IB Modern Languages

IB Modern Languages

Why study French/German/Spanish?
Through your study of French, German or Spanish you will not only increase your practical knowledge of the foreign language, you will also develop extremely valuable â€-transferable skills†of communication, precision and analysis, which will be crucial in Higher Education and serve you well in later life. Being able to operate well in at least one foreign language is normal for those with an advanced level of education in most other countries, in Europe and worldwide. Language knowledge gives you greater access to other cultures and world views. French and Spanish are widely spoken across many continents and German is an important language, particularly in business and commerce, in central and eastern Europe.

What will I learn?
On all the language courses you will develop your speaking, writing, listening and reading skills in the context of a wide range of topics related to the culture and society of French/German/Spanish-speaking countries. While Ab-Initio is concerned mainly with everyday situations, at Standard and Advanced Level topics can range from current affairs and social issues to the arts and, at Higher Level, to an introduction to literature.

How will I learn?
You will learn new language by reading and listening to up-to-date media articles, fact and fiction, and will make use of the college's multimedia language laboratory, allowing listening, viewing, Internet access and other IT applications.

What will I be able to do next?
Most universities offer a wide range of courses where you can study French, German or Spanish in combination for a degree in languages. Increasingly, language study is linked with other subjects, leading perhaps to a Joint Honours Degree in for example French and Philosophy or Spanish and Psychology. Languages are also often taken as a modular part of a degree programme, e.g. in European Law, Journalism, Marketing. There are many opportunities for students to spend a year studying their main subject at a European University, for example taking a Physics course in Germany. If you want to take the language as a main subject at University you would be advised to take it at International Baccalaureate Higher Level. If your aim is to travel the world, language skills are always useful, while the skills you gain from learning one language make learning another more accessible to you - a point which employers appreciate.

How will I be assessed?
At all levels 70% is assessed through external examinations (reading and writing skills) and 30% is assessed internally (listening and speaking skills).

Course: IB HL, SL and Ab-Initio