IB Mandarin ab initio

Please note that the Mandarin ab initio course content is in simplified characters

What is different in taking IB Mandarin ab initio online?

Students will have the opportunity to:

• access a structured learning environment that provides flexibility and support in equal measure.
• study alongside students from around the world.
• gain experience of using the latest online learning tools.
• regularly communicate with teachers and fellow students.
• take part in interactive and engaging lessons that allow them to learn, review and practise easily.
• practise essential 21st century skills such as digital literacy, collaboration and self-organisation.

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

Activities and Assessment

Activities include live online discussions, creating presentations, learning from videos, as well as exciting, hand-writing practice and interactive tasks. The emphasis is on learning actively together. Of course, there will be some traditional activities such as essay writing and oral practice to prepare you for the exams. Assessment will be both formative and summative and fully in accordance with IB criteria. The IB assessment consists of two parts: external assessment and internal assessment. The external assessment assesses students’ productive and receptive skills, namely, writing, listening comprehension and reading comprehension. The internal assessment assesses oral skills. Students deliver a presentation based on a visual stimulus, before moving onto a general conversation with their teacher.

Advice from Our Teachers

In order to succeed in Mandarin ab initio SL, we recommend students set aside five to six hours a week.