IB English IO Criteria 2025 Guide - Marking Explained
Understand the IB English IO criteria in simple terms and learn how to satisfy every marking requirement. Use this guide to boost your score and impress your examiner.
Introduction - How the IB English IO is Assessed
The Individual Oral (IO) is one of the most important internal assessments in IB English. It’s a 10-minute spoken analysis followed by a 5-minute teacher-led Q&A - and it’s marked out of 40 points using four equally weighted criteria.
Whether you're in Language & Literature or Literature, and whether you're taking the course at SL or HL, the expectations and markscheme are the same. The only real difference is the type of texts you use: Lang & Lit students pair a literary text with a non-literary body of work, while Literature students analyze two literary works (one originally in English, one in translation). Everything else - structure, timing, and how you're assessed - is identical.
The examiner will score you on:
Criterion A - Your understanding of the texts and their connection to the global issue
Criterion B - How well you analyze authorial choices and their impact
Criterion C - The clarity, balance, and focus of your structure
Criterion D - Your language and delivery
In the sections that follow, we’ll break down each criterion, show you what examiners are looking for, and explain how to boost your marks in each one.
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IB English IO Criterion A - Knowledge, Understanding & Interpretation (10 points)
This criterion is all about how well you understand your texts - and how clearly you connect that understanding to your global issue.
To hit top marks, you need to show confident knowledge of both the extract and the work or body of work (BoW). That includes understanding what the author is doing, why it matters, and how it all links back to your global issue. You're not just describing events - you're interpreting their meaning and significance.
Examiners often say: be the expert in the room. Know your extract and author well enough to speak with insight. If you can bring in a detail about the author's style, intent, or the wider work, that shows strong command - especially when it's tied to the global issue.
Common mistakes to avoid:
Just retelling the extract: Summary won’t score. You need interpretation.
Mentioning the global issue once, then dropping it: Reference it consistently.
Staying inside the extract: Zoom out. Show how the issue plays out across the whole work.
Useful sentence stems:
“This moment highlights the global issue of…”
“We see this idea return later in the novel when…”
“The author’s choice here suggests…”
This is the foundation of your IO. Show depth, stay on topic, and use the global issue as your anchor.
Already started your English IO and want expert feedback before you present? Send your IO for review now!
IB English IO Criterion B - Analysis & Evaluation (10 points)
This criterion looks at how well you identify and explain authorial choices - the techniques the writer or creator uses - and how those choices help express the global issue.
To score in the top band, you need to go beyond spotting features like “imagery” or “tone.” You have to show why those features are used and how they shape the reader’s or viewer’s understanding of the issue. It’s this focus on effect and intention that separates top scorers from surface-level description.
This applies to both texts. In a literary work, that might mean discussing metaphor, contrast, or structure. In a non-literary body of work, it could involve layout, color, camera framing, or repetition across pieces. Either way, link each move to the meaning it creates - and then link that meaning back to the global issue.
Common mistakes to avoid:
Listing techniques without analysis: Always explain what the device does.
Ignoring the issue: Don’t analyze form in a vacuum - connect it to your GI.
Overloading one text: Keep your analysis balanced and well-paced across both.
Useful sentence stems:
“The author’s use of [technique] here reinforces the global issue by…”
“This moment draws attention to [global issue] through its use of…”
“By structuring the scene this way, the creator emphasizes…”
“This recurring motif reflects how [GI] is portrayed across the text.”
Strong responses show how each authorial choice contributes to the message, tension, or perspective around the global issue.
IB English IO Criterion C: Focus & Organization (10 points)
This criterion is about structure, timing, and keeping your ideas on track. Examiners are looking for a presentation that’s easy to follow and clearly centered on the global issue.
A high-scoring IO is organized from start to finish: a clear intro, a logical progression of ideas, and a conclusion that ties everything together. Transitions should guide your listener so they’re never guessing what part of the IO you’re in or which text you’re referring to.
You also need to split your time and attention evenly - between both texts, and between Zooming In (the extract) and Zooming Out (the full work or body of work). If one text gets 70% of the time and the other gets squeezed in at the end, marks will drop.
Tips to stay focused and organized:
Keep your global issue front and center - refer to it in every section.
Use transitions like “Turning to my second text…” or “This same idea appears elsewhere in the novel when…”
Stick to a structure that mirrors your intro and circles back in the conclusion.
Time your practice sessions. Stay close to 5 minutes per text.
Examiners often highlight clarity and global issue focus as what sets top IOs apart - not just what’s said, but how logically it’s delivered.
IB English IO Criterion D: Language (Clarity, Style & Delivery) (10 points)
This criterion focuses on how well you express your ideas - not just what you say, but how clearly and confidently you say it. Examiners are looking for formal, fluent speech with a strong academic tone.
You don’t need a script - and trying to stick to one word-for-word usually backfires. The strongest IOs sound practiced but natural, polished without sounding forced. You’re expected to use subject-specific vocabulary, vary your phrasing, and speak with clarity.
What helps:
Use varied sentence structure and specific vocabulary
Speak at a steady pace - slow down slightly for key ideas, especially your global issue
Punch important words with emphasis to show control
Use rhetorical moves - e.g. a brief pause, a pointed question, or repetition for effect
Practice aloud. Listen back. Edit. Repeat.
Well-delivered IOs hold the examiner’s attention. Good delivery reinforces your ideas and shows you’re in control of what you’re saying and why it matters.
IB English IO Criteria FAQs
How many marks is each IB IO criterion worth?
Each criterion - A, B, C, and D is scored out of 10. That means the IO is marked out of 40 points total, with each criterion carrying equal weight. Your final IO grade is based on that 40-point scale.
How is the IB English IO marked?
You’re assessed on four equally weighted criteria:
Criterion A: Knowledge, Understanding & Interpretation
Criterion B: Analysis & Evaluation
Criterion C: Focus & Organization
Criterion D: Language (style, clarity, and delivery)
How do I score high on the IB English IO criteria?
To reach the top bands:
A: Show strong understanding of both the extract and the whole work, tied clearly to your global issue
B: Analyze authorial choices and explain how they shape meaning around the issue
C: Keep your oral balanced, structured, and focused from start to finish
D: Deliver with fluency, control, and formal, varied language
What’s the difference between a level 6 and level 7 on the IB IO?
A 6 usually means you’re doing well overall, but something is missing - maybe clarity, consistency, or connection to the global issue.
A 7 is sharper. The delivery is fluent, the structure is clean, and the examiner hears insight and intention in every part of your response.
Are HL and SL students graded the same on the IB English IO?
Yes - HL and SL students are marked with the exact same four criteria.
The only difference is how much the IO counts: it’s worth 30% of your final grade at SL, and 20% at HL. The expectations, structure, and marking grid are identical.
Need Help Getting Your English IO Right?
A lot of students know their texts - but still lose marks because their global issue isn’t clear, their structure’s off, or their delivery falls flat.
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Select examiner-friendly texts and extracts
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