Text: Congratulatory Letter from the Canadian ambassador to China to the CCBC (Canada China Business Council)
Before analyzing the text make sure to have a look at the following page for a better understanding of how to use the text to help you with your assessments: https://language-literature.com/sample-text-analysis-blog-posts/
Some elements of this text to consider:
- The text itself does not explain what the CCBC is (Canada China Business Council). In this kind of a situation on an actual Paper 1 the IB would very likely include the meaning of CCBC somewhere in the exam (in the guiding question, in a footnote, or by actually adapting the text).
- Different elements of the text (i.e. at the top and bottom) clearly indicate that the letter is linked to the Canadian government.
- The text has a very warm / positive tone that focuses entirely on positives. The letter also mentions several areas of “important progress” between the two countries which seem to gloss over some long-standing issues.
- The letter makes use or the first personal as well as a personal anecdote.
- Consider the different roles of an ambassador and think about the careful use of language in this text and how it stays focused on the central issue in this particular letter. There are a lot of thorny political issues between Canada and China but this text avoids discussing any outstanding problems (and it could be argued it is at least a tad optimistic in some areas mentioned in the second paragraph).
- Students are not expected to know / discuss the background of the political situation between Canada / China.