IBDP Spanish Ab initio SL

Group 2 | Spanish ab initio SL

TCE students may enrol in this two-year course following consultation with the IB/TCE coordinator. It will not count towards an ATAR for TCE students but successful completion will contribute 15 credit points towards the 120 points needed to meet the requirements of the TCE.

Group 2 consists of two modern language courses: Language ab initio and Language B. These courses are language acquisition courses designed to provide students with the necessary skills and inter-cultural understanding to enable them to communicate successfully in an environment where the language studied is spoken. These courses use a balance of learning and teaching approaches, whereby the student is encouraged to engage in both independent and collaborative learning. 

Spanish ab initio is a beginner’s course designed for students with limited experience of learning the language. Students who have completed study in Spanish beyond the Year 8 standard or those students who have spent more than three months studying in Spain or an alternative Spanish speaking country, are advised to arrange an interview with the Learning Leader Languages, or the IB diploma coordinator prior to making any Language ab initio selection. 

What will I learn?

The Spanish ab initio course aims to develop students’ ability to communicate in speech and in writing in order to enable them to deal adequately with familiar and practical needs, to introduce students to the cultures of the countries where the language is spoken and to provide students with a foundation for further study of the language. The four key skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing are developed through the use of a range of authentic materials related to everyday situations.

By the end of the ab initio course, students should be able to understand and respond appropriately to the spoken language (e.g. announcements, instructions & requests), engage in conversation in order to deal with everyday situations, understand short written passages on the defined topics, recognise essential notices (e.g. signs, menus, timetables, advertisements) and be able to extract specific information from texts such as brochures, guides and letters, carry out writing tasks such as short messages (e.g. postcards, lists, notes), a letter, instructions or short compositions and show an awareness of the culture of the target language.

A core syllabus and a language specific syllabus provide the framework for reaching the objectives of the course. The language specific syllabus defines the grammatical structures which the students are expected to know by the end of the course. The core syllabus consists of the five prescribed themes, which are Identities, Experiences, Human Ingenuity, Social Organization and Sharing the Planet. Within each theme there are four prescribed topics. 

Why should I consider this course?

International-mindedness is central to the IB philosophy and instrumental in aspiring to a more peaceful world. Language acquisition courses do not have as their only goal the development of language skills, but also fostering intercultural understanding and global engagement. The nature of the language acquisition process supports international-mindedness and is, in turn, supported by it. The flexibility of IB course design allows language acquisition teachers to incorporate ideas and resources that encourage students to view aspects of the language and culture from different (and sometimes differing) perspectives, to make non- judgmental comparisons of language and culture, and to view language and culture in a global context.

Assessment

What Skills does this course provide?

The course aims at providing the following skills:

• Develop international-mindedness through the study of languages, cultures, and ideas and issues of global significance.
• Enable students to communicate in the language they have studied in a range of contexts and for a variety of purposes.Encourage, through the study of texts and through social interaction, an awareness and appreciation of a variety of perspectives of people from diverse cultures.
• Develop students’ understanding of the relationship between the languages and cultures with which they are familiar.
• Develop students’ awareness of the importance of language in relation to other areas of knowledge.
• Provide students, through language learning and the process of inquiry, with opportunities for intellectual engagement and the development of critical- and creative-thinking skills.
• Provide students with a basis for further study, work and leisure through the use of an additional language.
• Foster curiosity, creativity and a lifelong enjoyment of language learning.

What Pathway Options does this course provide?

This IB Language course can lead to opportunities in a range of careers and tertiary study including education/teaching, research roles, journalism, interpreting, international law, travel industry, human rights advocacy and international diplomacy.