Individual oral: global issue and extracts
The individual oral is a 15-minute assessment: a 10-minute presentation followed by 5 minutes of teacher questions. You discuss one global issue across one literary and one non-literary extract, both from texts you have studied.
Define a genuine global issue
- It must be transnational, have significance for humanity, and be explored in both extracts.
- Strong examples: climate displacement, digital surveillance, gender and labour, migration and belonging.
- Extracts need sufficient depth and complexity; select passages rich in authorial choice.
Structure the presentation
Move from the global issue to extract 1, then extract 2, analysing choices and comparing how each text constructs the issue. Reserve time for a conclusion that answers the issue directly.
Worked example
A global issue could be 'algorithmic surveillance and autonomy'. A literary extract from a dystopian novel might use euphemistic institutional language and passive voice to normalise monitoring. A non-literary extract from a technology op-ed might use first-person confession and statistical reassurance. The comparison shows two different rhetorical constructions of the same issue.
Traps
Choosing a local or narrow issue; using an extract not from a studied text; summarising instead of analysing; forcing a link between extracts; ignoring the global issue during Q&A.