Head of Modern Foreign Languages Faculty: Mr D. Crow dcrow@stjulians.com 

Head of Portuguese Faculty: Ms A. Guerreiro alguerreiro@stjulians.com 

Head of English Faculty: Mr D. Davis ddavis@stjulians.com 

Head of French Department: Ms S. Ameri sameri@stjulians.com 

Head of German Department: Ms C. Swift cswift@stjulians.com 

Head of Spanish Department: Ms C. Sousa cwsousa@stjulians.com 

Group 2 consists of two modern language courses:

• Language ab initio

• Language B

These are language learning courses, designed to provide students the opportunity to develop in a language in addition to their home/personal/best language(s). Language ab initio and Language B courses seek to develop students’ linguistic abilities through the development of receptive, productive and interactive skills. 

Please note, they are not designed for students entering the course who already have the ability to communicate successfully on a range of topics in a variety of contexts in a specific language B or language ab initio.

• Develop students’ intercultural understanding

• Enable students to understand and use the language they have studied in a range of contexts and for a variety of purposes

• Encourage, through the study of texts and through social interaction, an awareness and appreciation of the different perspectives of people from other cultures

• Develop students’ awareness of the role of language in relation to other areas of knowledge

• Develop students’ awareness of the relationship between the languages and cultures with which they are familiar

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

• Provide the opportunity for enjoyment, creativity and intellectual stimulation through knowledge of an additional language

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.

The focus of both Language ab initio and Language B is on language learning and the development of language skills through the exploration of five prescribed themes:

• Identities

• Experiences

• Human Ingenuity

• Social Organisation

• Sharing the Planet

*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 will be assessed in the four key skills: 

• Paper 1 - Writing (25%)

• Paper 2 - Listening (25%)

• Paper 2 - Reading (25%)

• Internal assessment - Speaking (25%)