Language B: Ab Initio
Group 2 subject
The ab initio SL courses offer students the chance to take up a new language at IBDP and to reach a reasonable level of communication in only two years. This is a good course for students who are interested in learning how to communicate effectively in everyday situations and for students who have little or no previous experience of learning a foreign language.
Course content
Ab initio languages available: French, Mandarin, Spanish
Ab initio SL course is designed for complete beginners who have not studied a foreign language in the past. The emphasis is on practical utility and communication. Over the two years, students acquire the vocabulary and grammatical structures they need to use in everyday social interaction and situations. The course develops a variety of linguistic skills and basic awareness of culture.
Students study the five themes of:
Identities
Experiences
Human Ingenuity
Social Organisation
Sharing the Planet
Groups of text types
personal
professional
mass media
two literary
With five conceptual understandings
audience
context
purpose
meaning
variation
For ab Initio SL syllabus, click here.
Skills developed
The ab initio course aims to develop the following skills:
listening: understanding straightforward conversations and the overall idea of a presentation
reading: understanding straightforward information and skimming to extract key points and ideas in text
writing: conveying information clearly, organising ideas, giving details and opinions and using language appropriate to purpose and audience
speaking: participating in spontaneous conversations, giving information and opinions clearly in brief structured presentations
Assessment
Four components of listening, speaking, reading, writing, each worth 25%.
paper 1: writing (1 hour)
two tasks: 70–150 words
paper 2: receptive (1 hour 45 minutes)
reading: three exercises
listening: three authentic passages
oral individual (7–10 minutes plus 20 minutes preparation)
University courses and careers
After two years, students possess the skills and knowledge to be able to carry on learning the language independently. Whilst not high enough to study languages at university, the level achieved allows students to take intermediate or combined language courses at university. The linguistic competence offered by the ab initio course will help candidates in the competitive world of a job application.