English A2

[avident]

I noticed there's not a lot of conversation about English A2 here, so here's your chance to share your thoughts on that. For those who have graduated from the IB with English A2 Higher Level, I would like to ask whether you thought it is hard to get a 7 in it? Should one be completely bilingual in order to attain that mark? Oh and does an accent affect one's IOC results? Also, it would be fun to hear what works you are doing in order to see if there are a lot of similarities. Which of them are wonderful and which prove to be pains in the asses? To end this for now, I would like to ask how I could bring up my Criterion C mark, which at the moment is an 8. I use varied vocabulary and I think I am nearly fluent in English. Our teacher always comments I should be more clear and coherent, though. Can this affect the criterion C mark? How can I develop my style?

Wow - a lot of thoughts there! But shoot.

[Abu]

Just a comment, there are a few members here, who shall remain nameless, that post and have quite a high predicted, yet do no seem to be fluent in their writing style. So no, I do not think you need to be terribly fluent.

About the accent, I've know students in A1 who have had accents, so that is not a problem. The IB is international so they expect students to have an accent.

[Rebekah]

I noticed there's not a lot of conversation about English A2 here, so here's your chance to share your thoughts on that. For those who have graduated from the IB with English A2 Higher Level, I would like to ask whether you thought it is hard to get a 7 in it? Should one be completely bilingual in order to attain that mark? Oh and does an accent affect one's IOC results? Also, it would be fun to hear what works you are doing in order to see if there are a lot of similarities. Which of them are wonderful and which prove to be pains in the asses? To end this for now, I would like to ask how I could bring up my Criterion C mark, which at the moment is an 8. I use varied vocabulary and I think I am nearly fluent in English. Our teacher always comments I should be more clear and coherent, though. Can this affect the criterion C mark? How can I develop my style?

Wow - a lot of thoughts there! But shoot.

Fluency is obviously helpful, but by no means a guarantee of a seven in A2.

Hasn't your teacher given you the assessment criteria?

Coherency and clarity affect all three Criteria in some way. They particularly affect B, Presentation, as this has to do specifically with organization and presentation of ideas, but if you are not coherent in your argument this will also affect A as you will probably have evidence of critical thinking missing, or have chosen poor examples to support your ideas. It could also affect C if your word choice is the root of your clarity issues.

You can get a 10 in C for any of the assessment tasks and not be error free. You can also get a 6 for language AND be error free. Language is not just about perfect grammar and syntax but about using the proper terminology, choosing the proper register, being adventurous, and trying on new structures and variations of structures for a unique and personal style.

Your teacher would be doing you a great disservice to not share the IB criterion descriptors with you, and work on a rubric with the class to define what those vague terms mean for each task. Ask them to set aside a class or two for every new assessment task you all try. It is really important to the IB learner profile and to your success in the program.

does an accent affect one's IOC results?

It shouldn't. The IA guide book says specifically that pronunciation should not be taken into consideration, but do try to enunciate as best as you can for your teacher. It will help the quality of the recording and your teacher to better follow what you are saying. Also, your teacher should make a note on the IA form of any particular pronunciation error that will help the moderator to understand if there is a particular difficulty for you.

That being said pronunciation and first language interference are NOT the same thing. When Spanish speaking students say "Leality" instead of loyalty, or simeel instead of simile...that's not a pronunciation problem, that's a fluency problem, and they will be marked down in criterion C.

Edited February 17, 2009 by Aboo

[Sheela]

What kind of Literature are you going to read in English A2?

We just finished "The Perks of being a wallflower" and "Death of a Salesman"...

To the second book: I am sorry to say this, but I really hate it ! Because it's written as a theater play?

And I always get confused with it, because there's not really a flow in it.. Gosh it's really hard to read this thing when you don't like it.

And about the written tasks: What kind of stuff do I have to choose from? I was not sure about ist, so I just wrote another Chapter for "Perks o.b. a W." But it was kind of crappy...

[Rebekah]

What kind of Literature are you going to read in English A2?

We just finished "The Perks of being a wallflower" and "Death of a Salesman"...

To the second book: I am sorry to say this, but I really hate it ! Because it's written as a theater play?

And I always get confused with it, because there's not really a flow in it.. Gosh it's really hard to read this thing when you don't like it.

And about the written tasks: What kind of stuff do I have to choose from? I was not sure about ist, so I just wrote another Chapter for "Perks o.b. a W." But it was kind of crappy...

Plays are often very hard to follow, and Arthur Miller is even harder because his stage instructions are super specific and he often interjects the stage acting with notes to the director. The original filming of Death of Salesman sticks to the play fairly well. I would recommend you read it and watch it simultaneously to understand the stage instructions better and the important role they play in Miller's work. You could also act it out with your friends so you get a better idea. Also check local theater listings, it is a VERY popular play and is likely playing at a community theater near you, though maybe not in English depending on where you live...Ask your teacher to look into it.

In my class we have just finished The Good Earth, Pygmalion, and a packet of poems on the theme of Classist structures in society. In our next Literary option we will study Wicked ( the life and times of the wicked witch of the west), either Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and/or the Crucible and/or some poetry related to the theme of social persecution. I can't decide yet.

Hasn't your teacher given you the list of approved genres and styles of communication for WTs? Ask for copies of the A2 guide. It should explain everything clearly. If you have an occ code, you can find it on the IBO website.

Edited February 18, 2009 by Rebekah

[avident]

We're reading ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' at the moment and somehow it's not working for me. I mean the idea of it is sort of entertaining, but overall it's just boring. I hate when you have to push your way through the pages... But anything for the IB, eh?

[Rebekah]

We're reading ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' at the moment and somehow it's not working for me. I mean the idea of it is sort of entertaining, but overall it's just boring. I hate when you have to push your way through the pages... But anything for the IB, eh?

You have to act this one out with your friends...Blanche Dubois is one of my most all time favorite characters EVER!

And the sexual tension between her and Stanley is down right palpable! You have to see the film version with hot and sexy young Marlon Brando...awesome!

Also just to pin point a few fave elements: The MUSIC! It is the first thing you hear in the play and it represents the people and their feelings so well! The scene where she's in the bath singing Paper Moon...you have to, have to, have to get your teacher to give you the lyrics to that song and analyse it like a Paper one poem...especially in correlation with her character. I mean...honestly, that song IS Blanche's entire mentality about life and reality. And when the band plays Paper Doll just as Mitch declares that "poker should not be played in a house with women"...classic. I mean he'd rather have a paper doll than a real live girl. A girl with a past? A girl who hides things from him? A person with flaws or who expects something of him...can't handle it

You could do a EE on that topic alone!

I love this play...how could you NOT love this play?

It's because it's play, isn't it? Watch it with the film and compare and contrast and act it out. The stage instructions mean nothing on paper, you have to make them real.

[Ejoriah]

We have to study Macbeth and Sons and Lovers... Macbeth was alright, but Sons and Lovers... meh, its just all so.. how to say... everyone has their soul bared and they're so intense about everything, you just want to tell Miriam "chill, its just a flower".

The thing I dislike most is the poems thought. Keats can be quite depressing.

We've just started our interactive orals - how many did you people do? my teacher is aiming for 7 of them, but I don't think we'll have the time!

[avident]

You have to act this one out with your friends...Blanche Dubois is one of my most all time favorite characters EVER!

And the sexual tension between her and Stanley is down right palpable! You have to see the film version with hot and sexy young Marlon Brando...awesome!

Also just to pin point a few fave elements: The MUSIC! It is the first thing you hear in the play and it represents the people and their feelings so well! The scene where she's in the bath singing Paper Moon...you have to, have to, have to get your teacher to give you the lyrics to that song and analyse it like a Paper one poem...especially in correlation with her character. I mean...honestly, that song IS Blanche's entire mentality about life and reality. And when the band plays Paper Doll just as Mitch declares that "poker should not be played in a house with women"...classic. I mean he'd rather have a paper doll than a real live girl. A girl with a past? A girl who hides things from him? A person with flaws or who expects something of him...can't handle it

You could do a EE on that topic alone!

I love this play...how could you NOT love this play?

It's because it's play, isn't it? Watch it with the film and compare and contrast and act it out. The stage instructions mean nothing on paper, you have to make them real.

It's not the fact that it's a play per se - even though I do prefer proper novels - I simply think the plot is boring as whole. Sure, Williams uses some great images and has amazing diction, but even the characters that he goes very much into depth with can't help win me over. To me, the whole book was one I had to push through. In other words, it didn't grab my undivided attention or make me want to turn the page.

We watched the movie a while back, too, and that was quite disappointing as well. So Marlon Brando was freaking hot - but there were no sex scenes to properly show it!

[Mahuta ♥]

I did:

Romeo and Juliet

All My Sons

Hiroshima

Short stories: Your shoes, The Suit, The end of something.

Poems: Love poems and war ones.

and I have done 4 Interactive orals.

You dont need more, they are only sending two anyways.

Edited February 26, 2009 by *~*MaHuTa*~*

[Hyperbole]

You dont need more, they are only sending two anyways.

Wait, what? Are you sure? We've only done one real interactive oral each, plus the oral commentaries. That's all our teacher said we needed... (I'm screwed if they indeed need to count more than one interactive, because I got quite low scores on the early ones we did... since we weren't going to count them and it was difficult and all. )

We've studied War Poetry, Macbeth, Heart of Darkness (ugh!), The Crucible, The Great Gatsby, and Great Expectations. For the Cultural Options we've done Media and Language. I've mostly enjoyed everything; some parts of the Media option were boring, but some of them were actually really fascinating! And Language and Culture is just utter love.

[Max]

You dont need more, they are only sending two anyways.

Are you sure? Our teacher is only sending one away. Rebekah, please clarify!

[Ejoriah]

My teacher said we need two, the best two out of five... I've actually got one next week, and I wish I was already done with them all!

[deissi]

Are you sure? Our teacher is only sending one away. Rebekah, please clarify!

(Before Rebekah gets a chance) Yes, it's only one. The internal assessment mark is calculated as follows: (IOC+IOP)/2. The maximum marks, then, would be 30+30/2 = 30. Only one oral presentation is "sent away", but as you've probably figured out, only the mark gets sent away; the IOP is not recorded unless IBO specifically demands this.

Also, I think there's a limit as to how many IOPs you can actually do. I think it's two or three. Rebekah can probably clarify this.

[Rebekah]

well the forms go like this...

There are two. One of them documents three interactive orals and the individual taped oral. These are now required as of 2007, and your teacher must document them, then your teacher must choose the best interactive score of those three to "count" and they put that in the box at the bottom of that form. Then they fill in a second form with the chosen Interactive and the taped Individual oral scores added together and comment on them in as much depth as possible.

Once your teacher has sent all those in, the IBO will ask for a few samples to moderate and then change the grades for the group accordingly.

so yes, only one actually COUNTS but you must DO at least three (really, they want you to do one for every option, because teachers weren't doing this they made the three minimum mandatory), and those are also sent along, but only the best ONE counts.

Does that make sense?

Edited March 3, 2009 by Rebekah

[capitalist]

well the forms go like this...

There are two. One of them documents three interactive orals and the individual taped oral. These are now required as of 2007, and your teacher must document them, then your teacher must choose the best interactive score of those three to "count" and they put that in the box at the bottom of that form. Then they fill in a second form with the chosen Interactive and the taped Individual oral scores added together and comment on them in as much depth as possible.

Once your teacher has sent all those in, the IBO will ask for a few samples to moderate and then change the grades for the group accordingly.

so yes, only one actually COUNTS but you must DO at least three (really, they want you to do one for every option, because teachers weren't doing this they made the three minimum mandatory), and those are also sent along, but only the best ONE counts.

Does that make sense?

By the way I did my individual oral in the first year of IB and I've got 24/30 (A:8/B:8/C:8)in HL criteria. Can it be submitted to the IBO and be counted?