What does a good individual oral look like? What does it sound like? What would good stimulus material look like? How should I structure my notes? All of these questions should be at the forefront of your thinking, and by listening to sample orals you can develop an understanding of what is good, and what is not.
Sample Individual Oral #1
First of all, make sure you are familiar with the assessment criteria in Marking Criteria.
Now, take a look at the two stimulus texts:
Non-literary work: SK-II advertisement campaign
Literary work: ‘The Old Fools’ by Philip Larkin
Non-literary work: SK-II advertisement campaign
Literary work: ‘The Old Fools’ by Philip Larkin
Now, listen to this student's Individual Oral assessment (at Higher Level):
Examiner's Commentary
Consider the assessment criteria in Marking Criteria, and decide what you would give this oral for the following criteria:
A: Knowledge, Understanding and Interpretation (10)
B: Analysis and Evaluation (10)
C: Focus and Organisation (10)
D: Language (10)
Now look at the examiner's grades and commentary:
A: 5
B: 6
C: 5
D: 7
This oral has potential and suffers predominantly from not making the global issue explicit and central to the discussion, and from sounding scripted. The former certainly affects the mark in criterion A - even though the understanding of the topic presented in each text is clear enough - and a greater array of literary and stylistic features identified and deconstructed would have helped in criterion B. Language is strong, and there's nothing wrong with the exposition of the analysis, but the scripted nature of the oral impedes its authenticity and lowers the mark in criterion C. There is not enough about the body of non-literary work, instead commenting mainly just on the extract. Overall, this is a low Level 5.
It is worth noting that the poem extract is too long. It shouldn't exceed 40 lines, while in most cases considerably shorter would still be acceptable. Remember, there should be balance between the work and the extract (i.e. more Larkin poems, this one being representative), so with a very long poem it is difficult to discuss it in worthwhile detail while also discussing the wider work.
A: 5
B: 6
C: 5
D: 7
This oral has potential and suffers predominantly from not making the global issue explicit and central to the discussion, and from sounding scripted. The former certainly affects the mark in criterion A - even though the understanding of the topic presented in each text is clear enough - and a greater array of literary and stylistic features identified and deconstructed would have helped in criterion B. Language is strong, and there's nothing wrong with the exposition of the analysis, but the scripted nature of the oral impedes its authenticity and lowers the mark in criterion C. There is not enough about the body of non-literary work, instead commenting mainly just on the extract. Overall, this is a low Level 5.
It is worth noting that the poem extract is too long. It shouldn't exceed 40 lines, while in most cases considerably shorter would still be acceptable. Remember, there should be balance between the work and the extract (i.e. more Larkin poems, this one being representative), so with a very long poem it is difficult to discuss it in worthwhile detail while also discussing the wider work.
What can you learn about your own forthcoming oral examination from these examiner's comments? Make reflection notes for yourself as a key learning moment, and log it in your Learning Portfolio.
Sample Individual Oral #2
Take a look at the following stimulus texts:
Now listen to the Individual Oral:
Try assessing this oral for yourself. How would you score it out of 40?
Now take a look at the examiner's marks and comments:
MY PROGRESS
How much of Individual Oral - Student Samples have you understood?
Feedback
Which of the following best describes your feedback?
Twitter 
Facebook 
LinkedIn