Bonjour à tous! One of the most exciting things to do while we’re still young and our minds are still flexible is to learn a new language. Now, you can look at this as a huge task that you just want to get rid of, or you can look at this as a wonderful learning experience that you can carry forward (and show off to your friends). Keep reading this article to see how you can learn IB French Language & Acquisition in the most entertaining way possible!
How to achieve high % in IB French & Acquisition ?
IB French have components that test reading, writing, listening and speaking. Therefore, in order to be proficient in the language in a short span of time, you need to immerse yourself in the language, culture and atmosphere. Since we all can’t afford to move to France, you need to emulate that environment as much as you can. And by this, what I mean is, convert all your regular activities into French.
Here are some exciting and effective ways to improve French fluency !
- Watch movies/tv shows in French. This is one of the best and most entertaining ways to learn a language. When you associate words with visuals, it makes it much easier to comprehend the meaning as well as the scene. Over a period of time, you get accustomed to the accent, words, tone, nuances, sentence structuring, idioms and much more. This will help you with the listening component significantly, as well as the others overall.
- Listen to podcasts and music in French. This is similar to watching movies or tv shows as it also allows you to sharpen your listening skills. It provides a similar level of entertainment, however it may be a little more difficult to understand the words as there are no visuals. The French also tend to talk fast, which makes it harder to follow. So, I would suggest trying out beginners podcasts at the start, and then level up as you start to see progress and improvement.
Quality is never an accident, it is always the result of an effort of intelligence. – John Ruskin
Also Read: How can you make the best of IB in India
- Change your phone settings to French. If you are going to immerse yourself in the language, then you’ve got to surround yourself with it. Even the little things matter. In the end, you will need to know what surrounds you on a day to day basis in French so that you can fully express yourself in your writing/reading/speaking. This will help add on to your vocabulary, which is one of the most important parts of learning a language.
- Talk to your friends in French. While you may be able to take the time to think and write well in a French examination, it may completely different when you are put on the spot and have to respond to somebody in French. You may end up stuttering, mixing up the sentence structure, mispronouncing words; there’s so many things that could go wrong. Hence, to build confidence and practice, you need to inculcate the habit of talking to your friends/family in French.
- Keep a journal for day to day activities but write it in French. As emphasized earlier, you need to know what surrounds you. When you keep a journal, it improves your flow of writing and your thought process. This will help you write faster, saving more time during the exam.
- Live like the French! While this may not contribute to your grade to a significant extent, it is a great way of having fun with the culture and language. If you want to truly learn a language, you must live like the French! Try to make their food, whether it’s crème bruleé after dinner or a glass of wine before. Learn the idioms to sound like a native French speaker and don’t be afraid to go overboard with it. Perhaps one day you could actually visit France and be able to show off all your skills.
- Practice past papers regularly. Ok, we’ve had a lot of fun with the language. Now it’s time to get down to business. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with French, you need to now familiarize yourself with the paper pattern and IB’s expectations. A great way to do this is by practicing as many past papers as you can, and getting your writing graded. This way, you’ll know what to expect and can track your progress and make changes accordingly.
When it comes to IB French Language & Acquisition , what matters the most is perspective. You can look at it as a sixth ‘subject’, or you can have fun with it. Learning a language should never seem like a hassle, it should feel entertaining. So when you go into the IB, make sure you have the right mindset so you can make the most of it. Au revoir!
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