European Baccalaureate Language 3 flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Written examination duration

The Language 3 written examination lasts 2 hours 30 minutes and is held in May during the European Baccalaureate examination session.

Written examination weighting

The written examination contributes 50% of the final Language 3 mark and is marked out of 100 before weighting.

Part A of written paper

Part A is the reading comprehension section, containing two or three texts followed by questions answered in the target language, usually in the candidate's own words.

Part B of written paper

Part B is the written production section, requiring one or more texts such as a letter, article, or essay of a prescribed length.

Production word count

The prescribed length for production tasks is usually 150-200 words for the shorter task and 250-300 words for the longer one.

Assessment criteria for production

Production is assessed on content and task fulfilment, organisation and coherence, range of vocabulary and structures, and grammatical accuracy, each banded.

Dictionaries in written examination

A bilingual dictionary is generally permitted in the written examination; electronic devices and monolingual dictionaries may be restricted by school arrangements.

Register in production tasks

A formal letter requires formulaic openings and closings, whereas a personal narrative allows a more informal register; consistency is required throughout.

Reading comprehension question types

Questions may require identifying main ideas, locating specific information, inferring meaning from context, and recognising the author's tone or purpose.

Time allocation in written paper

Candidates should allocate roughly 60-70 minutes to Part A and 70-80 minutes to Part B, leaving time for planning and checking.

Quotations in comprehension answers

Quotations from the text should be used sparingly and only to support an answer, not as a substitute for the candidate's own explanation.

Argumentative task structure

The argumentative task requires a clear thesis, developed arguments with examples, and, where appropriate, acknowledgement of counter-arguments.

Cohesive devices

Connectors such as however, moreover, therefore, and on the other hand are explicitly rewarded under the organisation and coherence criterion.

Spelling and punctuation

Spelling and punctuation errors are counted under grammatical accuracy; repeated errors of the same type may be penalised once rather than each time.

Oral examination duration

The Language 3 oral examination is an internal assessment lasting about 20 minutes per candidate and contributes 25% of the final mark.

Oral examination structure

The oral has two parts: a presentation based on a document or topic, and an interactive discussion with the examiner.

Oral preparation period

Candidates usually have about 15 minutes of supervised preparation to study a short document and prepare a structured response before the examination.

Oral assessment criteria

The oral is assessed on comprehension and interaction, fluency and pronunciation, range and accuracy of language, and content and organisation.

Interaction requirement

The examiner asks follow-up questions to probe comprehension; a monologue without interaction does not fulfil the oral task requirements.

Pronunciation assessment

Pronunciation is assessed for intelligibility and consistency rather than native-like accent; systematic errors that impede communication are penalised.

Discourse markers in oral

Candidates are expected to use discourse markers and to structure the presentation with an introduction, development, and conclusion.

Oral mark recording

The oral mark is recorded on the official European Baccalaureate oral examination form and must be justified with reference to the published criteria.

Preliminary mark weighting

The preliminary mark accounts for 25% of the final Language 3 mark and is based on continuous assessment during the s7 year.

Preliminary mark components

Components typically include class tests, written assignments, oral presentations, homework, and participation, with weightings set by the teacher and communicated in advance.

Minimum assessed tasks

The preliminary mark must be based on a minimum number of assessed tasks, usually at least two written and one oral assessment per semester.

Preliminary mark scale

The preliminary mark is expressed on a scale of 0 to 100, consistent with the European Baccalaureate marking scale, and submitted before the written examination.

Final mark combination

The final Language 3 mark combines the preliminary mark at 25%, the written examination at 50%, and the oral examination at 25%.

Record keeping

Teachers must keep records of all assessment evidence and make the criteria transparent to students; marks may be subject to internal moderation.

Formative versus summative

Formative assessment provides feedback that informs learning and is not necessarily counted; summative assessment provides the graded evidence counted towards the preliminary mark.

Skill coverage in preliminary mark

The preliminary mark should reflect achievement across reading, writing, speaking, and listening, as well as language accuracy, even where the final examination tests fewer skills.

Submission deadline

The preliminary mark must be submitted to the school's examination board before the start of the written examination session, usually by the end of April.

Moderation of preliminary mark

The preliminary mark may be subject to internal moderation to ensure consistency across classes, and teachers should moderate samples of assessed work with colleagues.