St Edward's IB Guide 2026

Language B (SL and HL) French, German, Spanish

SL and HL are differentiated by the recommended number of teaching hours, the depth of syllabus coverage, the study of literature at HL, and the level of difficulty and demands of assessment and application of assessment criteria.

Language B is a language acquisition course available at Standard (SL) and Higher Level (HL). It is designed for pupils who have some prior knowledge in the target language. While acquiring a language, pupils will explore the culture(s) connected to it. The focus of these courses is language acquisition, intercultural understanding and international mindedness. The Language B syllabus approaches the learning of language through meaning. Through the study of five prescribed themes at SL and HL, plus two literary works at HL, pupils build the necessary skills to reach the assessment objectives of the Language B course through the expansion of their receptive, productive and interactive skills.

To thrive at Higher Level you should have grade 7 at GCSE in the relevant language or, ideally, above.

NB: ToK (Theory of Knowledge) is also supported through the study of languages.

The five prescribed themes studied are: • Identities • Experiences

• Human ingenuity • Social organisation • Sharing the planet

LANGUAGE B HL/SL

SECTION ASSESSED AREAS

External assessment (HL and SL)

Paper 1

25%

Productive skills: writing

Paper 2

50%

Section 1: Receptive skills – Listening comprehension Section 2: Receptive skills – Reading comprehension

Internal Assessment

Individual Oral

25%

IB COURSE GUIDE

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