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IB Oral Commentary
IB Oral Commentary
AP/IB English 12
Mz. K
General Information:
15% of the Language A1 diploma requirements
Preparation time = 20 minutes
Recording time = 10 – 15 minutes
Candidates are provided with an extract for
commentary from one of the Part II works:
Hamlet or Baldwin essays and poetry of Donne
Guiding questions will be provided by the
teacher
The commentary is recorded and externally
evaluated/assessed
What IB Says About Commentary:
“Commentary” refers to a close detailed analysis
of writing, showing an understanding of both
what is said and how it is said. It requires
students to demonstrate close detailed
knowledge and appreciation of: (1) elements
such as subject matter and theme, (2) the
means (literary and style technique) by which
these elements are explored and presented, and
(3) the effects of such exploration, or
presentation, for the development of the work as
a whole, and for the reader’s understanding
Basically, you should be able to:
Demonstrate thorough knowledge and
understanding of the works studied
Distinguish details and elements that are
significant to the overall purpose of the
work from those that are not
Deduce meaning and make valid
interpretations from relevant textual
material
Discern, where appropriate, the writer’s
particular view(s) or attitude(s) toward the
issues he/she raises, explores or alludes
to
Appreciate the role played by language
and style (including diction, imagery,
symbols, tone, sound, and sentence
structure) in achieving the writer’s purpose
Understand and discuss how, and to what
purpose, elements such as characters,
events, situations, and settings are
created and to what effect
Discuss the use of relevant literary
techniques in a manner that shows
understanding of how they create and
develop meaning in the text
Become aware of the ways in which writers
use the features of particular genres for
effect
Compare and contrast in effective ways
Make consistent and effective use of the
most persuasive textual evidence to
illustrate claims
Offer individual insights and independent
perspectives on the works studied
Appreciate as fully as possible the close
relationship between form and content
WHEW!
How to Prepare for the IOC:
Step I:
Read the passage/poem carefully three
times:
1. silently, for first impression of total effect
2. aloud—noting shifts of pattern, thought,
voice, tone, flow
3. again, to reinforce or adjust first
impression
Step 2:
Establish how this extract fits into the
larger work: what is this excerpt doing on
its own? In the whole?
Ask yourself: why did the
teacher/examiner choose this passage?
Step 3:
Go through CLOSE READING questions:
WHO is speaking?
TO WHOM?
WHAT? WHY? (Situation, purpose)
HOW? (tone, style)
PATTERNS? (structure, form)
TENSION? (contrasts, conflicts, ironies)
SO WHAT? (dominant effect)
STOP BAD FIT
Symbol
Theme
Organization
Progression
Big 3 (speaker, audience, situation)
Atmosphere
Diction
Figurative language
Imagery
Tone
Dramatic context: how does the passage build
on the existing dramatic tension?
Unresolved questions: what don’t you
understand the passage or its context?
Personal response: what part of the passage
stands out to you?
How is the passage structured?
What are the most significant patterns?
What are the most significant stylistic devices?
Is the passage consistent throughout? Is there
anything unresolved?
If you were to explain the excerpt to a
friend, what would you say? Keep it simple
but include everything that your
consideration of the passage has revealed
to be important.
Step 4:
Compose and be ready to deliver the
commentary: make notes and organize the
structure of the commentary
Look again at the SO WHAT and taking this
dominant effect as your thesis, select relevant
details of evidence to support your argument
and to include in your commentary
Be sure to include no detail without relating it to
its specific effect and place it in the whole
Organize your commentary in any way
that suits your argument, but let the
passage or poem guide you to the shaping
of your commentary
Caveats:
There is not one formula
This is an exploration and not a “Watch
me, Mom!” display of all you know
Don’t forget that the characters are
fictional; the writer is/was not—therefore
focus on authorial intent and literary
features and techniques used to achieve
that intent
Guiding Questions:
The purpose of the guiding questions is to offer
candidates a starting point for organizing the
commentary
They will help you explore such aspects as
the presentation & role of characters
relationships
themes
use of language
significance of the extract to the
development of the larger work
effects of structure, style, technique
Guiding questions should not:
refer to fine detail, or any particular
interpretation of the extract