IB subjects B SL and AB initio , can I change my option at the end of the course ?

[Guest]

hi there , so i have been wondering could I change my ib german B into ab initio at the end of the year !

i mean, can i study ib german B but having German ab initio exam at the end of the course ?

Cause i wanna learn as many german as possible with making sure that i can get good grades at ease .

do you guys have any similar experiences or any advices ??? 

 

thank you

[Knight]

You can't write ab intio test if you have more than 2 years of learning that language.

[Emmi]

The general rule is that ab initio is meant for absolute beginners, and if you have some experience (usually at least two years) with a language you take it at the B level. However, it's not really that enforced, and they let people who should be at a higher level take it at an easier level. My school let three native Spanish speakers (all from Spain, studied in Spanish until they were 14-15) take the HL Spanish B exam just so they could get a free 7, while I had to compete with them on the same exam being a non-native speaker, for which the course is intended. Thus the grade boundaries get artificially inflated. I think you usually need upwards of an 86%+ to get a 7 in Spanish, for example.

 

If you really want, you could just learn a ton of extra vocabulary and grammar and take the ab initio exam, but that's sort of cheating yourself, and isn't fair to the actual ab initio level students. But it's your choice at the end of the day.

[Guest]

but i only have a year of german experience so far .. which means i don't feel confident enough to compete with people in my class.....

[Emmi]

Based on your flag, I'm assuming you're living in Germany (please correct me if I'm wrong). A further expansion on who takes the B level exam at SL is people with at least two years experience in the language, or people who have just moved to a country where that language is primarily spoken. The reason for this is because you're going to be exposed to the language either directly or indirectly, so as long as you're not sitting in a bubble of your native language you should pick up enough German to take the B level exam.

 

If even this isn't enough, then you can try to let your school take the ab initio exam, but it's all up to your school's decision and policy.

[artisticsoul8]

I moved to Denmark over a year ago and my Danish is not good enough to take Danish B HL or even SL. Since my school doesn't offer Danish ab initio, my IB coordinator suggested I take self taught in my own language. She herself admitted that there's no way I can pass Danish B even though I live in the country at the moment and I'm exposed to the language. I know that it's the best way to learn a language but sometimes it's really hard especially that my entire stay here I've used English as my primary language of communication.

 

However, this year's IB2s have an ab initio option and few of them were allowed to take Danish B SL in IB1 and take exams in ab initio at the end of IB2. I think it really depends on the school and an individual case of a student.

 

As long as you're not studying the language over 2-3 years prior to your exams that shouldn't be an issue. But anyhow, I suggest you discuss this with your coordinator, she/he might have some good suggestions for you. Good luck! 

[IBProcrastinator]

Hey, I myself do German B (HL).

 

My experience is that the is a gab between German B SL and ab initio. ab initio is really for people who just moved into the country and are just starting to study the language, the exams are therefore very simple. German B SL is more challenging as it already requires you to have good knowledge. You work on reading small novels and doing a lot of grammar. 

 

But you decide what you do. 

 

Good luck