IB English B Individual Oral: Timing and Structure, Minute by Minute

The timings below are from the IB's 2026 examiner instructions for Language B. They describe the current course. Your teacher runs the oral and will tell you the exact arrangements at your school.

Do not try to write a speech. In the first few minutes, decide what the stimulus shows or says and which prescribed theme it connects to. Then note keywords for three or four points and one link to an English-speaking culture you have studied. Leave the last minutes to rehearse your opening sentence silently.

At SL, separate what you can see in the image from what you infer. At HL, be sure of the situation in the extract and where it sits in the work before you interpret it. Literary criticism is not expected. The discussion is about events, ideas and messages.

Three to four minutes is roughly 350 to 500 spoken words at a comfortable pace, which is less than most students expect. A simple order works: describe or situate the stimulus, connect it to the theme, develop two ideas with reasons, and finish with a point the teacher can pick up.

If you finish in two minutes, you have probably described without interpreting. If you are still going at five, the teacher will move you on, and your best point may be the one you never reached. Time yourself with fresh stimuli until four minutes feels familiar.

The teacher asks about what you just said and about the stimulus. Expect to clarify, justify or extend. This is where memorized presentations come apart, because the questions depend on your own words.

Answer the question asked, give a reason and an example, then stop. If you did not understand, ask for the question to be repeated or rephrased. That is normal interaction in a conversation and far better than answering a different question.

The conversation widens to at least one other theme from the course. You cannot predict the topic, but you can prepare the moves: give an opinion, compare two situations, describe a personal experience, and respond to a view you disagree with.

Practise by picking any two of the five themes and talking for a minute on a question that links them. The five themes guide has a starting question for each.

Set a timer for the preparation period, then record a four-minute presentation without stopping. Listen once for content and once for language. Ask a partner or teacher for the two discussions, since those need a second person.

For solo repetitions, the Nektar app has individual oral prompts for SL and HL. You record a response, read the transcript and get feedback on language, message and interactive skills. It is practice feedback, not an IB mark, and it does not replace a live discussion with your teacher.

The SL and HL preparation guide covers what to say. This page covers how long you have to say it.