Language B

Group 2—Language Acquisition

Language B courses intend to provide students with a high degree of proficiency in their chosen language and to further develop their understanding of different cultures and ways of life of the languages studied.

Course content

Language B options for August 2023 onwards

• English (HL only)

• French (SL or HL)

• German (SL or HL)

• Spanish (SL or HL)

• Chinese (SL or HL)

• Japanese (SL or HL) - new

The Language B course is designed for students with previous experiences of learning a foreign language (normally 3–5 years) and is suitable for those who have displayed both ability and interest in their previous foreign language classes. The syllabuses for both HL and SL are similar in content, although HL is a more intensive course and the proficiency level achieved is higher. HL courses also require students to explore some literary texts.

The objective of the Language B course is for students to communicate clearly and effectively in different styles and contexts while studying the cultures associated with the language. Students will gain a better understanding and use of grammatical structures and vocabulary through studying a variety of topics. These topics all offer a cultural perspective and enable students to take part in discussions on a wide variety of issues. Examples of such topics include communication and media, global issues, and social relationships. Students will be encouraged to reflect upon their own perspectives, those of the school and those of the target language culture.

There are five prescribed themes

• Identities

• Experiences

• Human Ingenuity

• Social Organisation

• Sharing the Planet

Groups of text types

• personal

• professional

• mass media

• two literary (HL only)

With five conceptual understandings

• audience

• context

• purpose

• meaning

• variation

For Language B (SL and HL) syllabus, click here.

Skills developed

Students further develop the four main skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking through studying a variety of topic areas and carrying out a range of individual and group work activities.

Examples include:

• listening – news bulletins, interviews, films, internet

• speaking – presentations, debates, discussions, role plays


• reading – news articles, letters, interviews, internet

• writing – letters to newspapers, film reviews, diary entries, essays

Assessment

Four components of listening, speaking, reading, writing, each worth 25%.

HL

• paper 1: writing (1 hour 30 minutes)

one task, 450–600 words, chosen from list of text types given, based on three of the five themes.

• paper 2: receptive (2 hours)

  • reading: three exercises, including one literary extract

  • listening: three authentic passages

• oral individual (12–15 minutes plus 20 minutes preparation)

based on extract from one of the literary works, plus general conversation on themes.

SL

• paper 1: writing (1 hour and 15 minutes)

one task, 250–400 words, chosen from list of text types given, based on three of the five themes

• paper 2: receptive (1 hour 45 minutes)

  • reading: three exercises

  • listening: three authentic passages

• oral individual (12–15 minutes plus 20 minutes preparation)

University courses and careers

Both courses prepare students adequately to study language at university. Many students also pursue a year abroad option offered by programmes such as Erasmus, where students can study their chosen subject and, therefore, language, in another country. The linguistic competence offered by a Language B course will help candidates in the competitive world of job applications.

Bilingual Diploma

The Bilingual Diploma is awarded to any student who successfully completes a Language A course in any language other than English. Therefore, students who take English B will also be awarded a Bilingual Diploma.