The Quick and Dirty Guide to the IB A2 Oral Commentary
Criteria A: Content.
You need to focus on 4 different aspects for content: context, theme, characterization, and style. You need to address all aspects,
particularly stylistic aspects, addressing how this works together to show the author’s purpose. The purpose of the oral
commentary is to show critical thinking about a text you already know well, and you are showing your knowledge of that text.
Incredibly important for your success is : you have to discuss how the author creates effects with the language s/he uses (in the
form of stylistic/figurative language).
Criteria B: Organization.
Your score depends on three things: your introduction (addressing the context of the quote), your close analysis of the text
(addressing theme, characterization and style) going in order of the text without jumping around, and a short conclusion mentioning
any other aspects. Find and organise your arguments and build your commentary around your ideas, but still go in order when
doing your commentary (referring to the text with lines numbers).
Criteria C: Language.
When planning your oral commentary, be particularly careful about criteria C issues (language). Be aware of word order, as well as
using higher level vocabulary (see attached pages here). Higher level vocabulary (more complex) will help your score. Avoid
unclear vague words like ‘things’ since this shows you don’t have the words to express yourself. When speaking, be sure to have
key words written next to the text to avoid long pauses if you are searching for words, and always avoid informal/slang language.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
The BEST way to tackle a passage:
1. Read the guiding questions before you start. This will help you focus on certain aspects of the text (this is
my way of hinting to you what you should be looking for). THEN, read through the passage.
2. Organize your commentary as follows:
Introduction:
o Introduce yourself (first and last name) and identify the session (May 2007)
o Identify the text and author, length (‘the text consists of # paragraphs of # lines’ for example) and
identify the type of text (prose/poetry, dialogue/description).
o Describe the type of language used (formal, informal, Elizabethan English)
o Explore the importance of this text excerpt in relation to the work as a whole (themes,
characterization, conflict). What happened directly before this excerpt?
Text Analysis Commentary:
Announce that ‘the passage starts off with X’ and analyze for theme, character, and stylistic features all at the
same time. Don’t skip around. Focus on how the stylistic features work to create effects, talking about the
evolution of the language through the passage. Some things to keep in mind:
o Stylistic features
Discuss words and phrases that seem important, create an image, indicate symbols or foreshadow events. Talk
about the characters, the theme, tone, the author’s style and use of time. Identify and discuss:
· Key words
· Structure
· Lines
- Choice of words
· Sounds
· Images (is any particular feeling created?)
· Repetitions
· Symbols
o Content (plot) Talk about what happens, when and why. What conflict is presented?
o Narrative voice Who is the speaker? What effect does the narrative voice create? (understanding, closeness,
insight in the problems of the narrator, etc)
o Atmosphere, mood What is the mood? What atmosphere does the writer create? Could be mysterious,
romantic, witty, etc.
o Does the writer use irony, humour?
o Are there any contrasts and what is the effect of these?
Conclusion: You can also
- Address the author’s strengths and weaknesses.
- Discuss underlying or universal values.
- Mention anything else you find important (that you forgot)
Preparation Time (20 minutes):
1. Read, analyze, and mark up the passage
 Use a highlighter and make notes in the margins (This is a time to practice techniques
for doing a lot of language analysis in a very short amount of time).
 Make sure you prepare to discuss the narrative and stylistic elements as they reinforce
or reveal the theme(s), character developments, etc.
 Stay within the context of the passage: “You must not be tempted to discuss everything
you know about the whole text. Your commentary must focus on the specific extract that
you are given for discussion. You should relate it to the work only where relevant—for
example, to establish context, or discuss its importance to the work as a whole” (English
for the IB Diploma Handbook).
2. Develop your analysis. Use the guiding questions if you find them helpful to focus your
response, but by no means must you respond to them. In general, guiding questions
encourage you to look at aspects such as:
 Presentation & role of characters
 Presentation of relationships
 Theme(s)
 Use of language
 Significance of the extract to the development of the plot or text as a whole
 The effects created by the structure, style, and techniques employed by the
 writer
3. Create a written outline/notes for your argument on a separate sheet of paper.
REMEMBER:
It is important that you don’t just identify different literary effects,
should discuss how they are achieved and the effect of these.
Acronyms for Success:
SOAPS!
STOP!!
FIST!!!
As you pick through the passage try to figure our why it is important, and why your teacher thought
it was a passage that you could spend 12-13 minutes rambling on and on about. To do so, make
sure you know the following acronyms
Subject
Occasion
Audience
Purpose
Speaker
Symbol: Colors, directions, animals, stars, weather, planets, etc. It is not a waste of time to make a
list of the important symbols in every work, and come to some general conclusions as to how the
authors use these things to create meaning. To paraphrase the entire book How to Read Literature
like a Professor, serpents are never just snakes, yellow is never just an ugly paint color for your
car, west is never just the opposite of east, and rain is never just something that makes things cold
and wet. The author chose these details for a reason so figure out why and include this in your
response.
Theme: You should be able to identify this for each text. Remember, theme is never just one word,
and is always a complete sentence (S+V)
Organization: Ask yourself how the passage is divided and structured: into stanzas, paragraphs,
lines, sentences, punctuation (dash, hyphens, commas, colons, ellipses, semi-colons, periods,
question and exclamation marks, or important omissions of these), and ask yourself where the
important divisions occur. You should also consider how the title relates to the passage, and if it is
important to include this in your commentary.
Progression: Since you only have a small passage, it is important to investigate the progression of
the passage itself. This could include how the tone shifts or develops, how characters develop,
how the actions develop, etc. These passages are chosen because they are important; most
important passages reflect some sort of change, transformation, epiphany, important event,
important interaction, so the progression is almost always important. In addition to this, the
passages should be connected and compared in some way to the work as a whole, in order to
show why this particular passage is important or meaningful.
Figurative Language: In a forty-line passage, even non-poetry needs to be analyzed using our
“poetic” terms (metaphor, symbolism, alliteration, synecdoche). This connects to progression when
there is a sudden shift from figurative to matter-of-fact language, which can lead to very effective
insights about a passage.
Imagery: The simplest way to think about imagery is to consider your five senses. What does the
author describe, and how does he describe it? Aural imagery is how the sounds of the words affect
the listener. Figurative language such as assonance, consonance, alliteration, onomatopoeia, etc.
All those terms used to identify how sounds help create meaning. There can also be visual
imagery, physical imagery, or even imagery that appeals to your sense of taste or smell.
Style: Sure, you should know the text type and the conventions of that text type (when is a novel
different from a novella?), but also what makes one novel different from another? What is the
general appearance of this particular text type with this particular author and this particular subject
that makes it unique?
Tone: Tone usually reflects the attitude of the speaker, author, or narrator, which is revealed
through diction. Some tone words: pessimistic, light-hearted, flippant, fearful. Some non-tone
words (words that are vague and confusing): symbolic, important, meaningful, bright. I could go on
and on. Think of poems. Repetition can convey a tone. So can being vague or describing things
matter-of-factly. Tone is fun (mildly-sarcastic). Also consider if and how the tone progresses
through the passage, or if there are sudden or important shifts in tone.
IB Oral Commentary:
Feedback and Grading Rubric
Name__________________
Text___________________
A. Knowledge/Understanding
C. Presentation
_____thorough explanation of topic
(5 pts)
_____structure is focused,
coherent(4 pts)
_____precise knowledge of work in
context of the presentation’s
purpose (5 pts)
_____response is effective,
persuasive (3 pts)
_____parts of response flow together
(3 pts)
B. Interpretation of Work/
Personal Response
D. Use of Language
____valid and convincing
interpretation of work (personal
response) (3 pts)
_____appropriate literary terms (4
pts)
_____clear, precise speech (3 pts)
_____excellent critical analysis of
literary features of passage (3 pts)
_____effective register and style (3
pts)
_____topic is supported by precise
references (2 pts)
_____critical thinking and originality
(2 pts)
Total: _______ /40
Time:
You can use these passages from “Lord of the Flies” as practice. You should create an outline of an oral commentary following the
guidelines in this handout.
Passage #1:
Simon stayed where he was, a small brown
image, concealed by the leaves. Even if he shut his
eyes the sow's head still remained like an afterimage. The half-shut eyes were dim with the infinite
cynicism of adult life. They assured Simon that
everything was a bad business.
"I know that."
Simon discovered that he had spoken aloud. He
opened his eyes quickly and there was the head
grinning amusedly in the strange daylight, ignoring
the flies, the spilled guts, even ignoring the indignity
of being spiked on a stick.
He looked away, licking his dry lips.
A gift for the beast. Might not the beast come for
it? The head, he thought, appeared to agree with
him. Run away, said the head silently, go back to the
others. It was a joke really—why should you bother?
You were just wrong, that's all. A little headache,
something you ate, perhaps. Go back, child, said the
head silently.
Simon looked up, feeling the weight of his wet
hair, and gazed at the sky. Up there, for once, were
clouds, great bulging towers that sprouted away over
the island, grey and cream and copper-colored. The
clouds were sitting on the land; they squeezed,
produced moment by moment this close,
tormenting heat. Even the butterflies deserted the
open space where the obscene thing grinned and
dripped. Simon lowered his head, carefully keeping
his eyes shut, then sheltered them with his hand.
There were no shadows under the trees but
everywhere a pearly stillness, so that what was real
seemed illusive and without definition. The pile of
guts was a black blob of flies that buzzed like a saw.
After a while these flies found Simon. Gorged, they
alighted by his runnels of sweat and drank. They
tickled under his nostrils and played leap-frog on his
thighs. They were black and iridescent green and
without number; and in front of Simon, the Lord of
the Flies hung on his stick and grinned. At last
Simon gave up and looked back; saw the white teeth
and dim eyes, the blood — and his gaze was held by
that ancient, inescapable recognition. In Simon's
right temple, a pulse began to beat on the brain.
Passage #2:
He jumped down from the terrace. The sand was
thick over his black shoes and the heat hit him. He
became conscious of the weight of clothes, kicked
his shoes off fiercely and ripped off each stocking
with its elastic garter in a single movement. Then he
leapt back on the terrace, pulled off his shirt, and
stood there among the skull-like coconuts with
green shadows from the palms and the forest sliding
over his skin. He undid the snake-clasp of his belt,
lugged off his shorts and pants, and stood there
naked, looking at the dazzling beach and the water.
He was old enough, twelve years and a few
months, to have lost the prominent tummy of
childhood and not yet old enough for adolescence
to have made him awkward. You could see now that
he might make a boxer, as far as width and
heaviness of shoulders went, but there was a
mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed
no devil. He patted the palm trunk softly, and,
forced at last to believe in the reality of the island
laughed delightedly again and stood on his head. He
turned neatly on to his feet, jumped down to the
beach, knelt and swept a double armful of sand into
a pile against his chest. Then he sat back and looked
at the water with bright, excited eyes.