IB Group 1 subjects


The Group 1: Studies in language and literature subjects of the IB Diploma Programme refer to the student's first language. Three courses are available: Language A: literature, Language A: language and literature and an interdisciplinary subject, Literature and performance. Students who complete two group 1 subjects, or complete a group 3 or 4 subject that is of a different language of the group 1 subject taken by the candidate, are eligible to be awarded a bilingual IB Diploma on the condition that the candidate obtains a level 3 or greater in both subjects.

Language A: literature

Language A: literature is a recently updated literature course, for first examinations 2013. The course is designed to "encourage students to appreciate the artistry of literature and to develop an ability to reflect critically on their reading". The course is available at both Standard Level and Higher Level, where the HL curriculum is slightly more demanding than that of SL. The course is officially available in over 50 languages, and there is a special request service available for languages that are not officially supported.

Syllabus

The course is divided into four parts. All works chosen must feature as part of teaching.
In total, SL students study 10 works and HL students study 13 works.

Assessment

For all languages at both SL and HL there are five assessment components.

External assessment

External assessment accounts for 70% of the grade for the course.
Alternative oral examination
SL school-supported self-taught candidates undertake the alternative oral examination instead of the internal assessment components. They are essentially the same as the internal assessment components, except that they are externally assessed and some administration procedures are different. The alternative oral examination accounts for 30% of the final grade.

Internal assessment

Internal assessment accounts for the remaining 30% of the final grade of the course.

Available languages

As of the 2014 exam session, courses in the following languages are automatically available in May examination sessions, while those denoted with are also automatically available in November :
Exams in other languages are available upon special request, except for Afrikaans and Swati which are only available in the November session.

Language A: language and literature

Language A: language and literature is a new course for first examinations 2013, intended to replace the Language A2 course in group 2. The main aim of the course is to "encourage students to question the meaning generated by language and texts, which, it can be argued, is rarely straightforward and unambiguous". The course is available at both Standard Level and Higher Level. The course is currently only available in 17 languages.

Syllabus

The course is divided into four parts - two of language and two of literature.
There are three external assessment components and two internal assessment components.

External assessment

External assessment accounts for 70% of the grade for the course.

Internal assessment

Internal assessment accounts for the remaining 30% of the final grade of the course.

Available languages

This course, as of exams in 2014, is currently only available in the following 17 languages for the May session. The 7 languages which are also available in November sessions are denoted with an.
There is no special request service for Language A: language and literature.

Literature and performance

Literature and performance is a new interdisciplinary subject, available from first examinations in 2013. It is a combination of literature and theatre arts, thus satisfying both the requirements of group 1 and group 6. It is only available at standard level. The course aims to enable candidates to link and explore the relationship between the two components of literature and performance.

Syllabus

The course is split into three parts.
There are three external assessment components and one internal assessment component.

External assessment

The external assessment components carries 60% of the final grade of the course.

Internal assessment

This component carries the remainder 40% of the final grade of the course.

Available languages

The course is only automatically available in English for both the May and November sessions. It is also available in French and Spanish only in May sessions upon special request.