WELCOME TO THE RUBRICS SECTION
This section includes information regarding the difference between IB Spanish SL and HL classes, what SL and HL entail, as well as a "Students Speak" Tips and Tricks section with interviews from IB graduates. It serves as an information base so that students are able to understand what their course is about and what is expected of them. The information on this website should be up to date with the 2020 revision.
IB LANGUAGE B SPANISH SL
IB LANGUAGE B SPANISH HL
Do you ever complain to your non-IB friends about the struggles that you have to face in the program? All of the hard work that you have to put yourself through? No one can relate to the struggles of learning IB Spanish better than an IB Spanish student themself! This section is dedicated to the words of wisdom from IB Graduates that have taken a Spanish course for their language class. It includes tips and tricks, as well as interviews with these IB graduates.
Interviews with Graduates
Students Speak
Tips for IB Spanish from IB graduates
Student #1
IB Graduate (2019)
Spanish HL
Scored a 6
Q: Which IB Spanish class did you take?
A: Spanish HL
Q: What would you tell someone who doesn't know what to expect from the course?
A: The course is super straightforward. It’s really not a lot of new things, most of it is a
review from previous years.
Q: How did you feel at the start and end of the year?
A: Start: I felt a bit nervous because of the fact it was my second language and it was an HL course.
End: confident in my abilities to pass the exam
Q: Was the course what you expected it to be?
A: The course was somewhat what I expected it to be. It was a lot more reading than I had thought it would be, but it wasn’t too drastically different from my expectations.
Q: What is one (or more) trick(s) you recommend to anyone entering an IB Spanish class?
A: I would definitely use practice exams to look at what kinds of questions they ask, and
remember that the answers are always in order in the text. Also, read articles or
newspapers in Spanish. It helps a lot for paper 1.
Q: What was something that you developed from the class? Do you feel like you grew?
A: I definitely developed in my reading ability. I can now somewhat easily read a
Hispanic book. I do feel like I grew.
Student #2
IB Graduate (2019)
Spanish SL
Scored a 6
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1 IMMERSE YOURSELF IN SPANISH: BOOKS, NEWS, SONGS, ETC.
2 PRACTICE EVERYDAY
Top Tips
Q: Which IB Spanish class did you take? How did you make your decision to take that class in opposed to the other choice?
A: I decided to take IB Spanish SL my senior year because despite my heritage, small exposure to the language at home, and affinity with language in general, I was not completely confident in my ability to decipher the language to the level HL required of me. I knew Spanish was a class I had struggled with slightly in the past and I had faith in myself to succeed in my other HLs.
Q: What would you tell someone who doesn't know what to expect from the course?
A: At the start of the year, I felt nervous, especially with the added pressure of all the different types of examination I knew was expected of me at the end. However, Señor Beauchamp did a fairly good job of guiding and instructing us and by the end of the year, although nervous, I felt more ready to perform well on my exams.
Q: How did you feel at the start and end of the year?
A: The course was honestly less demanding than I expected. I wish there were more instances where we could develop auditory skills but I have heard they're implementing that this year, which is a good improvement. Overall, I appreciated the unmet expectations though.
Q: Was the course what you expected it to be?
A: I don't think there's really any "tricks" to it, but I would definitely encourage emphasis on auditory and verbal learning. Knowing what to say and how o word it helps, and if you know what sounds right and feels right to say, it might help when writing or reading too. I've definitely used more speech than writing since graduation.
Q: What is one (or more) trick(s) you recommend to anyone entering an IB Spanish class?
A: I definitely developed some fluency from the class. I may not have reached full trilingual status but I felt more confident speaking it after my senior year IB class and therefore, I feel my Spanish skills grew.
Q: What was something that you developed from the class? Do you feel like you grew?
A: I would say to just be open to the ideas discussed and learning the language. Knowing another language is a useful skill and Spanish is a good language to know in general. When things get tough, never be afraid to turn to others for help. SL is definitely a better choice for those who feel unsure about keeping up with the workload of an HL Spanish class.
Student #3
IB Graduate (2019)
Spanish SL
Unknown Score
Q: Which IB Spanish class did you take?
A: IB Spanish V (SL)
Q: What would you tell someone who doesn't know what to expect from the course?
A: The course will partly help with your Spanish language by filling in holes where you need improvement, but more than anything it will teach you about many different types of Latin countries. You will learn about inequalities faced and attempts at overcoming these obstacles, often with these attempts bringing their own challenges.
Q: How did you feel at the start and end of the year?
A: I started the year feeling confident, but still a bit nervous about what was to come. The oral was especially daunting for me as I began the class. This changed at the end of the year, as I gained confidence in my Spanish ability and realized that the oral and other IB requirements were not as hard as I anticipated.
Q: Was the course what you expected it to be?
A: The course was what I expected it to be; however, the final exams were easier than I expected.
Q: What is one (or more) trick(s) you recommend to anyone entering an IB Spanish class?
A: Learn how to conjugate in every way that you can. It is common that conjugations change verbs in specific ways. Learn as many of those as you can and everything will become easier: speaking, writing, and reading. Using a complex conjugation correctly also gives bonus points in the final exams.
Q: What was something that you developed from the class? Do you feel like you grew?
A: I developed a deeper understanding of Spanish cultures, particularly the reality of what many of them face. Many countries are faced with problems that I never realized, from racism to oppression. I feel that my language abilities and my cultural awareness grew.