European Baccalaureate Language 1 study guide
European Baccalaureate Language 1 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The European Baccalaureate is the school-leaving qualification of the European Schools and of schools accredited by their Board of Governors. Its name belongs solely to the European Schools, which have held a monopoly on its use in all official languages of the European Union since their establishment. The cycle covers the final two secondary years, s6 and s7, and is built on a comprehensive multilingual curriculum: pupils combine language, humanities and scientific subjects, with some subjects taught through more than one language. The core includes at least two languages, mathematics at 3 or 5 periods, a scientific subject, history and geography taught in a language other than the dominant one, philosophy, physical education, and ethics or religion, plus options and complementary subjects bringing the weekly load to between 31 and 35 periods. The European Baccalaureate Language 1 study guide has 3 sections and about 1,422 words.
01Written examinations
The written examination tests the two things the s7 Language 1 course has been building: the ability to read a literary text closely and the ability to sustain an argument in your first language. It is a single paper, four hours long in recent sessions, sat in the June session and marked against the same descriptors your teacher uses all year.
517 words, about 3 min02Oral examinations
The oral examination tests what a written paper cannot show: whether you can think aloud about a text, defend an interpretation under questioning, and do so in polished spoken Language 1. It is short, live and marked by more than one examiner, so preparation has to be genuine understanding rather than rehearsal.
481 words, about 2 min03Preliminary mark (formative and summative assessment during s7)
The preliminary mark is the grade your Language 1 teacher awards before any Baccalaureate paper is opened. It is built from the whole of s7 - formative work, summative tasks and your contribution in class - and it is combined with your written and oral marks to produce the final grade.
424 words, about 2 min