The Language B course is designed for students who have already studied the language at GCSE level and want to perfect their knowledge of the language while exploring the culture connected to that language. The Language B course focuses on language acquisition and intercultural understanding.

Why Study a Foreign Language?

Studying a foreign language is very important nowadays and is an asset for the future; the world is becoming more and more interdependent and new technologies are erasing borders. Learning a different language will not only demonstrate the student’s ability to express himself/herself in an everyday context in a foreign language but will also demonstrate an awareness and appreciation of other people and other cultures.

The Aim of the Course

The course is designed to give students the tools to communicate in speech and in writing in order to deal with familiar and practical situations. Students will be given the chance to discuss general current affairs and, in particular, issues related to the country where the language is spoken. Students will also develop their cultural awareness.

At Higher Level, students will be given an insight into the literature of the country where the language is spoken in order to appreciate the subtleties of the language further.

The Language B Course

The themes studied are:

• Identities: to explore the nature of the self and what it is to be human (lifestyles, health and wellbeing, beliefs and values, subcultures, language and identity) 
• Experiences:  to explore and tell the stories of the events, experiences and journeys that shape our lives (leisure activities, holidays and travel, life stories, rites of passage, customs and traditions, migration)
• Human ingenuity: to explore the ways in which human creativity and innovation affect our world (entertainment, artistic expressions, communication and media, technology, scientific innovation)  
• Social organisation: to explore the ways in which groups of people organise themselves or are organised through common systems or interests (social relationships, community, social engagement, education, the working world, law and order) 
• Sharing the planet: to explore the challenges and opportunities faced by individuals and communities in the modern world (the environment, human rights, peace and conflict, equality, globalisation, ethics, urban and rural environment)

At Higher Level, students read two works of literature.

There are six assessment objectives for the language B course and students will be assessed on their ability to:

1. Communicate clearly and effectively in a range of contexts and for a variety of purposes
2. Understand and use language appropriate to a range of interpersonal and/or intercultural contexts and audiences
3. Understand and use language to express and respond to a range of ideas with accuracy and fluency
4. Identify, organise and present ideas on a range of topics
5. Understand, analyse and reflect upon a range of written, audio, visual and audio-visual texts. ideas 
6. Understand and use works of literature written in the target language (HL only)

Standard Level (SL)

Higher Level (HL)

Key Skills

As well as developing their linguistic knowledge further, students will:

• Develop their listening skills and memory.
• Develop their analytical skills to produce oral presentation but also essays, speeches, etc. 
• Read articles and texts to extract main ideas and specific details.
• Use the context and their general knowledge to further understand a text.
• Use their creativity to produce stories and non-guided essays.

Entry Requirements

It is recommended that students wishing to study language B have a minimum of a Grade 4 at IGCSE level in the language they wish to study further, and a Grade 6 at IGCSE level for Higher Level.