International Baccalaureate Spanish

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

SPANISH

What is Spanish B: Standard and Higher Levels?
This two year course, for students with some previous experience of learning the language, will lead to examinations for both Standard and Higher Level Spanish. The main focus of the course is on language acquisition and development of linguistic skills to an advanced and fairly sophisticated level. Students will be given the opportunity to reach a high degree of competence in the language and explore the culture of Spain and Latin America. Emphasis is placed on learning language through a detailed study of texts and through social interaction, and students are expected to gain an awareness and appreciation of the different perspectives of people from other cultures. The first year of the course contains a substantial study of
grammar and syntaxin order to lay the foundations for effective and spontaneous communication across a variety of topics, including the discussion in depth, of social, political and moral issues. The course is essentially topic-based, but includes the study of literary extracts from numerous sources in twentieth century literatureand discussion, in Spanish, of several
Spanish films.

Why Should I study Spanish?
Cultural content:learning about Spain and Spanish-speaking world, its history and literature; discussing a range of social and political issues, developing an awareness of the world in which you live; learning to communicate fluently in one of the worlds major and most-spoken languages.

Transferable skills:logical thinking developed through the scientific learning of language; analytical skills; research skills; constructing and substantiating arguments, defending opinions; thinking on-the-spot; high level intellectual skills required by the linguist to assimilate language and ideas and re-process them mentally in order to translate in your head, mentally transferring thoughts from one language to another ie. doing the job that no computer can do with complete effectiveness.

Future Careers: not just teaching and translating/ interpreting; language skills are vital in Business and Management positions and can open many doors in a wide variety of fields.

Useful skills and interests

While the standard achieved at Higher Level is comparable to that of current A level candidates, the type of study in which an IB student is engaged and assessed places more emphasis on certain kinds of skills. An IB Spanish student should be:

- keen on reading and capable of undertaking independent research. The student should enjoy analysing text in detail both for stylistic and linguistic devices and for message and tone. Considerable emphasis is placed upon comprehension and detailed study of a variety of texts. This includes analysis of character and message and sub-text in literary sources and film, and the assessment of subtleties of the language in a wide range of forms, styles and registers.

- A thinker, with a questioning mind, able to link ideas.

- Enjoy oral participation, especially discussion and imaginative work such as complex role-play, mini drama etc. The IB student needs to be an inquirer, a thinker, open-minded, reflective and balanced, with intellectual interests and an ability to think on his/her feet.

- enjoy playing with words and understanding the puzzle of language.

- have an interest in the culture and society of Spain.

Course Structure and Content
As one of the fundamental objectives is to achieve an appreciation of the Spanish culture, several topics are studied in order to gain an insight into the socio-political reality of modern Spain:

First year:
▪ Leisure, Folklore and traditions ▪ Family Life and Youth Concerns ▪ Arts and the media ▪ Education and Employment ▪ Health ▪ Crime and Punishment
Second Year
▪ Immigration ▪ Environmental Concerns ▪ Ethics: abortion, euthanasia, cloning, homosexuality ▪ Politics; terrorism - ETA and Basque separatism - Spanish civil war, dictatorship and democracy, regional autonomy and the linguistic question ▪ Globalisation and the European Union
▪ Religion and beliefs How will I be assessed?
Examinations are all taken towards the end of the second year of study. Reading and writing are assessed in Paper 1 (1.5 hrs) and a further Writing task of around 400 words in Paper 2 (1.5 hrs) or 250 words for Standard Level. There are two oral examinations, internally assessed by the teacher and externally moderated: one individual oral based on a stimulus chosen by the candidate (presentation + interview + general discussion); and an Interactive Oral Activity. Listening is assessed through the oral exchange (comprehension of questions and response); there is no separate listening assessment.
Course Commitment
This is a two year course and, during the first two terms at least, even students intending to take Spanish only to Standard level will be required to attend all lessons i.e. 4.5 hours per week, in order to lay the essential foundations of the language. See the section on "Useful skills and interests" for specific skills required: commitment to detailed reading, grammatical understanding and independent study.
Course Costs
Occasional costs for extra resources such as Spanish novels etc. The Spanish exchange with Valladolid is voluntary and costs each student in the region of £200.

Progression Routes
Pure Language degrees are widely offered, but many degree level courses can be also combined with a foreign language e.g. Business/Management and Spanish; Law/ Politic and Spanish. Employers look for the kind of skills and versatility evinced by good linguists: advanced communication skills, adaptability and openness; self-reliance and negotiation skills; the intellectual ability and self-discipline required to master the subject.