Oral Commentary

Due Date: Commentary recording to be scheduled individually

SOI: How are relationships based on and challenged by context,

personal characteristics and point of view

Key Concept: RELATIONSHIPS

Related Concepts: Context, Character, Point of View

Global Context: Identities and Relationships

Assessed Against: Criteria A, B and D

Total time: 3-5 minutes oral recorded analysis

Further Details

The summative for the study of Julius Caesar is an individual oral analysis. You will be given five
passages from the play a week in advance of the summative.

Each passage has a clear connection to our key concept of RELATIONSHIPS and it is expected that you
discuss this concept within your analysis.

When your scheduled time arrives, you will randomly select one of the five passages to analyze. At this
time you will be given a clean copy of the passage.

You will be given 30 minutes to annotate and plan your analysis. When the 30 minutes is over, you will
use your annotations and notes to guide you through your oral analysis.

Your analysis will be recorded and must be between 3-5 minutes in length. If you exceed the time limit
you will be stopped.

You will present your analysis to your teacher only.

Your teacher will ask you one follow up question at the end of your analysis.

A note on Academic Honesty

As part of this assessment you will be expected to cite ideas as well as quotations. If you have used any
secondary sources to support your interpretation of the passages these must be clearly referenced
within your oral commentary and included within a bibliography.

You must bring your works cited page or bibliography to the exam. This will be formatted using MLA.

IBMYP English Language and Literature

Oral Commentary
Heres how to be successful with this task
Criterion A - Analysing
You identify when the
passage occurs in the play.
You explain why the passage
is significant to the play as a
whole and identify key
features of the passage in
your introduction.
You make connections
between the techniques
used in the passage and the
bigger idea or significance of
the passage.
You comment on conflict,
and/or relationships in the
passage and how that
conflict or relationship is
presented.
You identify and analyse
how language choices have
an effect on the
reader/audience.
Reference specific lines and
quote directly from the
passage in order to support
the claims you have made.
Use terminology relating to
dramatic conventions and
dramatic functions correctly.
You include any unresolved
questions or implications in
your conclusion.
IBMYP English Language and Literature
Criterion B - Organization
You include a thesis in your
introduction.
You use transitions at the
beginnings of your points
and within your analysis so
that speaking flows.
You use connectives to
indicate to the listener when
you are comparing and
contrasting.
You organize your points so
that they build in complexity
throughout your analysis
(weakest to strongest).
You have a clear structure
for each point made, which
includes; a topic sentence,
evidence from the passage
and an explanation.
You cite line numbers each
time you quote from the
passage.
You include a conclusion
which helps to summarize
your thesis.
Criterion D Using Language
Your voice is persuasive and
authoritative.
Your register is formal and
analytical and suitable for a
literary analysis
You use a variety of sentence
structures for various
effects.
Your word choice is
interesting, and reflects the
analytical style of an oral
commentary.
You speak fluently and
continuously avoiding filler
words like and um.
You use pauses to emphasize
significant points and avoid
long pauses which hinder
communication.
Your pronunciation allows
you to clearly communicate
to your listener.
You use pace to control your
speech and avoid speaking
too quickly.
Oral Commentary

Criterion A Analysing
How well can the student:

Analyse the content, context, language, structure, technique and style of text(s) and the
relationship among texts?
Analyse the effects of the creators choices on an audience?
Justify opinions and ideas, using examples, explanations and terminology?
Evaluate the similarities and differences by connecting features across and within genres and
texts.

Achievement Level Level Descriptor

0 The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors below.
1-2 The student:
i. Provides limited analysis of the content, context, language, structure,
technique and style of text(s) and the relationship among texts.
ii. Provides limited analysis of the effects of the creators choices on an
audience.
iii. Rarely justifies opinions and ideas with examples or explanations; uses
little or no terminology.
iv. Evaluates few similarities and differences by making minimal connections
in features across and within genres and texts.
3-4 The student:
i. Provides adequate analysis of the content, context, language, structure,
technique and style of text(s) and the relationship among texts.
ii. Provides adequate analysis of the effects of the creators choices on an
audience.
iii. Justifies opinions and ideas with some examples and explanations, though
this may not be consistent; uses some terminology.
iv. Evaluates some similarities and differences by making adequate
connections in features across and within genres and texts.
5-6 The student:
i. Competently analyses the content, context, language, structure,
technique, style of text(s) and the relationship among texts.
ii. Competently analyses the effects of the creators choices on an audience.
iii. Sufficiently justifies opinions and ideas with examples and explanations;
uses accurate terminology.
iv. Evaluates similarities and differences by making substantial connections
in features across and within genres and texts.
7-8 The student:
i. Provides perceptive analysis of the content, context, language, structure,
technique, style of text(s) and the relationship among texts.
ii. Perceptively analyses the effects of the creators choices on an audience.
iii. Gives detailed justification of opinions and ideas with a range of
examples, and thorough explanations; uses accurate terminology.
iv. Perceptively compares and contrasts by making extensive connections in
features across and within genres and texts.

IBMYP English Language and Literature

Oral Commentary

Criterion B Organizing
How well can the student:

Employ organizational structures that serve the context and intention?

Organize opinions and ideas in a sustained, coherent and logical manner?
Use referencing and formatting tools to create a presentation style suitable to the context and
intention?

Achievement Level Level Descriptor

0 The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors below.
1-2 The student:
i. Makes minimal use of organizational structures though these may not
always serve the context and intention.
ii. Organizes opinions and ideas with a minimal degree of coherence and
logic.
iii. Makes minimal use of referencing and formatting tools to create a
presentation style that may not always be suitable to the context and
intention.
3-4 The student:
i. Makes adequate use of organizational structures that serve the context
and intention.
ii. Organizes opinions and ideas with some degree of coherence and logic.
iii. Makes adequate use of referencing and formatting tools to create a
presentation style suitable to the context and intention.
5-6 The student:
i. Makes competent use of organizational structures that serve the context
and intention.
ii. Organizes opinions and ideas in a coherent and logical manner with ideas
building on each other.
iii. Makes competent use of referencing and formatting tools to create a
presentation style suitable to the context and intention.
7-8 The student:
i. Makes sophisticated use of organizational structures that serve the
context and intention effectively.
ii. Effectively organizes opinions in a sustained, coherent and logical
manner with ideas building on each other in a sophisticated way.
iii. Makes excellent use of referencing and formatting tools to create an
effective presentation style.

IBMYP English Language and Literature

Oral Commentary

Criterion D - Using Language

How well can the student:

Use appropriate and varied vocabulary, sentence structures and forms of expression?
Write and speak in a register and style that serve the context and intention?
Use correct grammar, syntax and punctuation?
Spell, write and pronounce with accuracy?
Use appropriate non-verbal communication techniques?

Achievement Level Level Descriptor

0 The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors below.
1-2 The student:

i. Uses a limited range of appropriate vocabulary and forms of expression.

ii. Writes and speaks in an inappropriate register and style that do not suit
the context and intention.
iii. Uses grammar, syntax and punctuation with limited accuracy; errors
often hinder communication.
iv. Spells/writes and pronounces with limited accuracy; errors often hinder
communication.
v. Makes limited and/or inappropriate us of non-verbal communication
techniques.
3-4 The student:

i. Uses an adequate range of appropriate vocabulary, sentence structures

and forms of expression.
ii. Sometimes write and speaks in a register and style that serve the context
and intention.
iii. Uses grammar, syntax and punctuation with some degree of accuracy;
errors sometimes hinder communication.
iv. Spells/writes and pronounces with some degree of accuracy; errors
sometimes hinder communication.
v. Makes some use of appropriate non-verbal communication techniques.
5-6 The student:

i. Uses a varied range of appropriate vocabulary, sentence structures and

forms of expression competently.
ii. Writes and speaks competently in a register and style that serve the
context and intention.
iii. Uses grammar, syntax and punctuation with a considerable degree of
accuracy; errors do not hinder effective communication.
iv. Spells/writes and pronounces with a considerable degree of accuracy;
errors do not hinder effective communication.
v. Makes sufficient use of appropriate non-verbal communication
techniques.
7-8 The student:

IBMYP English Language and Literature

Oral Commentary

i. Effectively uses a range of appropriate vocabulary, sentence structures

and forms of expression.
ii. Writes and speaks in a consistently appropriate register and style that
serve the context and intention.
iii. Uses grammar, syntax and punctuation with a high degree of accuracy;
errors are minor and communication is effective.
iv. Spells/writes and pronounces with a high degree of accuracy; errors are
minor and communication is effective.
v. Makes effective use of appropriate non-verbal communication
techniques.

IBMYP English Language and Literature