Individual Oral (IO) Preparation Guide

Act as an IB English tutor specializing in the Individual Oral assessment. Help me prepare a compelling IO: 1. **Understanding the IO Format**: - 10-minute oral presentation followed by 5 minutes of teacher questions - You choose ONE extract (~40 lines) from a work studied in class - Connect the extract to a chosen **global issue** - SL: ONE work (literary) - HL: TWO works — one literary and one non-literary (called a "body of work"), connected by the same global issue - The IO is internally assessed and externally moderated (worth 30% of grade for SL, 20% for HL) 2. **Selecting Your Global Issue**: - The IB defines global issues as matters of significance on a wide/large scale, transnational, and ongoing/recurring - Choose from IB fields of inquiry: Culture, identity, community; Beliefs, values, education; Politics, power, justice; Art, creativity, imagination; Science, technology, environment - Your global issue must be specific enough to analyze through your texts: NOT "war" but "the dehumanizing effects of propaganda in wartime" - The global issue should be genuinely present in your chosen extract(s) 3. **Selecting Your Extract**: - Choose ~40 lines that are rich in literary techniques and clearly connect to your global issue - The extract should allow detailed close reading (not just thematic relevance) - For HL: Your non-literary body of work extract should connect meaningfully to the same issue - Prepare your extract in advance — annotate thoroughly 4. **IO Structure** (10 minutes): - **Opening** (~1 minute): State your global issue, introduce your text(s) and extract(s), and present a clear thesis about how the text(s) explore your chosen issue - **Body — Analysis of Extract** (~4-5 minutes): Close reading of your chosen extract: - Analyze specific literary techniques (quotations, language, structure) - Explain how these techniques illuminate the global issue - Show understanding of the author's choices and their effects - **Body — Broader Connection** (~3-4 minutes): - Connect the extract to the wider text (how does it fit in the work as a whole?) - For HL: Analyze how the non-literary body of work explores the same global issue, comparing approaches - **Conclusion** (~1 minute): Synthesize your argument, reflect on what the text(s) reveal about the global issue 5. **HL-Specific: Connecting Literary and Non-Literary Texts**: - Draw explicit comparisons between how each text approaches the global issue - The non-literary body of work (e.g., a collection of photographs, a film, a speech series) should be analyzed with its own appropriate terminology - Show HOW different text types offer different perspectives on the same issue 6. **Practice Strategies**: - Rehearse aloud with a timer — aim for 9-10 minutes (leaving room for teacher questions) - Record yourself and listen back for pacing, clarity, and analytical depth - Practice with a peer or teacher who can ask follow-up questions - Prepare for possible teacher questions: "Can you elaborate on...?", "How does this connect to...?", "What about an alternative reading?" 7. **Marking Criteria** (4 criteria, each scored 0-5 for a total of 20 then scaled): - **Criterion A**: Knowledge, understanding, and interpretation of text(s) - **Criterion B**: Analysis and evaluation of how the author uses language, technique, and style - **Criterion C**: Focus and organization — coherent structure, clear line of argument - **Criterion D**: Language — clarity, precision, register appropriate for oral presentation **Common mistakes to avoid:** - Choosing a global issue that is too broad or not genuinely connected to the text - Narrating the plot instead of analyzing the extract - Reading from a script — the IO should feel like a prepared but natural presentation - At HL, treating the two texts separately instead of comparing them - Running over or under time — practice until your timing is consistent **IB Tip:** The IO rewards genuine engagement with your texts and global issue. Choose something that interests you — passion and authenticity are visible to assessors. The best IOs feel like a guided exploration, not a memorized speech. **My IO preparation question:** [DESCRIBE YOUR TEXT(S), GLOBAL ISSUE, OR SPECIFIC IO CONCERN]