IB Chinese / Chinese Literature

There are two language groups in the IB Chinese curriculum: first language group (Language A) and second language group (Language B and Mandarin ab initio).

For Language A, contextual and literary understanding are the main focuses of the course. Students need to demonstrate their understanding of the relationship between literature and society, as well as their ability to appreciate literature.

The second language group employs topic-based learning. Through exploring various topics, students will enhance their spoken and written Chinese and understand the Chinese culture, thus preparing them to communicate and express themselves fluently in the exam.

In general, first language is more challenging than second language. Students with higher language skills can choose two first languages (e.g. Language A English and Language A Chinese) as bilingual learners. Bilinguals with high predicted scores will have stronger applications when applying for top universities.

IB Language A students need to take both internal and external assessments, which consist of oral speaking and thesis writing. In order to achieve high scores, you should demonstrate a strong knowledge of the literary works and essays, as well as the related writing styles and techniques. To meet the demanding criteria in IOC, you can analyze model essays, systematically organize your ideas, write a draft, get feedback from our teachers and make improvements by revising your essay.

In CANA classes, we will:

• analyze the model essays with you and help you to understand the assessment criteria.
• provide internal assessment counseling, including IOC, IOP and FOA.
• enhance your understanding of various text types and literature by classifying analysis concepts.
• solidify your writing skills, including paragraph structure and language usage.
• analyze and practice questions from past papers.
• provide guidance on written assignments, including topic choosing, resource collection, content organization and language check.

Chinese Language B students will also be assessed internally and externally through oral expression, reading and writing. In order to achieve high scores, you need to show excellent language skills (in speaking and writing), combined with well-formed opinions on social issues related to topics on the syllabus. In oral and writing examinations, students struggle to express and explain their opinions in coherent language (this includes grammar mistakes and the lack of higher-level vocabulary).

In CANA classes, we will:

• provide internal assessment counseling, including Individual oral and Interactive oral.
• provide guidance on written assignments, including topic choosing, resource collection, content organization and language polish.
• guide you to explore the updated events and social phenomena related to the assessed topics of examination. This will accumulate topic knowledge and deepen your understanding of Chinese culture.
• enhance your writing skills by co-analyzing essays of assessed text types. Students will be taught to mobilize existing knowledge and supplement it with new knowledge, as well as fluently expressing their ideas and explanations.
• improve your reading skills by analyzing exam questions and questions types, and train your fast reading abilities by grasping text functions, topics and language points.