Language B

Course overview

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2019

International Baccalaureate® | Baccalauréat International® | Bachillerato Internacional®
Language B: course overview

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2019 2/26/2020 2

 Who is the course for?
• Designed for students with some previous experience of the target
language
• Common European Framework of Reference for Languages suggests that
students at CEFR A2 or B1 in the target language can take language B SL
• Students at CEFR B1 or B2 can take language B HL
• They develop conceptual understandings of how language works, as
appropriate to the level of the course
• Most language B subjects are available at both SL and HL
• At both levels of language B (SL and HL), students learn to communicate
in the target language in familiar and unfamiliar contexts
• They describe situations, narrate events, make comparisons, explain
problems and state and support their personal opinions on a variety of
topics relating to course content
• The study of two literary works originally written in the target language is
required only at language B HL

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2019 2/26/2020 3

 Syllabus outline

Human Social Sharing the

Identities Experiences
Ingenuity Organisation planet
Explore the Explore and Explore the Explore the Explore the
nature of the tell the ways in which ways in which challenges
self and what stories of the human groups of and
it is to be events, creativity and people opportunities
human experiences innovation organize faced by
and journeys affect our themselves, individuals
that shape world or are and
our lives organized, communities
through in the
common modern
systems or world
interests

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2019 2/26/2020 4

 Assessment outline: B SL
IA P1 P2
Individual Oral Writing Receptive skills – listening
and reading
15 min preparation time comprehension (separate
sections)
12-15 min oral 1 hr 15 mins
1 hr 45 min
25% 25%
50% (25% each
Presentation based on One writing task of 250- component)
visual stimulus followed 400 words. Choice of 3.
by a general conversation Questions based on 3
audio and 3 written texts
30 marks 30 marks.
Listening Comprehension
25 marks

Reading Comprehension
40 marks
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2019 2/26/2020 5
 Assessment outline: B HL
IA P1 P2
Individual Oral Writing Receptive skills – listening
and reading
20 min preparation comprehension (separate
sections)
time 1hr 30 mins
12-15 min oral 2 hrs

25 %
25% 50% (25% each
One writing task of 450- component)
Presentation based on a 600 words. Choice of 3.
literary extract from a Questions based on 3
audio and 3 written texts
studied work followed by
a general conversation Listening Comprehension
30 marks. 25 marks
30 marks
Reading Comprehension
2/26/2020 6
40 marks
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2019