Introducing the IO

Watch the video introduction to the individual oral here, or use the slideshow below. Feel free to 'make a copy' of the Google slideshow by opening it in Google and make alterations to your copy for your own class.

Google Slides: Introducing the IO

The instructions for the individual oral (IO) are the same at higher and standard level. The following points are a summary of the instructions, as described in the IB Guide for Language A: Language and Literature for first exams in 2021. 

  1. The individual oral must be recorded digitally.

  2. The oral should be no longer than 15 minutes: 10-minutes of presentation by the student, followed by a 5-minute discussion with the student's teacher.

  3. Every IO is based on the same prompt: "Examine the ways in which the global issue of your choice is presented through the content and form of one of the [literary] works and one of the [non-literary] bodies of work that you have studied."

  4. A global issue is defined as 1) significant, 2) transnational and 3) relevant to local contexts.

  5. Extracts should not exceed 40 lines: one (passage from a) literary text, and one (passage/screenshot from a) non-literary text.

  6. Students bring clean, unannotated extracts to the exam.

  7. Students must fill out and bring to the oral an official form that includes their outline of no more than 10 bullet-points

  8. If a student's performance is requested for moderation, the school submits digital versions of 1) the audio recording and 2) 'clean' copies of the extracts. The outline is not submitted to the IB unless it is requested. 

  9. There are 40 marks possible, 10 marks x 4 criteria: A-D. See the criteria here

  10. The individual oral is internally assessed by the student's teacher and moderated by the IB. This means that a sample will be taken from the cohort and a 'moderation factor' will be applied to the whole class. 

  11. The IO counts toward 20% of the final grade at HL and 30% of the final grade at SL.
ATLs

Good teaching and learning is differentiated. Students should be given an opportunity to choose their literary work, BOW and global issue. If students want to focus on a poet, lyricist or ad campaign that's not 'studied in class', then perhaps it is time to study it in class (as the guide requires). In other words, try flipping the lesson plan, asking students what they would like to explore in preparation for the IO. If they want to explore a favourite text, they will have to compile a collection of song lyrics or tweets to constitute a 'work' or 'body of work'  to teach their classmates.

Last modified: Tuesday, 25 January 2022, 9:21 PM