Spanish+ab+initio+Exam+2013

= Spanish ab initio IB Exam =

The IB Spanish ab initio exam is based on three main topics: Individual & Society, Leisure & Work, and Urban & Rural Environments. Students will take criterion-referenced IB examinations in their second year which consist of three different assessments: an internal oral assessment of students’ aural/oral skills, a written assessment, and an exam of students’ reading and writing abilities.

The **internal oral assessment ** is 25% of the students’ final score and is administered in March of the second year. The internal assessment is an individual oral consisting of three parts: a 1-2 minute presentation of a picture related to one of the topics of the course, a 2-3m. question session related to the picture and a 4-5m. general conversation. During the general conversation, students must answer what their written assessment was about, why they chose the topic and what they learned, as well as answer questions related to two additional ab initio topics.

The **written assessment ** is worth 20% and is a 200-300 word essay on independent research of a cultural topic related to one of the ab initio topics. Students must write a description of the cultural topic citing 2-4 sources, compare and contrast their culture and that of the target cultures and write a reflection. The reflection must answer the following questions: which aspect of your chosen topic surprised you, why do you think these cultural similarities/differences exist and what might a person from the target culture find different about your chosen topic in your culture? Students will have 2-hours in class to complete this handwritten essay.

The **external assessment ** administered in May is 55% of the students’ final score and consists of two parts: reading and writing. Part I consists of reading comprehension exercises based on four texts worth 30% and is one and a half hours in length. Common reading samples include letters, posters, brochures, magazine articles and reports. Part II is two writing tasks worth 25% and is one hour. Part II requires students to write a minimum 50-word response based on two options and a minimum 100-word response based on three options. The written production will be assessed based on three criterion: language, message and format. Students must demonstrate an effective command of the language, use appropriate register and style and develop their ideas in an organized manner with appropriate supporting details. Formats for Section A of the written exam include advertisements, blogs, emails, posts on sites, invitations, messages, posters and postcards. Formats for Section B include articles, blogs, brochures, diary entries, emails, interviews, formal and informal letters, reports, reviews and speeches.