ENGLISH A2 ORAL COMMENTARY

3 CRITERIA

A. QUALITY OF IDEAS

How well do you UNDERSTAND the THEME & PURPOSE of the EXTRACT?

STYLISTIC DEVICES Would you know one if you saw one? How do the devices support theme and purpose?

How RELEVANT and FOCUSED are your ideas?

Are you thinking CRITICALLY?

Did you SUPPORT, SUPPORT, SUPPORT with RELEVANT evidence from the extract only for every argument you posed?

B. PRESENTATION

How well did you STRUCTURE your commentary?

Does the commentary HANG TOGETHER NICELY or does it mention many random, discrete points?

How well did you INTEGRATE the EXAMPLES?

C. LANGUAGE

Did you use a FORMAL register and style?

Was our speech FLUENT?

Did you speak with ACCURATE grammar? Which tense should you use? Avoid Present Continuous

Did you demonstrate a VARIED and sophisticated vocabulary?

THE PASSAGE

THE EXTRACT/PASSAGE

Not more than 40 lines of text

There will be line numbers so that you can refer to them e.g. In line 20…

The extract will be from at least TWO works you have read in a literary option

PREPARATION TIME Catch your breath BEFORE prep.

The guiding questions do not have to be used Read for meaning - Round 1 no hands. Round 2

annotate (5 min)

Spotlight the EXTRACT

Focus on STYLE, not PLOT

Write the Introduction up until your thesis to read aloud and get you going. Everything else in short notes. (3 min)

Be NEAT.

ORGANISING YOUR COMMENTARY –

2 mins - Introduction – Author, Title, contextualise passage (setting of scene in extract, before & after), thesis (theme, purpose)

2 min – Narration Who is the narrator - point of view? (not for

drama) Characterisation – discuss diction and imagery Tone - Mood RELATE TO PURPOSE OF TEXT

2 min - Imagery. Metaphors, symbols, sound/visual imagery

2 min – Other devices - structure (if important, contrasts) diction, sound devices and their EFFECT ON THE PASSAGE.

1 min – Conclusion: Why is this passage significant for the THEME in the work? Connect to MOOD

RELATE TO THEME/PURPOSE – end each paragraph

SHOW, DON’T TELL Address EVERY single image, sound device,

structural device and

Relate it to the extract’s meaning - theme/ purpose

Signposting: firstly, secondly, another device used to create this effect is…

Focus on the extract.

Annotate with highlighters.

Rewrite the commentary structure

DON’TS

Summarise the entire work or even the extract when contextualising – before & after will do

Talk about what happens in other parts of the work at length

Ignore devices – they won’t go away…Be latebe disorganised

THE PRESENTATION

8-10 minsFollow-up questions – 5 mins, typically 2-3

questionsMax recording time 15 mins

BREATHEDo a test-run and playback, if possible.Speak in a relaxed mannerKeep tabs of your timeIf you finish early or get stuck, answer the

guiding questions provided