Index: Lib/imaplib.py
===================================================================
--- Lib/imaplib.py	(revision 88087)
+++ Lib/imaplib.py	(working copy)
@@ -1317,6 +1317,9 @@
     Returns Python time module tuple.
     """
 
+    if isinstance(resp, str):
+        resp = bytes(resp, 'ASCII')
+
     mo = InternalDate.match(resp)
     if not mo:
         return None
@@ -1362,11 +1365,14 @@
 
     """Convert IMAP4 flags response to python tuple."""
 
+    if isinstance(resp, str):
+        resp = bytes(resp, 'ASCII')
+
     mo = Flags.match(resp)
     if not mo:
         return ()
 
-    return tuple(mo.group('flags').split())
+    return tuple(str(x, 'ASCII') for x in mo.group('flags').split())
 
 
 def Time2Internaldate(date_time):
Index: Lib/test/test_imaplib.py
===================================================================
--- Lib/test/test_imaplib.py	(revision 88087)
+++ Lib/test/test_imaplib.py	(working copy)
@@ -27,6 +27,16 @@
         # The following two should produce the same result (see issue 10941).
         self.assertEqual(imaplib.Internaldate2tuple(b'25 (INTERNALDATE "01-Apr-2000 19:02:23 -0700")')[0:6], (2000, 4, 1, 19, 2, 23))
         self.assertEqual(imaplib.Internaldate2tuple(b'101 (INTERNALDATE "02-Apr-2000 02:02:23 +0000")')[0:6], (2000, 4, 1, 19, 2, 23))
+        # Now test with str instead of bytes object
+        self.assertEqual(imaplib.Internaldate2tuple('25 (INTERNALDATE "01-Apr-2000 19:02:23 -0700")')[0:6], (2000, 4, 1, 19, 2, 23))
+        self.assertEqual(imaplib.Internaldate2tuple('101 (INTERNALDATE "02-Apr-2000 02:02:23 +0000")')[0:6], (2000, 4, 1, 19, 2, 23))
+
+    def test_ParseFlags(self):
+        self.assertEqual(imaplib.ParseFlags(b'1 (FLAGS (\Answered \Seen))'),
+                         ('\\Answered', '\\Seen'))
+        # Now test with str instead of bytes object
+        self.assertEqual(imaplib.ParseFlags('1 (FLAGS (\Answered \Seen))'),
+                         ('\\Answered', '\\Seen'))
 
     def test_that_Time2Internaldate_returns_a_result(self):
         # We can check only that it successfully produces a result,