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Individual Oral: Exemplar 4 (Macbeth and WW1 Propaganda Poster)

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  • Individual Oral: Exemplar 4 (Macbeth and WW1 Propaganda Poster)

In the fall of 2020, as my students went about preparing for their Individual Oral, I decided to do one myself.  I had several goals in mind here.  I wanted to experience what they were about to experience, especially on an emotional level.  I wanted to figure out how the processed worked for me so that I could help them out too.  I wanted to see what went wrong so I could talk to them about my own mistakes and how I corrected them (or didn't).  I also simply wanted a model example I liked.

To be crystal clear, the Individual Oral here is me, pretending to be a student in the May 2021 exams.  I did it under strict examination conditions, just like our students.  My department head generously offered to be the teacher and asked me the required 5 minutes of questions.   

I cannot recommend this enough!  Do your own Individual Oral, have your department "grade" you, and use your sample with your students.  It was some of the best professional development I did in preparation for the guiding students in creating their own Individual Oral.

At the time of publishing, we don't know the final grade boundaries for the Individual Oral.  Coming in at 33 out of 40 total points, I imagine that this would translate into a strong 6, but we just don't know yet.  I was so focused on getting the balance right between the extract and the larger work or body of work that I didn't pay enough attention to pinpointing the analytical arguments I wanted to make.  In other words, I winged it more than I should have in criterion B and I paid the price.  It was a great lesson to teach my students! 

Finally, a caveat on the text/work themselves.  We teach both Macbeth and World War 1 propaganda posters in 10th grade.  I used 10th grade texts because the IB has said that one way in which to conduct mock IOs is in this manner: using works/texts from previous years.  In this way, students heard an IO, but it wasn't on a text or literary work they studied as part of the course.  . 

Literary work and non-fiction text used

1.  Macbeth extract 

2. Daddy, What Did You Do in the Great War? Poster

Sample Individual Oral Outline

IO Outline

Sample Individual Oral

This is the exact same Individual Oral as above just as an audio only download (it will most likely take longer to load).

Individual Oral

Teacher's Comments

Criterion A: Knowledge, understanding and interpretation (10 marks)

  • To what extent does the student know both the extracts and the work/text?
  • To what extent is the knowledge and understanding connected to the chosen global issue?
  • How effective is the evidence used to support the ideas presented in the individual oral?

8 out of 10: There is good knowledge and understanding shown in the oral with a sustained interpretation of the global issue (identity - what it means to be a father in times of war).  There are relevant references to the text/work that support the arguments being made.  It is not yet excellent though as a persuasive interpretation isn't accomplished because more work with the evidence was needed.  

Criterion B: Analysis and evaluation (10 marks)

  • How relevant and insightful is the analysis and evaluation?
  • How well does the student understand the author's choices in relation to the chosen global issue?

7 out of 10: The analysis and evaluation of the extracts and text/work are relevant and at times insightful.  The student does a better job with the poster than the play.  But the authorial choices, especially as it concerns Macbeth, are only identified and reasonably understood in relation to the global issue (there needs to be much more depth here).  In the question and answer portion, the candidate is clearly in the 7-8 band based on his responses to the questions.   

Criterion C: Focus and organization (10 marks)

  • How clear and sustained is the focus of the oral?
  • To what extent is the oral a balanced discussion of both the literary work and the non-fiction text?
  • How well-developed are the ideas in the oral?

9 out of 10: The oral maintains a clear and sustained focus on the task.  It is well-balanced, easy to follow, logical, convincing, and well-organized.  There is a clear balance between discussing the extract and connecting it to the whole work.   

Criterion D: Language (10 marks)

  • How accurate is the language used?
  • How sophisticated is the vocabulary and syntax?
  • To what extent are elements of style used, and how effectively, to enhance the oral?

9 out of 10: The elements of style are very appropriate in this oral.  There's clear engagement in his voice.  It is not memorized, but at the same time, the listener can tell that the candidate is well-prepared.  The language is very clear and accurate and any errors (especially the occasional, clearly accidental slip-ups with names in Macbeth) do not hinder communication.