Kicking off the new year with resolutions can feel cliché, but it is also a perfect opportunity to push IB English B HL students into richer, more intentional language use.
This 10-sentence challenge turns the familiar “New Year’s resolution” into a playful stylistic workout, asking students to experiment with advanced grammar and rhetorical devices within a short, manageable text. It works especially well as a bridge back into academic writing after the holidays and as a low-stakes way to revisit features that support higher achievement in Paper 1.
Have a look at the handout idea below:
Student Handout: The IB English B HL Stylistic Resolution Challenge
New Year, New Text: The 10-Sentence Manifesto Challenge
Task:
Write one coherent paragraph of exactly 10 sentences titled Manifesto for the Year Ahead. Each sentence must follow the “move” described below. Think of each move as a “power-up” you must collect.
The Sentences:
1. The Dramatic Entrance (Negative Inversion)
Start with a bold, dramatic sentence beginning with a negative adverb (e.g. Never, Rarely, Seldom, Hardly ever).
- Frame: Never before have I felt so determined to take control of my own learning.
2. The Dreamer (Subjunctive Mood)
Express what is essential or important that you do this year using the subjunctive.
- Frame: It is essential that I stay focused when distractions try to steal my attention.
3. The Metaphor Makeover (Extended Metaphor)
Compare last year and this year using a metaphor you can return to later (book, game, journey, experiment, etc.).
- Frame: Last year was a rough draft; this year, I intend to be the editor who cuts what no longer serves me.
4. The Time-Travel Regret (Third Conditional)
Use a third conditional to reflect on something you did not do but could have.
- Frame: Had I revised more regularly, I would have walked into my exams with far more confidence.
5. The Triple Threat (Tricolon)
Write a sentence using the “rule of three” for rhythm and emphasis.
- Frame: I will read more widely, think more deeply, and write more courageously.
6. The Broken-Record Rebel (Anaphora)
Repeat the same word or phrase at the beginning of at least three short clauses or sentences.
- Frame: No more last-minute notes, no more silent guessing, no more pretending I understand when I do not.
7. The Deep Thinker (Paradox or Oxymoron)
Create a sentence that looks contradictory but actually makes sense.
- Frame: I will find comfort in discomfort and peace in the middle of productive chaos.
8. The Spotlight Sentence (Cleft Sentence)
Use “It is/was … that/who …” to highlight what really matters to you this year.
- Frame: It is my daily discipline, not my random bursts of motivation, that will define this year.
9. The Time with Attitude (Personification)
Give time, exams, habits, or motivation human traits.
- Frame: Procrastination keeps calling my name, but this year I will finally stop answering.
10. The Victory Vision (Participial Phrase + Look Ahead)
Start or end with a participial phrase and show a positive image of yourself at the end of the year.
- Frame: Having trained my focus day by day, I will arrive at December knowing I used this year well.
Optional “Gamified” Add-Ons for Class
Style Checklist: Students label each sentence (1–10) in the margin to prove they have used the required move.
Bonus Points: Extra credit for:
- Most original metaphor
- Funniest yet accurate paradox
- Best personification of “time” or “exams”
Peer Mini-Awards: In pairs or small groups, students read one another’s manifestos and nominate:
- “Sentence I Wish I Had Written”
- “Most Dramatic Opening”
- “Most Satisfying Final Sentence”
Hope you give it a try- a happy New Year of Teaching!
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