Key Idea: The individual oral (IA) is a talk in French with your teacher about a literary extract. You get 20 minutes to prepare, then you talk in three parts. It is worth 30 marks: 25% of your grade.
| Step | What happens | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Two extracts of up to about 300 words, one from each work you studied. You choose one. | 20 min |
| Part 1: Presentation | The extract: what happens, the characters, the ideas | 3–4 min |
| Part 2: Discussion | Your teacher asks about the extract | 4–5 min |
| Part 3: Conversation | You talk about one or more course themes | 5–6 min |
| Criterion | Marks | What it checks |
|---|---|---|
| A Language | 12 | Varied, accurate French, with a few complex structures |
| B1 Message: extract | 6 | What the extract says and means |
| B2 Message: conversation | 6 | How you develop your ideas in the conversation |
| C Interactive skills | 6 | Understanding, answering and keeping the talk going |
| Total | 30 | All four criteria |
Back every idea with proof: a short quotation for the extract, a real example for the wider themes.
Ideas or language: which counts more? The same. B1 and B2 give 12 marks, like A.
Which part is the longest? Part 3, the conversation: 5–6 minutes.
Can you take a copy of the book into the prep? No. No dictionary, course notes or copy of the books.
Can you read your notes aloud? No. Up to 10 bullet points, and you only glance at them.
In Part 1, where should most of your time go? On the extract itself.