From IB Subject Specific Guide
Overview
A group 2 Extended Essay is intended for students who are studying a second modern language. Students may not write a group 2 Extended Essay in a language that they are offering as a language A for their diploma.
There are 3 categories of group 2 Extended Essays:
• Category 1—Language
• Category 2—Culture and society (a or b)
• Category 3—Literature.
Students should put the category in which they have presented their essay alongside the subject in which it is registered on the cover sheet of the extended essay, for example,
English B Cat: 2 (b); German B Cat :3; Spanish B Cat : 1.
A group 2 Extended Essay provides students with the opportunity to develop their awareness and knowledge of the language studied, and their understanding of the culture concerned. This is achieved by enabling students to pursue their interest in the language through research based on texts (taken to be any meaningful piece of spoken or written language, for example, an article, a book, a play, a poem) or on specific cultural artifacts (such as works of fine art or architecture, films, radio or television programmes, or popular music).
The Extended Essay must be written in the language for which it is registered (the target language). It must be focused on matters related to the target culture. The Extended Essay is a research essay and the assessment criteria emphasize the importance of research skills rather than linguistic proficiency. Although a certain level of ability in the language is obviously desirable in order to undertake a group 2 extended essay, fluency is neither a prerequisite nor a guarantee of success. In fact, students who are fluent in the language but who do not demonstrate the required research skills will definitely achieve a lower mark than students who are less fluent but who fulfill the other assessment criteria.
As indicated in the ”Overview” section, a group 2 extended essay aims to develop students’ knowledge and understanding of the target language and culture. Any proposed topic that will not further that aim should be rejected. The essay should consist of the study of an issue in one of three categories: language, culture and society, or literature. Combinations of these are also permissible. Each category has specific requirements that are described in this section. In addition, students should ensure that their topic:
• is worthy of investigation. For example, “Does tourism have a future in Switzerland?” or “Is the wine industry an important source of income for France?” would be too trivial for an essay of 4,000 words.
• is not too broad and allows for an effective treatment within the word limit. Topics such as “Racism in France”, “The theatre of the absurd”, or “A history of the French language” would need to be given a sharper focus.
• provides them with an opportunity to develop an argument and to demonstrate critical analysis and personal judgment rather than just knowledge. Topics that are merely descriptive or narrative, or that only summarize secondary sources (such as “French cheeses”, “The Provence region”, “The events of May 1968 in Paris”), should be avoided.
In each category the examples given are for guidance only.
The essay should be a specific analysis of the language (its use, structure and so on) normally related to its cultural context or a specific text
|
Language |
French |
|
Topic |
Language laws in Quebec |
|
Research question |
To what extent has Bill 101 contributed to increasing the prevalence of the French language in Quebec? |
|
Approach |
An investigation into the effect of Bill 101 on the status of the French language in Quebec. |
|
Language |
Japanese |
|
Topic |
Foreign words (gairaigo) in Japanese |
|
Research question |
Do young people use more words of foreign origin than older people? |
|
Approach |
A survey of younger people and older people. Results are compared for knowledge of foreign words, frequency of their use and attitude towards their use. |
|
Language |
Spanish |
|
Topic |
Alternative use of the forms “vos” and “usted” in the Spanish of the Rio de la Plata (River Plate) region |
|
Research question |
To what extent have differences between formal and informal usage disappeared from the language used in the Rio de la Plata region? |
|
Approach |
An investigation into the language of young people from Buenos Aires in the Rio de la Plata region in a range of communicative situations. |
A: essays of a sociocultural nature with an impact on the language
The essay should be an analysis of a cultural nature that describes the impact of a particular issue on the form or use of the language.
|
Language |
French |
|
Topic |
Language and feminism |
|
Research question |
Should feminine forms of more job titles be created in French to reflect shifting gender roles? |
|
Approach |
An examination of the linguistic and sociological arguments for and against the feminization of more job titles in French. |
|
Language |
Japanese |
|
Topic |
Language for family members |
|
Research question |
Does Japanese need new words to describe non-traditional family relationships as society changes? |
|
Approach |
A commentary on how the use of the words "shujin" and "kanai" have changed, together with an examination of the social factors that may require new linguistic terms for family relationships to be created. |
|
Language |
Spanish |
|
Topic |
Language and discrimination |
|
Research question |
To what extent does the language used by groups of young students from a secondary school in Buenos Aires reflect racial discrimination? |
|
Approach |
A sociolinguistic investigation into the way language used by young people reflects attitudes of discrimination present in contemporary society. |
B: essays of a general cultural nature based on specific cultural artifacts
The essay should be an analysis of a more general cultural nature but specific to a country or community where the language is spoken. Topics that are too broad and could apply to many cultures (like globalization, the death penalty or eating disorders) are inappropriate. Essays of a general cultural nature must be based on specific cultural artifacts. Cultural artifacts in this context are understood to include a wide variety of phenomena, ranging from works of fine art to newspapers, magazines and cartoons, to films, television programmes and popular music.
|
Language |
French |
|
Topic |
Social criticism in the songs of MC Solaar |
|
Research question |
What is the nature of MC Solaar’s rap critique of modern French society? |
|
Approach |
An analysis of adverts targeted at the youth market seen over a one-month period, together with an analysis of how these are targeted, and possible reasons why the images used are chosen. |
|
Language |
Japanese |
|
|
Topic |
Adverts in the Japanese media |
|
|
Research question |
How and why do Japanese advertisers use such a high proportion of non-Japanese models in advertising? |
|
|
Approach |
An analysis of adverts targeted at the youth market seen over a one-month period, together with an analysis of how these are targeted, and possible reasons why the images used are chosen. |
|
Language |
Spanish |
|
|
Topic |
Representation of women in tango |
|
|
Research question |
Which roles do women play in tango lyrics? |
|
| Approach | A critical and thematic analysis of a corpus of tango lyrics to reveal female roles. |
The essay should be an analysis of a literary type, based on a specific work or works of literature exclusively from the target language. In the case of a comparison of texts, all texts must originally have been written in the target language.
|
Language |
French |
|
Topic |
Haitian politics as depicted in works by Dany Laferrière and Gary Victor |
|
Research question |
Does Dany Laferrière in Pays sans chapeau share the same point of view on Haitian politics as Gary Victor in La Piste des sortilèges? |
|
Approach |
An investigation into the similarities between the ways these two writers treat this theme. |
|
Language |
Japanese |
|
Topic |
Pastoral references in Kenji Miyazawa |
|
Research question |
What role does the natural world play in Chumon no ooi ryoriten? |
|
Approach |
A commentary on the literary devices used by the author, together with the effect these have on the work. |
|
Language |
Spanish |
|
Topic |
Fictionalization of history in Abel Posse’s novels |
|
Research question |
How does Abel Posse construct an imaginary history in his novel El largo atardecer del caminante? |
|
Approach |
A textual analysis to reveal the narrative techniques used by the author to make the plot contrast with the order of chronological events. |
IB Language Acquisition Subject Specific Guide - Use tabs on the left under Language Acquisition: Subject Specific Guide for more information.