We cater to students studying Ab Initio Japanese or Language B Japanese in the IB Diploma Programme (DP).
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We cater to students studying Ab Initio Japanese or Language B Japanese in the IB Diploma Programme (DP).
The Language Ab Initio courses are for beginners, that is, students who have little or no previous experience of learning the target language. They are only available at Standard Level (SL). Students develop the ability to communicate in the language through the study of language, themes and texts.
The syllabus is organised into five prescribed themes, each of which has four prescribed topics. A total of twenty topics must therefore be addressed in the course.
These are summarised in the table below, along with possible questions for each, which are for guidance only and not prescribed:
| Theme | Guiding Principle | Prescribed Topics | Possible Questions |
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| Identities | Explore the nature of the self and how we express who we are. |
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| Experiences | Explore and tell the stories of the events, experiences and journeys that shape our lives. |
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| Human ingenuity | Explore the ways in which human creativity and innovation affect our world. |
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| Social organisation | Explore the ways in which groups of people organise themselves, or are organised, through common systems or interests. |
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| Sharing the planet | Explore the challenges and opportunities faced by individuals and communities in the modern world. |
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At the culmination of the course, Japanese Ab Initio is subjected to both an internal and an external assessment. The asessment components are arranged as follows:
Paper 1 (35% weighting)
Productive Skills - Writing (1 hour - 35 marks)
Two written tasks of 70–150 words each from a choice of three tasks, choosing a text type for each task from among those listed in the examination instructions.
Paper 2 (35% weighting)
Receptive skills - Reading comprehension (1 hour - 40 marks)
Comprehension exercises on three audio passages and three written texts, drawn from all five themes.
Individual oral assessment (30% weighting)
A conversation with the teacher, based on a visual stimulus and at least one additional course theme. (30 marks)
This component is internally assessed by the teacher and externally moderated by the IB at the end of the course.
Please note that the above assessment outline is a modified version of that shown in the IB subject brief. It has been implemented by the IBO as of 2020 as a Covid support measure.
Below is a link to the subject brief for Language Ab Initio subjects:
Click here to view the Language Ab Initio page of the IB website for more information.