European Baccalaureate Other National Language (ONL) key terms

A language offered under the European Baccalaureate framework that is not the student's Language 1 or Language 2, examined to demonstrate competence in an additional national language.

The student's main language of instruction and examination, assessed in both written and oral components and carrying the greatest weight in the language profile.

A second language studied throughout secondary school, examined in written and/or oral form and often used as the medium for teaching a non-linguistic subject.

A timed, invigilated assessment in which candidates produce answers on paper or on a computer under controlled conditions, marked against published criteria.

A live assessment in which the candidate speaks with an examiner, usually after a short preparation period, and is judged on fluency, accuracy, content and interaction.

The set of questions, texts and tasks issued to candidates at the start of an examination, usually divided into sections with instructions and mark allocations printed alongside.

The official document telling examiners how to award marks, listing acceptable answers, band descriptors and the weighting of each question or criterion.

The stated dimensions on which a performance is judged, such as content, structure, range of vocabulary, grammatical accuracy, pronunciation and interaction, each with defined levels.

A short statement describing the quality of performance required for a particular mark range, used to place a candidate's work consistently between levels.

The instructions printed on an examination paper telling candidates what to do, how many questions to answer, how long to spend and how marks are distributed.

The planned division of examination minutes across sections and tasks, based on the marks available, so that no single question consumes a disproportionate share.

The maximum or minimum length stated for a written task; exceeding or falling short can reduce the mark or cause part of the answer to be disregarded.

A task in which candidates read one or more authentic texts and answer questions testing literal meaning, inference, vocabulary in context and understanding of the writer's attitude.

A conclusion drawn from evidence in a text rather than stated directly; comprehension questions often require candidates to identify what the writer implies.

A writing exercise requiring candidates to condense a source text into a shorter version, retaining key points in their own words and avoiding copied phrasing.

Restating a passage's meaning in different words while keeping the original sense, used to show understanding without lifting the source wording.

The organisation of a written answer into introduction, developed body paragraphs and conclusion, with a clear thesis and logical links between ideas.

A single sentence near the start of an essay that states the central claim or position the rest of the answer will support and develop.

The skill of supporting a position with reasons, evidence and examples while acknowledging and answering counter-arguments in a structured way.

An opposing view that a strong answer recognises and then rebuts, showing balanced reasoning rather than one-sided assertion.

The way sentences and paragraphs are linked so a text reads as a connected whole, achieved through connectors, pronouns and consistent referencing.

The logical clarity of a text, where ideas follow in a sensible order and each part contributes to the overall message rather than drifting between topics.

A word or phrase such as 'however', 'therefore' or 'in addition' that signals the relationship between ideas and guides the reader through an argument.

The level of formality in language suited to a situation; formal essays avoid slang and contractions, while informal tasks may allow colloquial expression.

The writer's attitude conveyed through word choice and the degree of formality adopted, which must match the purpose and intended readership of the task.

Adjusting content, vocabulary and tone to the reader specified in the task, such as a school magazine, a formal letter or an academic report.

A genuine article, extract or recording produced for real readers or listeners rather than for language learners, often used as the stimulus in comprehension tasks.

The passage or document provided in an examination on which a summary, commentary, translation or analytical response must be based.

Teaching a non-language subject such as history or geography through Language 2, so that subject content and language skills are developed together.

The technical terms and phrases belonging to a discipline, such as historical causation or physical geography processes, which must be used precisely in an oral examination.

The examination of a document, map, statistic or image for its origin, purpose, content and limitations, used to build an evidence-based historical or geographical argument.

An explanation of past events that weighs different perspectives and evidence; candidates are expected to compare interpretations rather than simply narrate events.

The analysis of why an event happened, distinguishing long-term underlying factors from short-term triggers and assessing their relative importance.

Reading values, trends and relationships from a chart or graph, then explaining what the data show and identifying limitations such as scale or missing context.

Translating a real-world situation into mathematical form, solving it, then interpreting the result in context and judging whether the model is reasonable.

A logical chain of statements showing a mathematical result follows necessarily from given assumptions, as required in geometry or algebra questions.

The reasoning shown for each step of a calculation or argument; marks are often awarded for method and explanation, not only for the final answer.

The written record of intermediate steps in a calculation, which examiners inspect to award method marks even when the final answer is wrong.

Presenting another person's words or ideas as one's own without attribution; in examinations it includes copying from source texts without acknowledgement.

A reference identifying where a fact, quotation or idea came from, giving author and source so a reader can locate the original.