100+ Free IB Film SL Practice Questions

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Question 1

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A wide-angle lens used very close to a face tends to:

Produce a perfectly proportional headshot

Blur the eyes while keeping the ears sharp

Compress features in a flattering portrait way

Exaggerate the nose and distort proportions

to track

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IB Chemistry SL

Practice Questions100 questions

2026 Statistics

Key Facts: IB Film SL Exam

100%

Coursework-assessed (no written exam)

IB Film Subject Brief

3 components

Textual Analysis, Comparative Study, Film Portfolio

IBO

150 hours

Standard Level teaching hours

IB Diploma Programme

1-7

IB grading scale

IBO

100

Free practice questions here

OpenExamPrep

IB Film SL is fully coursework-assessed across Textual Analysis, Comparative Study, and Film Portfolio components. Our MCQ practice strengthens the film vocabulary, theory, and history students need for the analytical writing in Textual Analysis essays and Comparative Study video essays on the 2026 syllabus.

Sample IB Film SL Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your IB Film SL exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which shot shows a character from roughly head to toe and is most often used to establish body language and setting together?

A.Long shot (LS)

B.Close-up (CU)

C.Medium close-up (MCU)

D.Extreme close-up (ECU)

Explanation: A long shot (LS) frames the full human figure within its environment, balancing the body and the setting. It is the standard scale for showing physical action and spatial relationships between characters.

2An extreme long shot (ELS) is most typically used to:

A.Establish a vast landscape or location with figures small in the frame

B.Show only a character's eyes

C.Capture an intimate two-shot conversation

D.Reveal hands manipulating an object

Explanation: The extreme long shot frames a wide environment so figures appear small. Directors use it as an establishing shot to orient the audience in space before moving closer.

3A low-angle shot looking up at a character most conventionally suggests:

A.Power, dominance or threat

B.Weakness and vulnerability

C.Neutral, objective observation

D.Geographic disorientation

Explanation: Low-angle framing makes the subject loom over the lens, an established visual code for power, dominance or menace. The technique is used frequently for villains and figures of authority.

4A Dutch tilt (canted angle) is primarily used to communicate:

A.Psychological unease, disorientation or instability

B.Calm domestic comfort

C.Documentary objectivity

D.A character's superiority

Explanation: Tilting the camera so the horizon is no longer horizontal creates a Dutch (or canted) angle. The unbalanced frame visually mirrors a character's psychological imbalance, danger or moral disorder.

5A pan is best defined as a camera movement in which the camera:

A.Rotates horizontally around a fixed vertical axis

B.Rotates vertically around a fixed horizontal axis

C.Physically moves toward or away from the subject on wheels

D.Changes focal length to magnify the subject

Explanation: A pan keeps the camera in place but rotates it from side to side around its vertical axis. This sweeps the frame horizontally across a scene without changing perspective.

6Which technique alters image scale only by changing the lens, with no physical movement of the camera body?

A.Zoom

B.Dolly

C.Tracking shot

D.Crane shot

Explanation: A zoom uses a variable focal length lens to magnify or de-magnify the image while the camera stays put. Because perspective does not shift, the result looks distinct from physical camera moves.

7A steadicam differs from handheld camerawork mainly because it:

A.Uses a stabilising rig to smooth out the operator's footsteps

B.Always records sound in stereo

C.Requires a fixed tripod base

D.Can only be used in studios

Explanation: The Steadicam is a body-mounted gimbal system that isolates the camera from the operator's vertical bouncing. It allows fluid, gliding mobility without the jitter associated with raw handheld work.

8A long focal length (telephoto) lens tends to:

A.Compress space, making distant objects appear closer to the subject

B.Exaggerate depth and curve straight edges

C.Show the widest possible field of view

D.Provide a perfectly fish-eye distortion

Explanation: Telephoto lenses compress the apparent distance between foreground and background, making a runner appear closer to traffic, for example. This compression flattens depth cues in the image.

9Shallow depth of field is most useful when a filmmaker wants to:

A.Isolate a subject from a blurred background

B.Keep foreground, middle ground and background all in focus

C.Maximise the visible information across the scene

D.Achieve a documentary look that values environment equally with subject

Explanation: Shallow depth of field renders only a narrow zone in sharp focus, blurring everything else. It directs the viewer's eye to a single subject and is common in close-ups and dramatic emphasis.

10A rack focus shifts:

A.The focal plane during a shot to move attention from one subject to another

B.The aperture to brighten an over-exposed scene

C.The white balance from tungsten to daylight

D.The aspect ratio mid-shot

Explanation: Rack focus changes the focus distance during a continuous take so that a foreground subject is sharp while the background blurs, then reverses. It is a strong tool for redirecting viewer attention.

About the IB Film SL Exam

IB Film SL is a Group 6 (The Arts) subject in the IB Diploma Programme. Assessment is 100% coursework across three components: Textual Analysis (30%), Comparative Study (20%), and Film Portfolio (50%). Students develop both theoretical film knowledge and practical filmmaking skills.

Questions

100 scored questions

Time Limit

Two-year course; no timed written exam

Passing Score

Grade 4 typically considered a pass on the 1-7 IB scale

Exam Fee

Approx. USD 119 subject registration fee (school-set) (International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO))

IB Film SL Exam Content Outline

30%

Cinematography and Visual Film Language

Shot scale (ELS, LS, MLS, MS, MCU, CU, ECU), angles (high, low, Dutch tilt, bird's eye, worm's eye), movement (pan, tilt, dolly, tracking, crane, handheld, steadicam, zoom), lens choices, depth of field, focal length, framing (rule of thirds, headroom, leading lines, eye-line match), mise-en-scène, lighting (high-key, low-key, three-point, chiaroscuro, Rembrandt, motivated), colour theory and symbolism

20%

Editing and Montage

Continuity editing (180-degree rule, 30-degree rule, eyeline match, shot-reverse-shot, match cut, jump cut, cross-cutting), Soviet montage theory (Eisenstein, intellectual, dialectical, rhythmic, tonal, overtonal, metric), Kuleshov effect, long take, cinema verité, transitions (cut, dissolve, fade, wipe, iris), rhythm and pacing, ellipsis, analepsis, prolepsis

15%

Sound

Diegetic vs non-diegetic, sync sound vs ADR/Foley, dialogue, soundtrack, sound effects, score, leitmotif (Wagner via Williams in Star Wars and Indiana Jones), mickey-mousing, silence, ambient sound, voice-over, sound bridge, on-screen vs off-screen sound, mono vs stereo vs surround, classical Hollywood vs avant-garde sound design

15%

Film History and Movements

Silent era (Lumière, Méliès, Griffith, Chaplin, Keaton), Soviet Montage (Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin, Vertov), German Expressionism (Wiene's Caligari, Murnau's Nosferatu, Lang's Metropolis), classical Hollywood (Welles's Citizen Kane), Italian Neorealism (De Sica, Rossellini), French New Wave (Truffaut, Godard, Resnais), New Hollywood (Scorsese, Coppola, Spielberg), global cinema (Wong Kar-wai, Kurosawa, Ozu, Almodóvar, Tarkovsky, Bergman, Kiarostami)

10%

Genre and Narrative

Western, Film Noir (chiaroscuro, femme fatale, voice-over), Gangster, Musical, Horror, Sci-Fi, Romance, Thriller, Comedy, Drama; auteur theory (Truffaut, Cahiers du Cinéma) and key auteurs (Hitchcock, Welles, Kubrick, Spielberg, Tarantino, Kurosawa); narrative structures (Freytag triangle, three-act, Campbell's hero's journey), classical vs art-house storytelling

10%

Theory and Critical Concepts

Bordwell and Thompson formalism, auteur theory, genre theory (Schatz), ideological criticism, feminist film theory (Laura Mulvey's male gaze), psychoanalytic theory, postcolonial theory, semiotics (Metz), Nichols's six modes of documentary (poetic, expository, observational, participatory, reflexive, performative), ethics of representation, cultural specificity vs universality

How to Pass the IB Film SL Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Grade 4 typically considered a pass on the 1-7 IB scale
Exam length: 100 questions
Time limit: Two-year course; no timed written exam
Exam fee: Approx. USD 119 subject registration fee (school-set)

Keys to Passing

Complete 500+ practice questions
Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
Focus on highest-weighted sections
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

IB Film SL Study Tips from Top Performers

1Watch each prescribed-list film twice — once for story, once with the volume off to focus on cinematography and editing

2Keep a film-language glossary (shot scale, lighting, sound, editing terms) and apply terms in every screening journal entry

3For the Comparative Study, choose two films from genuinely different cultural contexts to satisfy IB requirements

4Use the published IB assessment criteria as a checklist before submitting Textual Analysis, Comparative Study, or Film Portfolio reels

Frequently Asked Questions

Does IB Film SL have a written exam?

No. IB Film is 100% coursework, assessed through three components: Textual Analysis (30%, a 1750-word essay on a prescribed film extract), Comparative Study (20%, a 10-minute video essay), and Film Portfolio (50%, original filmmaking with reflective reels).

What is the Textual Analysis component?

Textual Analysis is a written essay of up to 1750 words analysing a 4-5 minute extract from a film on the IB prescribed list. It is externally assessed by the IBO and accounts for 30% of the SL grade.

How does the Film Portfolio work at SL?

The Film Portfolio is worth 50% of the SL grade. Students produce a short film and a series of 9-minute portfolio reels covering chosen filmmaking roles (e.g. director, cinematographer, editor, sound designer, screenwriter, producer), each with supporting documentation.

How is IB Film graded?

IB Diploma subjects are graded on a 1-7 scale, with 7 the highest. A grade of 4 is typically considered a pass. Each of the three components is marked against published IB assessment criteria.

100+ Free IB Film SL Practice Questions

IB Film SL