Language B

Language B – subjects offered currently are French, German and Spanish

This option is appropriate for students who are non-native speakers of the language studied and who have achieved at least a grade B or equivalent standard at GCSE.

Language B can be studied either at standard level (3 periods per week) or higher level ( 5 periods per week).

The main focus of the course is on language acquisition and development of language skills, which is undertaken using a range of written and spoken material. This ranges from internet sources such as You Tube and online sites for foreign newspapers and TV to journalistic and literary texts. We also make use of a range of French, German and Spanish feature films and relate these to the study of their respective countries’ culture. The course comprises five topics:- the three core topics of Communication and Media, Global Issues and Social Relationships as well as two topics selected from a range of options including Cultural Diversity and Science and Technology.

At Higher Level, candidates additionally have to study two literary texts originally written in the language studied.

Students on an IB language course do not merely absorb grammatical or linguistic rules, but there is a great emphasis in the course on the principle of leading them to an understanding and awareness of the culture of the countries whose language they are studying. Accordingly the language B course at Sidcot pays as much attention to sociocultural components of a language as to the linguistic and communicative ones.