IB classical languages first assessment 2024; Latin focus
Teach Latin here, not Classical Greek. School selects Latin core and companion passages from the assessment-year prescribed list. Introductory sentences below are original practice, not prescribed extracts.
SL: unseen Paper 1 90 min 35%, prescribed-text Paper 2 90 min 35%, dossier 30%. HL: unseen/guided Paper 1 120 min 30%, Paper 2 90 min 30%, original composition 20%, dossier 20%.
Meaning, form and language · Latin morphology and translation
Puella is nominative singular and acts as subject; poetam is accusative singular and acts as object. Laudat is third-person singular present.
Inflection carries grammatical information: first identify the finite verb, then its subject and complements.
Checked example
Poetam puella laudat keeps the same grammatical roles despite the new order.
Translate as the girl praises the poet, then consider whether the changed position gives emphasis in a real passage.
Limits and practice
Do not assume the first noun is the subject or invent a pronoun not implied by the verb.
A dictionary entry is a starting point; case, number, tense and context determine the actual meaning.
In poetam puella laudat, who is being praised?
Answer: The poet, because poetam is accusative.
Text, author, audience · Latin close reading and literary effect
Close reading links a visible linguistic feature to an interpretation of tone, argument or characterization.
Translate the relevant words accurately before arguing about the effect; distinguish the speaker's voice from the author's purposes.
Checked example
For a classroom phrase, semper laborat, semper sperat, the repeated semper emphasizes persistence: always works, always hopes.
Explain how the parallel clauses link labour and hope rather than saying repetition merely makes the text interesting.
Limits and practice
This original phrase is not a prescribed quotation. Select real evidence from the school's approved core and companion texts for assessment.
HL must work across prose and verse; rhythm analysis needs the actual verse, not an English paraphrase.
What is the strongest explanation of semper in the classroom phrase?
Answer: Its repetition links continuing labour with continuing hope.
Time, space and culture; dossier · Classical sources and research dossier
A primary source comes from the world under investigation, but it does not give transparent access to every person's experience.
An annotation should explain how the source answers the question, its context and a relevant limitation.
Checked example
Ask how a particular commemorative practice represents family roles. Compare a bounded set of inscriptions with literary evidence and an object.
Record exact location, date range, text, translation source and why each item contributes to the inquiry.
Limits and practice
The dossier requires seven to nine primary source materials plus an inspiration source. Teacher checks full-guide details.
Do not submit a scrapbook of attractive images or treat modern translation as an ancient source in its own right.
What makes an annotation relevant?
Answer: It explains the source's contribution and limitation for the specific research question.
HL composition · Latin composition with rationale
Define audience and intention, then choose constructions you can justify grammatically.
The rationale links selected choices to intentions and researched classical models; it is not a translation of the composition.
Checked example
Begin with simple clauses whose subjects and verbs agree. Check cases, tense sequence and idiom against trustworthy reference material.
Use a model's technique, such as balanced clauses, while creating an original context and wording.
Limits and practice
HL composition is assessed separately from unseen translation.
Teacher verifies source use and authorship; do not count copied prose as original composition or invent a Greek-language equivalent for this Latin course.
What should the rationale explain?
Answer: How specific language and stylistic choices achieve the stated intentions.