Group 2
Language Acquisition
Language acquisition subject groups
In the IB Diploma Programme, students must study two languages. At least one of them must be an A language from Group 1 (mother-tongue language, official language, best language), and the other a language that you are learning (your second-best language or new language). If you study two A languages, you do not have to choose a language in Group 2: the B languages and ab initio.
B languages are language acquisition courses designed for students with some previous experience of the target language. Languages B are offered at both High Level and Standard Level.
Ab initio languages are offered at Standard level only and are language acquisition courses designed for students with no previous experience in—or very little exposure to—the target language.
We offer the following subjects in Group 2: English B HL/SL, Danish B HL/SL, Danish ab initio SL, French B HL/SL, and Spanish ab initio SL.
The aims of the Group 2 language course are:
1.
Develop students’ intercultural understanding
2.
Enable students to understand and use the language they have studied in a range of contexts and for a variety of purposes
3.
Encourage, through the study of texts and through social interaction, an awareness and appreciation of the different perspectives of people from other cultures
4.
Develop students’ awareness of the role of language in relation to other areas of knowledge
5.
Develop students’ awareness of the relationship between the languages and cultures with which they are familiar
6.
Provide students with a basis for further study, work and leisure through the use of an additional language
7.
Provide the opportunity for enjoyment, creativity and intellectual stimulation through knowledge of an additional language
Five core themes
Both HL and SL students will cover five themes:
- Identities
- Experiences
- Human ingenuity
- Social organization
- Sharing the planet
A variety of text types will be studied while covering the five themes. In addition, HL students in the B languages must read two complete literary works.
The final grade given for B and ab initio courses has three different components:
Two written exams at the very end of the course: Paper 1 and Paper 2, which weighs 75% of the final grade. The papers will assess listening and reading comprehension, creative writing skills and conceptual understanding.
One oral component, the Individual Oral, completed in the spring semester of the final year, which weighs 25% of the final grade.