IBDP-GK-SLInternational BaccalaureateFoundational

IBDP Classical Greek SL

This AccelaStudy domain provides comprehensive preparation for the IB Diploma Programme Classical Greek Standard Level examination, covering every component of the current IB syllabus from foundational alphabet and accentuation through advanced literary analysis of the prescribed texts.The course is structured around four interconnected pillars. First, language mastery: students build a complete command of Classical Greek morphology — all three noun declensions, the full range of adjective and pronoun paradigms, and the entire verbal system including thematic and athematic verbs, all moods (indicative, subjunctive, optative, imperative), all tenses in active, middle, and passive voices, and all non-finite forms (participles, infinitives). Second, syntax: students learn to parse and translate every major syntactic construction tested at SL, including indirect statement in all three forms, the five conditional types, purpose and result clauses, temporal and relative clauses, and the genitive and accusative absolute. Third, literary analysis: students develop the skills to read, translate, and critically discuss the two prescribed literary works — one prose and one verse — with attention to narrative structure, characterisation, theme, imagery, rhetorical and poetic devices, and authorial style. Fourth, cultural context: students acquire the historical and cultural background knowledge of Classical Athens, Greek religion, the theatre, the Homeric world, and Socratic philosophy needed to enrich their literary interpretations.Assessment preparation is woven throughout: dedicated units address Paper 1 unseen translation and comprehension strategies, Paper 2 essay and passage-commentary techniques, and the Individual Oral Commentary format and criteria. Contrastive pairs highlight common errors in morphology and syntax, while exam tips guide students on time management, mark-allocation awareness, and the precise use of grammatical terminology expected by IB examiners.Whether you are a beginner building Greek from the alphabet upward or a continuation student refining your analytical writing, this domain provides the structured, IB-aligned pathway to confident performance across all three assessment components.

210

Minutes

Questions

4/7

Passing Score

$173

Exam Cost

Who Should Take This

This course is designed for IB Diploma students taking Classical Greek SL, including both ab initio learners who have begun Greek in the Diploma years and continuation students who studied Greek before the Diploma. It is ideal for students with an interest in ancient languages, classical literature, philosophy, history, or linguistics who want a rigorous, globally-recognised qualification. Students planning to study Classics, ancient history, philosophy, theology, or any humanities discipline at university will find the analytical and linguistic skills developed here directly transferable. No prior university-level language study is assumed, but students should expect to invest significant time in memorising paradigms and vocabulary alongside developing literary critical skills.

What's Covered

1All three declensions of nouns; 2-1-2, 3-3, and 3-1-3 adjective types; comparative and superlative; all pronoun paradigms including the definite article

2Thematic and athematic verbs; all tenses, moods (indicative, subjunctive, optative, imperative), voices (active, middle, passive); participles, infinitives, contract verbs, irregular verbs

3Indirect statement, conditional sentences, purpose and result clauses, temporal and relative clauses, genitive and accusative absolute, uses of the infinitive and participle, negation, prepositions

4Core vocabulary list; prefixes and roots; etymology and derivatives

5Translation, literary analysis, characterisation, themes, and authorial style of one prescribed prose work (e.g. Plato Apology, Xenophon Anabasis)

6Translation, metre, epic/dramatic conventions, imagery, characterisation, and themes of one prescribed verse work (e.g. Homer Iliad/Odyssey, Euripides)

7Athenian society, religion, theatre, Homeric world-view, and Socratic philosophy as context for prescribed texts

What's Included in AccelaStudy® AI

Adaptive Knowledge Graph

Practice Questions

Lesson Modules

Console Simulator Labs

Exam Tips & Strategy

13 Activity Formats

Course Outline

1Unit 1: Greek Phonology, Orthography, and the Alphabet

3 topics

Identify and write all 24 letters of the Greek alphabet in upper and lower case, state their conventional transliterations, and recognise the alphabetic order used in Greek lexica.

Describe the Greek diacritical system including the three accent types (acute, grave, circumflex), the two breathing marks (rough and smooth), iota subscript, and diaeresis, and state the basic rules governing their placement on syllables.

Apply accent rules (recessive accent in verbs, persistent accent in nouns, accent shift in enclitics and proclitics) to correctly accent Greek words encountered in translation and composition exercises.

2Unit 2: Nominal Morphology — Nouns and Adjectives

7 topics

Identify and list the five Greek cases (nominative, vocative, accusative, genitive, dative) and state the primary syntactic function of each case in a Greek sentence, including common uses such as subject, direct object, possession, and indirect object.

Decline all first-declension noun types (long-alpha feminine, short-alpha feminine, eta-stem feminine, and masculine types in -ης and -ας) in singular and plural, and apply these paradigms to identify forms in unseen passages.

Decline all second-declension noun types (masculine/feminine -ος stems and neuter -ον stems) in singular and plural, and distinguish second-declension forms from superficially similar first-declension endings in context.

Decline representative third-declension noun types including consonant stems (labial, velar, dental, liquid, nasal), sigma stems, and vowel stems (including syncopated nouns such as πατήρ and ἀνήρ), and identify third-declension forms in prepared and unseen texts.

Decline first-and-second declension adjectives (2-1-2 type, e.g. ἀγαθός), third-declension adjectives (3-3 type, e.g. σώφρων), and mixed 3-1-3 adjectives (e.g. πᾶς), and apply correct agreement in gender, number, and case to noun phrases in translation.

Apply the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives (regular -τερος/-τατος and irregular forms such as ἀγαθός/ἀμείνων/ἄριστος) and adverbs to translate degree expressions accurately in prose and verse passages.

Decline all Greek pronoun types (personal, reflexive, reciprocal, demonstrative οὗτος/ἐκεῖνος/ὅδε, relative ὅς, interrogative τίς, indefinite τις, and the definite article ὁ ἡ τό) and identify their functions as subject, object, or antecedent in complex sentences.

3Unit 3: Verbal Morphology — Conjugation and Mood

9 topics

Identify and list the principal parts of a Greek verb (present, future, aorist, perfect, perfect middle/passive, aorist passive) and state how each principal part generates a distinct tense stem used in conjugation.

Conjugate thematic (omega) verbs in all persons and numbers across the indicative mood in present, imperfect, future, aorist (first and second), perfect, and pluperfect tenses in active, middle, and passive voices, and apply these forms to parse verbs in unseen passages.

Conjugate athematic (mi) verbs including δίδωμι, τίθημι, ἵημι, and ἵστημι in indicative, subjunctive, optative, imperative, infinitive, and participle forms, and distinguish their endings from thematic verb endings in translation contexts.

Conjugate the subjunctive mood in present and aorist tenses (active, middle, passive) for both thematic and athematic verbs, and explain the primary syntactic contexts in which the subjunctive is used (purpose, indefinite, fear, and primary sequence conditions).

Conjugate the optative mood in present, future, aorist, and perfect tenses (active, middle, passive), and state the syntactic contexts in which the optative is used including wishes, potential statements, indirect statement in secondary sequence, and secondary sequence conditions.

Decline Greek participles (present, aorist, perfect, future; active, middle, passive) for all three genders across all cases, and identify participle forms in prepared and unseen passages by tense, voice, gender, number, and case.

List the infinitive forms of Greek verbs (present, future, aorist, perfect; active, middle, passive) and state the distinction between aspect (continuous vs. completed action) and tense (absolute time) as it applies to infinitives and participles in Greek.

Identify and conjugate contract verbs in -αω, -εω, and -οω, applying the contraction rules to produce correct present and imperfect indicative, subjunctive, optative, imperative, infinitive, and participle forms in active and middle/passive voices.

Conjugate the irregular verbs εἰμί (to be), εἶμι (to go), φημί (to say), and οἶδα (to know) in all attested moods, tenses, and non-finite forms, and apply these forms correctly when parsing and translating passages from prescribed authors.

4Unit 4: Greek Syntax

9 topics

Explain the uses of the Greek article (attributive and predicative position, articular infinitive, article with abstract nouns and proper names) and apply this knowledge to determine the structure of noun phrases in translation.

Apply knowledge of indirect statement constructions (accusative-and-infinitive after verbs of saying/thinking, ὅτι/ὡς clauses with indicative or optative, and participle constructions after verbs of knowing/perceiving) to translate complex sentences accurately from Greek into English.

Distinguish among the five main conditional sentence types in Greek (simple, open/future-more-vivid, future-less-vivid, past general, and contrary-to-fact) by their characteristic mood-and-tense combinations, and translate each type with appropriate English equivalents.

Apply understanding of purpose clauses (ἵνα, ὡς, ὅπως + subjunctive/optative; negative μή), result clauses (ὥστε + infinitive or indicative), and fear clauses (δέδοικα μή + subjunctive/optative) to parse and translate subordinate clause structures in prose passages.

Explain the genitive absolute and accusative absolute constructions, identify them in prepared and unseen passages, and translate them into natural English using appropriate subordinate clauses or participial phrases.

Apply knowledge of temporal clauses (ἐπεί, ὅτε, ἕως, πρίν + various moods and tenses) and relative clauses (including indefinite relative with ἄν + subjunctive) to analyse complex sentence structure and produce accurate translations of multi-clause Greek sentences.

Explain the syntax of prepositions governing genitive, dative, and accusative cases (including ἀπό, ἐκ, πρός, εἰς, ἐν, ἐπί, παρά, περί, ὑπό, διά, κατά, μετά) and apply this knowledge to determine spatial, temporal, and causal relationships in Greek sentences.

Apply understanding of the Greek negative particles (οὐ/οὐκ/οὐχ for indicative statements; μή for non-indicative moods, prohibitions, and purpose clauses) and compound negatives (οὐδείς, μηδείς, οὔτε…οὔτε) to translate negation accurately in all syntactic contexts.

Explain the uses of the Greek infinitive (complementary, articular, indirect command, indirect statement, result) and apply this knowledge to distinguish infinitive functions and translate them appropriately in prose and verse contexts.

5Unit 5: Vocabulary and Word Formation

3 topics

Identify and define the high-frequency Greek vocabulary items specified in the IB Classical Greek SL core vocabulary list, including common nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, conjunctions, and particles encountered in the prescribed prose and verse texts.

Apply knowledge of Greek prefixes (ἀ-/ἀν-, ἀντι-, ἀπο-, διά-, εἰς-, ἐκ-, ἐν-, ἐπι-, κατα-, μετα-, παρα-, περι-, προ-, συν-, ὑπο-) and common roots to deduce the meanings of unfamiliar compound words encountered in unseen passages.

Identify Greek and Latin derivatives in English and other modern languages, and explain how recognising these etymological connections aids comprehension of both the ancient vocabulary and modern academic and scientific terminology.

6Unit 6: Translation Skills and Unseen Comprehension

4 topics

Apply a systematic approach to unseen translation (identifying main verb and subject, parsing unfamiliar forms, using context and word-formation clues, and working clause by clause) to produce accurate and idiomatic English renderings of unseen Greek prose passages of the type set in Paper 1.

Apply translation strategies specific to Greek verse (recognising epic dialect forms, understanding metrical elision and synizesis, handling hyperbaton and other poetic word-order patterns) to translate unseen hexameter or iambic trimeter passages with appropriate accuracy.

Demonstrate understanding of an unseen Greek passage by answering comprehension questions in English that require identification of specific information, explanation of grammatical constructions, and summary of argument or narrative, as required in Paper 1 Section A.

Apply knowledge of Greek grammar to answer directed grammar questions (parsing specified forms, explaining syntactic constructions, identifying clause types) in the format required by Paper 1 Section B, with precise use of grammatical terminology.

7Unit 7: Prescribed Prose Text — Reading and Analysis

6 topics

Translate accurately into English all prescribed passages from the SL prose text (e.g. selections from Plato's Apology or Xenophon's Anabasis), demonstrating secure control of grammar, syntax, and vocabulary specific to the author's style.

Explain the narrative structure, argumentation, or rhetorical organisation of the prescribed prose text, identifying how the author develops ideas, constructs arguments, or advances a narrative across the selected passages.

Analyse the literary and rhetorical devices employed in the prescribed prose text (including periodic sentence structure, chiasmus, antithesis, irony, and direct speech) and explain their effect on the reader's understanding of character, argument, or theme.

Evaluate the characterisation of key figures in the prescribed prose text, examining how the author's language choices, narrative perspective, and use of dialogue construct the reader's perception of protagonists and their moral or intellectual qualities.

Discuss the major themes of the prescribed prose text (e.g. justice, piety, courage, knowledge, leadership) with reference to specific passages in the original Greek, supporting interpretive claims with close reading of language and syntax.

Explain the stylistic features distinctive to the prescribed prose author (e.g. Platonic dialogue form and Socratic irony; Xenophon's clear Attic prose and military narrative technique) and apply this stylistic awareness to interpret ambiguous passages.

8Unit 8: Prescribed Verse Text — Reading and Analysis

7 topics

Translate accurately into English all prescribed passages from the SL verse text (e.g. selections from Homer's Iliad or Odyssey, or Euripides), demonstrating understanding of epic or dramatic dialect forms, poetic vocabulary, and verse-specific syntax.

Describe the metrical scheme of the prescribed verse text (dactylic hexameter for Homer; iambic trimeter for tragedy), identify the basic metrical patterns in selected lines, and explain how metre contributes to the tone and rhythm of the poetry.

Analyse the use of epic or dramatic conventions in the prescribed verse text (including Homeric similes, epithets, ring composition, and formulaic language in Homer; or stichomythia, chorus, and dramatic irony in tragedy) and evaluate their narrative or theatrical function.

Evaluate the portrayal of key characters in the prescribed verse text, examining how the poet uses speech, action, divine intervention, and other characters' responses to construct heroic, tragic, or morally complex figures.

Discuss the major themes of the prescribed verse text (e.g. heroism, fate, divine will, suffering, homecoming, revenge) with reference to specific lines in the original Greek, supporting interpretive claims with close reading of poetic language and imagery.

Analyse the imagery and figurative language in the prescribed verse text (similes, metaphors, personification, pathetic fallacy) and evaluate how these devices contribute to the emotional impact and thematic depth of key passages.

Explain the dialect features of the prescribed verse text (Ionic-Epic dialect in Homer including forms such as genitive singular -οιο, dative plural -εσσι, and uncontracted vowels) and apply this knowledge to parse and translate forms that differ from standard Attic Greek.

9Unit 9: Cultural and Historical Context

6 topics

Describe the political and social organisation of Classical Athens (democracy, the assembly, law courts, the role of citizens, metics, women, and slaves) and explain how this context illuminates the themes and arguments of the prescribed prose text.

Describe the religious beliefs and practices of ancient Greece (the Olympian gods, sacrifice, oracles, festivals such as the Panathenaia and Dionysia, and concepts of piety and impiety) and explain their relevance to the moral and theological dimensions of the prescribed texts.

Explain the conventions of the Greek theatre (the physical space of the theatron and orchestra, the role of the chorus, the use of masks and costumes, the dramatic festivals, and the three great tragedians) and apply this knowledge to interpret dramatic choices in the prescribed verse text.

Explain the Homeric world-view including the heroic code (aristeia, kleos, timē, aidos), the role of the gods in human affairs, and the Homeric conception of the afterlife, and apply this cultural framework to interpret character motivation and narrative events in the prescribed epic text.

Discuss the historical and intellectual context of Socratic philosophy (the sophistic movement, the trial of Socrates, Athenian attitudes to impiety and the corruption of youth) and evaluate how this context shapes the arguments and dramatic situation of the prescribed Platonic text.

Apply cultural and historical contextual knowledge as supporting evidence in literary commentary, explaining how awareness of Greek social norms, religious beliefs, or political institutions deepens interpretation of specific passages without substituting for close reading of the Greek text.

10Unit 10: Paper 1 — Unseen Translation and Comprehension (Assessment Preparation)

3 topics

Apply time-management and triage strategies for Paper 1 (allocating time proportionally to marks, attempting all questions, using context to resolve uncertain forms) to maximise performance on unseen translation and comprehension tasks within the examination time limit.

Apply the IB marking criteria for unseen translation (accuracy of meaning, handling of grammar, and quality of English expression) to self-assess and improve draft translations, identifying systematic errors in morphology, syntax, or vocabulary.

Demonstrate understanding of Paper 1 comprehension question types (factual retrieval, grammatical explanation, summary, and inference) and apply appropriate response strategies to answer each type concisely and accurately within the marks allocated.

11Unit 11: Paper 2 — Prescribed Text Essay and Passage Commentary (Assessment Preparation)

4 topics

Construct a well-structured literary essay in response to a Paper 2 question on the prescribed prose or verse text, presenting a clear thesis, developing an argument with textual evidence from the original Greek, and reaching a justified conclusion within the examination time.

Apply the IB assessment criteria for Paper 2 literary essays (knowledge and understanding of the text, literary analysis, use of the Greek language, and quality of argument) to plan and draft responses that address all criteria systematically.

Evaluate the relative merits of different interpretive approaches to a passage from the prescribed text, considering alternative readings of character, theme, or authorial intent, and justify a preferred interpretation with close reference to the Greek language of the passage.

Construct a passage-based commentary on a set extract from the prescribed text, identifying the passage's place in the work, analysing its language and literary features, and discussing its contribution to the text's overall themes and structure.

12Unit 12: Internal Assessment — Individual Oral Commentary

4 topics

Describe the format and assessment criteria of the IB Classical Greek SL Individual Oral Commentary (prepared passage, duration, follow-up questions, and the four assessment criteria: knowledge and understanding, literary analysis, use of Greek, and communication).

Construct a structured oral commentary on a prepared passage from the prescribed text, opening with a contextualising introduction, developing a close reading of language and literary features in sequence, and concluding with a statement of the passage's significance to the work as a whole.

Apply strategies for responding to examiner follow-up questions in the oral commentary (expanding on points made, correcting errors, connecting the passage to broader themes) to demonstrate depth of knowledge and flexibility of literary thinking under examination conditions.

Evaluate a sample oral commentary against the IB assessment criteria, identifying strengths and weaknesses in knowledge of the text, quality of literary analysis, integration of Greek quotation, and clarity of communication, and apply these observations to improve personal performance.

Scope

Included Topics

Reading and comprehension of unseen and prepared Classical Greek prose and verse passages drawn from the prescribed authors list (e.g. Plato, Xenophon, Herodotus, Homer, Euripides)
Prescribed literary works: one prose and one verse text selected from the IB Classical Greek SL prescribed literature list, studied in the original Greek
Greek grammar: all accidence (noun declensions 1st–3rd, adjective declensions, pronoun paradigms, verb conjugations including thematic and athematic verbs, participles, infinitives, optative, subjunctive, imperative, all tenses active/middle/passive) and syntax (subordinate clauses, indirect statement, conditions, purpose, result, temporal, relative, participial constructions)
Greek vocabulary: core vocabulary list as specified in the IB Classical Greek syllabus, including high-frequency words from prescribed texts
Literary analysis: identification and discussion of literary devices (metaphor, simile, irony, imagery, characterization, narrative technique, dramatic structure) in prescribed texts
Cultural and historical context: Athenian society, religion, politics, philosophy, theatre, and epic tradition as relevant to prescribed texts
Translation skills: rendering Greek into clear, accurate English and demonstrating understanding of grammatical structures
Two external assessment components: Paper 1 (unseen translation and comprehension) and Paper 2 (literature essay and passage-based questions on prescribed texts)
Assessment objectives AO1 (knowledge of language), AO2 (application of language knowledge), AO3 (literary and cultural understanding), AO4 (communication and presentation of ideas)
Internal assessment: individual oral commentary on a prepared passage from a prescribed text

Not Covered

Latin language or Roman literature (separate IB subject)
Modern Greek language
Byzantine or Koine Greek beyond what appears incidentally in prescribed texts
Detailed papyrology, epigraphy, or manuscript tradition beyond introductory awareness
HL-only extension topics: second prescribed literary work, extended literary essay, and deeper comparative analysis required at HL
Linguistic theory or formal linguistics beyond descriptive grammar needed for translation
Archaeological or art-historical analysis beyond cultural context relevant to prescribed texts

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IBDP Classical Greek SL

Who Should Take This

What's Covered

What's Included in AccelaStudy® AI

Course Outline

Identify and write all 24 letters of the Greek alphabet in upper and lower case, state their conventional transliterations, and recognise the alphabetic order used in Greek lexica.

Describe the Greek diacritical system including the three accent types (acute, grave, circumflex), the two breathing marks (rough and smooth), iota subscript, and diaeresis, and state the basic rules governing their placement on syllables.

Apply accent rules (recessive accent in verbs, persistent accent in nouns, accent shift in enclitics and proclitics) to correctly accent Greek words encountered in translation and composition exercises.

Identify and list the five Greek cases (nominative, vocative, accusative, genitive, dative) and state the primary syntactic function of each case in a Greek sentence, including common uses such as subject, direct object, possession, and indirect object.

Decline all first-declension noun types (long-alpha feminine, short-alpha feminine, eta-stem feminine, and masculine types in -ης and -ας) in singular and plural, and apply these paradigms to identify forms in unseen passages.

Decline all second-declension noun types (masculine/feminine -ος stems and neuter -ον stems) in singular and plural, and distinguish second-declension forms from superficially similar first-declension endings in context.

Decline representative third-declension noun types including consonant stems (labial, velar, dental, liquid, nasal), sigma stems, and vowel stems (including syncopated nouns such as πατήρ and ἀνήρ), and identify third-declension forms in prepared and unseen texts.

Decline first-and-second declension adjectives (2-1-2 type, e.g. ἀγαθός), third-declension adjectives (3-3 type, e.g. σώφρων), and mixed 3-1-3 adjectives (e.g. πᾶς), and apply correct agreement in gender, number, and case to noun phrases in translation.

Apply the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives (regular -τερος/-τατος and irregular forms such as ἀγαθός/ἀμείνων/ἄριστος) and adverbs to translate degree expressions accurately in prose and verse passages.

Decline all Greek pronoun types (personal, reflexive, reciprocal, demonstrative οὗτος/ἐκεῖνος/ὅδε, relative ὅς, interrogative τίς, indefinite τις, and the definite article ὁ ἡ τό) and identify their functions as subject, object, or antecedent in complex sentences.

Identify and list the principal parts of a Greek verb (present, future, aorist, perfect, perfect middle/passive, aorist passive) and state how each principal part generates a distinct tense stem used in conjugation.

Conjugate thematic (omega) verbs in all persons and numbers across the indicative mood in present, imperfect, future, aorist (first and second), perfect, and pluperfect tenses in active, middle, and passive voices, and apply these forms to parse verbs in unseen passages.

Conjugate athematic (mi) verbs including δίδωμι, τίθημι, ἵημι, and ἵστημι in indicative, subjunctive, optative, imperative, infinitive, and participle forms, and distinguish their endings from thematic verb endings in translation contexts.

Conjugate the subjunctive mood in present and aorist tenses (active, middle, passive) for both thematic and athematic verbs, and explain the primary syntactic contexts in which the subjunctive is used (purpose, indefinite, fear, and primary sequence conditions).

Conjugate the optative mood in present, future, aorist, and perfect tenses (active, middle, passive), and state the syntactic contexts in which the optative is used including wishes, potential statements, indirect statement in secondary sequence, and secondary sequence conditions.

Decline Greek participles (present, aorist, perfect, future; active, middle, passive) for all three genders across all cases, and identify participle forms in prepared and unseen passages by tense, voice, gender, number, and case.

List the infinitive forms of Greek verbs (present, future, aorist, perfect; active, middle, passive) and state the distinction between aspect (continuous vs. completed action) and tense (absolute time) as it applies to infinitives and participles in Greek.

Identify and conjugate contract verbs in -αω, -εω, and -οω, applying the contraction rules to produce correct present and imperfect indicative, subjunctive, optative, imperative, infinitive, and participle forms in active and middle/passive voices.

Conjugate the irregular verbs εἰμί (to be), εἶμι (to go), φημί (to say), and οἶδα (to know) in all attested moods, tenses, and non-finite forms, and apply these forms correctly when parsing and translating passages from prescribed authors.

Explain the uses of the Greek article (attributive and predicative position, articular infinitive, article with abstract nouns and proper names) and apply this knowledge to determine the structure of noun phrases in translation.

Apply knowledge of indirect statement constructions (accusative-and-infinitive after verbs of saying/thinking, ὅτι/ὡς clauses with indicative or optative, and participle constructions after verbs of knowing/perceiving) to translate complex sentences accurately from Greek into English.

Distinguish among the five main conditional sentence types in Greek (simple, open/future-more-vivid, future-less-vivid, past general, and contrary-to-fact) by their characteristic mood-and-tense combinations, and translate each type with appropriate English equivalents.

Apply understanding of purpose clauses (ἵνα, ὡς, ὅπως + subjunctive/optative; negative μή), result clauses (ὥστε + infinitive or indicative), and fear clauses (δέδοικα μή + subjunctive/optative) to parse and translate subordinate clause structures in prose passages.

Explain the genitive absolute and accusative absolute constructions, identify them in prepared and unseen passages, and translate them into natural English using appropriate subordinate clauses or participial phrases.

Apply knowledge of temporal clauses (ἐπεί, ὅτε, ἕως, πρίν + various moods and tenses) and relative clauses (including indefinite relative with ἄν + subjunctive) to analyse complex sentence structure and produce accurate translations of multi-clause Greek sentences.

Explain the uses of the Greek infinitive (complementary, articular, indirect command, indirect statement, result) and apply this knowledge to distinguish infinitive functions and translate them appropriately in prose and verse contexts.

Identify and define the high-frequency Greek vocabulary items specified in the IB Classical Greek SL core vocabulary list, including common nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, conjunctions, and particles encountered in the prescribed prose and verse texts.

Apply knowledge of Greek prefixes (ἀ-/ἀν-, ἀντι-, ἀπο-, διά-, εἰς-, ἐκ-, ἐν-, ἐπι-, κατα-, μετα-, παρα-, περι-, προ-, συν-, ὑπο-) and common roots to deduce the meanings of unfamiliar compound words encountered in unseen passages.

Identify Greek and Latin derivatives in English and other modern languages, and explain how recognising these etymological connections aids comprehension of both the ancient vocabulary and modern academic and scientific terminology.

Apply a systematic approach to unseen translation (identifying main verb and subject, parsing unfamiliar forms, using context and word-formation clues, and working clause by clause) to produce accurate and idiomatic English renderings of unseen Greek prose passages of the type set in Paper 1.

Apply translation strategies specific to Greek verse (recognising epic dialect forms, understanding metrical elision and synizesis, handling hyperbaton and other poetic word-order patterns) to translate unseen hexameter or iambic trimeter passages with appropriate accuracy.

Demonstrate understanding of an unseen Greek passage by answering comprehension questions in English that require identification of specific information, explanation of grammatical constructions, and summary of argument or narrative, as required in Paper 1 Section A.

Apply knowledge of Greek grammar to answer directed grammar questions (parsing specified forms, explaining syntactic constructions, identifying clause types) in the format required by Paper 1 Section B, with precise use of grammatical terminology.

Translate accurately into English all prescribed passages from the SL prose text (e.g. selections from Plato's Apology or Xenophon's Anabasis), demonstrating secure control of grammar, syntax, and vocabulary specific to the author's style.

Explain the narrative structure, argumentation, or rhetorical organisation of the prescribed prose text, identifying how the author develops ideas, constructs arguments, or advances a narrative across the selected passages.

Analyse the literary and rhetorical devices employed in the prescribed prose text (including periodic sentence structure, chiasmus, antithesis, irony, and direct speech) and explain their effect on the reader's understanding of character, argument, or theme.

Evaluate the characterisation of key figures in the prescribed prose text, examining how the author's language choices, narrative perspective, and use of dialogue construct the reader's perception of protagonists and their moral or intellectual qualities.

Discuss the major themes of the prescribed prose text (e.g. justice, piety, courage, knowledge, leadership) with reference to specific passages in the original Greek, supporting interpretive claims with close reading of language and syntax.

Explain the stylistic features distinctive to the prescribed prose author (e.g. Platonic dialogue form and Socratic irony; Xenophon's clear Attic prose and military narrative technique) and apply this stylistic awareness to interpret ambiguous passages.

Translate accurately into English all prescribed passages from the SL verse text (e.g. selections from Homer's Iliad or Odyssey, or Euripides), demonstrating understanding of epic or dramatic dialect forms, poetic vocabulary, and verse-specific syntax.

Describe the metrical scheme of the prescribed verse text (dactylic hexameter for Homer; iambic trimeter for tragedy), identify the basic metrical patterns in selected lines, and explain how metre contributes to the tone and rhythm of the poetry.

Analyse the use of epic or dramatic conventions in the prescribed verse text (including Homeric similes, epithets, ring composition, and formulaic language in Homer; or stichomythia, chorus, and dramatic irony in tragedy) and evaluate their narrative or theatrical function.

Evaluate the portrayal of key characters in the prescribed verse text, examining how the poet uses speech, action, divine intervention, and other characters' responses to construct heroic, tragic, or morally complex figures.

Discuss the major themes of the prescribed verse text (e.g. heroism, fate, divine will, suffering, homecoming, revenge) with reference to specific lines in the original Greek, supporting interpretive claims with close reading of poetic language and imagery.

Analyse the imagery and figurative language in the prescribed verse text (similes, metaphors, personification, pathetic fallacy) and evaluate how these devices contribute to the emotional impact and thematic depth of key passages.

Explain the dialect features of the prescribed verse text (Ionic-Epic dialect in Homer including forms such as genitive singular -οιο, dative plural -εσσι, and uncontracted vowels) and apply this knowledge to parse and translate forms that differ from standard Attic Greek.

Describe the political and social organisation of Classical Athens (democracy, the assembly, law courts, the role of citizens, metics, women, and slaves) and explain how this context illuminates the themes and arguments of the prescribed prose text.

Describe the religious beliefs and practices of ancient Greece (the Olympian gods, sacrifice, oracles, festivals such as the Panathenaia and Dionysia, and concepts of piety and impiety) and explain their relevance to the moral and theological dimensions of the prescribed texts.

Explain the conventions of the Greek theatre (the physical space of the theatron and orchestra, the role of the chorus, the use of masks and costumes, the dramatic festivals, and the three great tragedians) and apply this knowledge to interpret dramatic choices in the prescribed verse text.

Explain the Homeric world-view including the heroic code (aristeia, kleos, timē, aidos), the role of the gods in human affairs, and the Homeric conception of the afterlife, and apply this cultural framework to interpret character motivation and narrative events in the prescribed epic text.

Discuss the historical and intellectual context of Socratic philosophy (the sophistic movement, the trial of Socrates, Athenian attitudes to impiety and the corruption of youth) and evaluate how this context shapes the arguments and dramatic situation of the prescribed Platonic text.

Apply cultural and historical contextual knowledge as supporting evidence in literary commentary, explaining how awareness of Greek social norms, religious beliefs, or political institutions deepens interpretation of specific passages without substituting for close reading of the Greek text.

Apply time-management and triage strategies for Paper 1 (allocating time proportionally to marks, attempting all questions, using context to resolve uncertain forms) to maximise performance on unseen translation and comprehension tasks within the examination time limit.

Apply the IB marking criteria for unseen translation (accuracy of meaning, handling of grammar, and quality of English expression) to self-assess and improve draft translations, identifying systematic errors in morphology, syntax, or vocabulary.

Demonstrate understanding of Paper 1 comprehension question types (factual retrieval, grammatical explanation, summary, and inference) and apply appropriate response strategies to answer each type concisely and accurately within the marks allocated.

Construct a well-structured literary essay in response to a Paper 2 question on the prescribed prose or verse text, presenting a clear thesis, developing an argument with textual evidence from the original Greek, and reaching a justified conclusion within the examination time.

Apply the IB assessment criteria for Paper 2 literary essays (knowledge and understanding of the text, literary analysis, use of the Greek language, and quality of argument) to plan and draft responses that address all criteria systematically.

Evaluate the relative merits of different interpretive approaches to a passage from the prescribed text, considering alternative readings of character, theme, or authorial intent, and justify a preferred interpretation with close reference to the Greek language of the passage.

Construct a passage-based commentary on a set extract from the prescribed text, identifying the passage's place in the work, analysing its language and literary features, and discussing its contribution to the text's overall themes and structure.

Describe the format and assessment criteria of the IB Classical Greek SL Individual Oral Commentary (prepared passage, duration, follow-up questions, and the four assessment criteria: knowledge and understanding, literary analysis, use of Greek, and communication).

Construct a structured oral commentary on a prepared passage from the prescribed text, opening with a contextualising introduction, developing a close reading of language and literary features in sequence, and concluding with a statement of the passage's significance to the work as a whole.

Apply strategies for responding to examiner follow-up questions in the oral commentary (expanding on points made, correcting errors, connecting the passage to broader themes) to demonstrate depth of knowledge and flexibility of literary thinking under examination conditions.

Evaluate a sample oral commentary against the IB assessment criteria, identifying strengths and weaknesses in knowledge of the text, quality of literary analysis, integration of Greek quotation, and clarity of communication, and apply these observations to improve personal performance.

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