Key Idea: The individual oral (IO) is a 15-minute talk on one global issue, using one literary work and one non-literary body of work. It is marked out of 40, on criteria A–D.
| Part | What happens | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Prepared oral | You talk through the issue in both works | 10 min |
| Questions | You answer questions on your oral | 5 min |
Choosing a global issue
- Global: it matters in the real world, beyond one story.
- Specific: narrow a broad field ('power') to a precise issue ('power hidden in politeness').
- In both works: analysable through choices in the literary AND the non-literary work.
Selecting your extracts
- About 40 lines each.
- Dense with authorial choices, not just dramatic events.
- Clearly about the issue you chose.
- Representative of how the whole work treats it.
One issue runs through the whole oral, and A and B are half the marks, so analyse choices.
What two works does the IO use? One of each kind: literary and non-literary. Never two of the same kind.
Why is 'power' alone a weak issue? Ten minutes is not enough for something that wide.
What are the two traps when choosing an issue? Too broad to explore, or barely present in one work.
Why avoid a plot-heavy extract? You would summarise events instead of analysing choices.