Group 2 Mandarin Ab Initio (SL)

Entry Guidance

The Mandarin Ab Initio course is designed for student who meet one of the following requirements:

• Who has no prior or has had very limited previous exposure to Mandarin.

• Who has studied Mandarin for less than two years or less and didn’t take the International GCSE exam.

• Who is on the learning support register for language needs.

All final decisions on the appropriateness of the course for which students are entered, are taken by the IB Diploma Coordinator.

Course Aims

This course aims to:

• Develop students’ intercultural understanding.

• Enable students to understand and use the language they have studied in a range of contexts and for a variety of purposes.

• Encourage, through the study of texts and through social interaction, an awareness and appreciation of the different perspectives of people from other cultures.

• Develop students’ awareness of the role of language in relation to other areas of knowledge.

• Develop students’ awareness of the relationship between the languages and cultures with which they are familiar.

• Provide students with a basis for further study, work and leisure through the use of an additional language.

• Provide the opportunity for enjoyment, creativity and intellectual stimulation through knowledge of an additional language.

Course Content

The course comprises five prescribed themes:

Sharing the planet

Assessment Outline

SL Assessment Component Weighting

External Assessment (2 hours 45 minutes) 75%

• Paper 1: Productive skills - writing (1 hour)

• Paper 2: Receptive skills - listening and reading (1 hour 45 minutes)

Internal Assessment 25%

• Individual oral commentary

For Further Advice

Contact Ying Wen, Head of Mandarin: Ying.Wen@dulwich-seoul.kr