Each student who wishes to follow the IB Diploma must take two language courses. In most cases, this involves one from Group 1 (usually their best language) and one from Group 2 (a language acquisition course) but students who take two subjects from group 1 will be awarded a Bilingual Diploma.

Group 2 courses exist to provide students with the opportunity to acquire or develop an additional language (or languages) and to promote an understanding of other cultures through the study of language. Please find below an outline of the Group 2 Language courses.

LANGUAGE B (Higher & Standard levels)

Language B SL and HL are language acquisition courses for students with some background in the target language. While learning this additional language, students also explore the culture(s) connected to it. Standard and higher levels are differentiated by the recommended teaching hours, the depth of syllabus coverage, the study of literature at HL, the level of difficulty and the demands of assessment and the assessment criteria.

The range of purposes and situations for which and in which the language is used in the language B courses extends well beyond those at ab initio.

Note: A native speaker of a language cannot take it as a language B, even at HL, unless they have never studied it in school

ENGLISH B, FRENCH B, DUTCH B and SWAHILI B (Higher and Standard levels)

The English, French, Swahili and Dutch B programmes are offered at both Higher Level (HL) and Standard level (SL). (Swahili B is only offered on Arusha Campus. Dutch B will require the payment of an additional fee). They are most appropriate for those students who wish to continue studying French/Swahili/English/Dutch as a second or foreign language, after having previously studied the language for at least two years.

LANGUAGE ab initio (Standard level)

The language ab initio (beginner) course is a language acquisition course for students with little or no experience of the language. Students are not eligible if they have studied the language 3 or more years out of the last 5 years or within the last two years

Each theme has a list of topics that provide the students with opportunities to practice and explore the language as well as to develop intercultural competence. The students develop a greater awareness of cultures through language learning. Through the development of receptive, productive and interactive skills, students acquire the ability to respond and interact appropriately in a defined range of everyday situations. Each ab initio language has a language-specific syllabus that is used in conjunction with the IB guide.

Ab initio courses will be offered in Swahili, Spanish (Moshi Campus) and French (Arusha Campus).