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IB Spanish/French AB Initio SL

The IB Ab Initio Spanish/French course is an accelerated two-year language immersion program. Students will be interacting in the target language throughout, taking a holistic approach to learning that will enable them develop intercultural awareness as well as language skills. Students will be focusing on listening, speaking, reading, and writing in the target language. Learners will be expected to gain awareness and knowledge of world events, customs, traditions, and daily life that occur within Spanish speaking countries. Students will be able to pursue this course successfully despite having little to no previous knowledge of the Spanish language.

Key features of the curriculum and assessment models

  • Available only at standard level (SL)
  • The minimum prescribed number of hours is 150
  • The course will take place over a 2 year period
  • Students are assessed both internally and externally
  • External assessments consist of two components and count for 75% of their grade. The students have the Paper 1 exam that assesses the students’ writing skills. They will produce two written tasks between 70-150 words from a choice of three tasks with a selection of text types for each task. This is a one-hour exam in May 2022. They will have the Paper 2 exam that assesses the students’ listening and reading comprehension skills. Comprehension exercises on three audio passages and three written texts, drawn from all five themes. This is a 1 hour and 45 min exam in May 2022.
  • Internal assessment consists of an individual oral that is 25% of the students’ grade. The individual oral presentation will assess the student’s ability to speak and converse in the target language and will be facilitated and implemented by the teacher. This IA will take place in February 2022.

Syllabus Components and Prescribed Themes
Identities
● Personal attributes
● Personal relationships
● Eating and drinking
● Physical well-being
Experiences
● Daily routine
● Leisure
● Holidays
● Festivals and celebrations
Human Ingenuity
● Transport
● Entertainment
● Media
● Technology
Social Organization
● Neighborhood
● Education
● Workplace
● Social Issues
Sharing the Planet
● Climate
● Physical Geography
● The environment
● Global issues