IB English Individual Oral (IO): Structure and Criteria
How the IB English A individual oral works: the 10 + 5 minute format, all four 10-mark criteria, what you can bring, a timed structure and a 4-week prep plan.
14 minRead guide
Individual Oral (IO) & Language Oral Guides
Proven strategies and techniques for confident, high-scoring oral performances.
Oral assessments in the IB can feel intimidating: you are speaking aloud, being recorded, and have limited time to show your understanding. With proper preparation they become a chance to show your analysis and communication. Our guides cover the Individual Oral (IO) in Language A courses, worth 30 percent of your grade at SL and 20 percent at HL, and the Language B individual oral, worth 25 percent. They help you choose texts and global issues, structure your 10 minutes, handle your teacher's questions and deliver with confidence.
Key Takeaways
- Practise aloud - speaking is different from thinking
- Time yourself repeatedly until you can hit 10 minutes consistently
- Choose a global issue that genuinely connects both texts
- Prepare your 10-bullet outline carefully - it is the only note you take in
- The question section is a conversation, not an interrogation
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Guides in This Category
IB Language B Individual Oral: Format and Rubric
The IB Language B individual oral at SL and HL: preparation time, the three timed parts, the 30-mark rubric and how to prepare a visual or literary extract.
10 minRead guide
IB IO Global Issues: 30 Examples and How to Choose
30 IB English IO global issue examples across the five fields of inquiry, what the IB counts as a global issue, and how to write a clear global issue statement.
11 minRead guide
IB IO Teacher Questions: Handling the Final 5 Minutes
In the IB individual oral, the follow-up questions come from your teacher, not an examiner. Question types, how they count, how to answer and how to practise.
8 minRead guide
Frequently Asked Questions
Know your texts deeply, understand your global issue's relevance, structure your 10-minute presentation clearly, and practise aloud repeatedly. Time yourself and do mock IOs with feedback.
You can bring clean, unannotated copies of your two extracts, up to 40 lines each, and an outline of no more than 10 bullet points. The outline is a memory prompt, not a script. Speaking from understanding beats reading out prepared sentences.
The IO lasts 15 minutes: up to 10 minutes for your presentation, then 5 minutes of questions from your teacher. Practise until you can finish your presentation comfortably inside 10 minutes, and know which point you would cut if you were running long.
Yes. Tutors can run timed practice orals and give feedback on your analysis and delivery, which builds confidence through repetition. Choosing your extracts and writing your outline stay your own work.