases about media, law, policy and the decisions that shape your life. For every case: the story, the case file, a thinking page and a work page shaped like your task.
How this edition works
Every case starts with something that happened, a question worth asking and the evidence to check. Then you make a call or make something. Write on the pages, fill them in on a computer, or scan the code on a work page to do it online.
- A momentsomething people saw, shared or argued about
- A questionworth investigating
- The evidenceand the context around it
- Your calla decision or something you make
- Feedbackwhat your choice changes, and for whom
- Real worldwhere this decision actually gets made
The companions in the margins
LupaEvidence
DudaQuestions
PautaRules
OndaImpact
NexoConnections
VozNext steps
What’s different in this edition
- Only cases with a genuine non-literary text or a literary work are used; ten cases are marked not recommended
- Paper 1 routes supply a guiding question and hold contextual sources back until after drafting
- The one individual-oral rehearsal (Matilda) requires a literary work studied in class
- Feedback describes the published assessment areas without predicting IB marks
Real, or made for this lesson?
Real source links to reporting, research or an official page you can check yourself. Fictional case material was written for the story, so you can practice on it safely.
What’s inside
1Before you repostWhat can a screenshot actually prove?4
3The apology is not the repairWhat makes a correction more useful than “sorry”?10
6Who gets to see your school records?If your family helps pay for school, what are they allowed to see?16
7Who decides what stays on the shelf?A group chat says one complaint got a novel “banned.” What actually happened, and who decides?22
8Is it a recommendation or an ad?If a creator got the product free, do viewers need to know?28
9Your ballot is more local than your feed.What’s actually on your ballot, and where do you find out?34
12A protest is not one legal questionWhen does a school get to limit what students say?40
15Internship, or someone’s unpaid job?When is an unpaid internship really a job that should be paid?46
16“It’s our policy” is not the endWhen a new building rule appears, who wrote it and who does it affect?52
20Looks real. What proves it?A realistic image says the courtyard flooded today. What would it take to post that as true?58
Case 1
Before you repost
What can a screenshot actually prove?
Most news about school closures, rule changes and events reaches students as a cropped clip in a group chat. Checking the original and posting a useful update keeps a whole community from acting on half a sentence.
In the real world
- CrashCourse (YouTube), 2019Check Yourself with Lateral Reading: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #3
- PolitiFact, 2022Viral image shows fake story from The Atlantic about Biden
- You’ll make
- Guided analysis, 600–800 words, written in 75 minutes
- Time
- About 75 minutes
- Level
- IB DP Language and Literature
MateoDale, I wanted that clip to be fake so badly I almost told everyone to ignore it. Let me find the full transcript first.
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
Forwarded screenshot in the crew’s group chat, Friday 4:52 p.m.
“They’re removing access tonight. Screening canceled?”
Attached clip, 7 seconds.
Coordinator: “…we are removing access—” The clip ends there.
- 2Fictional case material
Room coordinator, full meeting transcript, Friday 3:30 p.m. meeting
“The side-door reader is broken. We are removing access through that reader tonight. Existing room bookings remain in place. Use the staffed front entrance while we repair it.”
- 3Fictional case material
Booking confirmation emailed to Mateo, sent Tuesday 10:14 a.m.
Friday, 6–9 p.m. Screening confirmed. Front entrance: step-free. Staff member at the desk from 5:30 p.m. Contact the coordinator for arrival support.
- 4Fictional case material
Jordy, holding message in the same chat
“We’re checking the original. Hold your plans for a moment.”
- 5Fictional case material
“My friend is already on the train. “We are figuring it out” does not tell her whether to keep coming.”
Gia, 21, leaving for a café shift
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Whether every visitor can use the staffed front entrance (the email says step-free, not that every arrival need is covered), who first cropped the clip and why, and how many people already changed their plans.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceSociety of Professional Journalists, SPJ Code of EthicsSummary, not a quotation: the code asks journalists to take responsibility for the accuracy of their work, verify information before releasing it and avoid distorting facts or context, including visual information.
videoCheck Yourself with Lateral Reading: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #3CrashCourse (YouTube), 2019-01-22Shows the move the crew makes: leave the screenshot, open new tabs and check who made it and what other sources say.
articleViral image shows fake story from The Atlantic about BidenPolitiFact, 2022-08-01A real fact-check of a fabricated news screenshot: the image looked official, but the outlet never published it.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
What the evidence can hold up
Draw an arrow from each piece of evidence to the claim it supports or challenges. Which claim is left standing, and which gap still needs a check before you post?
| Evidence | Claim 1The screening is canceled. | Claim 2The screening is on; use the staffed front entrance. |
|---|---|---|
| 1The clip: “we are removing access…” ends mid-sentence. | ||
| 2The transcript: access is removed “through that reader,” and existing bookings remain in place. | ||
| 3The booking email: Friday 6–9 p.m., screening confirmed, step-free front entrance. |
Still open
- Can every visitor use the temporary entrance?
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write a holding statement and a follow-up correction for the same chat, twenty minutes apart. Add a two-sentence rationale.
Message 1 (5:05 p.m.): Hey everyone, we saw the clip about the Common Room. We’re checking the full meeting update right now, so please don’t cancel your plans yet. We’ll post again by 5:25 with a real answer.1 Message 2 (5:25 p.m.): Update: the screening is NOT canceled3. It’s still Friday 6–9 p.m. The clip cut off the part where the coordinator said they’re removing access “through that reader,” meaning the broken side door2. Use the front entrance instead. It’s staffed from 5:30 and it’s step-free. I think whoever posted it was trying to start drama.4 Rationale: I didn’t repeat the word “canceled” in my first message because people might only read that one word. I gave a time for the next update so people know when to check back.
- 1Strong holding move: a specific time tells people already traveling when to look again.
- 2Precise evidence. Quoting the exact words the crop removed shows readers why the clip misled them.
- 3A clear verdict, but naming the booking email or the transcript here would let readers check it for themselves.
- 4Revise: nothing in the sources tells us why the clip was shared. A guess about motive weakens the correction and can start a new argument.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeI think whoever posted it was trying to start drama.
AfterI checked the coordinator’s full transcript and Mateo’s booking email. Need help getting in? Message the coordinator before you leave.
The revision swaps an unsupported guess for a named source and a contact, which gives readers something to verify and something to do.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
IB DP Language and Literature
Write a guided textual analysis of the group-chat screenshot and its caption in response to the guiding question. Treat it as a non-literary text: analyze the crop, the caption’s punctuation, the placement of “canceled?” and the reader it assumes.
Thesis A claim someone could reasonably disagree with
Reason 1: claim, evidence, commentary
Reason 2: claim, evidence, commentary
The strongest counterargument, and your answer
Why it matters beyond this case
Take it off the page
Find out how your school sends urgent updates.
Case 3
The apology is not the repair
What makes a correction more useful than “sorry”?
Clubs, schools and companies all post things that turn out to be wrong, and how they fix it decides who keeps trusting them. Students who can tell a real correction from a nice-sounding apology can hold groups, including their own, to a higher standard.
In the real world
- NPR Public Editor, 2022That was wrong
- NPR, 2017Dove Expresses 'Regret' For Racially Insensitive Ad
- You’ll make
- Guided analysis, 600–800 words, written in 75 minutes
- Time
- About 75 minutes
- Level
- IB DP Language and Literature
AnikaWe were carrying chairs at 5:30. Don’t tell me how sorry you feel. Tell people what actually happened.
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
The crew’s published recap caption, Saturday 11:08 a.m.
“Great night, once the younger crowd finally got organized.”
- 2Fictional case material
Jordy’s setup log, Friday evening
5:40 p.m. Projector failure reported. 6:00 p.m. Attendees seated. 6:20 p.m. Replacement projector connected. Note: Anika and Dec helped carry chairs before doors opened.
- 3Fictional case material
Anika, 16, message to the crew
“We were helping you set up. Why are we the problem in this post?”
- 4Fictional case material
Gia’s first correction, drafted Saturday 2:15 p.m., not posted
“Sorry if this came across wrong. We love our younger neighbors and would never want anyone to feel excluded.”
- 5Fictional case material
“My log says Anika and Dec were carrying chairs before doors opened. The caption turned them into the reason we started late.”
Jordy, 20, kept Friday’s setup log
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
What each attendee actually experienced, whether any latecomers affected the start at all, how far the recap was reshared, and whether Anika wants any public response.
Real-world evidence
Real sourcePublic Relations Society of America, PRSA Code of EthicsSummary, not a quotation: the code names honesty among its core values and, in its provisions of conduct, expects members to correct promptly any erroneous communication they are responsible for.
articleThat was wrongNPR Public Editor, 2022-10-21How a real newsroom corrects mistakes: name the error, fix it on the story and keep a public list.
articleDove Expresses 'Regret' For Racially Insensitive AdNPR, 2017-10-08A real brand apology after an ad played into a racial stereotype; compare the words with what changed afterward.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
Same moment, different accounts
Place the four accounts side by side. Where do they agree, where do they split, and which one was written down at the time?
Caption: the night went well once the younger crowd got organized.
Event log: projector failed at 5:40; replacement connected at 6:20; Anika and Dec carried chairs.
Anika: “We were helping you set up.”
Where they agree
Where they differ
Check: Which account was recorded at the time rather than remembered afterward?
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write a correction and a short repair plan with a named owner and a date to check it.
Correction: Our recap said the screening started late because the younger crowd wasn’t organized. That was wrong, and we’re sorry.1 Jordy’s event log shows the projector failed at 5:40 p.m.2 and the new one wasn’t connected until 6:20. Anika and Dec actually helped carry chairs before doors opened. Repair plan: Gia will edit the original caption today so the correction is where people saw the mistake. We will also ask Anika to post that she’s okay with the correction so people know it’s resolved.3 Before we post any recap, Jordy will check claims about what caused a problem against the event log. We’ll check on Friday whether the next recap went through that step.4
- 1Good order: the correction names the error before it apologizes, so it does its main job first.
- 2Precise evidence with a time lets readers see why the caption’s explanation doesn’t hold.
- 3Revise: this puts repair work on the person who was blamed. The crew can offer a private way to respond, but Anika shouldn’t have to vouch in public.
- 4Strong measure: it checks whether the promised process happened, not just whether the comments stopped.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeWe will also ask Anika to post that she’s okay with the correction so people know it’s resolved.
AfterWe’ll message the people the caption blamed to say it’s corrected, and they can reply privately if we missed something.
The crew still reaches the people who were harmed, but the work of fixing the record stays with the crew.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
IB DP Language and Literature
Write a guided textual analysis of the crew’s published correction, reading it against the caption it replaces. Then apply the same guiding question to one longer real correction or apology statement the teacher selects.
Thesis A claim someone could reasonably disagree with
Reason 1: claim, evidence, commentary
Reason 2: claim, evidence, commentary
The strongest counterargument, and your answer
Why it matters beyond this case
Take it off the page
Help a club you’re in write a corrections rule.
Case 6
Who gets to see your school records?
If your family helps pay for school, what are they allowed to see?
Grades, schedules and discipline records follow students for years, and the rules about who can see them change at 18 or when a student starts college. Knowing which record, which permission and which office to ask keeps family support from turning into giving away every login.
In the real world
- U.S. Department of Education (YouTube), 2013Student Privacy 101: FERPA for Parents and Students
- U.S. Department of Education, Student Privacy Policy OfficeMust postsecondary institutions provide a parent with access to an eligible student’s education records?
- You’ll make
- Guided analysis, 600–800 words, written in 75 minutes
- Time
- About 75 minutes
- Level
- IB DP Language and Literature
RafaSige, they can help with the bill. I just want to read what I’m signing before I hand over my grades too.
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
§ Parent and family access authorization form mailed to Rafa, August 28 (illustrative)
Section 1, Billing and payments: allow the person named below to view account statements and make payments. Yes / No. Section 2, Academic records: allow the person named below to receive information about grades, enrollment and academic standing. Yes / No. Section 3: this authorization stays in effect until the student changes or withdraws it in writing.
- 2Fictional case material
College annual FERPA notice posted on the registrar’s page, fall term (illustrative)
Students have the right to inspect their education records, to request corrections and to consent to disclosures, except where the law allows disclosure without consent. Questions go to the Office of the Registrar.
- 3Fictional case material
Rafa’s family group chat, Sunday 8:47 p.m.
Mom: Did the tuition form come? We want to help with the bill.
Dad: Send us the login and we’ll take care of everything.
Rafa: Sige, the bill part I can share. Let me read the rest first.
- 4Fictional case material
“Then we need the actual exception and the actual facts. “Privacy law” is not a magic sentence that answers every request.”
Caio, 24, helping Rafa read the request
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Which form and exceptions Rafa’s own college uses, whether his family claims him as a tax dependent, exactly what help his family wants, and how the college lets a student change an authorization.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceU.S. Department of Education, Student Privacy Policy Office, FAQ “What is FERPA?”Summary, not a quotation: FERPA gives parents certain rights over their children’s education records, and those rights transfer to the student at age 18 or when the student attends a school beyond the high school level. A student who holds the rights is called an eligible student.
Real sourceAmerican University, parent-access guide (AU Central)Summary, not a quotation: the guide separates parent online access for student-account activity and bill payment from authorization to discuss academic records, and says parent billing access does not include viewing grades.
videoStudent Privacy 101: FERPA for Parents and StudentsU.S. Department of Education (YouTube), 2013-11-07The Education Department’s own short explainer of FERPA rights and when they move from parents to students.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
Who actually gets to decide?
Who actually decides each question: Rafa, the rule or the college? Mark where paying the bill and seeing grades split into two separate decisions.
Who may see Rafa’s grades?
Rafa, the eligible student, through written consent
FERPA: rights transfer to the student at 18 or on entering college
Rafa’s family, who help pay tuition
Who may see and pay the tuition bill?
Rafa, the eligible student, through written consent
Rafa’s family, who help pay tuition
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write Rafa a one-page guide separating paying the bill from seeing grades.
Paying vs. Seeing: A Guide for Rafa Since you’re 18 and in college, the FERPA rights to your education records belong to you now, not your parents. The Department of Education FAQ says rights transfer at 18 or when you start college1. Paying tuition is a different thing from seeing your grades. In the university guide, parent access for the bill does not include viewing grades2, so that needs a separate authorization. So your parents can never see your grades unless you say yes.3 Before you sign anything, ask the records office three questions: which record would be shared, who would get it, and how you can change your mind later4. Talk with your family first about what help you actually want.
- 1Accurate statement of the transfer rule, attributed to the right source.
- 2Precise use of the university guide, and the writer correctly presents it as one school’s process.
- 3Revise: this overstates the rule. FERPA has exceptions, including one for parents who claim a student as a tax dependent. Say that exceptions exist and send Rafa to the records office.
- 4Strong next step: specific, answerable questions for the office that actually holds the records.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeSo your parents can never see your grades unless you say yes.
AfterUsually your family would need your permission to see grades, but the law has exceptions, so ask the records office which ones your college uses.
The revision keeps the main rule clear while being honest that exceptions exist, which is what the success criteria ask for.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
IB DP Language and Literature
Write a guided textual analysis of the university’s parent-access guide in response to the guiding question, treating it as an institutional text written for families and students at once.
Thesis A claim someone could reasonably disagree with
Reason 1: claim, evidence, commentary
Reason 2: claim, evidence, commentary
The strongest counterargument, and your answer
Why it matters beyond this case
Take it off the page
Find your school’s records notice.
Case 7
Who decides what stays on the shelf?
A group chat says one complaint got a novel “banned.” What actually happened, and who decides?
School and public libraries across the country are deciding how to handle challenges to books, and the rules vary by district and state. Students who can tell a complaint from a final decision, and who know where to speak, can take part without spreading rumors or silencing other readers.
In the real world
- Chalkbeat Colorado, 2025Colorado bill to curb school library book challenges clears first legislative hurdle
- Chalkbeat Tennessee, 2024Under stricter Tennessee law, some school library books quietly disappear
- You’ll make
- 10-minute recorded oral plus 5 minutes of teacher questions, with a one-page outline
- Time
- About 90 minutes
- Level
- IB DP Language and Literature
MariMira, I found a character in a book like this who made me feel less alone. That’s why I care. Now what does the policy actually say?
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
Group chat, Thursday 10:12 p.m.
“One parent complained, so that novel is banned. It’s gone from the library.”
- 2Fictional case material
§ District reconsideration notice, posted Friday by the school library
“A request for reconsideration has been received for one title in the library collection. Under district policy, the title remains available during the review. A review committee will read the full work and evaluate it against the district’s selection criteria. Written input may be submitted by the 15th. The committee’s decision may be appealed.”
- 3Fictional case material
§ Review committee input form, due the 15th
Name and role (student, parent, staff or community member). Have you read the entire work? Yes / No. Which selection criteria does your input address? Comments, 300 words maximum.
- 4Fictional case material
“Mira, I found a character in a book like this who made me feel less alone. That’s why I care. Now what does the policy actually say?”
Mari, 19, bookseller and zine maker
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Which novel is under review and what the request says, who sits on the review committee, what the district’s selection criteria say in full, and what state law, if any, adds to the district policy.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceAmerican Library Association, Selection and Reconsideration Policy Toolkit: formal reconsiderationSummary, not a quotation: ALA’s example procedure has a review committee whose members read or view the entire work, evaluate it against the collection policy’s criteria and vote, with the material remaining available until a formal decision and with an appeal route. ALA presents this as guidance for libraries to adapt, not as law.
Real sourceRoald Dahl, Matilda, authorized extract published by PenguinSummary, not a quotation: in the extract, four-year-old Matilda finds the village public library on her own; the librarian, Mrs Phelps, helps her choose books, and over the following months she reads widely, including classic adult novels.
articleColorado bill to curb school library book challenges clears first legislative hurdleChalkbeat Colorado, 2025-02-10A state debated requiring clear reconsideration policies, showing a challenge is a process, not an instant ban.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
Who actually gets to decide?
Replace “banned” with the real chain of decisions. Who decides at each stage, which rules bind them, and where can a student’s input land?
Keep, restrict or remove the novel after review
The school review committee, which reads the whole work and votes
District-level appeal and, finally, the school board
District reconsideration policy and selection criteria
State law and unsettled First Amendment case law (Pico had no majority opinion)
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write input to the review committee using the published selection criteria.
To the Review Committee, I’m a student at this school, and I’m writing about the novel under review. The district’s selection criteria ask the committee to judge each book as a whole1, not by one passage. Read as a whole, this book follows a character dealing with isolation2 and slowly finding people she can trust, and that is why readers my age connect with it. I understand the parent who filed the request is worried about one scene with mature content, and that concern deserves a real answer3. But honestly, anyone who wants a book removed is just trying to control what other people read4. I’m asking the committee to keep the novel available and, if the concern is about age level, to consider an age note in the catalog rather than removal. Thank you.
- 1Strong: the argument is anchored in the committee’s own published criterion.
- 2Good use of the whole-work standard, though one specific scene or detail would make the evidence stronger.
- 3Good: the writer acknowledges another reader’s concern with respect.
- 4Revise: this assigns a motive to everyone who files a request and contradicts the respect shown one sentence earlier. The committee needs reasons tied to criteria, not judgments of people.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeBut honestly, anyone who wants a book removed is just trying to control what other people read.
AfterBut the criteria ask about the whole work, and that scene is part of how the story shows the character’s isolation.
The revision keeps the disagreement about the book, where the criteria apply, instead of about the parent, which the committee cannot weigh.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
IB DP Language and Literature
Rehearse the individual oral. Choose a short extract from Matilda, such as the library scene with Mrs Phelps, and a short extract from a body of non-literary work on book challenges, such as a library association’s public statements or a district’s reconsideration notices. Prepare a 10-minute response examining how the global issue of who controls young people’s access to books is presented through the content and form of both extracts, followed by 5 minutes of teacher questions.
First line Start with the moment
Three points, each with its evidence
Last line What should people remember?
Practice 1: what worked
Practice 2: what I changed
Take it off the page
Find your library’s reconsideration policy.
Case 8
Is it a recommendation or an ad?
If a creator got the product free, do viewers need to know?
Much of what students see online is shaped by relationships between creators and brands, and many students are creators too. Knowing what a clear disclosure looks like helps them judge recommendations and post honestly, whether they have fifty followers or fifty thousand.
In the real world
- NBC News, 2023Influencers warned by FTC over ‘inadequate’ disclosures of artificial sweetener promotions
- ABC News, 2019Popular YouTuber chimes in on federal product disclosure guide for influencers
- You’ll make
- Guided analysis, 600–800 words, written in 75 minutes
- Time
- About 75 minutes
- Level
- IB DP Language and Literature
CaioCalma, the cut is good. Watch it once like a stranger with the sound off. Can they tell the book was free?
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
Publisher email offering a review copy, sent two weeks before posting
“Hi Gia, we love your book reviews! We’d be glad to send you a free copy of our spring novel for review. There’s no obligation to post, but if you do, we’d appreciate a tag. Best, the publicity team”
- 2Fictional case material
Gia’s review video, first cut, Friday evening (script and caption)
Spoken: “Okay, you guys, I have to tell you about this book because I literally could not put it down!” On-screen text: none. Caption, below the video: “@publisher #booktok”
- 3Fictional case material
Watch once as a stranger, phone on mute. 0:00–0:03: does anything say free copy? Caption sits below the video; most people won’t open it. Tag = brand name, not relationship.
Caio’s edit notes, Saturday 1:30 p.m. - 4Fictional case material
Viewer comment on a similar review by another creator (illustrative)
“wait was this sponsored?? kind of feels like an ad now”
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Whether Gia has any other relationship with the publisher, what label the platform itself would show, how many of her viewers watch without sound, and whether the review’s strongest claims are supported beyond her own reading.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceFederal Trade Commission, Disclosures 101 for Social Media InfluencersSummary, not a quotation: FTC staff guidance says to disclose any financial, employment, personal or family relationship with a brand, including free or discounted products; to place the disclosure where it is hard to miss, with the endorsement; and, in a video, to put the disclosure in the video itself, ideally in both audio and on-screen text, not only in the description.
Real sourceFederal Trade Commission, FTC’s Endorsement Guides: What People Are AskingSummary, not a quotation: the FTC’s question-and-answer guide explains how the agency applies its Endorsement Guides, which interpret the FTC Act’s prohibition on deceptive practices, to reviews, social media posts and other endorsements.
articleInfluencers warned by FTC over ‘inadequate’ disclosures of artificial sweetener promotionsNBC News, 2023-11-15Real creators were warned for not clearly saying they were paid, the exact question this case asks.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
If this, then what?
Follow both choices forward. Which consequences can Gia control, which depend on viewers, and what test tells her the disclosure worked?
Post the first cut with only a brand tag in the caption
Sound-off viewers never learn the book was free
Disclose aloud and on screen in the first seconds
Viewers weigh the recommendation knowing the relationship
Some viewers may discount the review as an ad
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write a revised script and caption and a short note on why a tag alone isn’t enough.
Revised script: At 0:00, spoken and on screen: “Heads up, the publisher sent me this book for free1.” Then: “Okay, you guys, I could not put this down. The sisters felt so real, and the ending wrecked me. I finished it in two nights.” Caption: Publisher sent me a free copy for review. @publisher #booktok Note: A tag alone isn’t enough because a lot of people watch with the sound off and never open the caption3, and a tag just names the brand without saying the book was free2. Now the disclosure is spoken and on screen in the first seconds. Honestly the disclosure is just a formality, because my opinion is real either way.4
- 1Plain words that name the relationship, placed at 0:00 where every viewer meets it.
- 2Precise reasoning that matches the case: a tag identifies a brand, not the relationship.
- 3Good audience thinking: the writer considers how viewers actually watch.
- 4Revise: an honest opinion and a disclosed relationship answer different questions. Viewers need the relationship to decide how much weight to give the opinion, so it is not a formality.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeHonestly the disclosure is just a formality, because my opinion is real either way.
AfterMy opinion is honest, but viewers still deserve to know the book was free so they can decide how much to trust it.
The revision separates the two ideas the task asks about: whether the opinion is sincere, and whether viewers know the relationship that could shape it.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
IB DP Language and Literature
Write a guided textual analysis of Gia’s first-cut review (spoken script, on-screen text and caption) in response to the guiding question, treating it as a multimodal non-literary text.
Thesis A claim someone could reasonably disagree with
Reason 1: claim, evidence, commentary
Reason 2: claim, evidence, commentary
The strongest counterargument, and your answer
Why it matters beyond this case
Take it off the page
Check the relationship before you trust the review.
Case 9
Your ballot is more local than your feed.
What’s actually on your ballot, and where do you find out?
National races dominate feeds, but many decisions that shape students’ lives, like school boards, judges and local measures, appear lower on the ballot. Knowing how to find your own official ballot and deadlines matters whether you’re voting soon or learning how the system works before you can.
In the real world
- NPR, 2023Some states are trying to boost youth voter registration. Here's what they're doing
- Ballotpedia News, 2025Most states allow teenagers to pre-register to vote before turning 18, and some let them vote in primaries
- You’ll make
- Guided analysis, 600–800 words, written in 75 minutes
- Time
- About 75 minutes
- Level
- IB DP Language and Literature
MateoDec doesn’t need us picking for him. He needs his own ballot and a registration check before November. Honestly, so do I.
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
§ Illustrative sample ballot, November general election
Federal: U.S. Representative. State: State Senator; Superior Court judge (retention). Local: Board of Education, District 3 (vote for two); City Council, Ward 5. Measures: Measure T, transit improvements bond.
- 2Fictional case material
Creator’s voter guide, posted three weeks before the election
“Everything you need for November!! Registration closes the 14th. School board: vote Candidate B, the only one who actually cares about students. Measure T: yes, obviously.”
- 3Fictional case material
Gia’s group-chat reminder draft, Sunday 6:30 p.m.
“Check your registration and your own sample ballot at vote.gov. Deadlines depend on your state. Please don’t post your address here.”
- 4Fictional case material
“I turn 18 in October. I don’t need someone picking for me. I need to know what’s on my ballot and whether I’m registered in time for November.”
Dec, 17, theater crew - 5Fictional case material
“Dec’s feed is all the big race. Then you flip the sample ballot: school board, city council, a transit bond. Nobody’s posting about Measure T.”
Mateo, 22, moved from New Bedford for college
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Dec’s own state, registration status and deadline, the actual sample ballot for his address, what each local office is responsible for where he lives, and who wrote and funds the creator’s guide.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceVote.gov, Preparing to vote: age 18 and underSummary, not a quotation: Vote.gov explains that in most states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories people can preregister before turning 18, that you must be 18 to vote, that several states let 17-year-olds vote in primaries if they will be 18 by the general election, and that each person should check their own state’s rules.
Real sourceU.S. Constitution, Twenty-Sixth Amendment, Section 1 (text as published by the National Constitution Center)“The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.”
articleSome states are trying to boost youth voter registration. Here's what they're doingNPR, 2023-08-06Explains preregistration and other state steps that let teens sign up before they turn 18.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
Who actually gets to decide?
Separate the two questions Dec has: what is on his ballot, and can he vote. Which rules and offices answer each, and which source should he check first?
Which contests and measures appear on Dec’s ballot
His address and district lines, drawn through redistricting
Whether Dec can register and vote in November
Twenty-Sixth Amendment: the vote at 18 cannot be denied on account of age
State rules on preregistration, deadlines and 17-year-old primary voting
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write a nonpartisan explainer on one local contest: what the office does, what’s on the ballot and where to verify it. Compare how two guides describe the race.
School Board, District 3 What the office does: The school board sets the district budget, hires the superintendent and approves policies like the school calendar. It doesn’t run individual classrooms.1 What’s on the ballot: Two seats are open, with four candidates. There’s also a transit measure, but that’s a city question, not a school board one2. Where to verify: Look up your own sample ballot through vote.gov, which sends you to your state’s election office. The creator guide says Candidate B is the only one who cares about students, so you should probably vote for her3. Comparing guides: The county guide prints each candidate’s statement in their own words.4 The creator guide adds opinions about who is best.
- 1Good: saying what the office does not control keeps readers from asking it for the wrong things.
- 2Strong jurisdiction thinking: the writer separates two contests on the same ballot.
- 3Revise: an explainer must stay nonpartisan. Report what the guide claims as the guide’s opinion and leave the choice to the reader.
- 4Good comparison: the writer identifies how the two guides differ in purpose.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeThe creator guide says Candidate B is the only one who cares about students, so you should probably vote for her.
AfterOne creator guide recommends a candidate; that is the guide’s opinion, so check each candidate’s own statement in the county guide.
The revision keeps the explainer nonpartisan while still teaching readers to tell a recommendation from a fact.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
IB DP Language and Literature
Write a guided textual analysis of a teacher-selected voter guide aimed at young or first-time voters, responding to the guiding question.
Thesis A claim someone could reasonably disagree with
Reason 1: claim, evidence, commentary
Reason 2: claim, evidence, commentary
The strongest counterargument, and your answer
Why it matters beyond this case
Take it off the page
Find your official election information.
Case 12
A protest is not one legal question
When does a school get to limit what students say?
Students speak up at school through shirts, posters, walkouts and posts, and they often hear either “you have free speech” or “you have no rights here.” Both are too simple, and knowing how precedent really works helps students speak effectively without walking into avoidable trouble.
In the real world
- PBS NewsHour, 2021Student free speech makes it to the Supreme Court in former high school cheerleader's case
- PBS NewsHour (Associated Press), 2021Supreme Court rules in favor of cheerleader who published critical social media post in First Amendment case
- You’ll make
- Guided analysis, 600–800 words, written in 75 minutes
- Time
- About 75 minutes
- Level
- IB DP Language and Literature
AnikaThe feeling is real. But “free speech, end of story” isn’t a fact pattern. What did the poster say, where did it go up, and under whose rule?
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
Anika’s poster, first version, printed Tuesday 3:15 p.m.
“KEEP OUR LIBRARY OPEN AT LUNCH. Wear blue Thursday.” A photo of the school’s sign and logo runs across the top. No student name or group appears anywhere on the poster.
- 2Fictional case material
§ Student handbook, posting policy, p. 14 (illustrative excerpt)
Students may post materials on the student bulletin boards outside the cafeteria and the library. Materials must be approved by the main office and must show the name of the student or group responsible.
- 3Fictional case material
Group chat suggesting a walkout, Wednesday 9:02 p.m.
“If they take the poster down we walk out Thursday. Tinker says they can’t touch us.”
Reply: “Wait, wear blue AND walk out??”
- 4Fictional case material
“I put the school sign across the top because it looked good. Now it reads like the school is announcing it. It isn’t.”
Mateo, 22, did the photo and layout
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
What the attendance policy says about leaving class, whether the school has objected to the poster or only might, whether the people shown in the photo agreed to its use, and what process the school follows before any discipline.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceU.S. Courts, Facts and Case Summary: Tinker v. Des MoinesSummary, not a quotation: public-school students were suspended for wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. The Supreme Court ruled for the students, reasoning that a school could not restrict their expression because of a mere fear of disruption.
Real sourceTinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503 (1969), majority opinion“It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” … “But, in our system, undifferentiated fear or apprehension of disturbance is not enough to overcome the right to freedom of expression.”
videoStudent free speech makes it to the Supreme Court in former high school cheerleader's casePBS NewsHour, 2021-04-28Explains the Snapchat case the Court used to ask when a school can punish off-campus student speech.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
What the evidence can hold up
Test the slogan against the facts. Which evidence supports each claim, which challenges it, and which fact would you still need?
| Evidence | Claim 1Tinker means nobody can face consequences for walking out. | Claim 2The wear-blue plan closely matches Tinker’s facts. | Claim 3The poster should carry a student byline instead of the school logo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Tinker’s facts: silent armbands, no substantial disruption, a public school | |||
| 2A walkout means leaving class, which falls under the attendance rule | |||
| 3The logo photo makes the poster look like school-sponsored speech |
Still open
- What does the attendance policy say, and what process follows?
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write a fact-pattern brief comparing Tinker with the wear-blue plan and the walkout.
Facts: In Tinker (1969), public-school students wore black armbands to protest the Vietnam War and were suspended. Rule: The Supreme Court said students keep free-speech rights at school unless their expression would substantially disrupt school or invade others’ rights1. Application: Anika’s wear-blue Thursday plan is a lot like the armbands. It is silent and doesn’t stop class, so Tinker probably protects it.2 The walkout is also protected because it is a protest just like Tinker.3 Open questions: We don’t know what the attendance policy says4 or whether the school would count a walkout as a disruption. We also need to know whether the school has any rule about clothing.
- 1Accurate rule, including the limit most first drafts leave out.
- 2Good application: the writer matches specific facts and says “probably” instead of promising a legal outcome.
- 3Revise: leaving class is conduct under an attendance rule, which Tinker does not settle. Calling both “protest” hides the fact that changes the question.
- 4Strong open question: it names the exact missing fact that would decide the walkout issue.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeThe walkout is also protected because it is a protest just like Tinker.
AfterThe walkout is different: the message may be similar, but leaving class is conduct covered by the attendance policy, so Tinker alone doesn’t answer it.
The revision separates the message from the action, which is the distinction the case turns on.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
IB DP Language and Literature
Write a guided textual analysis of a passage from Justice Fortas’s majority opinion in Tinker (1969) that includes the “schoolhouse gate” sentence, responding to the guiding question.
Thesis A claim someone could reasonably disagree with
Reason 1: claim, evidence, commentary
Reason 2: claim, evidence, commentary
The strongest counterargument, and your answer
Why it matters beyond this case
Take it off the page
Read your school’s expression policy before you print.
Case 15
Internship, or someone’s unpaid job?
When is an unpaid internship really a job that should be paid?
Internships open doors, but unpaid ones favor people who can afford to work for free, and some “internships” are just unpaid jobs. Knowing the questions the law asks helps students ages 16–24 evaluate an offer before they give it a summer.
In the real world
- PBS NewsHour (YouTube), 2023Why unpaid internships still exist despite hardships for young workers
- NPR, 2013Internships: Low-Paid, Unpaid Or Just Plain Illegal?
- You’ll make
- Guided analysis, 600–800 words, written in 75 minutes
- Time
- About 75 minutes
- Level
- IB DP Language and Literature
RafaSige, I want the experience. I also work at the shop. So what would I actually learn, and who’s teaching me?
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
Studio internship listing, posted on the campus job board in April
“Summer Editing Intern (unpaid). Join our fast-paced studio! You’ll run the customer inbox all summer, help with client files and get great exposure to the industry. College credit available.”
- 2Fictional case material
Studio reply to Rafa, Tuesday 11:20 a.m.
“Thanks for your interest, Rafa! Since interns get college credit, it’s totally legal for us not to pay. We’d love for you to start right after finals.”
- 3Fictional case material
Gia and Rafa talking it through, Tuesday lunch
Gia: Didn’t they pay someone to do the inbox last year?
Rafa: Yeah, their assistant.
Gia: And it’s your summer, not theirs. What about your shifts at the shop?
- 4Fictional case material
“Sige, I want the experience. I also work at the shop. So what would I actually learn, and who’s teaching me?”
Rafa, 18, first-year commuter who works at his family’s shop
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
What training and supervision the studio actually provides, how many hours a week the role takes, whether Rafa’s school will grant credit, and how many paid shifts at the family shop Rafa would give up.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceU.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs Under the Fair Labor Standards ActSummary, not a quotation: for-profit employers use the “primary beneficiary test” to decide whether an intern is an employee who must be paid under the FLSA. The fact sheet lists seven factors, including whether the internship is tied to formal education or academic credit and whether the intern’s work complements rather than displaces paid employees, and says the test is flexible with no single factor determinative.
videoWhy unpaid internships still exist despite hardships for young workersPBS NewsHour (YouTube), 2023-08-26Reports that nearly half of U.S. interns were unpaid in 2022 and who can afford to take those jobs.
articleInternships: Low-Paid, Unpaid Or Just Plain Illegal?NPR, 2013-05-18Explains when an unpaid internship can break wage law, using the ‘Black Swan’ intern lawsuit.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
What the evidence can hold up
Test the studio’s claim against the factor list. Which evidence points toward training, which toward a job, and what is still unknown?
| Evidence | Claim 1College credit makes the unpaid internship legal. | Claim 2The role looks more like a job than training. |
|---|---|---|
| 1DOL: credit is one of seven factors, and no single factor decides | ||
| 2The listing: Rafa runs the customer inbox all summer | ||
| 3A paid assistant ran the inbox last year | ||
| 4The role is openly unpaid and offers credit (factors 1 and 3) |
Still open
- Is there a learning plan, and who supervises?
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Turn the seven DOL factors into an internship questions sheet, fill it in with the studio’s answers and write a 150-word summary.
Summary: Using the seven factors, Rafa’s internship looks more like a job than training. The studio says it’s unpaid and gives college credit, so factors 1 and 3 point toward an internship1. But the listing says Rafa would run the customer inbox all summer, and a paid assistant did that job last year, so factor 6 points toward a job2 because he would be replacing a worker. We don’t know about training or supervision because the studio didn’t answer that question.3 Since the studio says credit makes it legal, and credit is one of the factors, the internship is probably legal.4 Rafa should ask for a written learning plan and the weekly hours before he decides.
- 1Accurate and fair: the writer credits the evidence that cuts the other way instead of ignoring it.
- 2Strong: specific evidence tied to the displacement factor.
- 3Good: unknowns are marked as unknown rather than guessed.
- 4Revise: this repeats the studio’s claim and contradicts the summary’s own reasoning. No single factor decides the test, and the displacement evidence points the other way.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeSince the studio says credit makes it legal, and credit is one of the factors, the internship is probably legal.
AfterCredit is only one factor, and no single factor decides the test, so the studio’s answer doesn’t settle it.
The revision matches the conclusion to the flexible test and to the writer’s own evidence instead of adopting the employer’s claim.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
IB DP Language and Literature
Write a guided textual analysis of the studio’s internship listing in response to the guiding question, then test your reading against one real internship listing the teacher selects.
Thesis A claim someone could reasonably disagree with
Reason 1: claim, evidence, commentary
Reason 2: claim, evidence, commentary
The strongest counterargument, and your answer
Why it matters beyond this case
Take it off the page
Ask what the work is before you accept it.
Case 16
“It’s our policy” is not the end
When a new building rule appears, who wrote it and who does it affect?
Housing rules decide whether people can work, gather and get in and out of their own homes, and renters often have less power than whoever posts the notice. Asking who issued a rule and how it lands on different residents is how neighbors protect each other without spreading rumors.
In the real world
- Gothamist, 2019Brooklyn Landlord Does An About Face On Facial Recognition Plan
- HUD (YouTube), 2014The Federal Fair Housing Act and Reasonable Accommodations
- You’ll make
- Guided analysis, 600–800 words, written in 75 minutes
- Time
- About 75 minutes
- Level
- IB DP Language and Literature
SamiI’m not canceling my workshop over an unsigned notice. I’m also not ignoring it. Who wrote it, and how do I get in after eight?
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
§ Unsigned notice beside the common-room door, found Monday morning
“NOTICE TO ALL RESIDENTS. Effective immediately, the rear door will be locked at 8:00 p.m. nightly. The common room is for resident social use only. NO BUSINESS USE.” No issuer, date or contact appears on the page.
- 2Fictional case material
§ Building house rules, last year’s version, distributed at lease signing (illustrative excerpt)
“Residents may reserve the common room for gatherings, classes and resident-run workshops. Reservations are made through the building office.”
- 3Fictional case material
Building entrance plan from the lobby directory
Front entrance: four steps, no ramp. Rear door: step-free, opens to the elevator hallway. Side door: service use only.
- 4Fictional case material
“Rear door locked at 8. That’s the only door I can get through. My workshop runs later. So, questions. Plural.”
Sami, 23, lives in 3B and runs a workshop in the common room - 5Fictional case material
“All caps, bold, no name, no date. That’s a design choice. It isn’t authority.”
Caio, 24, reading last year’s house rules beside the notice
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Who issued the notice and why, whether it replaces or adds to the house rules, what Sami’s lease says, whether there has been a security problem at the rear door, and how the building handles accommodation requests.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Housing Act overviewSummary, not a quotation: HUD’s overview lists the characteristics the Fair Housing Act protects (race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and disability) and says housing discrimination is illegal in nearly all housing, including private, public and federally funded housing.
articleBrooklyn Landlord Does An About Face On Facial Recognition PlanGothamist, 2019-11-21A throwback about a door rule: the landlord needed state permission to change how tenants got in, and tenants used that process to object.
videoThe Federal Fair Housing Act and Reasonable AccommodationsHUD (YouTube), 2014-01-31HUD explains how a person with a disability can ask for an exception to a building rule.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
Who actually gets to decide?
Map who made this rule, which rules it has to fit, who it affects and where residents can take a question. Which box is still empty?
Lock the rear door at 8 p.m. and ban business use of the common room
Unknown issuer: the owner, the manager or someone else?
Last year’s house rules allowed resident-run workshops
Fair Housing Act: disability is a protected characteristic
Sami and other residents who need the only step-free entrance
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write Sami’s message to the building manager asking about the rule and requesting access after 8 p.m.
Hi, I’m Sami in 3B. On Monday I saw a new notice by the common-room door. It says the rear door will be locked after 8 p.m. and that business use of the room is banned.1 I use a wheelchair, and the rear door is the building’s only step-free entrance2. If it’s locked, I can’t get into my own building at night. This notice is illegal under the Fair Housing Act, so please take it down.3 Also, who issued the notice, and does it replace last year’s house rules, which allowed resident workshops?4 Thank you, Sami
- 1Accurate summary of the notice, so the manager can see exactly which parts Sami means.
- 2Strong: a concrete, checkable fact about access, taken from the entrance plan.
- 3Revise: the facts don’t establish a violation yet, and removing the notice wouldn’t guarantee Sami’s access. Ask for an accommodation instead.
- 4Good question about authority: it points to a specific document the manager can check.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeThis notice is illegal under the Fair Housing Act, so please take it down.
AfterI’d like to request an accommodation so I can get in after 8, such as a key fob for the rear door.
A specific accommodation request is something the manager can say yes to, and it keeps the legal question open instead of declaring an answer.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
IB DP Language and Literature
Write a guided textual analysis of the unsigned notice, then apply the same guiding question to one longer real building or institutional notice the teacher selects.
Thesis A claim someone could reasonably disagree with
Reason 1: claim, evidence, commentary
Reason 2: claim, evidence, commentary
The strongest counterargument, and your answer
Why it matters beyond this case
Take it off the page
Ask who wrote the rule before you argue about it.
Case 20
Looks real. What proves it?
A realistic image says the courtyard flooded today. What would it take to post that as true?
Generated and recycled images now move through group chats as fast as real ones, and organizations that repost them lose trust quickly. Students who can write an honest verification note, including “we can’t confirm this yet,” protect their audience and their own credibility.
In the real world
- NPR, 2023Fake viral images of an explosion at the Pentagon were probably created by AI
- CNN, 2023‘Verified’ Twitter accounts share fake image of ‘explosion’ near Pentagon, causing confusion
- You’ll make
- Guided analysis, 600–800 words, written in 75 minutes
- Time
- About 75 minutes
- Level
- IB DP Language and Literature
JordyI wanted a clean yes or no for the recap. “We can’t verify it yet” is less fun. It’s also what’s true.
The case file
Look at what’s actually here before deciding what it means.
- 1Fictional case material
Courtyard flood image with caption, shared Wednesday 2:48 p.m.
Image, described: a photo-like view of the campus courtyard with water over the paving and benches; a person in the foreground holds up a phone.
Caption: “Courtyard flooded today, stay away.” No link, no date on the image and no original poster named.
- 2Fictional case material
Sami’s zoom-in of the hand, crew chat, Wednesday 3:02 p.m.
Zoomed screenshot of the foreground hand: the fingers seem to merge at the knuckles.
Sami: “The hand is weird. But who posted this first? That’s what I want to know.”
- 3Fictional case material
Reply in the crew chat, Wednesday 3:05 p.m.
“My roommate’s friend said she saw water near the library earlier.”
- 4Fictional case material
Result from a free online image detector (illustrative)
“12% likely AI-generated.”
- 5Fictional case material
Campus facilities alerts page, checked Wednesday 3:10 p.m.
“No active alerts. Last update: Monday, 9:15 a.m. Scheduled elevator maintenance in Science Hall, completed.”
Outside the story
The case is fictional. The questions in it are not. Here is where they show up in the real world.
Still missing
Who first posted the image and when, whether it shows this courtyard on this day, whether anyone with a dated photo saw water, and how quickly the facilities page would report a same-day flood.
Real-world evidence
Real sourceNational Institute of Standards and Technology, Reducing Risks Posed by Synthetic Content: An Overview of Technical Approaches to Digital Content TransparencySummary, not a quotation: NIST describes approaches such as provenance data, labeling, watermarking and detection for synthetic content, and explains that each has technical limitations, so no single approach settles on its own whether content is synthetic.
articleFake viral images of an explosion at the Pentagon were probably created by AINPR, 2023-05-22A realistic fake image spread fast and briefly moved markets before officials confirmed nothing happened.
article‘Verified’ Twitter accounts share fake image of ‘explosion’ near Pentagon, causing confusionCNN, 2023-05-22A blue check was not proof: accounts that looked trustworthy still shared an image with no real source.
What I notice across the case file Which item changes your first reaction most?
What the evidence can hold up
Two claims are in play: the flood and the image. Sort each piece of evidence under the claim it actually bears on. What would settle either one?
| Evidence | Claim 1The courtyard flooded today. | Claim 2The image was generated by AI. |
|---|---|---|
| 1The image shows water in a courtyard, with no date or source | ||
| 2Facilities alerts page at 3:10 p.m.: no active alerts | ||
| 3Secondhand report of water near the library | ||
| 4An odd hand and a 12% detector score |
Still open
- The image’s earliest source and date
Your thinking Answer the question above in two or three sentences.
One student’s draft
Write the verification note Jordy posts instead of the image, plus a short explanation of your choices.
Verification note: We’ve seen the courtyard flood picture going around. We checked the campus facilities alerts page at 3:10 and it shows no flooding today1, and we couldn’t find who posted the image first2. The picture is fake, so please ignore it.3 Check the official alerts page before you change plans. Why I wrote it this way: I didn’t repost the image because people would share it without reading the note. I listed what we checked so followers can check it too. The hand in the picture also looks weird, which shows it was made with AI4.
- 1Strong: a named source and a time, so followers can check it themselves.
- 2Honest about a gap in provenance, which is part of what was checked.
- 3Revise: the evidence shows the flood is unconfirmed, not that the image is fake. It could be a real photo from another day or place.
- 4Revise: an odd detail is a reason to look closer, not proof. Visual clues and detectors both have error rates.
Works wellUses evidenceGap to fixThink about the reader
One revision
BeforeThe picture is fake, so please ignore it.
AfterWe can’t confirm the flood, so we’re not sharing the image as news, and we’ll update here by 6 p.m.
The revision reports exactly what the evidence supports and gives followers a time to check back, instead of a verdict the crew can’t defend.
Your turn: revise one line Pick one highlighted line and rewrite it so it does its job better.
IB DP Language and Literature
Write a guided textual analysis of a teacher-selected, clearly labeled AI-generated image post and its caption, answering the guiding question, then test your analysis against the case’s courtyard post and its reposts.
Thesis A claim someone could reasonably disagree with
Reason 1: claim, evidence, commentary
Reason 2: claim, evidence, commentary
The strongest counterargument, and your answer
Why it matters beyond this case
Take it off the page
Pause before you share an image as news.
A first take I changed What made you change it?
The evidence that moved me most
Something I want to do off the page Who would you talk to?
A question I still have
Use it in your tools
Take it into class.
Share it, schedule it or edit it in the apps your school already uses.