IB Language Acquisition: Your Gateway to Global Thinking

So you’ve picked your Group 1 subject, maybe Language and Literature, and now you’re looking at Group 2: Language Acquisition. But what is it exactly? Is it for native speakers? Will you have to write essays in another language?

Let’s break it down in true IB style with clarity, context, and a sprinkle of real talk.

What Is IB Language Acquisition?

This group is all about learning an additional language, not your mother tongue. It’s designed to help you:

• Communicate confidently in real-world contexts

• Understand cultures through language

• Think globally while expressing yourself locally

  
  

IB doesn’t expect you to be perfect. They just want you to engage with language and grow as a communicator.

Two Main Levels: Which One Are You Taking?

IB offers multiple tracks within Language Acquisition depending on your previous exposure:

Course Name	Who It's For
Language B (SL/HL)	Students with some previous experience in the language (e.g., 2–4 years of study)
Language ab initio (SL only)	Complete beginners starting a language from scratch

Note: You can’t take your native language as Language B. That’s what Group 1 is for.

Popular Languages Offered:

• Spanish

• French

• Mandarin

• German

• Italian

• Hindi

• Japanese (Availability depends on your school.)

  
  

What Do You Study?

Whether you’re in ab initio, SL, or HL, the content is broken into three interconnected themes:

1. Identities

Exploring personal beliefs, health, food, and self-expression

2. Experiences

Travel, holidays, life events, and cultural exposure

3. Human Ingenuity / Social Organization / Sharing the Planet

Technology, media, environment, education, social issues — all the big themes.

These topics become the core vocabulary and grammar playground you’ll practice reading, writing, speaking, and listening in.

How Will You Be Assessed?

External Assessments (75%)

Paper 1 – Productive Skills (25%)

• You write an extended response in the target language

• Could be an email, blog, letter, or article

  
  

Paper 2 – Receptive Skills (50%)

• Reading and listening comprehension

• You’ll respond to multiple texts, analyzing main ideas, tone, purpose

  
  

Internal Assessment – Individual Oral (25%)

This is where you speak your stuff:

• You describe and analyze a visual stimulus (usually tied to a theme like identity or culture)

• Then you discuss related topics with your teacher

  
  

Expect lots of spontaneous questions. It’s a language conversation, not a monologue.

SL vs HL in Language B

Feature	SL	HL
Vocabulary	Foundational	Extended
Paper 1	Shorter word count	Longer, more complex response
Oral Exam	Same structure	Greater fluency expected
Texts Studied	Everyday material	Can include excerpts of literature or media articles

HL in Language B gets closer to native-like fluency, while SL focuses more on solid, practical communication.

Real-Life Relevance

Let’s be honest: learning a new language is challenging. But it’s also one of the most practical and employable skills you can develop.

• Travel: You’ll navigate new cities and cultures with ease

• Cognition: Multilingual brains are more flexible

• Career: Language proficiency is gold in diplomacy, business, healthcare, journalism, and tech

• Empathy: Understanding how others express themselves builds global citizens

  
  

University Recognition

• US colleges often require 2–3 years of language study; IB ticks the box big time

• UK unis appreciate the global literacy and cultural competency IB languages provide

• European and Canadian universities often value bilingualism — having IB Language B or ab initio sets you apart

Final Thoughts

Whether you're learning Spanish ab initio or tackling French HL, IB Language Acquisition is about more than just grammar and vocab drills. It’s about opening up your world — one word, one conversation, one culture at a time.