This week, we have created a new spot on the site for what we are calling a “Mini-Individual Oral” with a detailed explanation of the assessment task.  You can find that homepage here.   

Under that homepage, we are also publishing one set of practice extracts that centers on war and another set of practice extracts that deal with issues of race and racism.  

What is meant by “practice texts” and what is meant by “mini”?  “Practice texts” refers to a literary extract and a non-literary extract that is not part of your official IB syllabus.  In this way, there is no possible way for students to use these in their official and final Individual Oral. 

“Mini-Individual Oral” means an Individual Oral that is not a full Individual Oral.  Instead, it is a modification of it.  In essence, it is cut in half, lasting only 5 minutes.  Students only discuss the “extracts” that we have provided for them, but not the wider body of work or wider work as they have not studied a wider body of work.   

The “Mini Individual Oral” allows students to understand the demands of the assessment without having to do the whole assessment.  It also allows them to practice doing an individual oral without running into the problem of “double-dipping.”

Here’s what the IB says about practicing the Individual Oral in their Frequently Asked Questions publication (updated May 2023): “Practising the individual oral with works or works and bodies of work that will be available for the final oral increases the possibility that part of that practice may actually end up being tantamount to a rehearsal” (page 8).

They go on to state three recommendations for how to conduct a “practice” Individual Oral.  They include:

1. use, for the practice individual oral, texts studied in the years previous to their first DP year.
2. let students choose for their practice individual oral a work and a body of work that have not been, and will not be, studied in class, and that they may have read or come across outside class
3. wherever possible, and if time allows, introduce and teach two mini-works (for example, a mini-work consisting of two or three poems, or two or three short stories) and a mini body of work (two or three advertisements or two or three opinion columns) specifically for the purpose of individual oral practice, and not eligible for the real individual oral (page 8).

What we are publishing on the site is a modification of the third recommendation.  There is no “mini-work” or “mini-body of work” as there are just two extracts to use.  It is absolutely true that students who follow this process will not get the practice in analyzing the wider work and wider body of work.  If that concerns you, pick one of the recommendations given by the IB, if you want.

But this option and process we are publishing does allow students to feel the time constraints, understand the assessment criteria better, and just practice doing this type of oral work without it being a full and complete IO.  In other words, it gives students a feel for the assessment without running afoul of the rules. 

Best,

Tim and David