Australian International Academy crest Australian International Academy · Strathfield
Year 11 2027 Subject Marketplace
IB Diploma Programme · Group 2 — Language Acquisition

Language Acquisition — Arabic (ab initio / Language B)

Standard Level · 150 hours (SL) · DP Year 1 (2027) and DP Year 2 (2028)

Group
Group 2 — Language Acquisition
Level offered
Standard Level (SL)
Teaching hours
150 hours (SL)
IB syllabus
Current DP syllabus, first examined 2020
Notes
Arabic is the Academy’s core language acquisition offering for 2027; Indonesian and French are under consideration subject to demand and staffing. The route (ab initio or Language B) depends on prior experience with the language.

Course description

Language acquisition consists of two related courses — language ab initio and language B — designed to give students the skills and intercultural understanding to communicate successfully in the target language. Language ab initio is designed for students with little or no previous experience of the language, while language B is designed for students who already have some prior experience or background in it. The Academy places each student into the appropriate course based on their language background.

Both courses develop students’ receptive, productive and interactive skills through the study of language, themes and texts, and foster international-mindedness through engagement with the culture(s) associated with the language studied.

Course structure

  • Identities
  • Experiences
  • Human Ingenuity
  • Social Organization
  • Sharing the Planet
  • Language ab initio additionally prescribes four set topics within each of the five themes; Language B HL students also study two literary works written in the target language.

Students who should consider this course

This course suits students who speak or have some background in Arabic and wish to formalise and extend that skill, as well as beginners seeking to develop a new language and intercultural understanding as part of a genuinely international education.

Assessment at a glance

ComponentWeighting %
Paper 1 — Productive skills / writing (external)25
Paper 2 — Receptive skills: listening and reading (external)50
Individual oral assessment (internal)25

External examinations

External assessment comprises a written productive-skills paper and a separate listening and reading paper, sat in the May session. The internally assessed individual oral is conducted and recorded at school and externally moderated by IB examiners.

Subject presentation

Slide 1 of 9
Slide 1 of 9Use ← → keys, or click a slide

Arabic — Language IB DP subject selection presentation (Languages Department).

Text transcript of the slides (9 slides)
Slide 1

Arabic — DP IB Language B SL and ab initio

  • Years 11 and 12
Slide 2

DP Language B (SL) course

  • Language B: 150 hours. Designed for students with some previous experience (4–6 years) of the target language. Students further develop their ability to communicate in the target language through the study of language, themes and texts.
  • Language ab initio: designed for students with limited exposure to the target language. Students develop their receptive, productive and interactive skills.
Slide 3

Themes and topics

  • Identities — health and wellbeing (lifestyles, fitness and diet); language and identity (beliefs and values); customs and traditions (festivals, celebrations and weddings).
  • Experiences — travelling (holidays and travelling); leisure activities (sports and hobbies); migration (refugees and communities).
  • Human ingenuity — entertainment (music, movies and excursions); technology (internet and means of communication); communication and media (mass media and social media).
  • Social organisation — social relationships (family and friendship); community (diversity and local events); education (schooling and tertiary education).
  • Sharing the planet — the environment (weather, environmental issues and solutions); globalisation (aid organisations, peace and war).
Slide 4

Year 11 (IB) school assessment

  • Oral 1 — 12–15 minutes — 10%
  • Listening and responding — 1 hour — 20%
  • Writing in Arabic — 1 hour 15 minutes — 20%
  • Oral 2 — 12–15 minutes — 10%
  • All skills — 3 hours 15 minutes — 40%
Slide 5

Year 12 (IB) school assessment

  • Oral 3 — 12–15 minutes — 10%
  • Reading and responding — 1 hour — 25%
  • Listening — 45 minutes — 20%
  • Writing in Arabic — 1 hour 15 minutes — 15%
  • Mock test — 3 hours 15 minutes — 30%
Slide 6

Language B SL assessment

  • External assessment (3 hours) — 75%.
  • Paper 1 (1 hour 15 minutes): productive skills — writing (30 marks); one writing task of 250–400 words from a choice of three, each from a different theme — 25%.
  • Paper 2 (1 hour 45 minutes): receptive skills — separate sections for listening (45 minutes, 25 marks) and reading (1 hour, 40 marks); comprehension exercises on three audio passages and three written texts drawn from all five themes — 50%.
  • Internal assessment (12–15 minutes) — individual oral (30 marks): a conversation with the teacher based on a picture, followed by discussion based on an additional theme; internally assessed and externally moderated — 25%.
Slide 7

Language ab initio assessment

  • External assessment (2 hours 45 minutes) — 75%.
  • Paper 1 (1 hour): productive skills — writing (30 marks); two written tasks of 75–150 words from a choice of three, each from a different theme — 25%.
  • Paper 2 (1 hour 45 minutes): receptive skills — listening (45 minutes, 25 marks) and reading (1 hour, 40 marks) — 50%.
  • Internal assessment (7–10 minutes) — individual oral (30 marks): a conversation with the teacher based on a picture, followed by discussion based on an additional theme — 25%.
Slide 8

Assessment samples

  • Will be posted on Google Classroom.
Slide 9

Questions?

  • Speak to the Languages Department with any questions.