How To Ace Reading Spanish Ab Initio - Sample
How To Ace Reading Spanish Ab Initio - Sample
RONNY MINTJENS
READING COMPREHENSION
Paper 2
How to ace IB Spanish Ab Initio (Reading Comprehension – Paper 2 – first exams 2020)
This exam preparation workbook is written for teachers and students of the IB DP Spanish Ab Initio course and is suitable for
all beginning learners of Spanish. Its practical approach to teaching and learning is based on past examination papers (the
former Paper 1) from 2000 until 2019 and is arranged according to the five main themes and the twenty topics of the Ab Initio
course.
Ronny Mintjens is a practising Language Ab Initio teacher, examiner and workshop leader for the International Baccalaureate.
He is the author and publisher of the “Language Ab Initio Student Workbook” – the source publication for this resource. He is
also an IB workshop developer, a language acquisition and mother tongue consultant, a moderator for the IB Programme
Communities, the Head of Languages at a world-renowned IB school and a tireless advocate for mother tongue entitlement in
international education. Beyond his life as a linguist, Ronny is a world traveler, a published novelist and photographer, a
former professional football coach, a serial writer and an avid reader.
ISBN-13 978-988-14761-1-1
Published in e-version
Contact – [email protected]
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Where available, credit has been given to the copyright owner of each text reprinted in this workbook. For some texts no references are
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This exam preparation workbook complements the Language Ab Initio Student Workbook (ISBN 978-988-78756-6-6)
Welcome to the How to Ace IB Spanish Ab Initio – Reading Comprehension (Paper 2) workbook. This resource will
help you prepare fully for the final written and oral IB Spanish Ab Initio assessments.
The Language Ab Initio course is an organic course. You will learn vocabulary, grammar, syntax, skills and cultural facts
throughout the various units that your teacher presents. While the course is open-ended, there are a wide range of
themes and topics that must be covered.
In this workbook the course has been divided up into the five themes and the twenty topics of the IB Spanish Ab Initio
syllabus :
Through the revision of many years’ worth of past IB Reading Comprehension papers you will further familiarize
yourself with the topic-specific vocabulary. You will be able to revise and practise the vocabulary and the grammatical
concepts learned and to apply these in authentic Reading Comprehension exercises. In addition, you will be able to
practise key structures, develop your oral skills and complete creative and personalized writing tasks.
By the time you reach the end of the course, you will have a complete overview of the requirements, the key vocabulary,
the grammar points and the creative writing opportunities that the IB Ab Initio Paper 2 provides. Your knowledge and
understanding will then be tested in the Individual Oral examination, the Paper 1 creative writing and the Paper 2 reading
and listening comprehension exercises.
This workbook encourages you to review the relevant vocabulary and grammar through guided reading and to apply the
vocabulary and the grammar points in IB-style speaking and writing tasks.
The workbook is structured on the five main themes of the course, and within each theme the Past Paper texts and
exercises are arranged by topic. Within each topic you will find the following sections :
This text has been taken from a past IB Spanish Ab Initio Reading Comprehension exam paper (reference to the paper
and to the sources has been made) and forms the basis for the exercises in this section. For some of the topics several
past paper texts have been included for analysis. In this case, the texts are arranged in chronological order.
The key vocabulary has been listed so that you can study the new words prior to reading the source text. Make sure you
practise the spelling as well as the pronunciation !
For each text two sentence structures and/or grammar points have been highlighted. Study them before applying them
to the sample sentences provided.
Once the vocabulary and the grammar points have been studied, do an intensive and detailed reading of the source text.
As you complete this reading, ask your teacher for a copy of the corresponding “Question and Answer” paper. You
can complete this paper for practice, as homework or in class. Your teacher will also be able to provide you with the
corresponding mark scheme so you can check your answers.
Once you have studied the vocabulary, the grammar and the content of this past paper, conduct a creative oral task
according to set instructions. This will help you improve your pronunciation and oral fluency. Try to be personal and
use as many key words and grammar points from the source text as possible.
This section builds on the previous one and helps you practise your writing skills. You will find authentic Composition
instructions on the topic being studied. Practise these tasks in preparation for your final assessments and again, use key
words and key grammar points from the source text. Each writing task comes with three possible text types – choose
the most appropriate text type for the given task by applying what you have learned about Conceptual Understandings
in language acquisition.
Complementary resources
It is important that you use this workbook in conjunction with the other “Products of Mass Instruction” resources
for Spanish Ab Initio :
• refer to Chapter 9 of the “Language Ab Initio Student Workbook” for details on the Paper 2 exam
questions. Study the thirteen instructions carefully. Be aware though that for past papers from before
May 2020, a slightly different (but very comparable) set of instructions applies;
• refer to the “Spanish Ab Initio Portfolio” for topic-based vocabulary and sample sentences that you
can use in your creative speaking and writing;
• refer to the “How to Ace Spanish Ab Initio – Composition” workbook and study the features of
each text type before practising the Guided Writing part of each chapter in this workbook.
Your task
Note to teachers
Once your class has completed a particular topic of the Ab Initio course and you would like your students to practise
their comprehension skills on this topic, refer to the table of contents in this workbook where you will find the course
themes and the corresponding page numbers.
A detailed table with all the course themes, course topics and corresponding Reading Comprehesion Past Papers can be
found on page 522.
This workbook is organized according to the current Ab Initio syllabus and assessment specifications (first
exams in May 2020). However, it contains past papers from 2000 onwards. The students will only notice the
difference when they attempt to complete the official IB past paper exam for practice. The tasks set out in
this workbook are the same for both sets of papers. This workbook is part of the “Products of Mass
Instruction” series for Spanish Ab Initio which also includes :
All these resources are available from Mintjens Press and can be viewed on :
https://www.mihunlimited.com/ib-language.html
Table of contents
A. Identities p. 7
B. Experiences p. 139
A. IDENTIdades
CONTENIDO :
Mario Vargas Llosa, el conocido autor, nació en Perú en 1936. Cuando era pequeño quería ser Tarzán; de
joven soñó con convertirse en revolucionario; pero se contentó con ejercer de periodista pobre en París.
Ahora, además de dedicar muchas horas a su trabajo de escritor, tiene tiempo para cultivar sus relaciones
con el mundo de la cultura. Y aunque no tuvo éxito, en el pasado fue candidato a la presidencia del Perú.
A. “Me gustan las casas con mucha luz. Si tuviera que diseñar una para mí, sería de madera, con vista al
mar, y casi sin paredes”.
B. “No soy entusiasta de los coches. Si pudiera, elegiría un BMW. Hace unos años me robaron el que tenía
y me di cuenta de que en la ciudad se vive mucho mejor sin coche”.
C. “Comida : Las que están más cerca de la familia, las que pueden tomarse al lado del fuego, por ejemplo
una fabada o un buen cocido. Soy totalmente insensible para la cocina elaborada”.
D. “Restaurante favorito : En Madrid siempre acabo en Casa Lucio, delante de un buen plato de papas con
huevos. Y en Londres… adoro Inglaterra, pero desde Cromwell, los ingleses sólo comen para no
desfallecer”.
E. “¡ Mi lugar favorito ! : Hace 30 años hubiera dicho París; hace 10, contestaría Londres. Y ahora quizá la
Cordillera de los Andes, que me sobrecoge e intimida, tan bravía, sin domesticar”.
G. “Tiempo libre : ¡ Ni hablar ! Trabajo todo el día y después voy al cine, al teatro o a conciertos… Londres
es la mejor ciudad para el teatro, mi mujer y yo vamos con mucha frecuencia”.
H. “Siesta, ¡ nunca ! Duermo seis horas o menos… La hora del día que prefiero es el amanecer, cuando la
luz lucha contra la oscuridad”.
I. “¡ Una mania ! : ¡ Tengo muchas ! Por ejemplo, para sentarme a trabajar, necesito haberme bañado,
afeitado y vestido. No podría escribir en bata, en pijama. Otra obsesión : la limpieza”.
I. Key Vocabulary
1. Cuando era más joven quería ser bombero, pero ahora me gustaría estudiar el derecho.
Te toca a tí :
2. Para aprobar en este curso, necesito estudiar cada día y hacer todos los deberes.
Te toca a tí :
b. Para ganar mucho dinero nosotros ……… tener mucha suerte y trabajar cada día.
III:Comprehension
IV:Oral practice
Usa el vocabulario clave y las estructuras gramaticales que has aprendido en esta unidad.
Use the key vocabulary and grammatical structures that you have learned in this unit.
Imagina que has hecho una entrevista con Mario Vargas Llosa. Al día siguiente, explícale a tu amigo/a de
qué habéis hablado, cómo fue la experiencia y qué te ha sorprendido más.
V:Guided writing
Usa el vocabulario clave y las estructuras gramaticales que has aprendido en esta unidad.
Use the key vocabulary and grammatical structures that you have learned in this unit.
Imagina que has hecho una entrevista con Mario Vargas Llosa. Al día siguiente, escribe un texto para la
revista del colegio, en el cual explicas de qué habéis hablado, cómo fue la experiencia y qué te ha sorprendido
más.
B. EXPERIENCiaS
CONTENIDO :
En cualquier temporada del año, Marbella, por ejemplo, ofrece para algunos turistas el atractivo adicional
de cruzarse con celebridades (el lugar ideal es el privilegiado Puerto Banús), ya que ni la realeza ni las
estrellas de cine resisten la tentación de mostrarse en esta magnífica playa.
Por otra parte, son típicas en esta región las corridas de toros y los espectáculos de flamenco.
Para obtener más información, puede comunicarse con la Oficina de Turismo de Málaga. Tel: 543 768
888 o www.turismocostadelsol.com. Desde este nuevo centro de contacto, usted podrá solicitarnos toda
la información turística que necesite sobre la provincia de Málaga y la Costa del Sol, para hacer su visita
entre nosotros mucho más agradable e interesante. Puede preguntarnos sobre lugares donde ir, sitios que
conocer, cómo reservar alojamiento, excursiones, pasajes, etc.
No dude en contactarnos a través de todas las plataformas existentes : teléfono, email, Skype, etc.
I. Key Vocabulary
Te toca a tí :
a. Me gusta mucho mi colegio - … … dos piscinas, una gran biblioteca, laboratorios modernos y una cafetería
que siempre está abierta.
b. Méjico es un destino turístico muy popular. El país … … muchos lugares de interés histórico, cultural y
natural.
2. Además del clima y las playas, la Costa del Sol tiene un modo de vida a la española.
a. La universidad de Toluca es muy famosa. … … su historia académica también tiene un campo muy
atractivo.
b. Me gustaría mucho visitar Argentina. … … las pampas y la cordillera de los Andes, me atraen mucho las
lenguas, la cultura y la comida de ese país.
III:Comprehension
IV:Oral practice
Usa el vocabulario clave y las estructuras gramaticales que has aprendido en esta unidad.
Has estudiado el valor turístico de una región hispanohablante. Con tu amigo/a discute de las atracciones de
esa región, por qué te gustaría visitarla, y presenta tres diferencias con tu país/región.
V:Guided writing
Usa el vocabulario clave y las estructuras gramaticales que has aprendido en esta unidad.
Has leído el artículo sobre la Costa del Sol y te interesa visitarla. Escribe un texto en el cual mencionas por
qué te gusta tanto esa región de España, por qué quieres visitarla, cuánto tiempo quieres pasar en la región y
qué vas a hacer durante tu visita. Al final, menciona una pregunta que vas a mandar a la Oficina de Turismo
antes de tu viaje.
The Language Ab Initio Student Workbook covers all the components of this language acquisition course and
provides a step-by-step guide to the various assessments. Each component is broken down into its various
parts and plenty of advice and practice are provided in order to ensure that the student is fully prepared when
it matters most. This workbook focuses on reading, writing, listening and speaking and is supported by online
resources on the author’s website (www.mihunlimited.com).
The introduction of a personal Portfolio helps the student create an ongoing record of their learning and
allows them to manipulate the language according to the assessment tasks, the formats and the criteria. By
making language learning fun and personal, the Ab Initio student will find a great deal of motivation to create,
share and reflect on content and culture in the target language.
ISBN 978-988-78756-6-6
Also by Ronny Mintjens
A Chief’s Story
A short story, winner of the ROC-Taiwan 40th Anniversary Writing Contest, Swaziland, 2008
All types of duplication and/or distribution without express permission from the
author are strictly prohibited by copyright law.
© Mintjens Press
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