Format, timing & marks

What this micro covers: The Individual Oral (IO) is your speaking assessment — the Internal Assessment (IA) for English B. This micro is about the format, timing and marks: exactly what happens, how long each part lasts, and how it is scored.

Learn the facts below first. Then the rest of the micro shows you how to USE them — how to plan, present, and handle the conversation.

Individual Oral (IO)

your one-to-one spoken assessment with your teacher — the IA for English B

Internal Assessment (IA)

an assessment marked by your teacher and moderated by the IB (not sat as a written exam paper)

visual stimulus

the photo or image you are given to talk about, linked to one of the five themes

the five themes

Identities, Experiences, Human ingenuity, Social organisation, Sharing the planet

supervised preparation

the time (about 15 minutes) you get alone to plan, allowed only short notes

the presentation

the first part: you speak about the image for about 3–4 minutes

the conversation

the second part: your teacher asks you questions for about 4–5 minutes

to describe

to say what you literally see in the image

to interpret

to say what the image means or suggests, beyond what you see

to relate to a theme

to connect the image to one of the five course themes and say why

assessment criteria

the standards your speaking is marked against (A, B and C)

register

how formal or informal your language is — match it to the situation

Why these facts matter: Knowing the shape of the IO removes most of the fear. You can rehearse to the timing, plan your notes in the 15 minutes, and aim your effort where the marks are — which the next sections show you how to do.

The order that scores: A strong presentation moves through three stages: describe what you see, interpret what it means, then relate it to a theme. Most weak orals get stuck on describing. The marks for Message come from interpretation and the theme link — so describe quickly, then go deeper.

Spend your time wisely: In a 3–4 minute presentation, give roughly one minute to describing and the rest to interpreting and relating. The examiner already sees the photo — they want to hear your ideas about it.

Learn from someone who's done it: Here is a short first-person account of sitting the Individual Oral. Read it once for the general idea, then we'll work through one exam-style question. Notice what the writer says actually earned the marks.

"What I learned from my Oral": When I sat my Individual Oral, the nerves hit before I even saw the photo. But the structure saved me. First my teacher gave me a single image linked to one of the five themes, and I had about fifteen minutes on my own to prepare. I wasn't allowed a full script — only a few short notes — so I scribbled three columns: what I could see, what I thought it meant, and which theme it connected to.

Then I spoke for around four minutes about the photo, and after that my teacher asked me questions for roughly five more. The thing that helped most was not staying stuck on describing the image. I described it quickly, then spent most of my time interpreting it and linking it to the theme. In the conversation I never answered with one word — I always added a reason or an example. Looking back, the marks came from interpretation and interaction, not from how perfectly I named every object in the picture.

the nerves hit

I suddenly felt very nervous

a full script

a complete, word-for-word text written out in advance (not allowed)

to scribble

to write quickly and roughly

to be stuck on

to spend too long on one thing and not move on

interaction

the back-and-forth of the conversation — listening and responding

Reading technique: For an "according to the text" question, find the exact line that proves your answer. Don't rely on what you already know about the IO — only on what the text says.

The task: You are given this image: a group of volunteers cleaning a beach at sunrise, collecting plastic and cans, with a sign that reads "Look after your coast".

Plan and deliver a 3–4 minute presentation: describe it, interpret it, relate it to a theme, and add your opinion. You have about 15 minutes to prepare with short notes only.

Why it scores: This presentation hits all three IO criteria — here's what earns each one:

Part 2: the conversation: After your presentation, your teacher talks with you for about 4–5 minutes, usually starting from the image and theme, then widening out. This part tests interaction: never answer with one word. Always add a reason, an example, or an opinion.

Example exchange: Teacher: "Do you think young people should be more involved in their community?"

Student: "Yes, definitely. I think getting involved teaches us responsibility and makes us feel part of something. For example, at my school we ran a charity market, and lots of students joined in. In my opinion, activities like that should happen more often."

Conversation technique: Build every answer with "because…", "for example…" or "in my opinion…". These three connectors turn a one-word reply into a developed turn that earns Message and Interaction marks.