How To Study For IB Spanish Exam

Acquisition of a language can take time and effort. What comes naturally to the natives might require hours to wrap your head around. IB's objective of a language course is to make you receptive, productive, and interactive in that language.

Here are some ways which will not only let you achieve IB standard language skills but will also allow you to study for your IB Spanish exam

Before you dive into reading this article, have a look into an IB Spanish classroom.

There is always an efficient way to achieve a task. The same goes for language acquisition. If you are struggling with Spanish, the first thing you need to do is learn common 1000 Spanish words. Having this database at the back of your head will not only act as a foundation for enhancing your Spanish skills but will also allow you to start putting these words into context. Like any language, every word has a different meaning depending on the way it is used. Although you will learn 1000 Spanish words, you will gain the possibility of expressing yourself in many ways based on those 1000 words. The 80-20 rule also backs this theory. 80-20 rule states that 80 per cent of the outcome is a direct result of 20 per cent of the cause. In other words, you need to know 20% of Spanish to be able to express 80% of the language.

For a beginner, learning 1000 Spanish words can be a daunting task. However, you need not mug these 1000 words in one sitting. Great results are achieved by starting small. You can perhaps begin to learn 100 words a week and progress over the course of 10 weeks! Although the 80-20 rule has been proven mathematically through the Pareto Principle, you must make sure that 20% of the Spanish that you are planning to master is the right one. To make your job easy, you can start learning these 1000 most common Spanish words.

You can also consider recording yourself saying these 1000 words and their English translation. This way, you will be able to review these words even when you are exercising or doing your daily chores. Once you have these words memorised, the next step will be to start learning the most common verbs and tenses. Do not be intimidated. You need not absorb all the verbs or tenses but the very few which will allow you to make basic sentences.

Reading a language has its perks. You are exposed to a different world of literature, and you also get to notice the subtle difference between spoken and written language. Now, I understand that reading an article in a foreign language seems painful. The best trick to motivate yourself to read Spanish articles is to start with children's storybooks. These books have the most simple sentence structure and will act as a stepping stone into the world of Spanish reading. Once you start advancing in your Spanish level, you will realize that the language will have a different type of tone and sentence structuring depending on whether the article is a formal one (that is, a newspaper an official letter, etc.) or an informal one. The essential ingredient to progress towards performing well on your IB Spanish exam is consistency in your learning. Constant learning allows you to be in your language zone. This zone is necessary for the initial days of your knowledge. Not only will this zone help you revise what you have already learned, but it will also play a crucial role in honing your language skills. Being in this zone is also vital to transitioning from thinking in English to thinking in Spanish.

To make language acquisition fun, you need to be creative. We live in a world full where content is available in different languages. Spanish shows, documentaries, and films are a fun way to improve your language skills for your exams. Beware that this will only work when you watch these shows in their original audio, and refrain from cheating by enabling English subtitles. It is best practice to use Spanish subtitles and jot down the words you are unfamiliar with. The best part about learning Spanish is that there are many excellent Spanish shows with compelling storylines on Netflix. Money Heist and Narcos are the most popular ones. Furthermore, you can explore many Spanish artists and get hooked on their music to improve your Spanish skills. I am sure you do not need to be familiarised with the famous tunes of Despacito! 

The best way to practice a language is to speak it. Getting a friend with whom you can talk in Spanish is the key to mastering Spanish for your IB exams. Not only will it help you prepare for your Internal Orals, but it will also give you a certain level of confidence, allowing you to grasp the language better. It will be ideal to find a friend who speaks Spanish in school.

There are also many apps that you can use to find people who speak Spanish. For instance, you can use HelloTalk to connect with Spanish speakers from all across the world. The best way to get the most from your language buddies is to use them to polish your skills. By 'use,' I mean you should do so in Spanish whenever you interact with your buddy (be it via text, phone call, or handwritten letters). There is also a feature in your smartphone that enables a Spanish keypad for texting purposes.

No matter how much you dread it, you need to practice your writing skills to fulfill all of IBO's requirements for language acquisition. Practicing how to write in Spanish from the start will also pay off when you are working on your written assignment. Doing a written project in your second language can be a bit challenging as it expects you to draw parallels between the cultural differences between the language's native land and your own. It is recommended that you start researching the everyday things in both cultures as soon as you learn the language. The earlier you start thinking about the elements of differences and similarities, the easier it will be to write a high-quality assignment.

It all boils down to having the right resources! No matter your effort into learning a language, you must be backed by premium study material to do well in that subject. Nail IB has one of the best Spanish resources to help you ace your Spanish exams. These resources will not only strengthen your basics for the language but will also help you prepare for your Paper one and Paper two along with the Internal Orals and Written Assignment. Make sure you check out all the premium resources Nail IB offers for Spanish.

We want Nail IB to be your virtual companion and make IB worth it! We have a lot of helpful blogs which will help you navigate your way through IB. Apart from our blogs, we offer a "Take A Test' module, which allows IB students to evaluate their level in the IB Program. Make sure to try a test and see your strengths and weaknesses. And finally, to ensure you have all the resources you might need to nail IB, we have curated exclusive student bundles for your convenience.