The short version: In the 5-minute discussion, your teacher's questions are invitations to go deeper — listen to what's actually asked, answer it directly with evidence, and develop your analysis rather than repeating your prepared oral.
The Q&A isn't a trap — it's your chance to show you can THINK about the works, not just recite about them.
After your ten prepared minutes, the teacher asks follow-up questions for about five minutes. They want you to extend, defend, or complicate your argument — ‘Could you say more about…?’, ‘How does the other work compare on this?’ Listen carefully, answer the ACTUAL question, and support each answer with the texts.
How to handle the Q&A
Listen to the actual question
Answer what's asked — not the answer you wish you'd been asked.
Answer directly, then develop
Give a clear answer, then support and extend it with the texts.
Use it to go deeper
Treat each question as a chance to add analysis you didn't reach in the oral.
Stay grounded in the works
Support every answer with evidence — don't drift into vague opinion.
The key move: Treat each question as an invitation to deepen your analysis: listen, answer the ACTUAL question directly, and support it with the texts — don't just repeat your prepared oral.
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Why it matters in the exam: The discussion is marked under the SAME criteria (A–D) as the prepared oral — it's not separate. Give thoughtful, text-grounded answers that DEVELOP your analysis; vague or evasive ones waste five minutes of opportunity.
Your teacher asks: ‘You focused on the poem's imagery — how does your global issue appear in the STRUCTURE of the non-literary work?’ How should a student handle this?
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Watch out: Don't just repeat your prepared oral when questioned, and don't answer a question you WISH you'd been asked. Listen to the ACTUAL question and use it to add new, text-grounded analysis.