Language 2 (L2): comprehension, language manipulation and short production
In the European Baccalaureate, Language 2 is examined as a modern foreign language, not as a literature subject. The written paper tests reading comprehension, control of grammar and lexis, and the ability to produce a short text in the target language; the oral tests comprehension and interaction. Material is authentic - articles, adverts, blogs, short literary extracts - and the tasks check whether you can extract information, recognise attitude and tone, manipulate structures accurately, and write appropriately for a specified reader.
What the paper contains
- Reading comprehension: multiple-choice, true/false with justification, matching headings to paragraphs, and answering in your own words within a word limit.
- Language in use: gap-fill, verb forms and tenses, word formation (from succeed to successful), connectors, and rephrasing items where the opening words of the answer are supplied.
- Written production: a text of about 150-200 words of a specified type - email, article, letter to the editor, blog post - with listed content points to cover.
Worked example
Rephrasing: Although the train was late, we arrived on time. Begin with In spite of....
Reasoning: although is a conjunction followed by a clause (subject + verb); in spite of is a preposition followed by a noun, pronoun or -ing form. The clause must therefore become a noun phrase: 'In spite of the train being late, we arrived on time' or 'In spite of the train's lateness...'. Writing 'In spite of the train was late' keeps a clause after a preposition - a structural error that loses the mark even though the meaning is correct. Check the finished sentence for both grammar and meaning, and never alter the second half, which is given.
Traps
- Copying whole sentences where the instruction says 'quote a few words' or 'in your own words'.
- False friends: English actually is not French actuellement; eventually is not German eventuell; sensible does not mean 'sensitive'.
- Ignoring text-type conventions in the production task: a semi-formal email needs a greeting and sign-off, an article needs a title, a letter to the editor needs an opening reference to the issue.
- Missing content points: the prompt lists what to include, and each point is separately marked.
- Word-limit breaches in either direction; under-length answers lose as readily as over-length ones.
- Tense slips when narrating; keep one consistent time frame unless the task requires a shift.