A close-up shot of a pile of small, colorful wooden blocks with various Chinese characters on them. The blocks are in a pile and have different colors such as orange, pink, yellow, blue, and purple. Some blocks also have mathematical symbols like plus or minus signs.

Language acquisition

IB Chinese B Course Overview HL 

The only IB-approved online course provider

About the course

Admissions process

Number of units

20

Number of lessons

390

Duration

2 Years

Level

Higher


Overview

In this IB Chinese B Higher Level (HL) course, students strengthen their Mandarin language skills while deepening their understanding of Chinese culture and society. Designed for learners with prior experience in the language, the course develops communication through listening, speaking, reading and writing, using authentic materials and immersive tasks. Students explore a wide range of global and Chinese-specific themes – such as identity, education, health and wellbeing, and social organisation – while building fluency, accuracy and confidence in real-world contexts. Chinese B is available as both an HL and SL course, following the same core units and themes.


Advice from our teachers

To succeed in the HL course, students should plan to dedicate seven to ten hours per week to their studies.

*Please note, that all courses offered are subject to receiving a minimum enrolment number. Your Pamoja point of contact will be in touch as we approach the start date if we are unable to take a course forward. *HL students will be required to purchase two e-texts (costing around £15 total). Exact details are provided in the first weeks of the course.  


Course structure

The course covers the following topics:

Year 1:

  • Course Overview
  • Education
  • Communication & Media
  • Environment
  • Jobs & Workplaces
  • Customs & Traditions
  • Globalisation & Immigration
  • Health & Wellbeing
  • End of Year Exam
  • Language & Identity

Year 2: 

  • Identities
  • Experiences
  • Human Ingenuity
  • Social Organisation
  • Trial IA
  • Sharing the Plant
  • IA and Trial Exam
  • Revision: Identities & Experiences
  • Revision: Human Ingenuity
  • Revision: Social Organisation and Sharing the Planet

Benefits of the course

Taking IB Chinese B HL online will enable students to:

A young woman wearing glasses and earbuds intently works on a silver laptop at a desk, representing focused online learning or remote work.

Why online?

Students will have the opportunity to:
  • Access a structured and supportive online learning environment. 
  • Study alongside international peers from across the globe. 
  • Use interactive platforms to enhance language skills.
  • Develop the independence and digital fluency required for university-level learning. 

Some things won’t be different though. Standards and expectations will be just as high as in a face to face classroom.

A young man and woman are collaborating on a whiteboard with markers in a bright library or classroom, representing student activities and assessments.

Activities and assessment

Students engage with a variety of assessments including presentations, listening exercises, written tasks and interactive discussions. These are designed to build linguistic proficiency and intercultural awareness while meeting IB assessment criteria. Pamoja’s internal assessment model also helps students reflect on their engagement and participation throughout the course.