Language B and Ab Initio FAQs

Language B is an additional language-learning course designed for students with some previous learning of that language.

*NB: According to the St. Julian’s School Language policy, Portuguese speakers are not permitted to study Spanish ab initio, and so should choose Spanish at Language B level.

Students who have studied Portuguese as a Foreign Language can follow the Portuguese B course. 

Language B SL and HL are differentiated by the recommended number of teaching hours, the study of literature at HL, and the level of difficulty and demands of the assessment criteria.

If you are confident expressing yourself in the target language then Language B is not the option for you as it is aimed at foreign language learners. Language A is for any student who is comfortable communicating in the target language without having to stop to think about how to apply grammar and vocabulary corrctly. This level of study does, of course, depend a lot on how confident the student is when expressing him/herself in the target language and so the student should liaise with the Head of Department before making this decision.

Language ab initio is a beginner course for students with no previous knowledge of the target language. It may only be studied at SL.

Language B is an additional language-learning course designed for students with some previous learning of that language. SL and HL are differentiated by the recommended number of teaching hours, the study of literature at HL, and the level of difficulty and demands of the assessment criteria.

*NB: According to the St. Julian’s School Language policy, Portuguese speakers are not permitted to study Spanish ab initio, and so should choose Spanish at Language B level.

Technically you are a beginner in terms of producing language, but a Portuguese speaker cannot be considered a beginner for the comprehensive element of the assessment. Portuguese speakers hold a clear advantage over students from other linguistic backgrounds in reading and listening comprehension tasks and so they are not permitted to follow the Spanish ab initio course.