St Edward's IB Guide 2026

CLASSICAL LANGUAGES

Latin and/or Greek

The course aims to develop this active participation in three key ways: • asking pupils to consider the role they, their classmates, and teachers play in confirming, challenging, and negotiating the meaning of texts • helping pupils to generate their own personal connections between the study of the classical world and their own (or other) languages, literatures, and cultures • encouraging pupils to use the classical language as a medium for their own, original expression. By fully integrating the study of language, literature, and culture, and by encouraging pupils to see a role for themselves as users of the language, the Classical Languages course allows pupils to build deep, meaningful, and lifelong understandings. These not only prepare them for further study in the Classics or other areas, but also equip them with tools to lead responsible, meaningful lives beyond the confines of the classroom.

Pupils studying Classical Languages aim to achieve competence in Latin or Classical Greek to experience ancient texts in the most immediate way possible. The course focuses on the reading of unadapted Latin or Classical Greek literature, but this is complemented by pupils’ examination of other linguistic, historical, archaeological, and art historical evidence, to better understand the classical world. Three areas of exploration ground the study of this evidence and provide a framework for pupils as they build their proficiency in the classical language, develop their analytical and interpretative skills, and further their understanding of the historical, cultural, political, and artistic concerns reflected in the texts they study. These areas of exploration invite pupils and teachers of Classical Languages to engage in a fully integrated study of language, literature, and culture, and to position themselves not as passive readers or receivers of the classical world, but rather as active participants in an ongoing classical tradition.

There are 3 components to the SL course and 4 for the HL.

HL ASSESSMENT OUTLINE

WEIGHTING SL ASSESSMENT OUTLINE

WEIGHTING

External assessment Paper 1 (2 hours)

80% 30%

External assessment Paper 1 (1.5 hours) Reading comprehension and translation questions based

70% 35%

Reading comprehension, translation, and guided analysis questions based on a set of two unseen extracts. (40 marks) Of two options, pupils select one. Paper 2 (1.5 hours) Short answer questions based on an extract from a prescribed core text and an extended response based on a prompt. (32 marks) Of four options, pupils select one. Higher level composition Pupils submit an original composition in prose Latin or Classical Greek guided by intentions and informed by classical sources and additional research. Alongside the composition, pupils submit a rationale of no more than 10 entries that explains how the composition achieved the stated intentions. (25 marks)

on an unseen extract. (30 marks) Of two options, pupils select one.

Paper 2 (1.5 hours) Short answer questions based on an extract from a prescribed core text and an extended response based on a prompt. (32 marks) Of four options, pupils select one.

30%

35%

Internal assessment Research Dossier

30%

20%

This component is internally assessed by the teacher and externally moderated by the IB at the end of the course. An annotated collection of seven to nine primary source materials that answers a question on a topic related to the classical language, literature, or culture. The dossier is introduced by a further source that captures the inspiration for the line of inquiry. (28 marks)

Internal assessment Research Dossier See Standard Level description.

20%

ST EDWARD’S OXFORD

12