Why Study French and Spanish for the IB

Finishing high school and your GCSEs is always an accomplishing feeling, but along the way students must face the dilemma regarding what comes next.

Of course, there is Higher Education for those that want to continue their studies. But there are major differences between the International Baccalaureate and A Levels.

Although there are further decisions on subjects to take within the International Baccalaureate, this article hopes to ease one of those decisions for any prospective students thinking of taking the programme.

In this article, you will discover the appeal of taking the International Baccalaureate. It doesn’t stop there though, because you will also learn why it is a good idea to take French and Spanish, which covers the language portion of this programme.

A curriculum for high achievers
Language courses that cater to you
A considerate grading system
Get into the most prestigious universities
Need help with your IB

A curriculum for high achievers

The International Baccalaureate (IB) is known for being one of the hardest school diplomas. It is taken by ambitious teenagers all across the world. It comprises of six different subject groups including: language and literature, maths, sciences, the arts and individuals and societies. Students have to choose at least three subjects to take at ‘higher level’ (HL), leaving the remaining subjects to be taken at ‘standard level’ (SL).

The difference between the two is that higher level demands more hours of studying, specifically 240, whilst standard level requires 150 hours of studying. Furthermore, students must exhibit more knowledge and skill at a higher level.

If you are completely dedicated to your studies, and willing to spend the necessary time, this programme is perfect for you

At Learn&Co, we help students with their IB French and IB Spanish courses. We consistently help determined students aim for the very top marks. Our IB tutors know just how challenging the course is. They have developed teaching methods to work around each of the difficulties students encounter.

A good way to stay on top of things with the IB is to do past papers yourself and familiarise yourself with the mark scheme. They are fortunately available on the website and can be really beneficial for you. It is also really useful in helping you to see which areas of the language you may be lacking in, and where you can improve.

Studying with Learn&Co is a great way to transform your IB language experience, whilst also building confidence. It’s perfect for instilling a genuine love for language that exam-based study often destroys!

Language courses that cater to you

For the International Baccalaureate, students are able to study a language as a complete beginner (ab initio). Or they can begin at a more advanced level if they are already familiar with the language. They refer to this as ‘language B’. It consists of both standard level and higher level, so students can carefully determine which one is best for them.

No matter which language course they take – ab initio, standard level, or higher level – they all have their challenges. They all also allow the strengths of the students’ skills.

A considerate grading system

IB subjects are graded on a scale ranging from 7 to 1, with 7 being the highest score. To be eligible for the award of the IB diploma, a student must obtain a combined score of 24 points across each subject. The highest score an IB diploma student can get is 45.

The British Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) has established a tariff scheme that now gives better currency to the IB scores over A-levels

The diploma pass rate for the International Baccalaureate differs each year, but always remains steadily over 65%. This shows that the programme can be incredibly demanding. You must be prepared to endure the observable hard work that will be required.

The British Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) has established a tariff scheme that now gives better currency to the IB scores over A-levels. An IB score of 38 points out of a maximum of 45 is parallel to five A grades at A-level. A score of 30 IB points indicates three and a half A’s at A level, which is a sufficient amount to gain admittance to most good universities in the UK.

Get into the most prestigious universities

The world’s higher education institutions across the globe recognise and respect International Baccalaureate. All US and UK universities now recognise the IB diploma.

Universities prefer students to have the broad range of knowledge and competencies that are gained from doing the IB

The Higher Education Statistics Agency has found that students doing the IB diploma have a better chance of enrolling in the UK’s top 20 universities than students with equivalent qualifications. They also state 10 of the most prestigious US universities are more likely to admit IB graduate .

Of course, not every student has the intention of taking that step. However, students with high hopes should consider these fact when they decide where they will be attending university.

Need help with your IB?

If the previous data mentioned has caused some concern, there is a remedy for that. Many students come to Learn&Co worried about getting into competitive US universities that require a high grade in their language exams. After just a few weeks with our IB French and Spanish tutors, we always see an enormous improvement in our students’ confidence and ability in their languages. Also, many of our students have then gone on to get places at competitive and well-respected universities.

So that’s it! We wrote this article to establish why studying the International Baccalaureate programme may be the best route to take. I hope these reasons evoke further thought into those considering.

It most certainly is not an easy programme. There is a sturdy requirement of several hours of studying and hard work. Therefore, it is fine to contemplate the other options. Either way, it is important to do what is best for you!