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So I'm awful at French... how do I get back?


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Hi,

 

I'm awful at French and did poorly in Grade 10 (got around 82%), and I'm starting French B SL next year in Grade 11. My school doesn't offer Ab Initio - so I'll probably be studying it from the beginning, probably using this source: http://www.frenchfaster.com/ibfrenchabinitio.htm. My question is: Would be learning Ab Initio be enough to prepare me for French B SL in Grade 11? I'd like to get at least a 6 or a 7 preferably on it next year, and would Ab Initio provide me the framework / preparation for doing so? I'm willing to put in all the effort, time, and daily practice that I need to in these next 2.5 months that I have off. I'll be focusing entirely on French and pretty much nothing else since nothing special is happening.

 

Also, any resources to learn French up to the par that is appropriate for French B SL? I literally have no idea how I got an 82 last year, mostly it was because my teacher was really kind and understood that I was terrible at it. I'm great in other subjects - but French is my weakness. What should I know for French B SL? What tenses, conjugations, and vocabulary?

 

Thank you!

 

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Well French B are required to know the Ab Initio list so starting by learning that makes sense I think.

For resources... only thing I actually ever find helpful to help me learn my language B (mandarin) is exercise books and flashcards, so if you can get hold of that it will hopefully help ;)

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Well French B are required to know the Ab Initio list so starting by learning that makes sense I think.

For resources... only thing I actually ever find helpful to help me learn my language B (mandarin) is exercise books and flashcards, so if you can get hold of that it will hopefully help ;)

Is there any way to find the syllabus of French Ab Initio? Just to know what I should learn for French B SL.

 

Thanks!

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Exchange students can learn a language from scratch in a month; because I was one, I know it works. I'd honestly recommend that if you have 2,5 months off, don't just do the vocab lists and grammar rules. These ab initio lessons will surely help, but outside of that... Immerse yourself in the language: buy a YA book and start reading it, translate each word if you don't understand anything. Write definitions all over the book and highlight phrases you think are useful. Watch French films with French subtitles. Read online newspapers, blogs, whatever intrests you, but in French. Once you start understanding the language and are able to read even at a beginner's level, it will be so much easier for you to learn the necessary words and grammar in IB1 and IB2. Good luck!

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  • 1 month later...

Hi!

 

I think you should not worry about your French if you really put a lot of hard work into studying it! I did French SL and when I only started IB I did not know a single word in French. However, through 2 years of intense studying I managed to learn it. 

 

Here are some links that you might find useful:

 

http://french.about.com/ - they have everything in here 

 

https://quizlet.com/ - try using Quizlet to improve your vocabulary. You can create your own sets or use someone else's

Here is the folder with all the French sets I created. I do not know maybe you will find it helpful: https://quizlet.com/toma_evstafieva/folders/french

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/ - apparently BBC is a good resource for learning French

 

I would also recommend using Duolingo (you can get an app on your phone). However, I usually get bored of it...

 

That might sound weird but also try talking to yourself in French... I mean literally speaking to yourself on different topics... When I was preparing for my Oral, it really helped me.

 

Good luck!

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  • 3 weeks later...

If it helps, reading articles about your favourite things in French gets you motivated to learn the language. Make a vocab list of things you don't understand, and learn the words :)

 

I found a couple of online magazines if you want to give them a read:

http://www.larecherche.fr/

http://www.lesinrocks.com/

http://www.phosphore.com/

 

And here's a list of other French magazines you could check out:  http://multilingualbooks.com/online-magazines-french.html

 

I hope this helps!

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