ITALIAN LANGUAGE A

[lucyf1]

So I am fluent in Italian but have been brought up with English my whole life. I've decided to do IB because I really want to do languages later on. The only problem is I've never really analysed any Italian Literature texts before and if I would choose the subject I would have to self-study. As I'm technically not an italian native speaker would I find it hard even with a tutor? 

If I decide to do Italian Lit as my A Language would i be able to do it as a higher level subject?

Edited February 19, 2018 by lucyf1

[Waris]

I'm fluent in Hungarian and chose to pursue the self-study even without analyzing texts before. Now, I actually ended up dropping it about halfway through. Don't get me wrong, it's not because it was too hard or I didn't value expanding my learning in the language, it was just too much work. I found myself falling behind in either the self-study or my other classes depending on which I put more effort into. Taking the self-study in pursuit of the Bilingual Diploma follows the same assessment format as a primary language HL class, so you're essentially replicating what you learn in an entire 2-year HL class all by yourself (without all the teacher-assigned assignments affecting your GPA). If you're truly passionate about learning more about your language, I wouldn't worry too much about the difficulty of the self-study (as long as you're fluent in the language and are prepared to present and write essays on it), I'd instead be cautious on the extent it would affect your already extreme workload. Think, "is this self-study going to have an effect on my performance in my other classes?" However, if you're wishing to pursue a career in linguistics then this could be a much more advantageous opportunity than it appeared to be for me.

 

Good luck!

Edited February 19, 2018 by Waris

[lucyf1]

9 minutes ago, Waris said:

I'm fluent in Hungarian and chose to pursue the self-study even without analyzing texts before. Now, I actually ended up dropping it about halfway through. Don't get me wrong, it's not because it was too hard or I didn't value expanding my learning in the language, it was just too much work. Taking the self-study in pursuit of the Bilingual Diploma follows the same assessment format as a primary language HL class, so you're essentially replicating what you learn in an entire 2-year HL class all by yourself without all the teacher-assigned assignments affecting your GPA. If you're truly passionate about learning more about your language, I wouldn't worry too much about the difficulty of the self-study (as long as you're fluent in the language and are prepared to present and write essays on it), I'd instead be cautious on the extent it would affect your already extreme workload. Think, "is this self-study going to have an effect on my performance in my other classes?" 

 

Good luck!

Was your self-study course Standard or Higher level? 

[Waris]

4 minutes ago, lucyf1 said:

Was your self-study course Standard or Higher level? 

Oops, I forgot to mention that. It was HL. I don't think you can get the Bilingual Diploma without it being HL, though I might be wrong.

Edited February 19, 2018 by Waris

[lucyf1]

11 minutes ago, Waris said:

Oops, I forgot to mention that. It was HL. I don't think you can get the Bilingual Diploma without it being HL, though I might be wrong.

Thank you!

[Bina]

I am aware you have already finished your exams, and am writing this for anyone who is considering taking Italian A in the future. 

I chose to take Italian A Lit. Because I am doing it self-taught with a tutor, my school told me I could only take it SL (though still be a bilingual diploma).
I was in the same situation: my parents are both Italian, but I never really lived in Italy and only spoke at home (hardly read any books previously, let alone make a literary comment). I am currently at the beginning of my second year (though due to the Nov22 Italian exam session being cancelled, my Italian exams are in May). 

Honestly, it was pretty hard but definitely doable. For me, the most difficult part was learning to 'reason' and structure my arguments and sentences in Italian (and do it fast enough). At first, it will be hard and probably bad writing (mine certainly was!) because you don't have the same fluidity as in English (asuming you studied in English), but it will get better (so don't get discouraged!). I suggest doing SL if you have a choice, unless you are really confident. If you want to get guaranteed 7, probably go with Lang B. The advantage of Lang A is the bilingual diploma. I opted for the bilingual diploma to facilitate the option of attending an Italian uni (it is more prestigious, in a way). 

In any case, the best you can do is expose yourself to as much Italian as possible: read books, news, watch movies, youtube, articles, slisten to songs, write. If you are serious about this, it might be helpful to put into your schedule something like a paper 1 or text commentary per week (or as often as possible) - it will definitely help. The best online translator/dictionary I found is https://www.wordreference.com/ , and thesaurus https://sapere.virgilio.it/parole/sinonimi-e-contrari/ , which may also be of use. 

What the course consists of:
I had to read 9 texts, chosen following a prescribed reading list. You have to have at least 4 texts originally in Italian, and at least 3 translated. Being self-taught means you have more flexibility with chosing your texts, though it may depend on your tutor. You may want to consider how you are going to get these texts (are there Italian libraries near you, will you buy the books, get them online/ebook form?). The fact that my tutor lived overseas meant that I had essentially a free period, and usually had my classes with her outside of school due to time difference and lack of optimal environment (I had to go to the school library, where talking was problematic).
Due to covid, my grades depend on an individual oral (IO; 15 min straight talking comparing two extracts from two of your texts, online, no 5 min Q&A) and Paper 1 (essentially 1 unfamiliar text you have to analize and comment on in 1hr, 15min). (note: your exams/course will probably change in a post-covid situation).

Hope this helps in some way. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions

Edited June 10, 2022 by Bina

[Annomous]

On 2/10/2022 at 8:07 PM, Bina said:

I am aware you have already finished your exams, and am writing this for anyone who is considering taking Italian A in the future. 

I chose to take Italian A Lit. Because I am doing it self-taught with a tutor, my school told me I could only take it SL (though still be a bilingual diploma).
I was in the same situation: my parents are both Italian, but I never really lived in Italy and only spoke at home (hardly read any books previously, let alone make a literary comment). I am currently at the beginning of my second year (though due to the Nov22 Italian exam session being cancelled, my Italian exams are in May). 

Honestly, it was pretty hard but definitely doable. For me, the most difficult part was learning to 'reason' and structure my arguments and sentences in Italian (and do it fast enough). At first, it will be hard and probably bad writing (mine certainly was!) because you don't have the same fluidity as in English (asuming you studied in English), but it will get better (so don't get discouraged!). I suggest doing SL if you have a choice, unless you are really confident. If you want to get guaranteed 7, probably go with Lang B. The advantage of Lang A is the bilingual diploma. I opted for the bilingual diploma to facilitate the option of attending an Italian uni (it is more prestigious, in a way). 

In any case, the best you can do is expose yourself to as much Italian as possible: read books, news, watch movies, youtube, articles, slisten to songs, write. If you are serious about this, it might be helpful to put into your schedule something like a paper 1 or text commentary per week (or as often as possible) - it will definitely help. The best online translator/dictionary I found is https://www.wordreference.com/ , and thesaurus https://sapere.virgilio.it/parole/sinonimi-e-contrari/ , which may also be of use. 

What the course consists of:
I had to read 9 texts, chosen following a prescribed reading list. You have to have at least 4 texts originally in Italian, and at least 3 translated. Being self-taught means you have more flexibility with chosing your texts, though it may depend on your tutor. You may want to consider how you are going to get these texts (are there Italian libraries near you, will you buy the books, get them online/ebook form?). The fact that my tutor lived overseas meant that I had essentially a free period, and usually had my classes with her outside of school due to time difference and lack of optimal environment (I had to go to the school library, where talking was problematic).
Due to covid, my grades depend on an individual oral (IO; 15 min straight talking comparing two extracts from two of your texts, online, no 5 min Q&A) and Paper 1 (essentially 1 unfamiliar text you have to analize and comment on in 1hr, 15min). (note: your exams/course will probably change in a post-covid situation).

Hope this helps in some way. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions

Hi, I'm In the same situation I am currently in Grade 10 at an International school and I'm debating whether to try and take Italian A or French B. My mother is Italian and I speak with her at home but I can't read or write too well. I have also studied French for 4 years and am decent. I would say my speaking and reading in Italian is much better, however my French writing is better.(I would take either one as SL) Let me know what you think is the better option, and whether the bilingual diploma is worth it.