The quality of the material you choose (stimulus or extract) sets the foundation for your entire IO.
A strong stimulus or extract allows you to demonstrate language skills, cultural understanding, and personal interpretation.
Weak material limits what you can say, making it harder to score highly.
SL (Standard Level)
What you choose: A visual or written stimulus provided by your teacher.
Visual or Written Stimulus: A photo, poster, advertisement, illustration, or short written text.
Requirements:
Must be linked to one of the five themes of the course.
Any language in the stimulus must be minimal and in the target language.
Students are not allowed to see the stimuli before the exam.
HL (Higher Level)
What you choose: An extract (up to 300 words) from one of the two literary works studied in class.
Requirements:
The extract should be copied onto plain paper, labelled with title and author.
Students may mark up the extract during preparation.
Each student will see two extracts (one from each work) and must select one.
Characteristics of the best stimuli/extracts
Clearly linked to course themes and culturally relevant.
Offer opportunities to demonstrate international-mindedness and intercultural understanding.
Provide enough detail to describe, interpret, and analyze.
Allow for personal opinion and interpretation.
Enable the teacher to lead into wider discussion.
Manageable length: rich in content but not overwhelming.
Note
IO Material Selection Checklist
For SL (Visual/Written Stimulus)
Ask yourself:
Does this image/text link clearly to one of the five themes?
Can I talk about cultural aspects of the target language?
Are there enough details for me to describe and interpret?
Can I express my own opinion and link it to wider issues?
Does it allow me to make connections to my own experiences or other contexts?
For HL (Literary Extract)
Ask yourself:
Is this extract easy to recognize from the text studied?
Does it connect to key characters, events, or themes?
Can I link it to the text as a whole?
Does it allow me to express a personal interpretation, not just summary?
Can I discuss cultural or thematic relevance beyond the text?
General Qualities of Strong Material
It is rich but manageable: not too simple, not too overwhelming.
It offers multiple angles for analysis: description, cultural links, personal opinion.
It naturally leads to a wider discussion guided by the teacher.
It matches your strengths: for example, if you’re good at interpretation, pick material with implicit ideas, not just literal description.
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Note
The Individual Oral (IO) is a crucial component of the English B course, designed to assess your ability to communicate effectively in the target language while demonstrating cultural understanding and personal interpretation. The IO is not just a test of your language skills, but also your ability to think critically and connect ideas.
The IO consists of a 3-4 minute presentation followed by a 4-5 minute discussion with your teacher.
It is based on either a visual/written stimulus (SL) or a literary extract (HL).
The IO is worth 30% of your final grade.
Analogy
Think of the IO as a bridge between your language skills and your understanding of the world. Just as a bridge connects two places, the IO connects your knowledge of the language with your insights into culture and society.
Example
In the IO, you might discuss how a photograph of a traditional festival reflects cultural values, or how a literary extract explores themes of identity and belonging.
