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100+ Free IB French B HL Practice Questions

Pass your International Baccalaureate French B (Language Acquisition) Higher Level exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.

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Vocabulary (environment): « la deforestation » is principally caused by:

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: IB French B HL Exam

1-7

IB grading scale

IBO Diploma Programme

240 hours

Recommended teaching time at HL

IB French B subject guide

CEFR B2

Target proficiency level

IB Language B subject guide

2 works

Prescribed literary works (HL only)

IB French B HL subject guide

25%

Individual Oral weighting

IB French B HL subject guide

100

Free practice questions here

OpenExamPrep

IB French B HL targets CEFR B2 across five themes (Identities, Experiences, Human Ingenuity, Social Organization, Sharing the Planet) plus two literary works. Assessment: Paper 1 productive writing 25%, Paper 2 receptive 50%, Individual Oral with literary stimulus 25%. Current syllabus first examined May 2020 and continues for 2026 exams.

Sample IB French B HL Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your IB French B HL exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Choose the correct form: « S'il avait su, il _____ autrement. »
A.aurait agi
B.agirait
C.agira
D.aurait agissait
Explanation: A type-3 conditional (counterfactual past) requires plus-que-parfait in the si-clause and conditionnel passe in the main clause: « S'il avait su, il aurait agi autrement. »
2Identify the tense used here: « Il fut tres surpris quand il la vit entrer. » (literary text)
A.passe simple
B.passe compose
C.imparfait
D.passe anterieur
Explanation: « fut » and « vit » are 3rd person singular passe simple forms of etre and voir. Passe simple is used in formal literary narration in place of passe compose.
3Complete: « Quand j'aurai fini mes devoirs, je _____ au cinema. »
A.irai
B.vais
C.suis alle
D.irais
Explanation: After « quand » referring to the future, French uses futur anterieur (j'aurai fini) for the prior action and futur simple (irai) for the subsequent action. This « two-future » sequence is required.
4Choose the correct subjunctive: « Bien qu'il _____ malade, il est venu en cours. »
A.soit
B.est
C.sera
D.etait
Explanation: « Bien que » always triggers the subjunctive. The present subjunctive of etre in the 3rd person singular is « soit ».
5Replace the underlined phrase with the correct pronoun: « Je pense souvent _a mes vacances_. »
A.J'y pense souvent.
B.Je les pense souvent.
C.J'en pense souvent.
D.Je leur pense souvent.
Explanation: « Penser a quelque chose » uses « y » to replace the prepositional phrase « a + noun (thing) ». « J'y pense » = I think about it.
6Choose the right relative pronoun: « C'est le livre _____ je t'ai parle hier. »
A.dont
B.que
C.qui
D.duquel
Explanation: « Parler de quelque chose » takes « de », so the relative pronoun replacing « de + noun » is « dont ». « Le livre dont je t'ai parle » = the book I told you about.
7Choose the correct form: « Je fais _____ ma voiture chez le garagiste. »
A.reparer
B.reparee
C.reparant
D.a reparer
Explanation: The faire causatif construction is « faire + infinitif »: « Je fais reparer ma voiture » = I'm having my car repaired. The infinitive never agrees.
8Which sentence uses the gerondif correctly?
A.En sortant du metro, j'ai vu mon ami.
B.Sortant du metro, j'ai vu mon ami.
C.Sorti du metro, j'ai vu mon ami.
D.Pour sortir du metro, j'ai vu mon ami.
Explanation: The gerondif (en + present participle) expresses simultaneity or means: « En sortant du metro » = while leaving the metro.
9Choose the correct negation: « Je _____ deux euros sur moi. »
A.n'ai que
B.n'ai pas
C.n'ai rien
D.n'ai jamais
Explanation: « Ne...que » means « only ». « Je n'ai que deux euros » = I only have two euros. It restricts rather than negates.
10Indirect speech: « Il a dit: 'Je viendrai demain.' » becomes:
A.Il a dit qu'il viendrait le lendemain.
B.Il a dit qu'il viendra demain.
C.Il a dit qu'il vient demain.
D.Il a dit qu'il est venu demain.
Explanation: When the reporting verb is past, futur simple shifts to conditionnel present (« viendrait ») and « demain » shifts to « le lendemain » in indirect speech.

About the IB French B HL Exam

IB French B Higher Level is a language acquisition course aimed at students with several years of prior French study, targeting CEFR B2 by the end of the programme. The HL course extends the SL syllabus with two prescribed literary works in French, deeper grammar (including literary tenses such as the passe simple, plus-que-parfait du subjonctif and conditionnel passe) and a more demanding receptive paper. Assessment is via Paper 1 (productive writing, 25%), Paper 2 (reading + listening, 50%) and the Individual Oral based on a literary extract (25%).

Questions

100 scored questions

Time Limit

3h 30min written/listening + 15min individual oral

Passing Score

Grade 4 standard pass on 1-7 scale; final grade combines Paper 1, Paper 2 and the Individual Oral

Exam Fee

Set by school; IB subject registration fees typically USD 119 per subject (International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO))

IB French B HL Exam Content Outline

Theme 1 of 5

Identities

Lifestyles, health and wellbeing, beliefs and values, subcultures, language and identity, self-image and body image

Theme 2 of 5

Experiences

Leisure activities, holidays and travel, migration, life stories, rites of passage, customs and traditions across the francophone world

Theme 3 of 5

Human Ingenuity

Entertainment, artistic expressions, communication and media, technology, scientific innovation, the impact of AI and digital culture

Theme 4 of 5

Social Organization

Family and relationships, community and social engagement, education, the working world, law and order, social inequality

Theme 5 of 5

Sharing the Planet

Environment, climate change, human rights, peace and conflict, equality, globalization, ethics, urban and rural environments

HL only

Literary Works

Two prescribed literary works studied in French — commonly L'Etranger (Camus), Le Petit Prince (Saint-Exupery), No et moi (Delphine de Vigan), Bonjour Tristesse (Sagan), Persepolis (Satrapi). One work forms the basis of the Individual Oral literary extract.

All themes

Grammar (B2)

Full SL grammar plus HL extensions: passe simple recognition in literature, plus-que-parfait, futur anterieur, conditionnel passe, subjonctif imparfait/plus-que-parfait, sequence of tenses, faire causatif, gerondif vs participe present, advanced pronoun use (y, en, dont, duquel), full negation set including ne...que

How to Pass the IB French B HL Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Grade 4 standard pass on 1-7 scale; final grade combines Paper 1, Paper 2 and the Individual Oral
  • Exam length: 100 questions
  • Time limit: 3h 30min written/listening + 15min individual oral
  • Exam fee: Set by school; IB subject registration fees typically USD 119 per subject

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

IB French B HL Study Tips from Top Performers

1Read French news weekly (Le Monde, Liberation, France Info) to build B2 vocabulary on politics, environment and society
2Memorise the irregular subjunctive triggers (bien que, pour que, avant que, sans que) and the il faut que / je veux que constructions
3For the Individual Oral, prepare a stock of literary vocabulary (le narrateur, le protagoniste, l'intrigue, le theme, la metaphore) and practise extracting themes from short passages
4Drill the four tense pairs students confuse most: imparfait vs passe compose, conditionnel present vs conditionnel passe, subjonctif present vs subjonctif passe, futur simple vs futur anterieur
5Listen to French radio podcasts (France Inter, RFI Journal en francais facile then standard) to prepare for the multi-speaker Paper 2 listening

Frequently Asked Questions

How is IB French B HL different from French B SL?

HL has 240 teaching hours versus 150 for SL, targets CEFR B2 rather than B1, requires the study of two literary works in French (SL does not), uses longer and more challenging texts on Papers 1 and 2, and bases the Individual Oral on a literary extract from one of the prescribed works rather than a visual stimulus.

What are the three assessment components in IB French B HL?

Paper 1 is 1 hour 30 minutes of productive writing in French (25%). Paper 2 is split into a 1-hour listening component and a 1-hour reading component (50% combined). The Individual Oral is a 12-15 minute internally assessed conversation based on an extract from one of the two literary works studied (25%).

What level of French is required for IB French B HL?

IB French B is for students with two to five years of prior study. By the end of the HL course, students should reach CEFR B2 (upper-intermediate), able to follow argumentative texts on abstract topics, discuss complex issues like environment, politics and society, and engage with literary French. Students closer to native level should consider French A: Literature or French A: Language and Literature instead.

Which literary works are typically studied in IB French B HL?

Each school chooses two literary works in French. Common choices include L'Etranger (Camus), Le Petit Prince (Saint-Exupery), No et moi (Delphine de Vigan), Bonjour Tristesse (Sagan), Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi), La Belle et la Bete (Mme Leprince de Beaumont) and poetry selections such as Prevert. Only one work needs to feature in the Individual Oral extract.

When are IB French B HL exams sat?

IB Diploma exams are held twice a year: the May session (most Northern Hemisphere schools) and the November session (most Southern Hemisphere schools). The current French B syllabus was first examined in May 2020 and remains in force for 2026 exams.