Are you new to teaching IB Spanish? Maybe you’re not brand new but want to get a better handle on the IB Spanish B Writing Assessment?
You’re in the right place! Keep reading for 6 simple strategies for helping your students on the IB Spanish B Writing portion of the exam.
1-Understand 100% what your students have to do
The guide is long. There is a lot of info to digest- make sure you understand the following:
For SL: Complete ONE writing task of 250-400 words. Your students will have to choose ONE from three options (each coming from a different theme).
In addition to choosing a prompt, they will be given three text-type options for each prompt. They must choose the best text type for that prompt.
For HL: Complete ONE writing task of 450-600 words. Your students will have to choose ONE from three options (each coming from a different theme).
In addition to choosing a prompt, they will be given three text-type options for each prompt. They must choose the best text type for the prompt.
2-Give your students practice prompts that look like the exam
Whether you have copies of old IB Spanish B exams to look at or not, it is important to re-create the writing scenario for your students so that there are NO surprises on the day of the test. You want your students to be comfortable with the directions and the wording. On test day it should be like second nature for them.
Here’s an example of what I give my students for practice:
Your school has recently decided to hold virtual classes every Friday in the next school year. Write to your school board giving your opinion on this and supporting your opinion with examples.
| Diary Entry | Blog | Letter |
3-Complete one writing assignment TOGETHER
I like to present my students with an example of the writing assignment, and then walk through the process together.
On test day, they will typically have WAY more time than they need to write. If they do not know how to prepare for their writing, they end up sitting down, writing their final version, and having way too much time to do nothing at the end.
I like to teach them a four-step process:
- Brain dump- once they have decided on a prompt I encourage them to do a brain dump of all relevant vocabulary. I tell them to write down everything they can connect with this theme. It’s not pretty, just a blob of related words.
- Outline- create an outline of your writing. What will you write in the introduction? Which details or examples will you include? What are your main opinions or questions? How will you conclude your writing?
- This is also where I remind them to write down any format-specific things they will need such as title, comments, columns, etc.
- Get to writing! Put together your outline and brain dump to create an organized and well-developed text.
- Edit- Go back over your writing and make any necessary corrections. Look for subject/verb agreements, single/plural agreements, etc. Did you use advanced grammar? Double-check the word count.
4-Grade that same writing assignment TOGETHER with the rubric
After you complete your writing assignment together, look closely at the rubric to see what you would have scored. Familiarize your students with the rubric. Be sure to point out what they must do to score the best.
This also serves as a reality check for them. Sometimes they think they are using advanced grammar but really don’t know what that means. Sometimes they think they are using varied vocabulary but are not. Point these things out and show them just how they can get those points!
Looking for ways to increase your students’ vocabulary before the big day? Check out this post.
5-Build a reference sheet together
What words or phrases do they need/want when writing?
Since you wrote your essay together, you should have a good idea of what words or expressions they were struggling to come up with. Start to build an anchor chart or growing reference sheet. You can easily hang this in your classroom or print and hand out for the next writing assignment.
I find the more that I offer Reference Sheets, the less my students end up depending on them because their vocabulary grows just from exposure.
6-Time to do one on their own!
Now, this next part might be a little controversial but hear me out….
Grade them using the rubric but be HARSH….ummm, what?!
Yes, be harsh. If you are in between bands, grade down.
Here is my crazy (yet in a weird way, logical) reasoning. I grade them harshly and then offer them the chance to edit their work and earn points back.
90% of them take me up on this. This trains them to learn how to self-edit their work so on the day of the test, it is again, second nature.
I hope that some or all of these strategies prove to be helpful to you! I know that it can feel stressful for us as teachers during exam time. We feel like our worth is tied to those scores but just do your best and your students will do great!
If you want to learn more about how I teach some of my IB units, click here!
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