What Is the IB Spanish B Oral Exam?
The IB Spanish B Oral Exam is an internal assessment that forms an essential part of the Language B component of the IB Diploma Programme. This oral test measures a student’s ability to communicate in Spanish on familiar and abstract topics while showcasing their fluency, comprehension, cultural awareness, and argumentation skills.
In 2025, the format continues to distinguish between Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL) students, with each version tailored to reflect appropriate depth and complexity.
- SL Weighting: 25% of final grade
- HL Weighting: 20% of final grade
- Duration: 12–15 minutes
Structure of the Oral Exam: SL vs HL Comparison
Standard Level (SL): Visual Stimulus-Based Assessment
SL students are given two visual stimuli, typically photographs, related to one of the five IB themes (Identities, Experiences, Human Ingenuity, Social Organization, and Sharing the Planet). The oral exam is divided into three parts:
- Presentation (3–4 minutes): Describe and interpret the image.
- Follow-up Conversation (4–5 minutes): Answer open-ended questions about the visual.
- General Discussion (5–6 minutes): Converse on a different theme from the syllabus.
Higher Level (HL): Literary Extract Analysis
HL students choose between two unseen extracts (max 300 words) from literary works studied during the course. The structure mirrors SL but with a deeper analytical focus:
- Summarize and analyze the extract; relate it to the full work.
