IB French ab initio SL Paper 2 - Reading Comprehension
Understanding the Exam Format
Core Structure
- Total duration: 60 minutes
- Three distinct reading texts
- Question types: Multiple choice, true/false, matching, fill-in-the-blank, short answer
- Texts are drawn from IB’s five prescribed themes
- Total marks: 40
The exam is structured progressively, meaning Text 3 is often the most challenging—allocate extra time for it in your planning.
Pre-Exam Preparation
Familiarizing Yourself with the Format
- Understand the different question types that will appear
- Expect gradually increasing difficulty across the three texts
- Learn to recognize distractors in multiple-choice and true/false questions
Developing Reading Skills
- Practice active reading—highlight key phrases, note transitions, and identify pronouns
- Read varied French texts (news articles, blogs, informational texts) to build comprehension
- Expand vocabulary within IB’s five core themes
- Keep a theme-based vocabulary list for IB’s five prescribed themes—this helps you quickly recognize key terms in the texts.
- You can also check out French AB initio flashcards organized by themes we have on the website!
Recognizing Common Challenges
- Synonyms and paraphrasing: The text rarely uses exact words from the questions
- False friends: Words that look like English but have different meanings (actuellement ≠ actually)
- Logical consistency: Some answers may seem plausible but don’t fit the context
Before You Read
Maximizing Reading Time
- Scan the questions first to know what information to focus on
- Underline key words in the questions before reading the passage
- Identify whether the text is informative, persuasive, or narrative
Question Analysis
- Recognize what form each answer should take (word, phrase, sentence)
- Watch for question phrasing changes—the wording in the text may be rephrased in the questions
Pre-Reading Strategies
- Identify connectors (cependant, en revanche, en effet) that signal relationships between ideas
- Predict where specific information is likely to appear
Different text types require different reading approaches—recognizing the format helps predict content.
Effective Reading Strategies
First Reading: Understanding the Main Idea
- Skim the text for general meaning before answering any questions
- Identify the main topic and purpose of the text
- Pay attention to titles, headings, and subheadings for context clues
Overlooking headings, subheadings, and paragraph breaks—these provide clues about main ideas and argument structure.
Second Reading: Finding Key Details
- Read each question carefully and search for specific evidence in the text
- Underline key words and phrases that directly answer the question
- Identify words with similar meanings that may be used instead of the exact wording from the question
Sometimes, an answer seems correct at first glance but is actually misleading—check if the entire sentence supports the answer.
Strategies for Different Question Types
Multiple-Choice Questions
- Eliminate wrong answers first
- Beware of distractors—some options may contain partially correct information but are ultimately incorrect
- Look for synonyms and paraphrased versions of the correct answer in the text
Choosing the first seemingly correct answer—instead, read all options before selecting one.
