Year 13 – IB English Language
and Literature (HL) and (SL)
IOC Revision Guide
November 2013
This revision guide is here to provide ideas on how you can prepare
for the IOCS in addition to what you are doing with your teacher in
class.
Individual Oral Commentary – 15% Higher level
Standard and Higher level
Task
Time allowance
IOC
20 mins preparation on your extract
10 mins commentary
5 mins question and discussion
THE BASICS
So what will happen and when?
You will have been given a time and date for your IOC between
Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th November 2013
1. 10 minutes before your preparation time please wait by the stairs at
the entrance to the English corridor. DO NOT ENTER THE ENGLISH
CORRIDOR UNTIL YOUR ARE ASKED TO DO SO. You could interrupt
the students who are preparing if you do so. So if your preparation
time is at 8.50 arrive at 8.40.
2. Just before your preparation time the supervisor will come and get
you and bring you into the corridor. You will select an envelope from a
box.
3. You will take a seat and have lined paper to use for notes.
4. When your preparation time starts you can annotate around the
extract as it will be A3 or you can write on the separate lined paper
5. You can also bring to the IOC highlighters, pencils and pens but in a
plastic transparent bag.
6. There will be clocks at either end of the corridor for you to check the
time.
7. During your 20 minutes of preparation time you should:
 Read the extract and the accompanying guiding questions
carefully
 Identify and analyse closely all the significant aspects of the
extract
 Make notes for the commentary
 Organise the structure of the commentary
8. When the preparation time is finished, your teacher will come to get
you and take you to the room for the IOC
9. When you enter the exam room your teacher will let you get settled
and explain everything to you.
10.You should aim to comment on your extract for between 9-10 minutes.
11.Your teacher is there to listen, take notes and assess.
12.At the end of your commentary your teacher will ask you a few
questions to probe further into your knowledge and understanding of
the extract or poem.
13.Remember this is just a chance to show us what you know and have
learnt. Try to relax; we only want you to do your best.
Good Luck!!
NB: IF YOU ARE ILL ON THE DAY – YOU MUST OBTAIN A MEDICAL CERTIFICATE.
TEXT CHOICES
Teacher
Text 1
Text 2
Text 3 (HL only)
Miss Burrows
Othello
Wilfred Owen
The Bluest Eye
Mr Walker
Othello
Wilfred Owen
The Bluest Eye
Miss Davison
Othello
Wilfred Owen
Miss Macclean
Othello
The Bloody
Chamber
Miss Van Dorsselaer
Othello
Wilfred Owen
Miss Muholland
Othello
Wilfred Owen
Miss Kitson
Wilfred
Owen
The Bloody
Chamber
Content of this guide
1. A simple guide to structuring a commentary
2. Guided sentence starters/structure for IOCs
3. Samples IOCs to assist with revision
4. Websites /study guide suggestions.
We also expect you of course to be making your own notes using your class
notes in areas such as.......
 Social, historical and geographical context of the text
 Events – timelines etc more appropriate for novel/play
 Character notes/character interaction
 Themes/symbols/motifs
 Style guides (techniques used by each writer) – e.g. techniques used by
Shakespeare such as dramatic irony or symbolism used by Morrison
and Owen.
A simple guide to structuring a commentary – Prose/Play/Nfiction
1. Summarise: What happens in the extract? Weak students spend much too long on this and
end up paraphrasing the entire extract word for word.
2. Place: Why is this passage important? What is this extract’s place in the text? What comes
immediately before and after? What action/incident/interaction does it start/continue/?
What resolution does it conclude or action foreshadow?
3. Analyse: How does the author develop themes in the extract? What themes are
introduced/reinforced/restated? Are the themes major or related to a sub-plot?
4. Analyse: How are characters introduced/developed? How are tensions created/resolved?
5. Analyse: What language, structural, dramatic aspects help reinforce the extract’s message?
Don’t forget to remember the effect on the reader/audience - e.g. sympathies with a
character/ dramatic irony / engagement / tension / suspense etc.
(This is the close reading section that requires the use of technical language both grammatical and literary. But make sure you relate points to the overall
themes of the text.)
6. Conclude: As we have seen, this extract explores different aspects of the
relationship between Iago and Othello and develops the theme of fidelity and betrayal…
(30secs – 1min)
Remember to SIGNPOST.
Now I will consider how Shakespeare develops the use of sexual innuendo in this extract…
It is also important to analyse the effect of this interaction on the audience.
Likewise, Shakespeare’s use of the extended metaphor of sexuality relating to appetite is vital.
A simple guide to structuring a commentary - Poetry:
1. Summarise: What happens in the extract? Weak students spend much too long on this and
end up paraphrasing the entire extract word for word. Keep it short, focused and relevant.
(30 secs )
2. Place: Why is this passage important? Refer to the context of the poem. What is it about?
Refer to the title of the poem; how does it resonate or embody the ideas in the poem?
(1 min)
3. Analyse: How does the poet develop themes in the extract? Are there elements in the poem
that connect to other poems? Are there recurring themes and issues in Owen’s poetry?
(1 min)
4. Analyse: What do you think is Owen’s intention? Consider structural aspects. How have
rhythm and rhyme been conveyed to the reader? What is the effect of a sonnet or irregular
rhyme? (1 mins)
5. Analyse: Consider the use of linguistic devices in the poem. How does language, structural,
dramatic aspects help reinforce the extract’s message? Don’t forget to remember the effect
on the reader/audience. How does it evoke emotions?
(3 mins)
(This is the close reading section and will need to take up a substantial amount of time in your
commentary. It requires the use of technical language - both grammatical and literary. But make
sure you relate points to the overall themes of the text.)
6. Conclude: As we have seen, this extract explores the sense of pain and anguish due to the
horrors of war… (30secs - 1 min)
Remember to SIGNPOST. Below are some examples…think of them as effective topic sentences:
I would like to deconstruct Owen’s use of visceral imagery in this extract…
It is also important to analyse the effect of this line on the reader as…
The next section of my commentary will examine the effect of the linguistic devices…
Help Sheet for Individual Oral Commentary
This is a generic sheet for all texts
Opening of commentary
Start – name/candidate number. E.g.
1. My name is ___________ and my candidate number is
2. Locate it in the text
The extract I have selected is from the play ‘Othello’. This is at the beginning of the play where
Shakespeare establishes Iago’s character as
This is towards the end of novel when
…….
3.Consider what has just happened in the text and/or what is about to occur.
You could consider parallel scenes within your text too.
Just before this incident Morrison has in flashback shown the reader Cholly’s
first sexual experience as an adolescent. She repeatedly makes links this in
the rape scene.
Shakespeare has built up a sense of expectation and tension at this point in
the play by ……..
4. Give an explanation of the writer’s intention/purpose
Morrison is introducing the theme of racial self loathing by………
The reader is aware of Pecola’s role as a victim……….
Shakespeare is attempting to show the turmoil and indecision in Othello’s
mind
5. Consider how the piece has moved between the first and last line and
why this is significant to the text/extract as a whole.
The beginning and end focuses on Pecola – ‘Her small back’ and ‘the pain between her legs’ .
The reader is drawn
At the beginning of this extract Iago appears genuine and loyal. Yet by the end the audience has
become aware of his malevolent intentions to
…..
This addresses criteria 1/2
Section 2 of your commentary
If you have not already done so address one of the guiding questions. You
could explain your approach e.g.
SIGNPOSTING – tell the examiner/teacher where you are
going or how you will structure your talk.
My commentary will firstly explore how Shakespeare shows the
development of Iago’s character within this scene.
My commentary will initially focus on Morrison’s theme of beauty and how
it is illuminated within the prose.
6.
You can approach the extract from a number of different directions. We would advise
As you work through the extract try to relate your point to the questions and show your knowledge
of the – e.g.




Text
Characters
Themes
writing style
This list is not exhaustive. Below are some examples of what you can say
Text –
You must know the text extremely well.
Have a sound awareness of the social, historical and geographical setting and events within the
text.
Ask yourself and classmates certain questions e.g.

What were the social norms of the time and what were Elizabethean attitudes towards
race?

When historically is ‘Othello’ set?

What is the significance of the different settings of Cyprus and Venice?

What was happening in the 1940s in America?

What does white supremacy mean?

How well do you know what Morrison has said about her intentions?
Characters
Ask yourself questions in the prep time












Does the character develop in the extract?
Or does the audience/reader become aware of an aspect of the character that they had
not witnessed before?
Consider too character interaction?
Who is dominant/subservient perhaps?
Who is controlling/manipulative? Iago often flatters Othello
How is the dialogue structured to highlight this?
Consider obvious points like who talks more.
Consider carefully choice of language – especially with someone like Iago. Iago.
Consider use of pauses/question marks/exclamation marks etc
Consider why Shakespeare has given a character a soliloquy
Does their speech show their status/self image ?
Consider use of formal and informal language? How does Shakespeare show Iago is
eloquent?
Comment – The pace of the dialogue shows how tense the characters are …..
Themes
Look carefully at the extract is there a theme or reoccurring symbol/image that appears either in
the piece or elsewhere in the text?
Review your notes before the practice commentaries and the actual assessment.
Comment - The theme of a character’s mental state affecting the physical appears in this
extract. Morrison repeatedly uses this in the novel to …….
Style
Below are additional ideas to help with the commentaries . If you comment on literary style never
do it in isolation.
Sentence structure –



Consider – length
Clauses
Word order
Desdemona uses the term ‘noble’ before ‘father’ to show respect and to diplomatically flatter
Brabantio before she states her new loyalty to her husband. ( Importance of word order)
Atmosphere – creation of




Consider
Suspense
Tension
Climax
At the end of this scene tension is heightened as Othello seems determined to kill his new bride.
Use of diction
Consider




Lexis – romantic/elaborate/graphic/vivid /colloquial
Standard – consider Morrison’s use of non standard American English
Use of colour –
Biblical/mythical – allusions
Morrison’s choice of lexis within the extract is intentionally confronting with phrases such as ‘He
wanted to fuck her’ .
Figures of Speech


Metaphors/similes/personification etc
Symbols
Narrative



First/third person – styles in narrative – stream of consciousness
Internal monologue
Tone
The sarcastic tone in Morrison’s narrative , ‘He bestowed his favors on a fifteen-year-old girl’ shows
her authorial perspective.
Word Sound

Alliteration/assonance/rhythm etc – important in all texts. Morrison uses alliteration
repeatedly to draw attention to images which often show characters’ emotions.
Morrison’s use of sibilance in ‘his soul seemed to slip down’ intensifies Cholly’s feelings of self
loathing and disgust ; ‘burned-out back man’.
Paragraphs/blank verse/speeches – monologues/soliloquies


Consider length of paragraphs for example .
Consider when Shakespeare uses blank verse or poetic verse.
Experimentation in Language
This is very pertinent in terms of Morrison. She uses



a variety of voices.
Accent/dialect
Non standard sentences
Morrison’s use of Black American English ; ‘You rich Miss Marie?’ adds to the realism of the text and
here shows Pecola’s respect for the women as elders.
Revision Guide – Othello
Help Sheet for Individual Oral Commentary: Generic Sheet for all texts
Opening of commentary: name/candidate number:
2. My name is Kevin Cheung and my candidate number is…
3. Locate it in the text
I have been given an extract from the play Othello. This is at the beginning of the play where
Shakespeare establishes Iago’s character as…
And summarise the extract.
3. Also consider what has just happened in the text and/or what is about to occur. You could
consider parallel scenes within your text too.
Shakespeare has built up a sense of expectation and tension at this point in the play by...
This scene reminds of / prepares us for…
4. Give an explanation of the writer’s intention/purpose
Shakespeare is attempting to show the turmoil and indecision in Othello’s mind…
7.
Consider how the piece has moved between the first and last line and why this is significant
to the text/extract as a whole.
At the beginning of this extract Iago appears genuine and loyal. Yet by the end the audience has
become aware of his malevolent intentions to …..
Section 2 of your commentary
If you have not already done so address one of the guiding questions. You could explain your
approach:
SIGNPOSTING – tell the examiner/teacher where you are going or how you will structure your talk.
My commentary will firstly explore how Shakespeare shows the development of Iago’s character
within this scene…
8.
You can approach this in a variety of different ways but may students feel comfortable
working through the extract chronologically. E.g. from the first line until the end of the
passage/extract. You must deal with the first and last lines of the passage.
As you work through the extract try to relate your points to the questions and show your knowledge
of the play – e.g.




Text
Characters
Themes
Writing style
Text –
You must know the text extremely well.
Have a sound awareness of the social, historical and geographical setting and events within the
text.

What were the social norms of the time and what were Elizabethan attitudes towards
race?

What is the significance of the different settings of Cyprus and Venice?
Characters
Ask yourself questions in the prep time














Does the character develop in the extract?
Or does the audience become aware of an aspect of the character that they had not
witnessed before?
Consider too character interaction?
Who is dominant/subservient perhaps?
Who is controlling/manipulative? Iago often flatters Othello
How is the dialogue structured to highlight this?
Consider obvious points like who talks more.
Consider carefully choice of language – especially with someone like Iago. Iago.
Consider use of pauses/question marks/exclamation marks etc
Consider why Shakespeare has given a character a soliloquy
Does their speech show their status/self image?
Consider use of formal and informal language? How does Shakespeare show Iago is
eloquent?
Emotional Content
Prosodic Features – effect on audience
Comment – The pace of the dialogue shows how tense the characters are …..
Themes
Look carefully at the extract is there a theme or reoccurring symbol/image that appears either in
the piece or elsewhere in the text?
Review your notes before the practice commentaries and the actual assessment.
Comment - The theme of a character’s mental state affecting the physical appears in this
extract.
Style
Below are additional ideas to help with the commentaries. If you comment on literary style never
do it in isolation.
Sentence structure –



Consider – length
Clauses
Word order
Desdemona uses the term ‘noble’ before ‘father’ to show respect and to diplomatically flatter
Brabantio before she states her new loyalty to her husband. (Importance of word order)
Atmosphere – creation of




Consider
Suspense
Tension
Climax
At the end of this scene tension is heightened as Othello seems determined to kill his new bride.
Use of diction
Consider



Lexis – romantic/elaborate/graphic/vivid
Use of colour –
Biblical/mythical – allusions
Figures of Speech


Metaphors/similes/personification etc
Symbols
Word Sound

Alliteration/assonance/rhythm etc – important in all texts.
blank verse/speeches – monologues/soliloquies


Consider length of paragraphs for example.
Consider when Shakespeare uses blank verse or prose.
Sample 1 - Othello
OTHELLO
It is most true; true, I have married her:
1
The very head and front of my offending
Hath this extent, no more. Rude am I in my speech,
And little bless'd with the soft phrase of peace:
For since these arms of mine had seven years' pith,
5
Till now some nine moons wasted, they have used
Their dearest action in the tented field,
And little of this great world can I speak,
More than pertains to feats of broil and battle,
And therefore little shall I grace my cause
10
In speaking for myself. Yet, by your gracious patience,
I will a round unvarnish'd tale deliver
Of my whole course of love; what drugs, what charms,
What conjuration and what mighty magic,
For such proceeding I am charged withal,
15
I won his daughter.
BRABANTIO
A maiden never bold;
Of spirit so still and quiet, that her motion
Blush'd at herself; and she, in spite of nature,
Of years, of country, credit, every thing,
To fall in love with what she fear'd to look on!
It is a judgment maim'd and most imperfect
That will confess perfection so could err
20
Against all rules of nature, and must be driven
To find out practises of cunning hell,
25
Why this should be. I therefore vouch again
That with some mixtures powerful o'er the blood,
Or with some dram conjured to this effect,
He wrought upon her.
DUKE OF VENICE
To vouch this, is no proof,
30
Without more wider and more overt test
Than these thin habits and poor likelihoods
Of modern seeming do prefer against him.
First Senator
But, Othello, speak:
Did you by indirect and forced courses
35
Subdue and poison this young maid's affections?
Or came it by request and such fair question
As soul to soul affordeth?
OTHELLO
I do beseech you,
Send for the lady to the Sagittary,
40
What does this extract reveal about the characters of Brabantio and Othello?
How does Shakespeare use language to show the attitudes of characters
Sample extract
The Bloody Chamber
One beast and only one howls in the woods by night.
The wolf is a carnivore incarnate and he's as cunning as he is ferocious; once he's had a taste
of flesh then nothing else will do.
At night, the eyes of wolves shine like candle flames, yellowish, reddish, but that is because
the pupils of their eyes fatten on darkness and catch the light from your lantern to flash it
back to you--red for danger; if a wolf's eyes reflect only moonlight, then they gleam a cold
and unnatural green, a mineral, a piercing color. If the benighted traveller spies those
luminous, terrible sequins stitched suddenly on the black thickets, then he knows he must
run, if fear has not struck him stock-still.
But those eyes are all you will be able to glimpse of the forest assassins a they cluster
invisibly around your smell of meat as you go through the wood unwisely late. They will be
like shadows, they will be like wraiths, grey members of a congregation of nightmare; hark!
his long, wavering howl . . . an aria of fear made audible.
The wolfsong is the sound of the rending you will suffer, in itself a murdering.
It is winter and cold weather. In this region of mountain and forest, there is now nothing for
the wolves to eat. Goats and sheep are locked up in the byre, the deer departed for the
remaining pasturage on the southern slopes--wolves grow lean and famished. There is so
little flesh on them that you could count the starveling ribs through their pelts, if they gave
you time before they pounced. Those slavering jaws; the lolling tongue; the rime of saliva on
the grizzled chops--of all the teeming perils of the night and the forest, ghosts, hobgoblins,
ogres that grill babies upon gridirons, witches that fatten their captives in cages for cannibal
tables, the wolf is worst for he cannot listen to reason.
Sample extract
The Bluest Eye
The Breedloves did not live in a storefront because they were having temporary difficulty adjusting
to the cutbacks at the plant. The lived there because they were poor and black, and they stayed
there because they believed they were ugly. Although their poverty was traditional and stultifying, it
was not unique. But their ugliness was unique. No one could have convinced them that they were
not relentlessly and aggressively ugly. Except for the father, Cholly, whose ugliness (the result of
despair, dissipation, and violence directed toward petty things and weak people) was behavior, the
rest of the family- Mrs. Breedlove, Sammy Breedlove, and Pecola Breedlove- wore their ugliness, put
it on, so to speak, although it did not belong to them. The eyes, the small eyes set closely together
under narrow foreheads. The low, irregular hairlines, which seemed even more irregular in contrast
to the straight, heavy eyebrows which nearly met. Keen but crooked noses, with insolent nostrils.
They had high cheekbones, and their ears turned forward. Shapely lips which called attention not to
themselves but to the rest of the face. You looked at them and wondered why they were so ugly;
you looked closely and could not find the source. Then you realized that it came from conviction,
their conviction. It was as though some mysterious all-knowing master had given each one a cloak of
ugliness to wear, and they had each accepted it without question. The master had said, “You are
ugly people.” They had looked about themselves and saw nothing to contradict the statement; saw,
in fact, support for it leaning at them from every billboard, every movie, every glance. “Yes,” they
had said. “You are right.” And they took the ugliness in their hands, threw it as a mantle over them,
and went about the world with it. Dealing with it each according to his way. Mrs. Breedlove handled
hers as an actor does a prop: for the articulation of character, for support of a role she frequently
imagined was hers- martyrdom. Sammy used his as a weapon to cause others pain. He adjusted his
behavior to it, chose his companions on the basis of it: people who could be fascinated, even
intimidated by it. And Pecola. She hid behind hers. Concealed, veiled, eclipsed- peeping out from
behind the shroud very seldom, and then only to yearn for the return of her mask.
This family, on a Saturday morning in October, began, one by one, to stir out of their dreams of
affluence and vengeance into the anonymous misery of their storefront.
The Bluest Eye
Commentary Practice
The Bluest Eye
Extract beginning “ When he left off (p97) ... made the daily life with the Fishers lighter, more delicate, more
lovely. (p99)”
Guiding Questions
1.Why is this passage significant in the novel.
2.What narrative/language techniques does Morrison use to develop the character of Pauline?
Section One of your commentary
My name is _____________________________ and my candidate number is __________________________
I have been given an extract from The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
Locate the extract in the text
Consider what has just happened in the text and/or what is about to occur. You could consider parallel scenes
within your text too. Link this perhaps to the writer’s intention/purpose.
The placement of this extract is significant because it comes soon after the mishap with the berry cobbler and
precedes a chapter focused on Cholly’s past ...
Outline the important points that arise from this extract:
This extract is significant because it further develops the themes of beauty and families. It is one of
the first times the reader is given insight into Pauline’s disconnection from her family, and it also
shows the reality of racism and poverty in the United States. I will also be talking about the change
in narrative voice and the placement of these events …
Morrison has structured this section of the text in a certain way to make the reader see the link
between this scene and …
Her intention is to…..
Consider how the piece has moved between the first and last line and why this is significant to the
text/extract as a whole.
The extract begins with Pecola’s birth and ends with Pauline’s growing disinterest in her own
husband and children …
Section 2 of your commentary - language
If you have not already done so address one of the guiding questions . You could explain your approach e.g.
My commentary will initially focus on how Morrison presents Pauline within this extract through her
use of language.
The use of colloquial language is interesting because ... (consider dialect/phonetic spelling)
When Pauline refers to the infant Pecola as “it” the reader understands that ...
When she says “I knowed she was ugly” the theme of beauty is developed further by ...
Morrisons choice of “avenged” to show the change in her relationship with Cholly ...
Paulines shift from ‘chil’ren’ to “childring” shows that she wants ...
The simiie “she bore him like a crown of thorns, and her children like a cross” introduces religious imagery and
shows us that Pauline ...
Section 3 of your commentary - Characterisation
I would now like to talk about the way that the character of Pauline has been constructed by Morrison …
This extract is important because it is one of the first time Morrison explores the relationship between Pauline
and her daughter. The reader understands that ...
When Morrison writes “She was older now, with no time for dreams and movies” we understand that Pauline
has changed ...
Pauline’s “good fortune” in working for the Fishers makes me think of the end of the Autumn section because ...
In this extract Morrison develops Pauline’s character by showing that ...
To fully understand Pauline’s character we need to consider the time and place in which the novel was set and
the changes that were occurring in America as Morrison was writing …
Pauline’s experience in the hospital shows us that …
The contrast between the Fishers affluent lifestyle and the Breedloves ...
Section 4 of your commentary – narrative structure
The last thing that I would like to talk about is the narrative structure and use of multiple narrators …
Morrison’s decision to use Pauline as a narrator here is significant because ...
The switch back to the third person omniscient narrator is important because ...
Morrison’s use of multiple narrative voices and a non-linear narrative structure to tell the story of the
destruction of Pecola’s innocence ...
Section 5 of your commentary – conclusion
So, it is clear that this extract develops the themes ….
We begin to understand Pauline’s reaction to later events ….
Morrison’s style …
SAMPLE 1
Futility
Move him into the sun Gently its touch awoke him once,
At home, whispering of fields unsown.
Always it woke him, even in France,
Until this morning and this snow.
If anything might rouse him now
The kind old sun will know.
Think how it wakes the seeds, Woke, once, the clays of a cold star.
Are limbs, so dear-achieved, are sides,
Full-nerved, - still warm, - too hard to stir?
Was it for this the clay grew tall?
- O what made fatuous sunbeams toil
To break earth's sleep at all?
Examples of the questions you might be asked at the end of
your IOC:
1. Explain why you chose this quotation.
2. Explain in more detail what you meant by X.
3. Tell me more about how the author uses language to
portray/show Y.
4. Which element of X is the most significant and why?
5. Are there any other examples where X does/uses Y?
6. What specific impact does X have on Y?
Useful website links:
Owen
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english_literature/poetryowen/
www.wilfredowen.org.uk/
http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/owena.htm
Othello
http://www.litworks.com/bk/12/Othello
York Notes on Shakespeare's "Othello": (Advanced) (York Notes
Advanced) [Paperback] – may be able to get via the computer
http://www.enotes.com/othello
The Bluest Eye
http://www.enotes.com/bluest-eye
http://www.steppenwolf.org/_pdf/studyguides/bluest_eye_studyguide.pdf