Languages A2, B and Ab Initio
Discussion on Languages A2, B and Ab Initio. There is a separate subforum for Language A1!
1,222 topics in this forum
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Greetings humans. The following are some tips I've compiled in order to make your oral a less painful and rather care free process in which you talk with the examiner (which may or may not be your teacher) about a topic that you have chosen (or not). So here we go with the tips... The Format Alright. The oral for language B consists of 9-12 minutes of you purely talking in your chosen foreign language. Whether it be French, Spanish, German, MAndarin, etc. the list goes on and on, the format will mostly be the same. (Unless I'm delusional in which case it isn't). It is also divided into three 3-4 minute chunks. These 'chunks' if you will each have a different component to …
Last reply by eatingpieisgreat, -
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Here are the links to the notes and sample works for Languages A2, B, Ab Initio we have on our Files archive. To be able to download files, you have to be a VIP member or a VIP subscriber. Please see the FAQ for information on how to become a VIP or how to buy a VIP subscription. If you want to donate and contribute files to our archive, please see this announcement or this FAQ section. Languages A2, B & Ab Initio Language A2 Language B and Ab Initio French: Notes and essays for French B and Ab Initio
Last reply by Survival Robot, -
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Ya hi. This is really effing late. My laptop is having issues so I had to get it fixed. Please don't hate me forever. Anywho I'll just explain to yall the format of the paper then give you some of the normal question formats that will be on the test. Mkay.Ready? Let's go! The Format Yall Ok so the paper 1 is divided into 4 different texts: A, B, C, and D. Each of these texts have their own set of questions and prompts. This paper tests two things: Your ability to respond to text based question and a written response to a text. The texts will be all in the language that you have taken and will be chosen externally. You have no say whatsoever in what they pick. Sorry. Altho…
Last reply by Swasub, -
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Here are some tips that I think will help with formatting paper 2's for language B. Sorry it's not very well edited. Paper 2 Tips Overarching tips: -Register: Who are you talking to? Should you use “tu” or “vous”? Are you being subjective or objective? -Linguistic elements: Always remember to include a variety of tenses and colloquial language. However, when considering tenses always make sure to stay consistent and match the tense that the prompt requires. -Structure: For structuring, always make sure your paragraphs are cohesive and transitions are solid. As Lower would say “Give their eyes a break”. -Principal ideas: This is very important. So important it needs to…
Last reply by turtle turtle, -
Just out of interest, I wanted to ask people how many options their school offers their students in terms of Language B's. The most common Language B's being studied on this forum seem to be French, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, German and and Italian. Is anyone out there studying a very random language, or one that is not commonly spoken worldwide? If you are, why did you choose it instead of a more commonly used language? My own school offers French, Hebrew and Arabic as Language B (and a few students have taken Spanish, Italian and Finnish as a 7th subject).
Last reply by letryhard, -
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Hola, I'm not a native speaker, but I would like to have a rather dedicated and passionate native speaker, or anyone who is very fluent, to help me out because I've always loved spanish but the writing is sorta killing me in a sense. So all thats left to do is get a spanish buddy, since my teacher is little to no help at all. I do prefer to text because I am not on social media, but I wouldn't mind creating a Skype if necessary. Pretty much any time of the day is good for me. So please if you are willing to be my buddy please PM about it. Además, I would also like to expand my horizon on the spanish culture and I feel that through these interaction it would promote that.…
Last reply by Ayo, -
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What do you think friar lawrence wrote to romeo in Act4(the last part of the story) ? any ideas??
Last reply by Ruan Chun Xian, -
[Language B Internals] Explanation
by Guest protub- 10 replies
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Hi guys, I have my Language B internals in a few months, and was wondering what was exactly in it. I have yet to speak with my Language B organiser as I am doing a self taught language. I understand that there there is an oral (photo) component, written assignment and interactive. Could anyone briefly explain the three parts please? Many thanks.
Last reply by TykeDragon, -
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I am writing my English A2 HL Written Tasks now. One of them will be Professional communication / Police statement - Global issues / immigration, prejudice discrimination. Do you think the form of a police statement can show the understanding of the option? How? The second thing is, do you know what may be the formal requirements for a police statement? Is it written by a police officer or by a witness/person involved? We never actually analyzed one.
Last reply by marauder7, -
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Hello! we`ve studied 1894 by Orwell and The Wave by Morton Rhue, now I need to write written assignment, but I don`t know what to write, could someone help me please with that?
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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Hi, I am a prospective teacher, still relatively new to the IB World. I just finished reading the IB Language B Guide and 2 questions now came up for which I am unable to find an answer: 1.) On p. 6 of the Guide it says: "Many factors determine the group 2 course that a student should take: the student's best language[my emphasis], the language(s) spoken at home and at school, and any previous knowledge of the language of study." I don't quite understand why it should be "the student's best language" because then it should be group 1 and not group 2 since then it wouldn't really be much of a typical language acquisition course anymore but rather…
Last reply by ellie, -
2013 Syllabus
by Guest protub- 3 replies
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Obviously as many of you well know; there has been syllabus changes in the Language B course, in effect from 2013. Could someone elaborate how it is different from the previous years?
Last reply by Carpe Diem, -
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Hello, I am in crisis since Spanish was the lowest of my marks. I need to pump it up to a 6, or I'll be toast! Do you have any example of a website or an online tool to help me through? Thank you
Last reply by Summer Glau, -
5 words a day - French Ab initio
by Guest Another IB Victim- 2 replies
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Hi, So, my teacher has asked me to broaden my French vocabulary and I need to learn 5 words min a day. I was just wondering whether there were any websites or resources that randomly generated words or even better, one that lists key vocab? Thanks
Last reply by Award Winning Boss, -
7 in ab initio?
by Guest axe- 8 replies
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How hard is it to score a 7 in ab initio considering that you have no prior knowledge of the language? Is it even possible to write an essay in just two years of learning the language?
Last reply by JoeZell, -
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Hi people! My Chinese B SL exams are next week and I need some advice, especially on paper 2. Has anyone here gotten a 7? And if so do you have any tips?
Last reply by Trying..., -
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Hello people, Fell into a bit of trouble now... I need to write a first written task... But it seems i have lost a paper where all the texttypes were on that were allowed when it comes to literary option. Could someone help me out a bit with this? Thanks guys! I will owe you
Last reply by Karl, -
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Okay, so in pre-IB we had the most amazing french teacher. She quizzed us at least once a week, forbade speaking English in the classroom, and really made us learn our stuff. Come grade 11, last year, our french teacher was offered a job elsewhere and our new teacher for French SL 11 was AWFUL. She has never taught IB, barely knows how to structure proper lessons, and on top of it makes mistakes on/doesn't know a lot of basic grammar herself. I am now halfway through my grade 12 year and nothing has changed. She hasn't taught us any grammar beyond the passé composé I learned in grade 10, and even that is starting to fade. No one in my class can truly put to…
Last reply by terribletouw, -
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This may sound ridiculous as it's an ab language but I find it quite hard and was wondering if anyone knew any methods to make me remember the grammar points etc better/more easily? I find the cases so confusing! *NB if it helps, I took GCSE German and French
Last reply by vkwhyte, -
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Hi, I was wondering if the IB SL Mandarin Language B exam allows you to write in both traditional and simplified characters? As in writing some words in traditional and some words in simplified on the same question/paragraph/essay or whatever. Thanks!
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Hey everyone, I need your help! Does anyone remember the subject of the composition (the written part) for paper 1 of the may 2009 French B sl exam? & thx for ur help
Last reply by moe23, -
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Im writing my written task from media & culture and do advertising techniques & how they affect people fit into this? Also, can I write a essay-like letter adressed to people in the future? Do you think that could score good points? I find the topic hard to write about so if you have anything to contribute, Id be thankful
Last reply by pink panther, -
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I find it very difficult to write good comparative commentaries in english A2 SL. Could anybody give me some helpful tips? Thank you
Last reply by IB 2012, -
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Hi people, i need help with choosing whether to choose English A2 hl/sl apparently i cant find any resource or past papers on this level and so i was hoping if i could find any info. if you have past papers that you would like to share, thatll be greatly appreciated, thanks all, cindy
Last reply by Mahuta ♥, -
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What texts do you guys study?
Last reply by x___x, -
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Last reply by Gonzalo, -
So i know A1 you are fluent, A2 is a second language you are fluent in but not your preferred language (right?), B is a language that prior to taking the course you don't know at all. So what is Ab Initio?
Last reply by Tiara Angel, -
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Allow me to explain. Have you or has anyone you know ever taken a language at ab initio level then pursued higher education in a country where that language is the national language/prominent? If so, how was/is your time there and how did/do you feel with your life and progress in the language? Anything else to add? Did/does it match your expectations? I realise that an increasing number of institutions offer instruction in English and the national language of the country--I'm not expecting the progression from ab initio to being comfortable in a challenging academic environment to come to many, although if achieved that's certainly a success story, also. I use th…
Last reply by ***, -
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I'm taking Ab Initio for Arabic. and I seriously don't know what to expect. does anybody know? I sort of understand arabic and I can read and all. I don't know what level they want me to be in to take the test. Anyone has an advice??/ it'll be really helpful
Last reply by HJ:), -
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Hello! I have to choose my IB subjects fairly soon and im planning on choosing some pretty "hard" subjects (including HL Maths, Physics, and Chemistry) and I want to spend most of my time and energy on these subjects (as they're the most important to me). When starting the IB im going to have done 2.5 years of french. So, I was wondering if I can even though i've previously done french can choose french ab initio (since I don't want to spend much time on french especially since i'm already struggling a bit with English). Thank you very much!
Last reply by Schrodinger's CAS, -
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Hi, this is my first post here! I just wanted to ask if complete beginners will be highly disadvantaged taking ab initio subjects. This might appear to be a little bit odd (considering the fact that the subject was designed for beginners) but it is to my knowledge that many ab initio students have prior knowledge of the language (eg. taking them at IGCSE level). With the bell curve system in place, can newbies like me still manage at least a 6 for the subject (assuming a fair bit of hard work, of course)? Thanks for the help!
Last reply by flinquinnster, -
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I will be starting IB in the fall and I'm signed up for ab inito German. I know IB exams are mostley essay based, and I'm wondering if this also applies to languages. Will I have to write an essay in German?
Last reply by SurvivingtheIB, -
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I'm on my second year of Ab initio German and I am struggling. My class last year was really relaxed and I have a different teacher this year that expects me as well as the German B students to be fluent in German. I get these crazy hard assignments when I can barely write a properly structured paragraph in German. I have extra textbooks and resources to help me but i'm nowhere near the level of the work my teacher gives. Any tips and advice please?
Last reply by alexalexalex, -
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Hey Guys, I am going to start IB1 this coming September. I have been studying in Canada since grade 7 in a boarding school and I am from Venezuela (so Spanish is my first language). Unfortunately, my school does not offer Spanish A, but they do offer spanish HL. I am very interested in learning Mandarin since I been to China and had people taught me around 30 words and grammar before I even thought of taking Ab Initio Mandarin, I know the very basics and love learning the language. Since I want to apply for Engineering I have a really difficult IB course selection and I thought it would be easier to just do Spanish HL, get a 7, and change a harder course from HL to …
Last reply by Mr. Purple Monkey, -
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Hi, im about to start the IB in sept and was wandering which course would be more suitable to me but also less stress and demand and work! I have studied french for 5 years and achieved a grade A at GCSE so was thinking at taking it at HL but i was wandering if spanish ab initio would be easier as the languages are very similar.. HELLPP
Last reply by cjy, -
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I understand the marking criteria for paper 2 (writing) for ab initio. However, I find it quite general. For Japanese ab initio, what is it the examiner is looking for in particular for good marks? Like, lots of Kanji? Various grammar? Opinions? This question probably seems really obvious, but I feel that I'm always following the criteria, but get like 22/30 or 24, something like that, and can't seem to improve, no matter about what structure or Kanji, etc., I use. So, like, when you sit down to write an essay, what do you make sure you include to score high marks? Thank you
Last reply by hanniexx, -
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I have been studying Chinese for a couple of years now, leading me to pick Chinese B SL as my group 2 subject. After a month into this course I am finding it a little challenging. So just for note would it hamper the way universities look at me if I was to drop from B SL to AB initio or will that not matter. And is AB initio really that easy for someone who has been studying the language for a few years? Or is this just an exaggeration. Any previous experience and feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Last reply by kevG, -
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Hello, I've got WA (German Ab initio) tomorrow and wonder whether I can write in "Reflection" heading (question about a person from the target culture) the difference which was not mentioned previously in "Comparison" or not. What do you think about it?
Last reply by Adela Aleksandra Piontek, -
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In French Ab initio (or any other ab initio course), how many words should we be aiming to write for in paper 2 section B?
Last reply by Alex Jordan, -
So my Written Assignment is due next week but I have some questions that need answering.....Please Help 1. First of all, how is the structure: is it structured into three paragraphs with A,B and C? Or is it an essay that just satisfies the three headings 2. I want to do Christmas in Japan and Christmas in India; is that appropriate for a written assignment? 3. 200- 350 words translates to how many characters in Japanese? 4. The first heading " Description" says to state the facts (bit vague here since I dont know whether to state facts about history of Christmas in Japan or jump into what they do in Christmas...................or is it just talking about Christmas…
Last reply by Kev Konikkara, -
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Could somebody tell me about the written task in Ab initio. What can you write about? How much?etc. Thank you so much
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I need your opinion on whether I should learn Mandarin or French. I want to learn Mandarin more than I want to learn French, because it is way more useful, but French is way easier. The problem with Mandarin is the difficulty, especially the letters/script/characters, when I look at Chinese letters it just looks ridiculously hard, memorizing them is basically like looking into the night sky and trying to memorize specific patterns of stars, and freaking hundreds of them!?!?!? So what do you guys think? Take an easier language, and probably get a better grade, but waste two years that I could have spent learning a more useful language? Or take a harder language, probably g…
Last reply by elaifyanre, -
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Hello anyone who does an Ab Initio Japanese course could you please tell me what the semester exams are like?? I have a hunch it is a long じこしょかい on genkoyoshi paper or something... but the teacher hasnt mentioned it or aything ive got no idea :I plz help i want to start studying and memorizing kanji asap...
Last reply by Bittersweet, -
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Hey everyone, So I just did my IO and I am pretty sure I did horrible. I am probably like 16/25. Now I really really want a 7 in French ab initio but I do not know how achievable it is with such a bad IO. I have 18/20 for the written task. I figured that I have to achieve around full marks 25/25 for paper 2 and like 36/42 for paper 1.Or get like 40/42 and 23/25. I have to do extremely well in both my papers. Is this even possible and how could I reach it? Please help!!
Last reply by IB`NOT`ez, -
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Hi everyone, I have yet another french class question! We're doing our individual interactive orals in less than a week, and I haven't even started...Why? Because I have no clue whatsoever how to do research in French on poverty and famine in Haiti. I'm looking for ways to do the research, should I search in French or in English then translate it? Keep in mind my French level is not the best and I'll be lucky with a 4 or 5 in SL French.. So do you have any tips on how to do a French research project? Thanks!!
Last reply by Blackcurrant, -
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Hi, Next year, I will be going into my IB years. I am not good at french and I was wondering what I can do to prepare for IB French B SL. This year, I was quite confused with a lot of the lessons and assessments so I wanted to know the steps I can take to be on the right track for next year. I am in Ontario, Canada (might be easier to answer my question with a bit of context). Appreciate all the help, Neil
Last reply by neil072, -
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Im doing Arabic SL B and I have my interactive oral coming soon, i was told that i do not need to prepare anything or study anything at all for this IA and that all i need to do is have a normal conversation in "proper" Arabic on an unseen topic. Is that how it really is? I'm not quite sure since this is the schools first year to offer IB and the teachers are quite inexperienced. Thanks alott
Last reply by Tony Stark, -
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So I think that i am just about the least prepared for the oral part of my spanish ab initio class and i would really appreciate some advice on how to study for it. I did a practice one with my teacher and she said i really need to work on grammar tenses. Its not that i dont know them its just that it doesnt come out when im under pressure speaking. How can i train myself to speak with the correct tenses?
Last reply by IBwanting2survive, -
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Hey fellow IB students, I will be starting my First year of the IB next year(after this summer), and was wondering if you could help me with some advice on English B at HL and how i can prepare for it while im in the summer. How should i study? Recommend any books? Any Prior i can learn this summer to help me achieve a level 7 at English B HL? Best, Thanks!
Last reply by Lord of the Pickles, -
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I have it in two days, and I am so nervous for it.... Any tips on how to prepare for it, and how to organize my actual presentation? As a little refresher to anyone that hasn't taken it yet for this year, you choose one picture out of a set of two. You then get 15 minutes to prepare, and you then go straight into a room with a recorder to speak about it for 3-4 minutes, after this the teacher asks you some questions for a few minutes. We have been practicing these for the past week in school, but I just always seem to repeat my same ideas for the entire 3 minutes :/. I can speak pretty good spanish but just under this pressure, I cannot seem to come up with more than…
Last reply by citizenoftheuniverse,
