Hindi B HL Handbook

3. Encourage, through the study of texts and through social interaction, an awareness and appreciation of a variety of perspectives of people from diverse cultures.

4. Develop students’ understanding of the relationship between the languages and cultures with which they are familiar.

5. Develop students’ awareness of the importance of language in relation to other areas of knowledge.

6. Provide students, through language learning and the process of inquiry, with opportunities for intellectual engagement and the development of critical- and creative-thinking skills.

7. Provide students with a basis for further study, work and leisure through the use of an additional language.

8. Foster curiosity, creativity and a lifelong enjoyment of language learning.

Assessment Objectives

The following assessment objectives are common to both language B and language ab initio. The level of difficulty of the assessments, and the expectations of student performance on the tasks, are what distinguishes the three modern language acquisition courses.

1. Communicate clearly and effectively in a range of contexts and for a variety of purposes.

2. Understand and use language appropriate to a range of interpersonal and/or intercultural contexts

and audiences.

3. Understand and use language to express and respond to a range of ideas with fluency and accuracy.

4. Identify, organize and present ideas on a range of topics.

5. Understand, analyse and reflect upon a range of written, audio, visual and audio-visual texts.

Assessment Objectives in Practice

Syllabus Outline

In the language B course, students develop the ability to communicate in the target language through the study of language, themes and texts. In doing so, they also develop conceptual understandings of how language works. Communication is evidenced through receptive, productive and interactive skills across a range of contexts and purposes that are appropriate to the level of the course.

The study of language requires careful attention to forms, structures, functions and conceptual understandings of language. Knowledge of vocabulary and grammar—the what of language—is reinforced and extended by understanding the why and how of language: audience, context, purpose, meaning.

Students expand the range of their communication skills by understanding and producing a wide variety of oral and written texts for audiences, contexts and purposes associated with academic and personal interests. For the development of receptive skills, language B students must study authentic texts that explore the culture(s) of the target language. In addition, the study of two literary works is required at HL.

A key aim of the language B course is to develop international-mindedness through the study of language, culture, and ideas and issues of global significance. Explicit links to TOK strengthen the ability to communicate in the target language by increasing students’ self-awareness as inquirers in their own language learning process. As appropriate to the level of the course, communication skills are reinforced through the other categories of approaches to learning skills: thinking, research, social and self-management skills.

The recommended teaching time is 240 hours to complete HL courses and 150 hours to complete SL courses, as stated in the document General regulations: Diploma Programme (2016: 6, article 8.2).

Syllabus Content

Five prescribed themes are common to the syllabuses of language B and language ab initio; the themes provide relevant contexts for study at all levels of language acquisition in the DP, and opportunities for students to communicate about matters of personal, local or national, and global interest.

The five prescribed themes are:

• identities

• experiences

• human ingenuity

• social organization

• sharing the planet.

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. Students and teachers of language B with experience of the Primary Years Programme (PYP) or the MYP will recognize that the themes are inspired by the transdisciplinary themes of the PYP and the global contexts of the MYP. In this way, the DP language B course can enhance the continuity of the educational experience of long-standing IB students, while also being suitable for students who are new to the IB.

Assessments Outline

External Assessment Details

Paper 1: Productive skills—writing

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Weighting: 25%

Paper 1 is based on the five course themes: identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization, sharing the planet.

This examination is externally set and externally assessed. It consists of a choice from three tasks with a variety of audiences, contexts and purposes. Each task is based on a different theme from the syllabus. Students write a response of 450–600 words to one of the tasks, choosing a text type from among those listed in the examination instructions.

Although the general format of paper 1 at HL resembles that of paper 1 at SL, it must be stressed that the nature of the tasks set will require more complex language and structures, as well as demanding higher-order thinking skills such as analysis, evaluation, synthesis and interpretation. The higher word range has been provided in order to accommodate the more complex responses required at this level.

The aim of this component is to assess the ability to communicate in writing for a variety of purposes. In order to fulfill the requirements of this assessment component, students need to show, through their choice of text type, register and style, that they understand the concepts of audience, context, purpose, meaning and variation, and can apply them to their written language.

Paper 1 assesses the degree to which students can:

• communicate clearly and effectively in a range of contexts and for a variety of purposes

• understand and use language appropriate to a range of interpersonal and/or intercultural contexts and audiences

• understand and use language to express and respond to a range of ideas with fluency and accuracy

• identify, organize and present ideas on a range of topics.

Students’ factual knowledge of topics within the themes will not be tested; however, it can be used to support any ideas that the student wishes to communicate.

Paper 2: Receptive skills—listening and reading

Duration: 2 hours

Weighting: 50%

Paper 2 is based on the five themes: identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization, sharing the planet.

This examination is externally set and externally assessed. It is divided into two separate sections: listening (three audio passages) and reading (three written passages) covering different topics drawn from the five themes. The students’ understanding of the six passages is assessed in this examination: it does not test the students’ knowledge of any factual content of a specific topic. All audio and written passages are in the target language and all answers must be provided in the target language.

External Assessment Criteria

Paper 1 - Productive Skills - Writing

Criterion A: Language

How successfully does the candidate command written language?

To what extent is the vocabulary appropriate and varied?
To what extent are the grammatical structures varied?
To what extent does the accuracy of the language contribute to effective communication?

Criterion B: Message

To what extent does the candidate fulfill the task?

• How relevant are the ideas to the task?

• To what extent are ideas developed?

• To what extent do the clarity and organization of ideas contribute to the successful delivery of the message?

Criterion C: Conceptual understanding

To what extent does the candidate demonstrate conceptual understanding?

To what extent is the choice of text type appropriate to the task?
To what extent are register and tone appropriate to the context, purpose and audience of the task? o
To what extent does the response incorporate the conventions of the chosen text type?