Language acquisition is an integral part of the IB Diploma Programme. Currently, the IB Language Acquisition course offers approximately 80 languages, and French is among the most popular choices for students across the globe. If you, too, would like to learn it as a second language, you have two options – IB French Ab Initio and Language B.
In this IB French Ab Initio guide, we will provide a comprehensive breakdown of the course. In particular, its curriculum, syllabus, and the examination format. To help you better understand what Ab Initio French is, we invited Dr. Eva, who is an IB language teacher as well as a French Language tutor at TutorsPlus.
What is IB French Ab Initio?
The Latin ‘Ab Initio’ stands for ‘from the beginning’. Indeed, the course is intended for students who have no background in French and want to learn it from scratch.
The two-year language acquisition program provides students with basic knowledge of the everyday use of French. At the same time, it gives insight into the culture of the diverse Francophone community.
Dr. Eva sums up: “The aim of the IB Language Ab Initio course is to provide learners with the ability to communicate in the target language and to develop an awareness of cultural specifications linked to the target language.”
French Ab Initio vs French Language B
Ab Initio and Language B alike give students the skills to communicate in French. This includes listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In addition, the IB Diploma Programme emphasises the importance of cultural awareness, and both courses integrate cultural aspects into the curriculum. The goal is to foster a deeper understanding of French-speaking societies.
The difference between the two options is that Language B requires several years of prior formal tuition whereas Ab Initio is for those who start with zero knowledge of the language. This means that these courses can’t be viewed as alternatives.
That being said, there are situations when students can choose between French Language B and Ab Initio. It is possible when they don’t exactly fit the criteria of either course.
For instance, if you previously learned French outside of school (at home, in French courses, etc.) but had no lessons in middle school, you might be eligible for Language B instead of Ab Initio.
Your school should be able to consider your case individually based on the depth of knowledge and your best interests at heart.
You should also keep in mind that Ab Initio is available only at SL, while you can learn Language B at either SL or HL.
Key Features of French Ab Initio Syllabus
All Language Acquisition courses in the IB Programme help students develop skills in using and understanding the target language, and Ab Initio French is no exception. These essential skills can be broken into three categories:
- Speaking and Writing (Productive Skills). You’ll learn how to express yourself in French, both in conversation and through writing. This knowledge should help you in such situations as ordering food at a restaurant, describing your hobbies, or writing a simple email.
- Listening and Understanding (Receptive Skills). Listening comprehension is important in various contexts. For example, in listening to classmates, watching a French movie with subtitles, or understanding announcements at a train station.
- Interactive Skills. Thanks to the emphasis on communication, you’ll learn how to interact with others in French. This skill will come in handy when asking questions, giving directions, or having a simple conversation with a native speaker.
On top of the ability to communicate, Ab Initio encourages appreciation of French-speaking cultures. Besides France, the Francophone world includes Belgium, Canada, and many other countries. Understanding these diverse cultures through their traditions, art, music, and history can open your mind to new perspectives and ways of life.
French Ab Initio is also beneficial in the context of learning a foreign language. Not only does it contribute to intellectual development and the improvement of creative thinking, but also makes it easier to learn other languages in the future. Besides, being bilingual is a valuable skill for both college and careers.
IB French Ab Initio lasts 2 years and 150 hours of teaching time. You will get to work with various authentic texts across the five prescribed themes and 20 topics. At the same time, you need to produce written and oral texts yourself reflecting the content of the curriculum and your personal interests.
French Ab Initio Curriculum
As we have already said, the course’s curriculum offers a variety of situations spread across 5 themes. Each theme is additionally broken into 4 topics. In total, students learn 20 topics with the help of written, visual, audio, and audio-visual learning materials.
According to the International Baccalaureate diploma programme subject brief, French Ab Initio themes and topics are:
- Identities. This theme helps students explore themselves and express who they are. The list of topics includes:
- Personal attributes;
- Personal relationships;
- Eating and drinking;
- Physical well-being.
- Experiences. Students familiarise themselves with various events, experiences, and journeys. Specifically, they discuss those that affected their identity and personal transformation. This theme is explored in the context of:
- Daily routine;
- Leisure;
- Holidays;
- Festivals and celebrations.
- Human Ingenuity. This section delves into human creative thinking alongside technological advances and how they change our lives. The specific topics are:
- Transport;
- Entertainment;
- Media;
- Technology.
- Social organisation. This theme explores the ways people organise themselves in different environments (home, school, work, etc.), and the factors that affect them (such as cultural aspects, interests, place of living, etc.).
- Neighbourhood;
- Education;
- The workplace;
- Social issues.
- Sharing the planet. With this theme, students get to know the challenges, issues, and opportunities of the world we live in. The following topics elaborate on the theme:
- Climate;
- Physical geography;
- The environment;
- Global issues.
Thanks to its diverse themes and learning materials, the French Ab Initio curriculum gives students a solid foundation in French communication. By the end of year two in the IBDP, they should be able to understand and express themselves in various everyday situations.
IB French Ab Initio Assessment
At the end of the course, all students have to sit an exam. Specifically, it consists of two parts: External (i.e. it is graded by an IBDP examiner outside of your school) and Internal (your or another teacher from your school marks it).
French Ab Initio External Assessment
The first stage of your examination is a comprehensive external assessment that evaluates your reading, listening, and writing skills. It consists of two papers:
- Paper 1 assesses your productive skills within 1 hour. This means that you need to complete two writing assignments (each out of the choice of three). Each text that you need to write should be 75-150 words long. Paper 1 brings a maximum of 30 marks, which is equal to 25% of the total grade.
- Paper 2 assesses receptive skills and has listening and reading components. Listening awards up to 25 marks and is based on three audio passages. At the same time, reading introduces three written texts with a number of following questions and brings a maximum of 40 marks. This part of the examination lasts 1 hour and 45 minutes and contributes 50% to the total mark.
Overall, the external assessment is responsible for 75% of your final grade.
Individual Oral (French IA)
Along with External assessment, French Ab Initio has an Individual oral exam. To assess your ability to speak French, you will receive visual stimuli (images) relevant to the syllabus themes. You must choose one stimulus and prepare a presentation that showcases your ability to analyse an image, use the right vocabulary and grammar structures to convey your ideas, and adapt to various situations. The oral exam accounts for 30 marks, which is 25% of the total grade.
After you pick the stimulus, you will have 15 minutes to prepare your presentation. It should be in the form of an outline or bullet points of what you’ll be talking about with the examiner. Don’t try to write the entire presentation because you won’t have enough time. Besides, reading is simply not allowed (only using your notes).
The presentation itself lasts up to two minutes, which should be enough to describe the stimulus and talk about the relevant theme.
The next part of the oral exam is a discussion. You need to go into more detail on your topic, describe your experiences, and show your appreciation of the culture. You should also expect follow-up questions from your examiner. Overall, the discussion takes 3-4 minutes.
The final part of the French Ab Initio oral is a general discussion. It will go beyond the topic of your presentation but will still stay within the five themes of the syllabus. You will have 3-4 minutes to impress the examiner and establish a connection with what you’ve learned in your Ab Initio lessons and through your other cultural experiences.
Tips to Succeed in French Ab Initio
To many students, French Ab Initio can be a difficult subject. This is due to the density of the material and the requirement to acquire the basics in just two years. However, if you choose the right preparation strategy and allocate enough time to immerse yourself in French, you’ll be able to meet all your study goals.
If you need extra help, an IB French tutor can boost your confidence and provide support to improve your grades.
How to Prepare for IB French Ab Initio Oral
The oral part of the exam is arguably the most nerve-wracking. Nevertheless, it is important to try and overcome nervousness and insecurity.
Regular practice will help with this. Whether you’re engaged with native speakers or your classmates, speaking practice provides invaluable experience to improve fluency. That’s why you need to try and introduce French into your life as much as possible.
The oral assessment involves describing a visual stimulus followed by a discussion. It goes without saying that your preparation should include practising with similar images while adhering to exam time constraints (such as time limits). It is also a good idea to record yourself and analyse how well you fared. If possible, you can show your records to a native speaker or a person with a good command of French for feedback.
We recommend structuring image descriptions to enhance your performance. Begin by describing people and their relationships. Subsequently, describe the setting and weather conditions. Finally, provide your opinion on what they are doing, why, and connect it to your own experience. Remember to use varied vocabulary and sentence structures since they make the language more interesting.
Since the cultural aspect is one of the pillars of the IB Diploma Programme, you have to incorporate cultural appreciation into your presentation and/or discussion. To do so, make sure to research French culture, including its customs and traditions.
Last but not least, you should avoid over-reliance on notes. While preparing for IB French Ab Initio oral, try to be as natural as possible. It is also useful to make spontaneous speeches (without taking notes) sometimes to boost your adaptability.
With good preparation, it is possible to get top marks in French Ab Initio exam. This will leave you in a confident position going into the final IB exam later on in the year.
How to Prepare for French IB Ab Initio Writing Assessment
The written component of the French IB Ab Initio exam (Paper 1) evaluates grammar, vocabulary, and use of appropriate text types. It requires you to adapt your language style to different contexts.
The most common text types you can meet in your exam include emails (both formal and informal), postcards, brochures, posters, invitations, diary entries, letters, articles, blog posts, speeches, etc. You need to be ready to use conventions and language specific to each text type. To do so, practice writing different texts on a regular basis. Such practice will help you get accustomed to their structures, expand your vocabulary, and eventually develop versatility.
As you practice at home, don’t hesitate to use dictionaries, grammar guides, and online tools to sound more accurate and natural. Make sure to write down some ideas that may be useful on the exam day. Consistent practice will allow you to enter the exam room fully prepared.
How to Prepare for the Listening Component French Ab Initio
Without exposing yourself to the French language, it will be virtually impossible to nail the listening part of the exam. That’s why it is a must to incorporate listening practice into your study routine. This could include French news broadcasts, podcasts, songs, or even audiobooks for beginners. The more you listen, the more familiar you’ll become with the language’s rhythm and intonation.
Don’t get upset if you don’t understand everything at first. Focus on grasping the main ideas and key details. Gradually, your vocabulary and listening comprehension will improve. But don’t just passively listen. We recommend sticking to a more active approach involving summarising what you’ve heard, taking notes, or repeating information out loud. Not only will this help improve your understanding but also retention.
It is also beneficial to practice with exam conditions in mind. Past papers can give you an idea of the types of tasks you might encounter in the exam (e.g., multiple-choice questions, gap-filling, true/false, etc.) as well as the topics which may come up. Before you start listening, give yourself time to carefully read the questions along with underlining keywords and important phrases – they will provide clues to the meaning of audio clips. As you practice, stick to the time limits and listen to the passages no more than twice, so you get used to the demands of the exam.
How to Prepare for the Reading Component of French Ab Initio Exam
Paper 1, and more precisely its Reading component, introduces a variety of text formats such as ads, emails, articles, blog posts, and many others. To answer the questions correctly, you need to understand not only the content of these texts but also their writing style.
Your textbooks and accompanying practice papers provide valuable practice opportunities. But these are not the only resources you can rely on. Websites like News in Slow French or FrenchPod101 can provide engaging materials for your level.
Again, past papers are valuable sources to learn more about the upcoming exam. Make a room in your schedule to practice with these to get to know the questions and text formats.
As you read texts in French, make it your habit to focus on the keywords and scan for specific details. Such context clues will help you understand the meaning of the text even if you don’t know some words.
Although dictionaries and other resources are not allowed during your exam, you can (and should) use them as you revise. Look up unfamiliar words and grammar structures, take notes, and try to incorporate some of them into your speech. This way, there will be fewer things that may catch you off guard during your assessment.
Improve Your French with TutorsPlus
You try your best to master French but it is just not working? Do the upcoming French Ab Initio exams give you panic attacks? Don’t stress out! We are here to offer a solution.
We are Tutors Plus, a friendly and knowledgeable team of IB tutors with dozens of years of experience and hundreds of happy students. Your success is as important to us as it is to you. That’s why we are committed to helping you understand, write, read, and speak French at the top of your game. Learning a foreign language at school can be extremely stressful. With us, you can forget about this stress and just enjoy the process to the fullest.
Are you ready to knock it out of the park? Then don’t hesitate to contact us at 022 731 8148 or info@tutorsplus.com. Learning French has never been easier with Tutors Plus.
By Sara Lloyd
Sara has been an education consultant for TutorsPlus for 15 years, and is an expert on international IB education. She is also a parent of two lively children.
