Assessment Overview
The Individual Oral assessment, or simply IO, assesses students’ ability to communicate in a set language, and understand it. Perhaps you’re confused about the structure of this assessment or how to prepare for it. To guide you, here is a general assessment structure overview as well as SL-focused tips.
The Individual Oral assessment (IO) is a 12 to 15 minute verbal assessment (excluding preparation time), worth 25% of students’ grade. The IO is made up of three parts including:
- Supervised preparation time: SL students are given 15 minutes to choose between 2 visual stimuli (SL), and HL students are given 20 minutes to choose between 2 extracts from two literary works studied (HL). Students will not know beforehand which stimulus or extract will be provided during the IO. During this time, you can prepare a maximum of 10 bullet points which you can use for reference during your IO.
- Part 1 – Presentation: Students are given 3-4 minutes to present the chosen stimulus or extract. SL students should describe the chosen visual stimulus, relate it to the relevant theme from the course, and express their views on the concepts from the stimulus. HL students should discuss relevant ideas, messages, and events from the extract.
- Part 2 – Follow-up discussion: In 4-5 minutes, the teacher starts with asking open-ended questions about the theme from the stimulus (SL) or contents from the extract (HL), allowing the student to engage in open conversation about the topic.
- Part 3 – General discussion: The teacher introduces one or more additional themes and invites the student to a 5-6 minute conversation centered around that theme.
What are the themes?
The IB German B course revolves around 5 main themes; Identities, Experiences, Human Ingenuity, Social Organization, and Sharing the Planet. It is important to familiarize yourself with them beforehand, as one or more of them will be the main focus for Part 3 of your IO.
For each theme, some topics you may explore during classes and for your IO include:
- Identities/Identität : Role of language in constructing our identity, beliefs and values, healthy lifestyle
- Experiences/Erfahrungen: Migration, cultures and customs, holidays and travel
- Human ingenuity/Menschliche Erfindungsgabe: Scientific and technological developments, entertainment, media, art
- Social organization/Soziale Organization: Workplaces, education, role of language in society, communities
- Sharing the planet/Teilen die Umwelt: Environmental issues, Advantages and disadvantages of globalization, Human rights, Urban and rural environments
How can I practice for my IO?
During my German B SL classes, we prepared for our IOs by doing mock IOs. In pairs, we would practice parts 1 and 2. Namely, one person would practice describing the image, relating it to the relevant theme, then expressing their opinion on the theme. The second person would take notes in the meantime and create follow-up questions for part 2.
This is something you can also practice by yourself by using example visual stimuli your teacher might provide, timing yourself as you describe the image and relate it to your theme. As a practice example, we can take this image from Cloud-Science.De:
For instance, for part 1, you may want to focus on the interaction between the boy and the woman in the background, the image the woman is holding, the text box, as well as the computer in the foreground. Regarding the theme, the image is most likely related to ‘Menschliche Erfindungsgabe’, specifically scientific or technological developments including ‘Kunstiche Intelligenz (KI)’. When practicing, you can make it a habit to time yourself. This way, you will get used to either extending or shortening your speaking time accordingly.
How can I prepare in advance?
Although you will not know which theme or visual stimulus you will be given for your IO, there are various ways in which you can prepare. For instance, as an SL student, the visual stimuli will be related to one of the 5 themes, as will the entire Part 3, for both SL and HL students. Therefore, in your preparation you can focus on memorizing relevant keywords for all 5 themes.
I did this through creating a mindmap where I brainstormed and listed any German terms, concepts, or phrases relevant to each theme and subtopic for each theme. If German is not your first language, as it is in my case, this method will help expand your vocabulary. Having more keywords in mind prevented me from stuttering or hesitating when speaking during my IO.
On another note, in Part 2, your teacher may encourage you to talk about your own cultural experiences as well as understanding of the ‘target language cultures’. This specifically refers to German speaking countries (i.e Germany, Switzerland, Austria). For instance, you can refer to certain norms, statistics, policies, or recent news in these target cultures. You can prepare for this aspect in advance by researching recent developments in your home country or any of these target cultures.
Tip for Getting in the ‘German Headspace’
In an interview conducted with an IB Graduate, Marie shared that an aspect that helped get her in the ‘German headspace’, where she thought, spoke, and wrote in German more naturally, was listening to German podcasts. Whether it be podcasts, Youtube videos, or even movies where you change the subtitles or language spoken to German, hearing German on a more frequent basis will help you expand your vocabulary and become more natural when speaking. You can find the rest of the interview with the IB Graduate on the IBlieve website.
Conclusion
When preparing for your German B IO, make sure to go over the criteria to ensure you know what is expected of you. Everything from your grammar, vocabulary, your ability to interpret the material, and your ability to express your thoughts in German will be assessed. To feel more confident on the day of the assessment, prepare in advance by familiarizing yourself with the themes, relevant keywords, and practicing by yourself or with others. You got this!