Mishika Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 Hello, I'll be starting with my diploma course next week, and I'm changing board from CBSE. I've been studying french for the past 5 years, but what I've realised is that it is not up to the mark. We never focussed on the pronunciation and writing skills. And my vocabulary is also not very good.My school offers French B only at SL. Is it advisable for me to take up French B as I've studied the language before, or should I start all over again with French ab initio? please help! Thanks.. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cricketcrazynerd Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 (edited) Take up ab initio...I did french for 7 years and I still find it tough. Don't ruin your life. Period.I don't know what part of India you're from, but because I'm Punjabi I find that I just can't freaking pronounce some words properly, maybe my tongue moves different...so don't worry! It's not just you...Even I feel the pain with this language...ok I'll stop ranting now But, if you want to be one of those types of people that 'enjoys challenging themselves' do SL...tbh after a while you get the hang of things like speaking and writing.Anyway do what you think suits you!Cheers,Simran Edited July 25, 2013 by cricketcrazynerd Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vals Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 (edited) Hi! Well, if you didn't focus on the vocabulary, neither on pronounciation or writing skills whatsoever, I wonder what you actually focused on lolYou probably know much more than you realise. I have only studied French for three years, and when I started high school I stopped studying, so it's been three years since I last studied it.. Still I am taking French B HL for the IB diploma! Don't undervalue the fact that you've studied it for five years, after all it's not something everyone has done. Instead of taking AB, go for French B SL! French is not that hard... There's plenty of more difficult - objectively speaking - languages out there.So, if I were you, I'd definitely go for French B! Only choose French AB if you believe that French B could weigh down your study curriculum, and you don't want to take any risks. Edited July 25, 2013 by vals 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ak18 Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 Well regardless of what you did...or didn't learn in your french class, I'm sure some of the stuff sunk in esp. since you took it for 5 years. French isnt so hard. It just takes dedication and time and love for the language to learn it properly. I'd actually advise you to take French B SL...it'll push you hard to do well. AB is really beginner level But yeah, you need to see if you're comfortable with it (check out the syllabus if that'll help) and see if it's really hard for you to cope with, since you have 5 other subjects you need to focus on as wellGood luck 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowSpider Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 i think you should attend SL classes first.. see their level of french. if you think you can't write that nicely then don't go for it.. because trying to focus on SL french too much might bring your grades down and if you do AB initio you have a good chance to get at least a 6.. if you really like the language and are willing to write a lot and improve your vocab, go for SL.. otherwise don't.. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluedino Posted July 25, 2013 Report Share Posted July 25, 2013 (edited) Take note of what the syllabus says:Students should be.. "following the course that is best suited to their present and future needs and that will provide them with an appropriate academic challenge. The degree to which students are already competent in the language and the degree of proficiency they wish to attain by the end of the period of study are the most important factors in identifying the appropriate course."Also, language ab initio courses are for beginners (students who have little/no prior experience of the language), which does not sound like you.I'm actually really surprised to realise that there doesn't seem to be set guidelines on who can do ab initio based on past experience - it really does seem up to you/IB coordinator/teacher! So consider:How hard of a challenge do you want? (I think ab initio is relatively easy, and I had no prior experience when I did it)How much French do you want to know? Do you plan on using French in your future?What are you aiming for in the IB? If you're aiming for a 45 then you'll increase your chances with that by doing ab initio.Ask your teacher about what he/she thinks of your French ability - do they think they have a good chance of you doing well in French B? ^That suggestion of trying French B at the start and seeing how it goes first is a good idea too. Check with your IB coordinator, but you probably have a few months you could try it (while still having the option to change to French ab initio) before the deadline for changing subjects. Edited July 25, 2013 by bluedino 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mishika Posted July 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I've concluded that I should take it up at SL and I'm ready to work on my writing skills and pronunciation. After all, gaining command on a foreign language will really be helpful to me in future.. Thanks again! 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mishika Posted July 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 (edited) Take up ab initio...I did french for 7 years and I still find it tough. Don't ruin your life. Period.I don't know what part of India you're from, but because I'm Punjabi I find that I just can't freaking pronounce some words properly, maybe my tongue moves different...so don't worry! It's not just you...Even I feel the pain with this language...ok I'll stop ranting now But, if you want to be one of those types of people that 'enjoys challenging themselves' do SL...tbh after a while you get the hang of things like speaking and writing.Anyway do what you think suits you!Cheers,Simran Edited July 26, 2013 by Mishika Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mishika Posted July 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 Take up ab initio...I did french for 7 years and I still find it tough. Don't ruin your life. Period.I don't know what part of India you're from, but because I'm Punjabi I find that I just can't freaking pronounce some words properly, maybe my tongue moves different...so don't worry! It's not just you...Even I feel the pain with this language...ok I'll stop ranting now But, if you want to be one of those types of people that 'enjoys challenging themselves' do SL...tbh after a while you get the hang of things like speaking and writing.Anyway do what you think suits you!Cheers,SimranHi.. I'm from Delhi.. Even I find it difficult to pronounce some words because I mostly speak in Hindi.. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mishika Posted February 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2014 I came across this old post.. Just wanted to say that French B was difficult and they didn't let me take ab initio as I had studied the language before. So finally, I'm doing Spanish ab initio and I'm loving it! And my spanish diction is way better than my french diction! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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