Two works, in Spanish, read closely: At HL only, you study two literary works written in Spanish, and your literary individual oral is built on a short extract from one of them. This isn't speed-reading for a plot summary — you read to understand how the work is built and what it means, so you can talk about it. This micro teaches you how to read for the course.
- la obra literaria
- the literary work
- la novela
- the novel
- la obra de teatro
- the play
- el cuento / el relato
- the short story
- el/la autor(a)
- the author
- el/la narrador(a)
- the narrator
- el capítulo
- the chapter
- el extracto / el fragmento
- the extract / fragment
Read on four levels: A good first reading tracks four things at once. You'll come back to each one in the next sections.
La trama y el tema
- la trama — what happens, in order
- el tema — the big idea it explores (la memoria, la identidad…)
Los personajes
- el/la protagonista — the main character
- cómo cambian a lo largo de la obra
La voz y el estilo
- quién narra — first or third person
- el tono y el lenguaje del autor
Why this matters: Your oral isn't a plot retelling — the examiner expects you to discuss theme, character and the author's style from an extract. Reading with those in mind from page one is what makes the oral easy later.
Reading is note-taking: Passive reading fades by the oral. Read actively: as you go, mark the moments that matter so you can find them again. Keep a simple reading log — one page per work is enough.
Mark these as you read
- Marca los temas — note where a theme appears (la memoria, la libertad, la familia).
- Marca los personajes — note who they are and how they change.
- Marca las citas clave — copy 3–5 short, vivid quotations word for word.
- Marca el cambio — the turning point where something shifts (el punto de inflexión).
- Apunta tus dudas — anything you don't understand, to look up or ask about.
| What to record (Spanish) | Why it helps the oral |
|---|---|
| el tema principal y dos secundarios | You can name what the work is about, not just what happens. |
| una cita corta por tema | A quotation is evidence — it lifts a comment into analysis. |
| cómo evoluciona el/la protagonista | Character change is a classic oral talking point. |
| la voz narrativa (1ª/3ª persona) | Lets you discuss how the story is told, not just the plot. |
Quote, don't summarise: A short quotation in Spanish — «No era una pregunta» — is worth more than three sentences of summary. The quotation is your proof; your job in the oral is to explain what it shows.
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Close reading, step by step: Your oral is based on one extract. Read this short ORIGINAL fragment of an (invented) novel once for the situation, then tap Ver traducción if you need it. Then we'll notice the theme, character and voice together.
Extracto — «La vuelta a casa»: La casa olía a café y a lluvia. Elena se detuvo en el umbral, con la maleta todavía en la mano, y miró el pasillo largo que no recorría desde hacía diez años.
—Has vuelto —dijo su abuela, sin levantarse del sillón. No era una pregunta.
Elena no contestó enseguida. Dejó la maleta en el suelo, despacio, como si temiera despertar algo dormido. «Solo unos días», pensó; pero la casa, con su silencio antiguo, parecía decidida a quedarse con ella para siempre.
- el umbral
- the threshold / doorway
- recorrer
- to walk through / travel along
- el sillón
- the armchair
- despacio
- slowly
- temer
- to fear / be afraid
- el silencio antiguo
- the old silence
IB-style task — qué fijarse en un extracto
Qué fijarse, paso a paso
- El tema (theme). The work is about return and memory: «el pasillo largo que no recorría desde hacía diez años». A ten-year absence sets up la memoria and el pasado as themes.
- El personaje (character). Elena is hesitant, not triumphant: she sets the suitcase down «despacio, como si temiera despertar algo dormido». The slowness shows fear of the past, not joy at coming home.
- La voz (voice). The grandmother's line «Has vuelto… No era una pregunta» uses a short, flat sentence — the narrator tells us it is not a question, which makes the homecoming feel like a verdict, not a welcome.
Close-reading technique: Always anchor a comment in the text: name the device (a short sentence, a sensory detail, the narrator's intrusion), quote it, then say what it does. «Detail → quotation → effect» is the whole skill.
Build your extract sheet as you read: By the end of each work you want one page you can revise from. Record the same five things for every work — that page becomes your oral preparation.
What to record per work — 5 steps
1
Los temas
One main theme + two secondary, each in a phrase. «la memoria», «la familia», «volver a casa».
2
Los personajes
The protagonist and how they change. «Elena pasa del miedo a la aceptación».
3
Las citas clave
3–5 short quotations you can recite, each tied to a theme. «No era una pregunta».
4
El punto de inflexión
The moment something shifts, and why it matters to the theme.
5
La voz narrativa
Who narrates (1ª/3ª persona) and the author's tone. «narrador en tercera persona, tono melancólico».
Theme → Character → Quotations → Turning point → Voice
Pick your extract early: Choose the extract you'd be happy to speak about long before the oral. It should be short, rich, and let you say something about theme and character and voice — not just describe what happens.
One page, in Spanish: Keep the sheet in Spanish so the vocabulary you'll speak with is already on the page. English notes mean translating in the oral itself — slow and risky.
Know your predicted grade
Take timed mock exams and get detailed feedback on every answer. See exactly where you're losing marks.
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Read for analysis, not just story: Most lost marks in the literature component come from treating the work like a story to summarise. Compare the habits that score with the ones that don't.
Haz esto (do)
- Lee buscando temas, personajes y voz narrativa.
- Apunta citas cortas y exactas con su página.
- Comenta el efecto: «esta frase corta crea tensión».
- Mantén tus notas en español.
Evita esto (avoid)
- Resumir solo la trama («pasa esto, luego esto»).
- Inventar lo que «quería decir» el autor sin pruebas.
- Confundir al narrador con el autor.
- Memorizar un resumen en inglés y traducir en el oral.
Narrator ≠ author: If a novel is narrated in the first person, the «yo» is the narrator (el/la narrador/a), a character — not the author. Saying «el autor dice yo» is a classic slip. Always write «el narrador».