When does the new IB Language ab initio syllabus begin?

The revised syllabus has first assessment in 2029. For most May-session schools, this means the first students will begin the two-year course in 2027. November-session schools may use a different starting calendar, so students should confirm dates with their DP coordinator. Candidates examined before 2029 should continue following the current guide assigned by their school. The first-assessment year printed on a guide is more reliable than an informal label such as “new syllabus.”

Are there 20 prescribed topics in the new Language ab initio syllabus?

Yes, the 2029 course contains 20 prescribed topics, organized as four topics under each of five themes. However, this structure is not newly introduced in 2029 because the current Language ab initio guide already prescribes the same five-theme, 20-topic framework. Schools must address all prescribed topics, although teachers retain flexibility over sequencing, resources and cultural examples. Students should be able to use each topic across reading, listening, writing and speaking. Memorizing one prepared response per topic is not sufficient because assessment tasks can use unfamiliar situations.

Is Language ab initio the same as IB Language B?

No, they are separate Diploma Programme language acquisition courses. Language ab initio is available only at SL and is intended for students with no previous experience or very limited exposure to the target language. IB Language B is intended for students who already have experience in the language and is generally offered at SL and HL. Both courses use the five themes of identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization and sharing the planet. Their expected language level, assessment demands and HL literature requirement are different, so students must use resources for their exact course.

Are the Language ab initio assessment weightings changing in 2029?

The publicly available 2029 subject brief retains the familiar four-way balance. Paper 1 writing is 25%, Paper 2 listening is 25%, Paper 2 reading is 25%, and the individual oral is 25%. External assessment therefore remains 75% of the final result, while internal assessment remains 25%. More detailed instructions may still be clarified through the complete subject guide, specimen papers and teacher support materials. Students should not assume that a revised guide necessarily means that every component receives a new weighting.

How should students prepare for the 2029 individual oral?

Students should practise describing and interpreting unseen visual stimuli rather than memorizing a complete speech. Each response should identify relevant visual details, connect them to a prescribed theme or topic and include an appropriate cultural perspective. Follow-up practice matters because the assessment also tests listening, spontaneous responses and the ability to sustain interaction. A useful answer pattern is opinion, reason, example and connection to the theme. Recording short responses and using Jojo AI for unpredictable follow-up questions can reveal weaknesses in vocabulary, pronunciation and flexibility.

Can current past papers still help students taking the 2029 syllabus?

Current past papers can still support core skills because the broad assessment model and communicative focus remain similar. They are useful for practising short writing, text-type selection, reading comprehension, listening and responses to visual stimuli. However, students should not treat old papers as definitive evidence of every 2029 instruction, timing or assessment criterion. Once official 2029 specimen papers become available through the school, those materials should take priority for final exam simulation. The best approach is to use older questions for skill development and new official materials for precise format training.

Is the IB Language ab initio Syllabus Changing?

RevisionDojo Team

•7/23/2026•10 min read

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Is the IB Language ab initio Syllabus Changing?

RevisionDojo Team

•7/23/2026•10 min read

Yes. The IB Language ab initio syllabus is being revised for first assessment in 2029. However, the publicly available 2029 subject brief shows greater continuity than some summaries suggest: the five themes, 20 prescribed topics, four-part assessment weighting and broad individual oral structure remain in place.

This distinction matters because Language ab initio and IB Language B are separate courses. Ab initio is an SL-only course for beginners, while Language B is intended for students with previous experience and is usually available at SL and HL. Students must therefore check both their examination year and exact course before changing their revision plans.

When does the revised syllabus apply?

The revised course has first assessment in 2029. In a typical two-year Diploma Programme, this means it applies to May-session students beginning the course in 2027 and November-session students beginning around early 2028, although school calendars differ.

Students taking examinations in 2026, 2027 or 2028 should continue following the current guide specified by their school. Do not prepare from a document simply because it is labelled “new”; the first-assessment year on the guide must match your examination session.

Examination year	Syllabus to follow
2026 to 2028	Current Language ab initio course
2029 onward	Revised course, first assessment 2029

Your teacher and DP coordinator are the final authorities on which guide your class is registered under.

Are the 20 prescribed topics new?

No. This is the most important misconception to correct. The current Language ab initio course already has five prescribed themes, with four prescribed topics under each theme, making 20 compulsory topics in total.

The publicly available 2029 subject brief retains this structure:

Prescribed theme	Four prescribed topics
Identities	Personal attributes; personal relationships; eating and drinking; physical wellbeing
Experiences	Daily routine; leisure; holidays; festivals and celebrations
Human ingenuity	Transport; entertainment; media; technology
Social organization	Neighbourhood; education; the workplace; social issues
Sharing the planet	Climate; physical geography; the environment; global issues

These topics are compulsory coverage areas, not a list of questions that can simply be memorized. Teachers still decide how to sequence them, which cultural examples to use and how to connect them through written, audio, visual and multimedia texts.

The confusion may come from IB Language B. Under the current Language B guide, the five themes are prescribed, but the associated recommended topics and possible questions are not compulsory. For a fuller distinction, see RevisionDojo’s guide to Language B versus Language ab initio.

How does the assessment compare?

Based on the public subject briefs, the overall component weightings remain the same rather than being redistributed. The assessment continues to balance writing, listening, reading and oral communication.

Component	Current course	First assessment 2029
Paper 1: writing	25%	25%
Paper 2: listening	25%	25%
Paper 2: reading	25%	25%
Individual oral	25%	25%
Total external assessment	75%	75%
Total internal assessment	25%	25%

The 2029 brief describes Paper 1 as two written tasks of 70 to 150 words, each selected from a choice of three questions and completed using an appropriate text type. Paper 2 contains comprehension exercises based on three audio passages and three written texts connected to the prescribed themes.

Students should nevertheless wait for the complete guide, specimen papers and teacher instructions before assuming that every timing detail, mark allocation or criterion descriptor is identical. A subject brief provides the overall model, not every rule needed to conduct an examination.

Is the individual oral changing?

The broad structure shown in the 2029 subject brief remains familiar. The individual oral assessment still contains:

A student presentation based on a visual stimulus
A student-teacher discussion about that stimulus
A wider conversation including at least one additional course theme
Assessment of productive, receptive and interactive communication
A weighting of 25%

This means current preparation remains useful. Students should practise moving beyond literal description by interpreting what an image suggests, connecting it to a prescribed topic and discussing a relevant aspect of the target-language culture.

Do not memorize a complete speech. A memorized answer often becomes inflexible when the teacher asks an unexpected question. RevisionDojo’s Language B oral practice guide explains a transferable describe, interpret, connect and discuss method, while the Spanish ab initio course guide shows how this works at beginner level.

What the revision means for students

The revised syllabus does not require students to abandon their existing study methods. It does reinforce the need to organize learning systematically across all 20 topics rather than revising only broad theme labels.

For each topic, build a compact language bank containing:

15 to 25 high-frequency nouns and verbs
Opinion, comparison and justification phrases
One personal example and one cultural example
A suitable written text type
One short audio or reading text
Two possible oral follow-up questions

For example, under technology, a student could learn language for daily device use, benefits and disadvantages, online safety and differences in technology use across cultures. The same material can then support a blog post, listening exercise, reading passage and oral discussion.

RevisionDojo’s ab initio learning strategies provide a practical weekly routine. Students can also use language listening strategies and the IB Language B exam format guide while remembering to adapt task difficulty to ab initio level.

Common mistakes to avoid

The first mistake is treating Language B and Language ab initio as interchangeable names. They share themes and assessment skill categories, but their entry expectations, linguistic complexity and course requirements differ.

A second mistake is believing that prescribed topics predict exact examination questions. The IB can place familiar subject matter in an unfamiliar context, so students need flexible language rather than rehearsed paragraphs.

A third mistake is switching entirely to 2029 materials before confirming the examination session. Students on the current course should continue using current markschemes, specimen materials and teacher guidance.

Finally, do not revise vocabulary in isolation. Strong performance depends on using vocabulary to communicate a relevant message, understand texts, respond spontaneously and select an appropriate register.

Conclusion

The answer is yes: a revised Language ab initio syllabus takes effect with first assessment in 2029. Nevertheless, the public 2029 subject brief retains the five prescribed themes, 20 prescribed topics, 25% weighting for each skill area and the familiar broad structure of the individual oral.

Students should verify their examination year, follow the guide selected by their school and continue building balanced competence in reading, listening, writing and speaking. RevisionDojo Flashcards, Questionbank practice, Study Notes, Mock Exams and oral rehearsal with Jojo AI can support that preparation once they are matched to the correct syllabus version.