Ab Initio for Complete Beginners

[Tentacles]

Hi, this is my first post here! I just wanted to ask if complete beginners will be highly disadvantaged taking ab initio subjects. This might appear to be a little bit odd (considering the fact that the subject was designed for beginners) but it is to my knowledge that many ab initio students have prior knowledge of the language (eg. taking them at IGCSE level). With the bell curve system in place, can newbies like me still manage at least a 6 for the subject (assuming a fair bit of hard work, of course)?

Thanks for the help!

[Sandwich]

Well the whole point of ab initio is FOR beginners, so no I don't think so!

If it helps, I did GCSE Spanish and then did Spanish B. Nobody should be taking ab initio if they did a GCSE or iGCSE in it beforehand - nobody! It's just people messing with the rules. The subject is designed for beginners and although fluent people take B languages and apparently as you say people with experience are now taking ab initio... there's nothing to stop you getting high grades. These levels were designed for people like you and I like to think the majority of people taking them ARE people taking them on a fair footing.

Besides if you didn't take ab initio you'd have to take B and SO many fluent speakers take a B language it's not even funny!

[Emmi]

Hi, this is my first post here! I just wanted to ask if complete beginners will be highly disadvantaged taking ab initio subjects. This might appear to be a little bit odd (considering the fact that the subject was designed for beginners) but it is to my knowledge that many ab initio students have prior knowledge of the language (eg. taking them at IGCSE level). With the bell curve system in place, can newbies like me still manage at least a 6 for the subject (assuming a fair bit of hard work, of course)?

Thanks for the help!

Nope. Ab initio subjects are meant for people who have had very little to no experience with the language prior to starting the course. If you want, you could do a little bit of self-study before you start the IB if you want to get a bit ahead to get exposed to the grammar and vocabulary of the language. But if you put in some effort and study I don't know why you wouldn't have a shot at getting at least a 6.

[Tentacles]

Thanks for the highly encouraging replies. However, I happened to chance upon this thread on IBSurvival > .

Therefore, I'm having second thoughts about picking up an ab initio subject. ><

[flinquinnster]

Well, it's really up to you. I think that for every person who has learnt a language before and takes ab initio, there are probably ten or twenty who are genuine beginners - it shouldn't be that big a disadvantage. Otherwise, if you are concerned, do a language B if you can. Or take Latin, because no one has a background in that

[mdero005k]

IB marks are not based on what other students achieve. Ab Initio is for students who are beginners, if someone that is not a beginner does the class too, it won't affect your marks in any way as the IB examiner doesn't know the difference between how fluent you are and how fluent they are, they only mark what is on the page. Similarly, the grade boundaries, although they vary slightly year to year, are set to accommodate for beginner students not fluent speakers. I do Ab Initio French (I never knew how to speak French before) and although some people have a bit more experience, I have never had trouble getting the marks I want with the amount of study that would normally be expected in any class.

[khimberleigh]

I'm do Ab Initio having never studied the language before and I'm getting 6s and 7s in the tests and so is a lot of my class. So, don't worry you'll be fine even if you haven't learnt the language before.

[Florian Priv]

Hey,

I have chosen to do IB ab. Chinese. I dont really regret doing it although

it is VERY hard. this is more due to the fact that Chinese is a different language

base though.

Overall I wouldnt say that ab initio students are disadvantaged as the level is slightly

higher than IGCSE but you can always ask to have more lessons.

Hope that hlped

[Tentacles]

Thanks guys! Feeling more confident about taking an ab initio subject now.

[Guest HayashiEsme]

Most schools prevent people from cheating this way anyway - though I notice that you're from Singapore and it's not uncommon for people with exemption from the Mother Tongue regulation to be taking Ab Initio and having a smooth journey through for their acquired language. It might affect it a little bit, but not enough to make a huge difference I think:)

[Sandwich]

Well, it's really up to you. I think that for every person who has learnt a language before and takes ab initio, there are probably ten or twenty who are genuine beginners - it shouldn't be that big a disadvantage. Otherwise, if you are concerned, do a language B if you can. Or take Latin, because no one has a background in that

...unless you did GCSE Latin I did!

[TykeDragon]

Sandwich is right - it is unfair and not even funny how many people bend the rules. My school has a class of about 4 arabic ab initio students, one including my friend who IS new to the subject, and works very hard, with subjects such as higher maths, physics and chemistry, and predicted 40+ with the aim to go to Cambridge. He is struggling as the other members of his class are fluent in the subject, so are not being at all helpful in class and basically treating it as a nap. He does not wish to report them or impact them, just deals with the fact (and I don't think this is necessarily because the teacher KNOWS they are fluent) that the teacher does not teach the class and he goes home and teaches himself grammar and vocab.

I took Japanese B - and don't underestimate the step to B. I took my Japanese GCSE a year early and achieved an easy A*. I find B hard. Currently on a 5 (barely scraped it in year 12, about halfway between 5 and 6 as of yr 13 exams) and wondering how on earth to achieve a 6.

[flinquinnster]

Well, it's really up to you. I think that for every person who has learnt a language before and takes ab initio, there are probably ten or twenty who are genuine beginners - it shouldn't be that big a disadvantage. Otherwise, if you are concerned, do a language B if you can. Or take Latin, because no one has a background in that

...unless you did GCSE Latin

Well, I meant as in no one has a background in speaking Latin conversationally (or at least I hope) and that Latin doesn't have ab initio, so it doesn't matter how much you've studied the language, you go to the same exam. I studied Latin for four years before IB, so perhaps it's not good to go into Latin actually if you've never studied it before!