New IB Written Assignment Standard Level

1. Le travail écrit
Tronc commun

2. Niveau Moyen (SL)
• What is it?
• What are the requirements?
• Example
• Formal guidelines
• The role of the teacher
• Assessment criteria
• Step by step preparation
• Possible topics/subtopics
• Recommended resources and websites
• Text types
• Example (in detail)
• Questions and ‘hot topics’
• World Languages Policy

3. Written assignment
• What does it assess? Your receptive and written productive skills.
• What proportion of our final grade is it worth? Weighting: 20%.
• What does the Written Assignment consist of? This component
consists of inter-textual reading linked to the core, followed by a
written task of 300–400 words and a 150–200 word rationale. It
must be written during the final year of the course and is
externally assessed. It is not timed and must be the student’s
own independent work, produced under the teacher’s guidance.
It is produced in the student’s own time, at school or at home.

4. Objectives
The purpose of the written assignment is to:
• deepen understanding of a chosen topic(s) from the course
• develop inter-textual receptive and productive skills
• select, use and reference source texts appropriate to the chosen task
• produce an appropriate text in the selected text type
• organize writing purposefully and coherently
• extend language skills
• demonstrate intercultural understanding through reflection on the
assignment.

5. “Inter-textual reading” refers to the ability to read across
different texts one of which may be audio/audiovisual,
that may be linked by a common theme.

6. Requirements
The assignment has two parts: a rationale and the task.
The rationale (Le préambule):
Students must write a 150–200 word rationale introducing the assignment which
must include:
• the subject investigated
• a brief description of each of the sources
• the student’s intended aim(s)
• explanation of how the student intends to achieve his or her aim(s)— choice of text
types, audience, register, style and so on.
You should also aim to demonstrate intercultural understanding through reflection on
the assignment.

7. The task: students produce a piece of writing that may
be chosen from the recommended text types listed for
paper 2, after discussion with the teacher as an advisor.
The task should be suitable for a piece of writing no more
than 400 words in length. The content must be linked to
one or more of the core topics and based on the
information gathered from the three (minimum) or four
(maximum) sources such as articles, blogs, audio/visual
materials and interviews selected by the student in
consultation with the teacher.

8. The student should:
• address the subject presented in the rationale
• organize the information from the sources in a
manner appropriate to the task
• use language appropriate to the text type and
communicative purpose.

9. Example

10. Formal guidelines
• The assignment should be written in the final year of the course and is not timed.
• The subject of the written assignment must be the choice of the student in
consultation with the teacher, based on the three (minimum) to four (maximum)
sources selected by the student.
• The task and the rationale must be in the target language and word processed.
• The assignment must be the independent work of the student.

11. Formal guidelines
• Source texts must be relevant to the target culture, must be originally written in
the target language, and must be referenced by the student.
• Students may include illustrations in support of their work where this is appropriate,
however, artistic merit is not assessed. These must always be electronically
embedded, not separately reproduced and physically attached. Written assignments
submitted for assessment must be word processed and the electronic files must not
exceed a maximum size of 2 MB, including any images (a scanned text is around 600
KB).

12. The role of the teacher
• The assignment should be defined with the teacher’s guidance to ensure
that it is the student’s original choice of task, that it complies with the
requirements of the assignment, and that it is the student’s own work.
• The teacher is an advisor who guides the student through the process.
The student is responsible for the entire process, but the teacher must
advise on the choice of subject, the choice of source texts, and the
choice of text type.

13. The role of the teacher
• It is not the role of the teacher to correct the written assignment but the
teacher can give verbal advice on a first draft of the task. This advice may
help the student to identify ways in which the work could be improved
but the first draft must not be annotated or edited by the teacher. After
making general comments on the first draft, teachers should not provide
any further assistance.
• Teachers should familiarize the students with the assessment criteria.

14. Assessment criteria

20. Choose wisely
• Read the news regularly in the summer between Y12-Y13 to be aware of
what is going on in Francophone countries (current affairs, new laws,
fashion, phenomenon, trends).
• Choose a topic from the core topics that you are personally interested in
(see list to follow).
• Within this topic, choose a precise subtopic, e.g. social relationships:
same sex marriage and adoption.
• Find a variety of reliable texts (see list of recommended websites and
sources), or audio/visual materials (songs, films, adverts) related to the
topic.
• Take plenty of notes and study the vocabulary carefully.

21. Core topics:
I - Communication and media
How people interact, transmit and gather data for the
purposes of information and entertainment.
Possible aspects to cover:
• advertising
• bias in media
• censorship
• internet
• mail
• press
• radio and television
• sensationalism in media
• telephone

22. II - Global issues
Current matters and future scenarios that have an impact at a regional,
national and/or international level, bearing in mind that they need to be
addressed from the perspective of the target language’s culture(s).
Possible aspects to cover:
• drugs
• energy reserves
• food and water
• global warming, climate change,
natural disasters
• globalization
• international economy
• migration (rural–urban, or
international)
• poverty and famine
• racism, prejudice, discrimination
• the effect of man on nature
• the environment and sustainability

23. III - Social relationships
How people interrelate and behave—as members of a community,
individually and in groups.
Possible aspects to cover:
• celebrations, social and religious
events
• educational system
• language and cultural identity, or
self-identity
• linguistic dominance
• minorities
• multilingualism
• nationalism, patriotism, fanaticism
• relationships (friendship, work,
family)
• social and/or political structures
• social behaviours and stances
• taboos versus what is socially
acceptable

24. Some of these core topics may overlap with
option topics. It is not a problem. On the
contrary, it will help you deepen your
knowledge of cultural
diversity/health/leisure/customs and
tradition/technology topics studied in class.

25. Resources
• Le Monde en Français (textbook)
• Okapi / Phosphore (magazines)
• Past exam papers
• Films (library, cinema)
• Songs/adverts/trailer (spotify, YouTube, Daily Motion)
• Radio (online radio)
• Local exhibitions, events and festivals
• Trait d’Union (le magazine de la communauté francophone Canton-Hong Kong-
Maco-Pékin-Shanghai-Shenzhen-Wuhan) – may or may not be useful.
• Dictionary and Wordreference.com

27. Useful websites: culture
• http://www.hku.hk/french/dcmScreen/lang2043/
Information about French culture & society.
• http://www.zigzag-francophonie.eu/
Online magazine about the French-speaking world.
• http://langmedia.fivecolleges.edu/collection/lm_french.html
Video clips of native French speakers in Canada, Martinique, Morocco, Senegal, and
Luxembourg organized into the same categories.
• http://www.commeaucinema.com/index.php
What’s on at the cinema at the moment. Choose "Bandes-Annonces" to see a list of
movie trailers en français!
• http://www.lautreafrique.eu/
Weekly article about the real news in Africa, often missed by the mainstream press.
• http://www.tv5.org/
Online magazine and resources for learners of French.

28. Useful websites: news
• http://www.france24.com/fr/# (France 24)
• http://lci.tf1.fr/france/ (TFI News)
• http://cours.funoc.be/essentiel/ (L’Essential)
• http://www.newsinslowfrench.com/ (News in Slow French)
• An excellent site for reading and listening comprehension and developing your vocabulary.
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/news/topic_focus/index.shtm
• Le Mensuel: Texts arranged by topic. Includes audio features, songs, transcripts, activities
and quizzes.
• http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/ (Le Nouvel Observateur: left wing)
• http://www.liberation.fr/ (Liberation: left wing)
• http://www.lemonde.fr/ (Le Monde: centre left wing)
• http://1jour1actu.com/ (aimed at young teenagers)

29. Text types
• Article, editorial
• Blog, diary entry
• Brochure, leaflet, flyer, pamphlet, advertisement
• Essay
• Interview
• Introduction to debate, speech, talk, presentation
• News report
• Official report
• Review
• Set of instructions, guidelines
• Written correspondence

30. Example (in detail)
• A. “Femmes et publicités” (article explicatif/brochure)
http://www.french.hku.hk/dcmScreen/lang3033/lang3033_femmes_et_pub.
htm
(465 mots)
• B. “Ma Contrexpérience” (publicité)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_ydYr0MwUw

31. • C. “99 francs” (texte littéraire, Le Monde en
Français, page 82)
• D. “L'image de la femme dans la publicité
choque surtout … les femmes” (article)
http://www.ipsos.fr/ipsos-public-
affairs/actualites/2001-10-10-l-image-femme-
dans-publicite-choque-surtout-femmes

33. Suggestions
• Editorial against advertising (in school)
• Blog on media trends and the rise/fall of sexist adverts*
• Essay (difficult)
• Interview with a sociologist (difficult) or a famous woman
• Speech against/for advertising (in school, on the school website, in HK)
• Written correspondence (formal letter to the ad agency)
* Example:
https://docs.google.com/a/webmail.sis.edu.hk/document/d/1tL4eN1Nwbb8v
GtwO4pju7n8SDhb9Es5wEkWBNUTS8iU/edit?usp=sharing

34. Questions?

35. Some current ‘hot’ topics/ideas/suggestions
linked to Francophone countries
• Educational system: the 4.5 days a week model VS the 4 days: reforming
the typical French school week.
• Language and cultural identity, or self-identity: how Breton and other
regional languages are taught as a 1st language after decades or
persecution.
• Linguistic dominance: laws to protect the French language against the
‘invasion of English’, e.g. 50% of songs on the radio have to be in French,
influence of the Académie Française (which tries to find new terms for
English words like “la Toile” for the Web) etc.
• Minorities: discrimination against the Roms/gypsies.
• Relationships : rating your teachers on the internet, bullying etc.

36. • Taboos versus what is socially acceptable: you could research one.
• Racism, prejudice, discrimination: difficulties for young people “issus de
l’immigration” to find a job. No “positive discrimination” in France, as asking
people what ethnicity they belong to is against the law.
• The effect of man on nature, the environment and sustainability: should France
get rid of its nuclear factories? Have you ever heard of the “Vélib”? Should we
build wind farms?
• Food and water: organic food VS “locavore” food, which is the most ethical?
• Drugs: possible comparison between France, Belgium, switzerland, Canada.
• Internet: heard of Hadopi? Can you download freely in France? Influence of
Facebook and “apéro géant”.
• Relationships: “mariage pour tous”, adoption of children by homosexual couples,
what is the typical French family today, evolution of the family model.

37. Examples of texts (restricted access):
https://docs.google.com/a/webmail.sis.edu.hk
/document/d/1PY21ZLwNaQ4uhAW4UdqcVf1
doxFlmDQ9AlNomNJyzmg/edit?usp=sharing

38. World Languages Policy
World Languages Policy