LM1 & LM2 Explained
Langue maternelle 1, Langue maternelle 2. What do these phrases mean ? Admittedly, the names of levels in ASB are confusing. They are directly related to the exams that students sit. All of our students up through 2nde are preparing for the Cambridge IGCSEs. Our Anglophone students (LM1) are preparing for the IGCSE First Language exam and our bilingual students (LM2) will sit the IGCSE English as a Second Language exam. For this reason, the school administration translated these exams into French and named the two classes Langue maternelle 1 and Langue maternelle 2. LM1 stands for Langue maternelle 1, and LM2 for Langue maternelle 2.
The Anglophone Section is made up of students who are in LM1 AND LM2. Students in both levels are fluent in English and often have no accent when they speak English. The big difference in the two levels is in their approach to writing. Anglophone (LM1) students are native speakers of English, who have an intuitive understanding of English grammar. These students have no idea what the present perfect is, but they use it perfectly naturally in their writing, and their reading and writing skills are on par with their peers in the Anglophone world. Bilingual (LM2) students are perfectly fluent in English, but French is their mother tongue, and it influences their approach to grammar and writing. These students need extra support in improving their writing and an explict approach to learning English grammar.
After takeing the IGCSE Language exams in seconde, LM1 and LM2 students are no longer separated. This is due to the fact that all ASB students sit the same IGCSE literature and history classes in 1ère, and they all prepare for the French baccaleaureat in Terminale.