IB French Guide: Everything to Know Before Choosing Your Course

From a café in Montreal to a market in Dakar, French opens doors around the world. IB French lets you start walking through them before university, so it pays to know what the course involves.

‍

IB French is a two-year course with three routes: ab initio, French B, and French A. The first two explore five themes, from identities to the environment, with writing, listening, reading, and speaking each worth 25%. French A, a literature course, is assessed differently. 

‍

In this guide, we’ll discuss each course, how to choose between SL and HL, the five themes, how the exams work, how hard IB French really is, and where it can take you.

‍

Let’s find your fit.

Key takeaways

• IB French offers three routes: ab initio for complete beginners at SL only, French B for students with prior study at SL or HL, and French A for native and near-native speakers.
• Five themes shape ab initio and French B: identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization, and sharing the planet, studied over around 150 teaching hours at SL or 240 at HL.
• In ab initio and French B, writing, listening, reading, and speaking each count for 25% of the final grade, assessed through Paper 1, Paper 2, and an individual oral, and this structure stays the same for students starting in August 2027. 
• At HL, French B adds two literary works originally written in French, 450 to 600 words of writing instead of 250 to 400, and an oral that starts from a literary extract rather than an image.
• French B students averaged 5.1 out of 7 at both levels in May 2026, above the 4.9 average for diploma students, with 16.5% of HL and 12.6% of SL students earning a 7.
• HL suits students aiming for degrees in French, modern languages, or international relations, while SL complements degrees like international business, and both can lead toward careers such as conference interpreter or foreign service officer.

What is IB French?

IB French is a two-year course that builds your ability to understand and communicate in French. Ab initio and French B sit in Group 2 (language acquisition), while French A belongs to Group 1 (studies in language and literature).

‍

In Group 2, you study French through five themes, developing your listening, reading, writing, and speaking along the way. Standard level (SL) takes around 150 teaching hours, while higher level (HL) takes around 240.

‍

Beyond grammar and vocabulary, the course builds intercultural understanding. You work with authentic texts from across the French-speaking world, from Belgium and Switzerland to Québec and West Africa, so you learn how French is really used.

Which IB French course is right for you?

With three routes to choose from, the right IB French course depends on how much French you already know, and most schools confirm your placement with a test or teacher recommendation.

‍

In the next sections, we’ll break down who each route suits, what it covers, and how it’s assessed.

French ab initio

French ab initio is a course for absolute beginners with no formal French study, offered at SL only over around 150 teaching hours. A few years of middle school French usually points you to French B instead.

‍

It covers the five themes through 20 prescribed topics, from daily routine and food to technology and the environment. By the end, you can hold everyday conversations and write short texts like emails and blog posts.

French B

Where ab initio starts from zero, French B picks up from the French you already know, whether that comes from school classes or time spent abroad.

‍

It runs at SL over around 150 teaching hours or HL over around 240, covering the five themes through recommended rather than prescribed topics such as migration, technology, and climate change. HL also adds two literary works originally written in French and expects longer, more complex writing.

French A

Where French ab initio and French B sit in Group 2, French A sits in Group 1, built for native and near-native speakers who analyze texts rather than learn the language.

‍

You choose between French A: Literature, which centers on novels, poetry, and plays, and French A: Language and Literature, which adds speeches, ads, and articles. Both run at SL and HL, and pairing French A with another Language A can earn a bilingual diploma.

IB French B HL vs SL: which should you choose?

French B SL and HL share the same five themes and the same assessment structure, so the real difference lies in teaching hours, the complexity of the language you handle, and HL’s two literary works.

‍

Here’s how the two French B levels differ across each part of the course:

‍

‍

Choose HL if you’re aiming for a degree in French, modern languages, or international relations. SL suits you better if French complements a degree like international business or hospitality management, where it adds value but isn’t the core requirement.

The five IB French themes

Whether you take ab initio or French B, at SL or HL, you study French through the same five themes: identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization, and sharing the planet.

‍

In the sections below, we’ll explore what each theme covers, with an example topic you might study under each one.

1. Identities

This theme looks at the things that shape a person, such as their lifestyle, health, beliefs, and the language they speak. You’ll also explore subcultures, like music scenes or online communities, across the French-speaking world.

‍

In class, you might examine how bilingualism shapes everyday identity in Québec, where French is the official language within a largely English-speaking country. That could lead you to ask whether speaking two languages changes how you see yourself and others.

2. Experiences

Experiences moves from your own life to the wider world. You start with leisure, holidays, and travel, then explore customs, traditions, rites of passage, and the real life stories of people who have migrated.

‍

One example is migration from French-speaking West Africa to France, which you might explore through interviews, news reports, or songs by artists from both places. You could then discuss how families keep their traditions alive after moving to a new country. 

3. Human ingenuity

Should French borrow English tech words like email, or create its own? Official bodies in France and Québec promote the French term courriel instead, and lively debates like this sit at the heart of Human ingenuity.

‍

The theme explores how creativity and invention shape daily life, from the phone in your pocket to the films and shows you stream. Topics include entertainment, artistic expression, communication and media, technology, and scientific innovation across the French-speaking world.

4. Social organization

Social organization is about how people live and work together. You’ll learn to discuss your school, a part-time job, or your local neighborhood in French, then tackle issues like crime and justice.

‍

Topics include social relationships, community, education, the working world, and law and order. You might read a French article about the baccalauréat, which French students take to finish school, then write a blog post in French comparing it with how US students graduate.

5. Sharing the planet

The final theme takes the widest view, connecting French to challenges that no single country can solve alone. Topics include the environment, human rights, peace and conflict, equality, globalization, and ethics.

‍

Climate change offers a strong example of how the theme works. You might watch a French-language news report on rising seas in Vanuatu, where French is one of three official languages, then argue in French whether wealthy nations should help pay for the damage.

How the IB French exam works

In ab initio and French B, writing, listening, reading, and speaking each count for 25% of your grade, assessed through two exam papers and an individual oral.

‍

In the next sections, we’ll walk through what each part asks you to do, how long it takes, and how SL and HL differ.

Paper 1: writing

Paper 1 tests your writing. In French B, you choose one of three theme-based tasks and write your response in a set format, such as a blog post, news article, or formal email.

‍

French B SL students write 250 to 400 words in 1 hour 15 minutes, while HL students write 450 to 600 words in 1 hour 30 minutes. Ab initio students complete two shorter written tasks of 70 to 150 words each in 1 hour.

Paper 2: listening and reading

Half your grade rides on Paper 2, which splits into listening and reading sections worth 25% each. You answer questions on three audio passages and three written texts.

‍

SL students get 1 hour 45 minutes and HL students get 2 hours, with more complex texts at HL. To prepare, listen daily to sources like RFI’s Journal en français facile, a short news bulletin in simple French, and TV5Monde, which features accents from France, Canada, and Africa.

The individual oral

The individual oral tests whether you can think and respond in French on the spot. In French B, you prepare for 15 minutes from a visual image at SL, or 20 minutes from a literary extract at HL.

‍

The French B oral then runs for 12 to 15 minutes in three parts: a 3 to 4 minute presentation, a 4 to 5 minute discussion of the stimulus, and a 5 to 6 minute conversation on at least one other theme. Ab initio students also start from a visual image, but their oral is shorter, lasting 7 to 10 minutes.

Is IB French hard?

It’s challenging, but very achievable. According to the IB Diploma Programme Statistical Bulletin (May 2026), French B students averaged 5.1 out of 7 at both levels, above the 4.9 average for diploma students across all subjects. At HL, 16.5% earned a 7, the top grade, compared with 12.6% at SL.

‍

The hardest parts are speaking spontaneously and writing accurately under time pressure. Short daily speaking practice and timed writing tasks build both skills, and exposure to different French accents makes Paper 2 listening less daunting.

IB French vs AP French vs A-level French

All three courses build advanced French, but each one spreads the pressure differently across your final years of school.

‍

Here’s what makes each one challenging:

• IB French: Your grade is spread across two written papers and an oral marked by your teacher, so you need to perform consistently all year. The oral also starts from a stimulus you haven’t seen before, which tests how quickly you can organize your ideas.
• AP French Language and Culture: Everything rides on a single exam of about 3 hours in May, scored from 1 to 5. Its recorded speaking tasks give you roughly 20 seconds to answer each turn of a simulated conversation, leaving little time to think.
• A-level French: Taken mainly in the UK, it adds translation into and out of French, plus essays analyzing a French film or book. You also complete an independent research project and present it in your speaking exam.

‍

Choose IB French if you work steadily and enjoy speaking from unseen material, while AP French rewards students who’d rather prove their skills in one end-of-year exam. If you’re in the UK system and enjoy film, literature, and independent research, A-level French is the natural fit.

Where IB French can take you

Studying French in the IB builds skills that go far beyond grammar. You learn to argue a point clearly in another language, adapt your message to different audiences, and understand cultures that differ from your own.

‍

At HL, the literary study and longer writing prepare you well for degrees in French, modern languages, or international relations. At SL, French adds real value to degrees like international business or hospitality management, especially if you plan to study or work abroad.

‍

Further ahead, French can lead to roles such as foreign service officer, conference interpreter, or program officer at an NGO working in French-speaking countries, where you would use the language every day.

Take your global skills further with Immerse’s International Relations Summer School

Discussing climate change or human rights in French is one skill. Understanding how governments negotiate those issues behind closed doors is another, and it usually waits until university.

‍

Our International Relations Summer School lets you start now. Over two weeks in Oxford, Cambridge, or Toronto, you’ll study theories such as realism and liberalism, apply them to the Cold War and decolonization, then practice diplomacy in a simulated international scenario.

‍

Tutors include specialists in global policy and conflict research, and you’ll finish by presenting a personal project to your cohort. It’s a natural next step if you want your French and your interest in world affairs to work together.

FAQs

What does IB French mean?

IB French is the IB’s two-year French language course. It comes in three routes: ab initio for beginners, French B for students with prior study, and French A for native and near-native speakers.

Can absolute beginners take IB French?

Yes. French ab initio is designed for students with no formal French study. It runs at SL only and covers the five themes through 20 prescribed topics over around 150 teaching hours.

What is the difference between IB French A and B?

French B is a language acquisition course that teaches you to communicate in French. French A, in Group 1, is for native and near-native speakers and focuses on analyzing literary and non-literary texts.

Is IB French HL much harder than SL?

HL is harder, but the structure stays the same. Both levels share the themes and assessments, while HL adds two literary works, 450 to 600 words of writing, and a literary extract in the oral.

How do you get a 7 in IB French B?

A 7 comes from accurate, varied French across all four skills. Speak French daily, practice timed writing in different formats, and listen to sources like RFI and TV5Monde to handle unfamiliar accents.

What is the equivalent of the French Baccalaureate in the USA?

There’s no direct US equivalent. France’s baccalauréat is a full school-leaving qualification, broadly comparable to a US high school diploma, while AP French and IB French are single-subject courses taken alongside other classes. 

Conclusion: making your decision

Choosing IB French starts with your current level: beginners take ab initio, students with prior study take French B, and native speakers take French A.

‍

From there, your goals decide the level. HL suits students heading toward French, modern languages, or international relations, while SL adds value to a degree like international business.

‍

Get that first choice right, and every theme, paper, and oral that follows feels within reach, because you’re working at a level built for you.

‍

Ready to see where French could take you? Explore our International Relations summer school in Oxford, Cambridge, or Toronto, and build the global perspective IB French rewards.