PROCEDURE FOR IOC

I. BEFORE THE ORAL COMMENTARY

 Arrive 10 minutes before your session begins. Report immediately to the choir room where a parent
proctor will give you instructions.
 If you arrive early, you MAY bring any and all materials to the reading area to review.
 The parent proctor will come to lead you to the room for your 20-minute prep time.

BEFORE going to the Prep Room – check

 Do you have pencil, pen, highlighters or colored pencils for writing and marking? You will leave your
materials at the designated place, just outside the Prep Room. You may not bring anything except writing
tools into the room.

II. PREP TIME (20-minutes)

 At the start of the preparation period, which is no earlier than 20 minutes before the start of the recorded
commentary, you will draw a poem from a pool. You will also be given the written guiding questions for
that particular poem.
 As soon as you are seated and ready to begin, the supervisor will begin the time. You will ONLY have 20
minutes to prepare. You will be supervised during the prep period.

SUGGESTIONS:
 Each poem will have numbered lines.
 There will be 2 guiding questions for your extract. IBO offers this advice for guiding questions:
o The purpose of the guiding questions is to offer you a starting point for organizing the commentary.
o They will relate to some of the most significant aspects of the extract and lead you to focus on their
interpretation.
o They should help you explore such aspects as the presentation and role of themes, use of language, effects of
structure, style, and technique.
o They will NOT refer to any particular details or provide any interpretation of the poem.
o While you do NOT have to use the guiding questions, my teacher support material offers this: “Must
students answer the guiding questions? Guiding questions are only offered as prompts to give students a
starting point for their commentaries. Students are free to decide whether or not to use them. However, if
the guiding questions are appropriate, students are unlikely to offer good commentaries without addressing
the demands of the guiding questions in some form, even if not directly.” I am required to send the guiding
questions with each extract when a student’s tape is sent for moderation.

 ESTABLISH A FOCUS AND PURPOSE:

You may make notes for reference and organization of your commentary, but you will not be
allowed to read a prepared speech.
Prepare your commentary for 8 minutes (I am required to “engage” you in a discussion during the
last 2 minutes to probe further into your knowledge and understanding of the work or topic).

“We must do the thing we think we cannot do.” (Eleanor Roosevelt) … then we will change the world… 1
PROCEDURE FOR IOC

What a commentary is:

 a close examination of a poem in which the student makes salient comments on the craftsmanship of the
writer. This craftsmanship is demonstrated in the work that the student examines.
 a discussion of literary effects achieved in the passage and how they are achieved. (In other words, use
the passage to prove that the author used specific techniques to create an artistic effect).

What the discussion is:

 a focused conversation where the candidate explores and expounds knowledge of another work utilizing
textual evidence synthesized with proper literary terminology application.

What a commentary/discussion IS NOT:

 NOT an unveiling of "what the author really means." It is important to identify the purpose, function or
meaning of the poem but it should not become a focus. Your focus should be HOW the meaning, function
or purpose of the passage is created.
 NOT a paraphrase or a summary of the work (although a summary might be included in your
commentary).
 NOT an introduction to the work.

DURING PREPARATION
1. Relax.
2. Read the poem slowly and carefully.
3. Read it again and jot down your first, gut-level response to the text.
4. Read it again and underline any words or phrases that strike you for any reason. Maybe they seem
important, create an image, indicate symbols, or foreshadow events. Look for IRONY --- dramatic,
verbal, or situational…. AT THIS POINT, YOU ARE GOING TO WANT TO LOOK FOR
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE – BUT DON’T LIMIT YOURSELF TO FIGURES OF SPEECH OR RHETORIC
– soliloquy, narrative voice, point of view, sarcasm, shifts, etc.)
5. Look for patterns, repetitions, or connections among the things you underlined. Make notes that indicate
what you see.
6. Write down what purpose you believe the author was trying to achieve with this extract …. What does the
poem evoke in you? Use this to determine a possible theme of the text and thesis. While it is
important to connect the extract to the whole work, FOCUS ON THE EXTRACT…
7. Write down how the text or parts of the text develop or advance the theme. DO NOT GIVE A PLOT
SUMMARY.
8. Write down how the author's style or technique advances the theme.
9. Review all your notes, underlined words, and writings; and organize the information. Discard what you
don't need or can't use. Get the raw information into an organized form.
10. Arrange your commentary in a way that feels natural to you and makes sense – use THESIS – 1st POINT,
2nd POINT, 3rd POINT, CONCLUSION
11. Refer to and integrate specific quotes from the passage where you can.

Things That Should Go In Your Commentary and Discussion

Check to be sure you do as much of the following as you can – they are all non-negotiable
“We must do the thing we think we cannot do.” (Eleanor Roosevelt) … then we will change the world… 2
PROCEDURE FOR IOC
 Be sure you show you know and understand the content of the poem. Briefly summarize the poem and its
purpose as a whole (Do NOT paraphrase the entire poem);
 Be sure you extrapolate clear examples that will best answer the discussion questions
 relate it to the author’s body of work
 identify and discuss key words, lines, images, symbols, motifs, word choice, repetitions, sounds, and
structure;
 talk or write about theme, events, narrative voice, tone, the author's style, use of time, atmosphere,
irony, humor, contrasts, etc.;
 explain what poetic or literary devices are used -- but DON’T limit your analysis to ONLY figurative
language
 ONLY discuss literary elements and patterns if they help you VALIDATE your interpretation –
everything won’t be relevant to your point – don’t mention it just to mention it – follow the outline
 answer the guiding questions, if not directly, then indirectly.
 What will show critical thinking or original/personal response?

THE INDIVIDUAL ORAL COMMENTARY (20 minutes)

 Every student MUST be recorded. IBO will then select the samples that will be sent for moderation.
 You will have a timer in front of you– we will both be able to see it.
 Do not READ your commentary. If you are extremely nervous and think reading part of the passage out
loud will help, you may take a minute or two to do this – it will not be part of the recording.
1) When you’re ready (you’ve laid out your notes), say“I’m ready to begin.” I will start the recorder.
2) You will then begin to record your commentary. Begin by naming your extract – the author --- and then
putting it into the proper context (part of a larger whole, canon of the work) proceed to your focus and
elaboration and conclusion.
3) Once started, the recording may not be stopped for any reason
4) Except for dire situations I am supposed to allow you to deliver your commentary without interruption
for 8 minutes. I cannot give any coaching, correct errors, or pose leading questions and give direct
information. I can help you get back on track or help you regain your focus.
5) After 8 minutes, I WILL (and must) interrupt to ask subsequent questions (for a maximum of 2 minutes)
to help you show further insights into the extract, and thereby improve your performance further.
a. I may ask you to address an important aspect of the extract that you have omitted
b. I may ask you to provide further clarification of points not fully explained
c. I may ask you to engage personally with the extract
6) (I WILL BE MAKING NOTES DURING YOUR COMMENTARY – IGNORE THIS – DO NOT INTERPRET
ANY NOTE-TAKING AS CRITICISM OR NEGATIVE EVALUATION – My notes will help me help you at
the end when I have to engage you in a discussion – or they may be used by IBO in the event that the
moderator and I do not agree on your evaluation.
7) At the end of the commentary (moderators will not give credit for any new information after 10
minutes), I will immediately proceed to the discussion of another part 2 work. YOU WILL NOT KNOW
WHICH ONE, SO PREPARE ACCORDINGLY! This discussion will last (hopefully) as close to 10 minutes
as possible and which time I will stop the recording.
8) We’re done!!!!

Key Tips: In orals, speak calmly--don't rush. Don't try to sound sophisticated; just be yourself. Don't worry
about the recorder--it's there to evaluate ME, not you.

“We must do the thing we think we cannot do.” (Eleanor Roosevelt) … then we will change the world… 3
PROCEDURE FOR IOC
1. Focus. Don't begin a commentary without having a clear idea where you are going and what you are going
to say. As Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People says, "Begin with the
End in mind." It is critical that you learn to zero in on one or two critical focal points. Determine which
are the key ideas and build your commentary around them. Repeat some of the themes or main ideas
throughout your commentary, you will help it to hang together much more coherently.
2. Organize. In order to sound coherent, you have to sound organized. In order to sound organized, there
must be a loose hierarchy or order of ideas in your commentary. Your focal points and key words will
help you sound prepared and organized, rather than careless and haphazard.
3. Engage. Come to grips with the poem or works. To do this, you must do several careful readings of the
poem (with colored pencils or markers) or with the work. In other words, engage the material in a
serious, thoughtful manner. To do this, you must engage the material on both intellectual and emotional
levels. Engage means to give yourself over to, to involve yourself, to enter into conflict, to take part, to
be active, to entangle, to be voluntarily committed and personally involved.
4. Emote. Inject some emotion, opinion, something of yourself and your beliefs into your commentary. In
other words, don't be boring.
5. Play. Have fun with the language! Play with the passage! Tear it apart! Put it back together!
6. Assert. Be mildly aggressive and assertive. This is your chance to show off what you know. Don't be
cocky and arrogant, be DO be confident, energetic, and stylish.
7. Communicate. Use an appropriate register. Don't use too many colloquialisms, slang expressions, etc. On
the other hand, don't use a 25-cent word when a 10-cent word will do. You may be using that big,
impressive-sounding word incorrectly, or you may be sounding like a pompous ass.
8. Cohere. Comment on literary devices and techniques, but not at the expense of meaning and coherence.
9. Build. Build outward from the passage in concentric circles. One thing IB examiners want to know is how
you make meaning out of the text. But do this only at the end after you've dealt with the passage in a
thorough manner--relating the importance of the passage to the work as a whole.
10. Think. Discuss the poem/work in a manner that makes you come off as thoughtful and intelligent. But
don't be afraid to be original, independent, and creative.

Remember. . . . .

"The student must discuss how the author creates the effect."
"An effective commentary will probably discuss the artist/author's strengths and weaknesses."
"Don’t just tell what the character does or what happens to the character – discuss how the author presents
the character and how the author creates our perceptions
"The student must be able to discuss the underlying or universal values."
"The student must personalize their response to the passage. They have to respond to it and enter into it in
an engaged manner."
"IB does not want set patterns or prepared responses. We want a fresh, lively, clear, involved, sprightly,
engaged response. They are looking for 'signs of life.'"
"The student must talk about not only 'what' is said, but 'how' it is said."
"The student must be precise in his or her use of language and must be able to make careful distinctions."

You’re gonna be GREAT!

“We must do the thing we think we cannot do.” (Eleanor Roosevelt) … then we will change the world… 4