Individual Oral Commentary (IOC)
15%
Structure:
20 min. supervised preparation time on a 30-40 line excerpt with two guiding questions
Notes written during prep time may be brought into exam room
Commentary is recorded for external assessment
HL: 8 min. talking time on poetry text plus 2 min. Q&A
10 min. discussion on one other text studied
SL: 8 min. talking time on poetry text plus 2 min. Q&A
Focus on the excerpt and not the whole work (although some contextualisation may be required)
Expected to show:
i) Knowledge and understanding of the text
ii) Ability to analyse language, structure, technique and style
Marking criteria: (*Higher Level Criteria only)
A: Knowledge and understanding of the poem.
B: Appreciation of the writer’s choices
C: Organisation and presentation of the commentary
D: Knowledge and understanding of the work used in the Discussion*
E: Response to the discussion questions*
F: Language
Advice:
When you enter the exam room you will be given a poem or an extract of a poem from the poetry studied in Part 2 of the syllabus and two guiding questions. You will also be given one sheet of paper to use as you wish. You will have 20 minutes to prepare your commentary.
During these 20 minutes:
General points:
Preparation and practice in both class and at home is the key to success
Good luck!
15%
Structure:
20 min. supervised preparation time on a 30-40 line excerpt with two guiding questions
Notes written during prep time may be brought into exam room
Commentary is recorded for external assessment
HL: 8 min. talking time on poetry text plus 2 min. Q&A
10 min. discussion on one other text studied
SL: 8 min. talking time on poetry text plus 2 min. Q&A
Focus on the excerpt and not the whole work (although some contextualisation may be required)
Expected to show:
i) Knowledge and understanding of the text
ii) Ability to analyse language, structure, technique and style
Marking criteria: (*Higher Level Criteria only)
A: Knowledge and understanding of the poem.
B: Appreciation of the writer’s choices
C: Organisation and presentation of the commentary
D: Knowledge and understanding of the work used in the Discussion*
E: Response to the discussion questions*
F: Language
Advice:
When you enter the exam room you will be given a poem or an extract of a poem from the poetry studied in Part 2 of the syllabus and two guiding questions. You will also be given one sheet of paper to use as you wish. You will have 20 minutes to prepare your commentary.
During these 20 minutes:
- Read the poem over carefully at least twice before you start to annotate.
- The majority of your annotation should be written on the poem; use the sheet of paper for planning and organising your commentary. You may use different coloured pencils to help organise your annotations into meaningful clusters. If you do not find the guiding questions helpful or wish to go in a different direction, you are free to ignore them.
- Use your blank sheet to set up the order of your commentary. Remember to write an introductory statement that gives an indication of your main points or is a statement of theme. Organisation is an essential element of a good commentary. Be direct and to the point. Do not summarise the content of the poem.
- The order of your discussion is up to you, but be careful if you choose a lineal format as you may end up just explaining the poem, not analysing it. Consider TVSLITS (Theme, Voice, Structure, Language, Imagery, Tone, Style) as a way of sequencing your points.
- Be sure to refer to specific references in the poem to support your arguments.
- Unity is important! Do not forget to conclude with a reference to your introduction. Hopefully this will naturally flow out of the connecting you have been doing throughout your commentary.
- When your 20 minutes is up, take two or three deep breaths. You are ready.
- During the commentary, do not be afraid to ask questions if you want clarification.
General points:
- Speak slowly and enunciate your words.
- Always glance back at your plan so you remain organised and so you can calm yourself with the knowledge you do have something to say.
- If you lose you place or freeze up, pause and take a deep breath. Back up or jump forward to a part of your outline where you feel more comfortable. This will get you back on track and will not waste much time. This is a respectable technique when speaking in public.
Preparation and practice in both class and at home is the key to success
Good luck!