Selecting Material for the Individual Oral (IO)When the teacher says, ‘It’s your choice,’ but neither option feels like a choice.Why it mattersThe 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/extractsClearly 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.NoteIO Material Selection ChecklistFor 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 MaterialIt 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.