IB Docs (2) Team
How to Prepare for Your Individual Oral
This page is directed at students. The aim is to help them prepare for their Individual Oral. We've listed six stages with various steps for students to do in order to succeed on their IO. This isn't the only way to prepare for the IO nor is it the "right" way. Instead, it is one possible route in getting to the finish line.
How to Prepare for Your Individual Oral
How to Prepare for Your Individual Oral Stage 1 – What are you going to talk about?
Do the following steps in this part in any order you choose:
1. Pick your global issue and narrow it down to something manageable in a 10-minute oral.
2. Pick your literary work and your non-literary text that comes from a body of work.
3. Create a guiding question about your global issue to frame your thinking for the remaining work that must be done.
You must have your narrowed down global issue, your literary work, your non-literary text (from a body of work) and your guiding question to frame your thinking BEFORE moving to step 2.
Stage 2 – Find your extracts, annotate, and connect to the whole work/body of work
This is all preparatory work to get you ready to create arguments for your IO.
4. Choose your extracts.
5. Print off a copy of your extracts to annotate.
6. Annotate your extracts in depth – focus on author’s choices and effects in relation to your global issue. If your extracts are too long, shorten them.
7. Using another piece of paper OR on the back of your annotations, find examples, evidence, and connections to the “whole” literary work and non-literary body of work. Write them down as you will need them later in the process.
Stage 3 – Organizing the Individual Oral + Revising Your Thoughts
This stage forces you to get closer to an actual deliverable Individual Oral.
8. Create an unofficial outline for your Individual Oral. Use this page to help you out.
THEN
9. Rehearse the Individual Oral with your guardian (s/he asks you questions at the end). Record it. Be harsh/strict on yourself. Stick to the timings. Don’t ask for feedback from your guardian. Instead, they are there to help you get used to answering questions.
10. Evaluate, self-assess (against the criteria), and/or reflection about #9 (your 1st rehearsal). See what went wrong. Figure out what you need to fix.
11. Come up with a list of things to revise based on your reflection and then ACTUALLY REVISE!
Stage 4 – 2nd Rehearsal and Finalizing the Process
Rehearsal and revision matter.
12. Create your official IB outline – 10 bullet points only (official IB rule). We also suggest no more than 300 words. More than that is too much and goes beyond an outline.
13. Complete a 2nd rehearsal with your guardian (who asks you questions at the end like your teacher will). ONLY USE your official IB outline and your “clean” extracts. This is a 100% dress rehearsal. Record it.
14. Evaluate, self-assess (against the criteria), and/or reflection about #13 (your 2nd and more official rehearsal). See what went wrong. Figure out what you need to fix.
15. Come up with a list of things to revise based on your reflection and then ACTUALLY REVISE!
Stage 5 – Practice, practice, practice!
Practice will ease your nerves.
16. Don’t memorize your IO, but have it well-rehearsed. To get to this spot, it’s important to practice it often. Watch how fast you talk as well. Make sure you aren’t going at an impossible speed; the listener has to be able to follow your argument!
Stage 6 - Final Individual Oral
You've reached the end!
17. Deliver your IO to your teacher on the day and time given. Good luck!
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