If you are completely new (i.e. Year 7, Year 10 or a transfer student), I would recommend revisiting this page :)
IB Syllabus Guides
The IB syllabus guide is your main resource for accurate information regarding practically everything contained in your subject course straight from the IB.
IB Language B guide (2020) (IB, 2020)
IB Language ab initio Guide (2020) (IB, 2020)
Subject Levels
Second languages constitute Group 2 of the IB subjects. Group 2 subjects are split into two subject types; Ab Initio and Language B.
| Ab Initio (SL only) | Language B (SL) | Language B (HL) |
|---|---|---|
| For complete beginners | Usually for those who have undertaken middle school classes | For those excelling in B SL. |
| JLPT* ~5 or 4 | JLPT ~4 or 3 | JLPT 2 or ~1 |
(*JLPT = Japanese Language Proficiency Test; leveling is based on my opinion. IB, 2020)
Assessment Types
(Note that the weightings of each exam for predicted grades will depend on your school’s allocations. For finals, it is as follows for all subject levels).
| EXAM | WEIGHTING (%) | FORMAT |
|---|---|---|
| Writing (Paper 1) | 25 | External |
| Reading (Paper 2) | 25 | External |
| Listening (Paper 2) | 25 | External |
| Oral Assessment | 25 | Internal |
(IB, 2020)
IB Language B Themes
The 5 prescribed themes for group 2 subjects (across all levels) are:
- Identities
- Experiences
- Human ingenuity
- Social organisation
- Sharing the planet
So, when and why do we use these themes?
“The themes allow students to compare the target language and culture(s) to other languages and cultures with which they are familiar. The themes also provide opportunities for students to make connections to other disciplinary areas in the DP.”IB, 2020
Given the vast plethora of things you could explore with each culture and language, teachers keep this in mind when constructing lessons to foster discussions surrounding these themes. Additionally, you will likely be called to link to a particular theme (directly or indirectly) in your writing pieces and oral assessments so it would be a good idea to do your own research into these themes.
Themes in the Ab Initio Syllabus
For ab initio students, the five themes serve as the ground of a structured learning plan. Through your course, you will cover 4 compulsory topics within each theme as follows.
| THEME | TOPICS |
|---|---|
| 1. Identities | Personal attributes Personal relationships Eating and drinking Physical wellbeing |
| 2. Experiences | Daily routine Leisure Holidays Festivals and celebrations |
| 3. Human ingenuity | Transport Entertainment Media Technology |
| 4. Social organisation | Neighbourhood Education The workplace Social issues |
| 5. Sharing the planet | Climate Physical geography The environment Global issues |
(IB 2020) Source: Ab initio Syllabus guide, Page 18
In theory, it would be good to memorise these as well.
Other notes
Every language is different so be weary of language-specific elements.
For example, the importance of tone and register is more prominent in some languages than others. Japanese learners should be weary that some text types require a formal register, whereas others require a casual register. There is an added complexity with ‘writing tone’ and ‘speaking tone’. Resources relating to this for Japanese learners can be found here.
For French learners, be weary of gender association to nouns and false cognates (whereby a word may look similar to English but actually has a very different meaning).
For Chinese learners, be weary of pronunciation (tones) and homophones. Additionally, chengyu and 4 compound idiomatic expressions may be difficult to grasp for beginners with no background (same in Japanese).
Best of luck,
J