Sixth Form Subject Guide 2019-2021 REDRAFTED Sixth Form Choices Guide | Page 44
IB French ab initio (Standard Level)
HEAD OF DEPARTMENT: Mrs A Watt ([email protected])
Entry Requirements No previous knowledge of the language is required. This course meets the needs of students
who are interested in learning a new language, (not studied at GCSE), as part of the IB Diploma.
Where next? Linguists are in constant demand and French - and the same is true for any Modern Language -
is now viewed by universities as a facilitating subject, which means that it will help you with
whatever subject you ultimately choose to study, and whatever career you take.
Linguists are trained to think structurally, to express themselves articulately and present focused
arguments, which are skills that employers seek and value highly. Language graduates are
sought after by employers not merely for their linguistic skills, but for the intellectual rigour and
cultural understanding which their course has offered. Young people with language skills are in
short demand and so by taking a language you place yourself in an advantageous position in the
job market. Furthermore, having spent a year abroad makes you a more mature, adaptable and
independent individual.
According to recruitment consultants, a language can add 10 – 15% to your salary and most
language graduates do jobs where languages are advantageous but not central to their work.
Furthermore linguists have the lowest unemployment rates overall, (outdone only by medicine
and law). They find their way into a wide range of jobs – including banks and other financial
institutions, the travel and hospitality business, the media including journalism, advertising, PR,
retail, education, charities, international organisations and many others. About 10% choose to
work abroad, mostly in commercial and business areas.
WHAT WILL I STUDY?
The five themes of the IB course are:
Identities
Experiences
Human Ingenuity
Social Organisation
Sharing the planet
HOW IS THE COURSE ASSESSED?
Internal Assessment: Oral Component 25%: 7-10 minutes plus 15 mins of formal preparation time.
External Assessment: Productive Skills 25% Paper 1: Writing (1 hours)
External Assessment: Receptive Skills 50% Paper 2: Reading ( 1 hour) Listening (45 mins)
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