Language ab initio is a challenging but rewarding language acquisition course designed for students with no prior experience of the target language, or for those students with very limited previous exposure. It should be noted that language ab initio is offered at SL only. At the language ab initio level, a student develops receptive, productive and interactive communicative skills. Students learn to communicate in the target language in familiar and unfamiliar contexts. Students will study the following 5 themes:
Languages is a complementary subject that allows students to develop skills applicable to a wide range of academic disciplines and career options in the future. Universities and employers value Languages very highly. You may need languages for all sorts of career destinations – doctors, psychologists and physiotherapists need language skills to communicate effectively with patients whether they work in the UK or overseas; businessmen, bankers and entrepreneurs all need language skills to make deals and sell products on the global market. Politicians, historians, geographers and holiday reps all need language skills to get to know the people and area that they are passionate about. A foreign language B certificate will complement and enhance your other studies.
Paper 1 – Productive Skills-Writing Paper
60 minutes (25%) – two tasks, each 70 – 150 words
Two short writing tasks, each from a choice of three. Each text needs to conform to a given text type such as a letter, mail, brochure, etc.
Paper 2 – Receptive skills-Reading and Listening Paper
Listening 45 minutes / Reading 60 minutes (50%). Comprehension exercises on three audio passages and three written texts, drawn from all five themes studied.
Individual Oral
7 to 10 minutes (25%). A conversation with the teacher based on visual stimuli, followed by a discussion based on an additional theme.
