Individual Oral practice questions.

What is the structure of the 15-minute individual oral?

• 15 minutes of uninterrupted student presentation
• A short 5-minute presentation followed by a full 10 minutes of open, unstructured discussion
• A 10-minute prepared presentation followed by about 5 minutes of teacher questions
• Two separate 7-minute presentations, one on each extract

Answer: A 10-minute prepared presentation followed by about 5 minutes of teacher questions

The oral consists of 10 minutes of prepared analysis by the student, then roughly 5 minutes in which the teacher asks probing questions.

In English A: Language and Literature, the two extracts chosen for the individual oral must come from…

• two literary works
• one literary work and one non-literary body of work, both studied in the course
• any two texts at all, whether or not they were actually studied together in class
• two texts by the same author

Answer: one literary work and one non-literary body of work, both studied in the course

The language and literature oral pairs a literary work with a non-literary body of work, both from the course, so the global issue is examined across both strands of the subject.

Which of the following best qualifies as a 'global issue' for the individual oral?

• A small localised conflict that happens to occur only within the plot of one single studied novel
• A purely private emotion experienced by a single character
• Any theme, provided it appears in both chosen texts
• A topic of wide, transnational significance whose impact is felt in everyday local contexts

Answer: A topic of wide, transnational significance whose impact is felt in everyday local contexts

A valid global issue must meet all three tests: broad significance, relevance across national borders, and tangible impact in everyday, local life.

What are you allowed to bring into the room for your individual oral?

• Clean copies of the two extracts and an outline of up to 10 bullet points
• Fully annotated and highlighted copies of both of the complete works in their entirety
• A complete written script of your oral
• Nothing at all

Answer: Clean copies of the two extracts and an outline of up to 10 bullet points

You may refer to unannotated extracts and a brief outline of no more than 10 bullet points; a script or annotations would undermine the spoken, spontaneous nature of the task.

A student analyses the two 40-line extracts in detail but never relates them to the rest of the works they come from. Which requirement has been missed?

• The extracts must be memorized before the oral
• The oral must connect each extract to the broader work or body of work it belongs to
• The oral must directly compare at least three or four completely different studied texts
• The extracts must share the same author

Answer: The oral must connect each extract to the broader work or body of work it belongs to

The extracts are meant to anchor the discussion, but Criterion A expects knowledge of the extracts AND the wider work/body of work in relation to the global issue.

In the individual oral criteria, Criterion C (Focus and organization) chiefly rewards…

• accurate quotation from memory
• the sophistication of your vocabulary
• a focused, balanced treatment of both texts, developed coherently around the global issue
• the striking originality and sheer novelty of the particular global issue that you happened to choose

Answer: a focused, balanced treatment of both texts, developed coherently around the global issue

Criterion C assesses structure and balance: both texts receive sustained attention and every part of the oral clearly serves the chosen global issue.