A Random Collection of Tips for Your IOC IB English HL 1 – Ferrara
Once you use the author’s full name once, you may then go to only using his last name. NEVER call an author by his/her first name, unless you’re close personal friends.
Don’t forget about technique! You guys are great at discussing what stuff means in books,
but you need to put it in terms that addresses the fact that the author used certain techniques deliberately. Ex: instead of saying something like, “The blue and ivory feet represent closeness to death,” you should say, “Vonnegut used repetition of the colors blue and ivory to remind the reader that Billy was close to death even after being home from war for years.” Not only are you showing that you have awareness that literature is an art form, but you are also using a lit term appropriately. Use lit terms appropriately. If you are unsure about what a term means or exactly how it’s used, don’t use it! You should sound natural and confident when using these terms. Don’t overdo it. I know it’s a delicate balance, but I have faith that you’ll work it out. Look back at the STOP BAD FIT handout I gave you. You are not required to use that format by any means, but it can give you some ideas. Remember that the IOC is an examination of detail, how details work in the passage and how they relate to the whole. Don’t be afraid to come up with your own conclusions. Go beyond what we say in class and what you’ve read on Sparknotes. In order to do this, try to get inside the heads of the characters. What are they thinking and feeling? What are their motivations behind their actions? What are literary features? Here are a few: o Suspense or tension (use of weather [it was a dark and stormy night…], music, etc.) o Structure of a poem, sentences, or paragraphs (choppy sentences create a frenzied feeling, long ones make you read slower and create a more calm atmosphere) o Choice of narrator and point of view – why did the author choose that particular way to tell the story? o Setting and landscape – how does the description of the setting add to the tone or theme of the work? Ex: symbolic, create tension, represent main character, does it change as the novel changes? [Lord of the Flies] o Use of time – does it heighten irony and tragedy? Ex: Gatsby – juxtaposing widely separated events (Gatsby’s romance with Daisy years ago and their adultery now) heightens ironic and tragic perspective. Or think about starting at the end (Slaughterhouse-Five) – starting with the ending makes us realize that it’s not what happens but HOW it happens…what leads up to that point is important o Contrast/antithesis – perhaps the author exaggerates the innocence in one character in order to emphasize the evil of another, or maybe he uses antithesis to enhance a theme of opposites (Romeo and Juliet…love and hate) or to illustrate a character’s mental state (to be or not to be) o Flashback/chronology/foreshadowing – why do authors choose to bounce around in time? How do I say it, though? How do I examine the effect of a literary feature in detail? o Know the text well o Select clear details to illustrate your point o Example: You’re going to argue that the setting of an extract is important to the work and has an impact on the story. Here are some questions you can ask yourself (from Lord of the Flies):
A Random Collection of Tips for Your IOC IB English HL 1 – Ferrara
Why is the setting important? How does it have that impact on the story/ o Here are some possible ideas to those questions: Because of the way it looks (pink, sparkly, like a paradise in the beginning; gray, barren, jagged, foreboding toward the end – the progression of the setting parallels the decline of civilization in the story) Because it is the new and alien environment that will test the boys and reveal the darkness of humanity that Golding thinks lies in all of us (the unknown, wild animals, “the beastie”) o These reasons will need to be expanded and supported with details from the text, but at least it’s an example of how you can analyze just one feature (setting) Stay within the context of the passage: “You must not be tempted to discuss everything you know about the whole text. Your commentary must focus on the specific extract that you are given for discussion. You should relate it to the work only where relevant—for example, to establish context, or discuss its importance to the work as a whole” (English for the IB Diploma Handbook). You can use the guiding questions if you want to, but it is not a requirement. Be sure you know the titles and authors of everything we’ve read. This includes the poems. There will be NO authors, titles, page numbers, or act or scene numbers on your extract. When you cite textual evidence, use the line numbers provided on the extract. A complete poem is NOT an extract. It’s a poem. For example, if you get “Stillborn,” don’t say, “this extract is from the poem Stillborn.” It is important to remember that your main task during the IOC requires concentrating on the actual text of the extract you are given. After placing the fragment in the context of the whole work, the passage should then be read with a magnifying glass, as it were, bearing in mind that every word or phrase was carefully chosen by the author in order to produce a particular effect. Establish a focus (Ex: turning point in the plot, shift in the relationships of the characters, or an illustration of a central symbol or issue). Avoid a colloquial tone (Hamlet’s dad, good guys, goofy) and casual imprecision (kind of, you know). One way to work on maintaining a more formal tone is to practice. Avoid doing a line-by-line analysis. Organize your commentary by idea, not in order of the extract. For Hamlet, remember to go beyond just translating. For example, if you are doing “to be or not to be,” you need to go past just saying, “in this extract, Hamlet is debating whether or not he should commit suicide. He doesn’t know if he should exist or not exist.” A way to extend beyond a translation is to do just what you do for everything else you read: analyze technique. Example: “Shakespeare highlights Hamlet’s unbalanced mental state by incorporating many examples of antithesis into this soliloquy. The most obvious of these is ‘to be or not to be’ in line 1” (and then develop from there). Relax! I know; it’s hard to actually relax after reading this looooooong list of tips and listening to Ms. Lamp drone on and on about it. But remember how capable you actually are. It’s good to feel some nerves, but remember that at the end of the day, it’s only a test. While your IOC is an important part of IB English, your score will not define your life or who you are. The process is more important than the end result. Simply going through an assessment like this will make you a better communicator and more interesting person. Remember that not all rewards in life come in the form of a grade.
A Random Collection of Tips for Your IOC IB English HL 1 – Ferrara How do I study for the IOC? Is it possible for me to study when I don’t even know what passage I’ll get? Yes! There are lots of ways to study for the IOC. Here are some suggestions of activities you can do with a study group:
Pick out passages and write guiding questions for one another. Perform practice IOCs. Time yourself to get a feel for that ten-minute time frame. Ask each other follow-up questions as if you were the teacher. Grade each other using the IB Internal Assessment Criteria. Review lit logs and class notes together. Quiz each other on plot and character elements. Have book talks. Bring food! Make it fun!
If you prefer studying alone, here are some things you can do: Re-read your lit log and review class notes. Search texts for passages that you feel are significant. Write guiding questions for those passages. Record practice IOCs and grade yourself using the IB Internal Assessment Criteria. Use a stopwatch so you get a feel for a twelve-minute time frame. Make an after-school appointment with Ms. Ferrara to do a practice IOC. We will simulate the testing environment and setting. It will help you get a feel for the timing of the twentyminute prep period and fifteen-minute presentation period.
