IB Languages at KES

An Introduction

Standard (SL) Higher (HL) Ab initio (AI)

French Spanish German Italian

Course availability 2012-2013

Standard (SL) Higher (HL) Ab initio (AI)

FrenchDJA JLA HJC

CMLD PJE KDPSpanish CRB HJC AE FCL RET

German JLA AXH JH FCL

Italian CMLD

Qualified to teach

Standard (SL) Higher (HL) Ab initio (AI)

French 4 6Spanish 4 6 4German 4 6 4Italian 4

Periods per week

Standard (SL) Higher (HL) Ab initio (AI)

French 1 2Spanish 1 2 1German 1 2 1Italian 1

Number of teachers

Subject to timetabling constraints

Standard (SL) Higher (HL) Ab initio (AI)

French B A*Spanish B A* n/aGerman B A* n/aItalian n/a

Suitable for students with IGCSE grade

SL/HL Course aims

SL/HL Course outline

SL/HL : a possible course structure

SL/HL : text types

Although there are topics, the course is not organised around them.

The central organising principle of IB languages is text types.

Text types : some examples

Article, Blog, Diary entry, Brochure, Leaflet, Flyer, Pamphlet, Advertisement, Essay, Interview, Speech, Presentation, News report, Official report, Review, Set of instructions, Guidelines, Formal letter, Informal letter.

SL exams

HL exams

Ab initio

Ab initio

Ab initio : some text types

Advertisement, Notice, Article from magazine, Novel, Blog, Picture, Book, Poem, Brochure, Postcard, Diary, Poster, Email, Questionnaire, Essay, Radio programme, Film, Recipe, Flyer, Report, Interview, Review, Invitation, Short story, Label, Social networking site, Formal letter, Informal letter, Song, List, Speech, Map, Survey, Menu, Timetable, Message, Travel guide, Note, Web page…

Ab initio : exams

Challenges

All three courses (AI, SL, HL) are as challenging as each other, but in different ways.

Ab initio, in particular, should not be seen as an easy option. It is not!

All three courses set demanding standards and the top grades can only be achieved by the most hard-working of students.

Advice : Higher Level

Only take HL if you have a track record of success in languages and are considered by your teachers to be an able and committed linguist.

Do not consider HL if you are likely to get anything below an A* at IGCSE.

This course is extremely demanding, but hugely rewarding for those with the right skills, motivation and determination. It is the ideal route to language study at university.

Advice : Standard Level

SL is usually the best option for most students. It is accessible to those with an A or a B at IGCSE. It allows you to build on the years you have already invested in language study.

It is a challenging course. You will be expected to reach similar levels of competence to those on the HL course, but you will cover less ground on the way. The exams are shorter too.

SL is the ideal course for non-specialist linguists.

Advice : Ab initio

Ab initio is the course to consider if it is more important to you to make a fresh start than to build on past success.

It is a demanding course. You will be expected to reach a standard beyond that of IGCSE in only 4-5 terms of study. That’s a tall order, but achievable if you are prepared to work hard and invest an appropriate amount of time in language study outside the classroom.

Standard (SL) Higher (HL) Ab initio (AI)

French 57 11Spanish 10 5 18German 4 3 0Italian 7

Course numbers, Divisions 2011-2012

Standard (SL) Higher (HL) Ab initio (AI)

French 30 11Spanish 13 27 9German 8 4 0Italian 13

Course numbers, Divisions 2010-2011