Crucible Diary
Section 1: Individual oral commentary
Weighting: 15%
Duration: Preparation 20 minutes; delivery 10 minutes
The individual oral commentary is a literary analysis of an extract taken from one of the works studied in part 2 of the course.
Choice of extract
Self-taught students prepare for section 1 of the alternative oral examination—the individual oral commentary—by using guiding questions supplied by the IB as a basis for choosing extracts from the works studied in part 2. Each extract must be approximately 40 lines in length (or a whole poem or part of a poem that is roughly equivalent to 40 lines). The content must be linked to the question so that, in the oral examination, a close literary analysis can be presented on the extract in response to that question.
Focus and structure
Students should aim to identify and explore all significant aspects of the extract. These include:
• situating the extract as precisely as possible in the context of the work from which it has been taken
(or in the body of work, in the case of poetry)
• commenting on the effectiveness of the writer’s techniques, including the use of stylistic devices and their effect(s) on the reader.
The commentary should focus on the extract itself, relating it to the whole work where relevant (for example, to establish context). It should not be used as a springboard for a discussion of everything the student knows about the work in question.
A commentary should be sustained and well organized. It should neither be delivered as a series of unconnected points nor take the form of a narration or a line-by-line paraphrase of the passage or poem. this is for self-taught students. from the subject guide Section 2: Individual oral presentation
Weighting: 15%
Duration: 10 minutes
The individual oral presentation is based on two works studied in part 4 of the course.
Preparation
Prior to the alternative oral examination, the student prepares notes for an oral presentation on two
Weighting: 15%
Duration: Preparation 20 minutes; delivery 10 minutes
The individual oral commentary is a literary analysis of an extract taken from one of the works studied in part 2 of the course.
Choice of extract
Self-taught students prepare for section 1 of the alternative oral examination—the individual oral commentary—by using guiding questions supplied by the IB as a basis for choosing extracts from the works studied in part 2. Each extract must be approximately 40 lines in length (or a whole poem or part of a poem that is roughly equivalent to 40 lines). The content must be linked to the question so that, in the oral examination, a close literary analysis can be presented on the extract in response to that question.
Focus and structure
Students should aim to identify and explore all significant aspects of the extract. These include:
• situating the extract as precisely as possible in the context of the work from which it has been taken
(or in the body of work, in the case of poetry)
• commenting on the effectiveness of the writer’s techniques, including the use of stylistic devices and their effect(s) on the reader.
The commentary should focus on the extract itself, relating it to the whole work where relevant (for example, to establish context). It should not be used as a springboard for a discussion of everything the student knows about the work in question.
A commentary should be sustained and well organized. It should neither be delivered as a series of unconnected points nor take the form of a narration or a line-by-line paraphrase of the passage or poem. this is for self-taught students. from the subject guide Section 2: Individual oral presentation
Weighting: 15%
Duration: 10 minutes
The individual oral presentation is based on two works studied in part 4 of the course.
Preparation
Prior to the alternative oral examination, the student prepares notes for an oral presentation on two