The IB Chinese Curriculum Explained: Which One Should You Choose?
The IB Chinese Curriculum Explained: Which One Should You Choose?
When learning with IB curriculum, you are expected to learn 6 subject groups with 3 required components aimed to help students to broaden their academic knowledge and implement it in real life situations. Among those groups, you may encounter IB Chinese under language acquisition or studies in language and literature groups.
In the IB curriculum, IB Chinese can be divided into different coursework that aim on different learning objectives and competencies. So, what are exactly the differences between these options and how to choose the most suitable one for you? Let’s learn more about the differences between IB Chinese curriculums through this article.
IB Chinese A Literature
IB Chinese A Literature course is usually taken by native or near native Chinese students who want to understand more about Chinese literature in different formats and periods. Students are motivated to cultivate enjoyment in the artistry of literature. This course is available in standard level with 9 works to choose and higher level with 13 works to choose.
In this course, students are expected to develop the ability to engage, provide detailed analysis, and build understanding in literary work and criticism. This course encourages students to analyze themes, symbolism, and structures of literary works such as poetry, novels, and plays.
IB Chinese A literature will assess students with both external and internal assessment as the following.
| Assessment Type | Format of Assessment |
| External | |
| Paper 1: Guided Textual Analysis | Guided analysis of unseen literary passages from different text types (1.25 hours for SL and 2.25 hours for HL) |
| Paper 2: Comparative essay | Comparative essay based on 2 literary works written in response to a choice of one of four questions |
| HL Essay | 1200-1500 words essay on one literary work |
| Internal | |
| Individual Oral | Prepared oral response on the way that one work originally written in Chinese and one work translated into Chinese have approached a common global issue |
IB Chinese A Language and Literature
This course is usually taken by native or near-native Chinese students who have interest in learning Chinese literature. Usually, IB Chinese A language and literature focuses on interpreting written and spoken texts from literary to non literary texts. This course is available at the Standard Level and Higher Level. On standard level, students are expected to study 4 works, while HL students are expected to to learn 6 works of literary forms.
In this course, students are expected to analyse both literary and non-literary texts such as advertisements, news articles, social media posts, speeches, and a few literary works. Studies often focus on contextual and media analysis of different texts.
IB Chinese A language and literature will assess students with both external and internal assessments as the following.
| Assessment Type | Format of Assessment |
| External | |
| Paper 1: Guided Textual Analysis | Guided analysis of unseen non-literary passages from different text types (1.25 hours for SL and 2.25 hours for HL) |
| Paper 2: Comparative essay | Comparative essay based on 2 literary works written in response to a choice of one of four questions |
| HL Essay | 1200-1500 words essay on one literary or non literary work |
| Internal | |
| Individual Oral | Prepared oral response on the way that one literary work and one non-literary work have approached a common global issue |
IB Chinese Ab Initio
IB Chinese Ab Initio is usually taken for those who have little to no prior knowledge of Chinese language before. This course is only available in Standard Level (SL) and is mainly targeting fluency in communication and understanding connection between language and culture.
IB Chinese AB Initio focuses on five themes that need to be finished within 150 hours of learning.
| Theme | Guiding Principle | Prescribed Topic |
| Experiences | Explore and tell events, experiences, and journeys that shape our lives | Daily routine
Leisure Holidays Festivals and celebrations |
| Human Ingenuity | Explore the ways in which human creativity and innovation affect the world | Transport
Entertainment Media Technology |
| Identities | Explore the nature of oneself and what it is to be human | Personal attributes
Personal relationships Eating and drinking Physical wellbeing |
| Sharing the Planet | Explore challenges and opportunities by individuals and communities in the modern world | Climate
Physical geography The environment Global issues |
| Social Organization | Explore how groups of people organize themselves through common systems or interests | Neighbourhood
Education Workplace Social issues |
IB Chinese Ab Initio is tested through two types of assessments which focus on clear communication, appropriate language usage, understanding multimedia texts, and presenting ideas. Students who want to pass the IB Chinese Ab Initio course should complete the following assessment.
- External assessment: Productive skills (two written tasks of 70-150 words) and receptive skills (listening and reading skills)
- Individual oral assessment focusing on presentation and discussion
IB Chinese B
This course is the most commonly chosen among Singaporean students. This subject is targeted to students who already have experience in learning Chinese and are willing to understand more of the language. This subject is available at both Standard Level and Higher Level.
IB Chinese B course aims on helping students view language through lenses of cultures, communications, and perspectives. Students are expected to develop critical thinking skills to describe situations, narrate events, make comparisons, explain problems, and support opinions.
IB Chinese B also consisted of five themes to help communicate personal, local, national, and global matters. Here are the five themes you are expected to learn by taking IB Chinese B course.
| Theme | Guiding Principle | Prescribed Topics |
| Experiences | Explore and tell events, experiences, and journeys that shape our lives | Leisure activities
Holidays and travel Life stories Rites of passage Customs and traditions Migration |
| Human Ingenuity | Explore the ways in which human creativity and innovation affect the world | Entertainment
Artistic expressions Communication and media Technology Scientific innovation |
| Identities | Explore the nature of oneself and what it is to be human | Lifestyles
Health and wellbeing Beliefs and values Subcultures Language and identity |
| Sharing the Planet | Explore challenges and opportunities by individuals and communities in the modern world | The environment
Human rights Peace and conflicts Equality Globalization Ethics Urban and rural environments |
| Social Organization | Explore how groups of people organize themselves through common systems or interests | Social relationships
Community Social engagement Education The world of work Law and order |
Assessments for IB Chinese B are slightly different based on the level you’re taking. Usually, HL assessments aim for a more challenging test. However, both assessments are still aimed to help communicating clearly through written and verbal expressions. Here’s a brief breakdown of IB Chinese B HL and SL assessments.
| Assessment Type | Standard Level | Higher Level |
| External | ||
| Paper 1 (productive skills) | One writing task of 250-400 words from a choice of three | One writing task of 450-600 words from a choice of three |
| Paper 2 (receptive skills) | 3 audio passages and 3 written tasks based on the five available themes | 3 audio passages and 3 written tasks based on the five available themes |
| Internal | ||
| Individual oral assessment | Presentation based on a visual stimulus, followed with discussion, and conversation that includes at least one additional theme | Presentation based on a literary extract, followed with discussion, and conversation that includes at least one additional theme |
Learn IB Chinese with Elite Linguistic Academy
Whether you’re taking IB Chinese B Course or IB Chinese ab initio, enrolling in IB Chinese courses can help you get better in communicating with Chinese. These courses will usually provide you with materials in accordance to the official IB Chinese curriculum to help achieve better results.
In Elite Linguistic Academy, we provide both courses for IB Chinese B and IB Chinese ab initio. With small group tuition and 1-on-1 private tutoring available, our IB Chinese courses are meant to help you score better in your exam with our experienced trainers’ support. Learn more about our IB Chinese courses by visiting our site and get started with your preparation today!
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