IB English Individual Oral: Annotated High-Scoring Script

To write a high-scoring English IO script, you must very thoroughly analyse your two works and ensure you really make your global issue the centre of your oral.

I scored a Band 7 in my oral, which had Carol Ann Duffy’s poem collection ‘The World’s Wife’ as my literary work, and Liza Donnelly’s cartoons as my non-literary work. My global issue was how patriarchal systems can be detrimental to a woman’s sense of self-worth.

Below, I have annotated my oral script so you can see what makes a high-scoring IO!

🌟 Annotated A-Grade Individual Oral Exemplar

From poetry to political cartoons, the influence of the patriarchy on women has been profoundly explored by many. 

Today, I’ll be discussing the field of inquiry of culture, identity, and community, and delve into the global issue of how patriarchal systems can be detrimental to a woman’s sense of self-worth.

My literary text is Carol Ann Duffy’s poem Medusa, which reimagines the Greek myth from Medusa’s perspective, highlighting how prejudice against women distorts their self-perception. My non-literary text is a cartoon by Liza Donnelly, which critiques how the patriarchy conditions women to prioritise male perspectives, ultimately diminishing their own worth. Both works hence thoroughly examine how male-dominated structures are oppressive towards a woman’s self-value.

Starting with the literary extract Medusa, we see here the aftermath of the curse that transformed her into a monstrous figure whose gaze turns living beings to stone. This punishment was imposed upon her, as she was wrongfully forced to bear the blame for the god Poseidon within the patriarchy of ancient Greece.

 In the first stanza, lines 3 to 4, Medusa proclaims that now she is “foul mouthed, foul tongued / yellow fanged.” The use of visual imagery degrades Medusa’s identity, as she now finds herself to be tainted and unwelcome, which is evidently destructive to her sense of self-worth. These metaphors also very effectively display how the surrounding misogyny has manipulated her into internalising the punishment inflicted upon her, ultimately leading to self-blame. 

Using parallelism throughout the 3rd, 4th, and 5th stanzas, Duffy also includes anaphoras in each of them: “I glanced”, “I looked”, and “I stared” respectively. Her gaze—once loving—is now destructive, and the semantic field of words related to sight suggests how the prejudicial punishemtn doomed her into a perpetuating miserable cycle of confronting the fatal ramifications of her curse. This firmly demonstrates how the patriarchy cursed her to lose her benign demeanour, leading her to devalue herself. 

Next, one particular striking use of visual and auditory imagery is in the lines 16 and 17, where Medusa inadvertently transforms “a singing bird” into “a handful of dusty gravel.” The juxtaposition between an active creature and mere dust is likened to Medusa’s own self-perception—that her once joyful heart has transformed into dull self-hatred as a consequence of discrimination against her femininity.

Furthermore, in lines 35 and 36, Medusa inquires, “Wasn’t I beautiful? / Wasn’t I fragrant and young?” The use of past tense suggests loss, as she sees herself to no longer possess these admirable qualities as a result of the punishment imposed upon her by the patriarchy, leading to self-doubt. The rhetorical questions here also effectively expose the patriarchal ideal that a woman’s worth is tied to her beauty; now that Medusa’s appearance has been stained, she perceives herself as worthless.

Finally, in the last line numbered 37, the direct address and lack of embellishment in “look at me now” makes Medusa’s monstrosity brutally final, as though she has resigned herself to her impure existence, emphasising to audiences how the unjust and misogynistic punishment has reduced her to nothing more than her curse, stripping her of self-worth.

Now moving on to Duffy’s whole ‘World’s Wife’ collection, the theme of patriarchy presents itself in numerous other poems.

For instance, the poem Thetis recounts the story of a shapeshifting woman who struggles against the relentless pursuit of a man. She transforms into “a bird,” “a fish,” and “a snake,” all acting as symbols that reveal how many women desperately try to escape male dominance over their lives.

 Duffy seamlessly intertwines this mythical ability to shapeshift with the occurrences of the modern world to form a broader commentary on how women are often forced to shrink and contort themselves in order to evade the grasp of a patriarchy that seeks to control them, therefore causing her to lose her authentic sense of self-worth. This reinforces Duffy’s enduring theme of women struggling to find their real value in their own womanly identity whilst living under patriarchal systems.

Another prominent poem titled Pygmalion’s Bride provides the perspective of Galatea, a woman Pygmalion beautifully sculpted who was then brought to life. Pygmalion, who is a man, violently “scratches” Galatea with his “claws,” conveying that he longs not only to love but also to possess and control her, shedding light on a patriarchal society that dictates women’s worth through male desire. Once Galatea pretends to enjoy his advances, Pygmalion disappears from her sight.

Duffy appropriately uses irony here to suggest that Pygmalion’s sole interest in Galatea was ludicrously about fulfilling his own masculine selfish lust, promoting male supremacy whilst disparaging women. This further implies that in a patriarchal framework, a woman’s value exists not in her femininity and being, but only in her ability to conform to male expectations. 

Hence, throughout all three poems, Duffy fruitfully encapsulates how deep-rooted patriarchies ultimately lead to a deteriorating sense of self-worth.

 Now, shifting our focus onto my non-literary extract, this cartoon by Liza Donnelly depicts women with red scars as a result of the physical violence perpetrated by a man.

To start, the use of speech bubbles with short, dismissive phrases, such as: “It’s okay. He didn’t mean it. It’ll never happen again,” display how systemic misogyny has conditioned women to rationalise their male-inflicted abuse, minimising their own pain to accommodate for male dominance. The sorrowful tone in these phrases expose how women are discouraged from asserting their own value, subverting their self-worth as they are taught to prioritise male viewpoints over their own well-being.

Body language is also effectively used as the women stand with downcast expressions, reflecting their acceptance of a fate shaped by a patriarchal society that has silenced them for so long that they internalise their own oppression. She also juxtaposes this with the man who appears unbothered, showing no remorse. The stark contrast highlights how such misogyny that overlooks women’s suffering can heavily erode their self-worth. 

Moreover, Donnelly also utilises irony effectually through the portrayal of the judge, who is supposedly representing justice, yet is serving as a symbol for prejudice against women in the patriarchy. This symbol conveys that powerful men are celebrated despite their crimes, revealing how a misogynistic system that glorifies men therefore fails women, leaving them trapped in cycles of silence and self-doubt.

 The minimalist style and lack of elaborate background powerfully enhances the overwhelming sense of isolation and powerlessness experienced by women who are denied justice. This visual emptiness mirrors the void left by a male-centric society that refuses to validate women’s pain, underscoring how misogyny may subvert a woman’s sense of self-esteem in their identity.

This is paired well by Donnelly with the absence of any vibrant colors, which also prompts audiences to confront the frightening reality of a world where women are fundamentally brainwashed into accepting male violence. It emphasises how women who are subjugated under patriarchal rules have their worth wholly dictated, being robbed of their true value.

Now, to consider how this theme is manifested in Donnelly’s wider works, I have chosen two other cartoons. Both of these cartoons depict two young girls in a bedroom, but with slightly varied features and two different captions.

The first cartoon has the caption: “I can’t decide what I’m going to be when I grow up—a good girl or a slut,” indicating that the patriarchy has restricted women to a false dichotomy. The second cartoon’s caption is: “When are you thinking of losing your self-esteem?”, alluding to a patriarchy that promotes a sheepish and unconfident attitude for women. Both these cartoons utilise dialogue to display how women have been taught to pedestalise male perspectives, ultimately stripping away their true self worth that supposedly comes from within, expressing a recurring theme of patriarchy in all her works.

Colour choice is also very effectively utilised in Donnelly’s cartoons, as aforementioned in my non-literary extract. In the first wider cartoon I chose, the bedroom contains soft pink colours to juxtapose childlike innocence with the tragic misogyny of the world,  showcasing how even from a younge age, girls are drilled to define themselves through the lens of men, thus undermining their self-worth. However, in the second cartoon, a black-and-white colour scheme is used to elucidate to a more serious and inevitable reality where it is absurdly normal for women to lose their self-esteem amidst a patriarchal system. This reinforces the devastating repercussions of male-inflicted oppression on a woman’s worth.

Donnelly also carefully chooses her setting to convey her message, using a courthouse atmosphere in my non-literary extract and a girl’s bedroom in both wider cartoons, to reveal how deeply ingrained misogyny is, being evident in different aspects of life. This hence suggests how the patriarchy is so strong that the dignity of women are being compromised as a result.

All in all, throughout the 3 cartoons, Donnelly denotes how women are programmed to prioritise the patriarchy’s expectations, ultimately damaging their value.

To conclude, how patriarchal systems can be detrimental to a woman’s sense of self-worth is a global issue that permeates through both Duffy’s poetry and Donnelly’s cartoons. Whilst Duffy explores how the exercise of male power in patriarchal ancient Greek society is fatal to a woman’s self-esteem, Donnelly discusses how contemporary women’s self-perceptions are often defined by male perspectives. 

In a global context, both works successfully reveal the timeless nature of gender inequality and how deeply embedded it is worldwide, as women across a plethora of cultures are forced to navigate such oppressive systems that dictate their worth all throughout their daily lives. 

Thank you.

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Written by KIS Academics Tutor for IB English Language and Literature (HL/SL), Kaylee. Kaylee also tutors IB Mathematics Analysis and Approaches (HL/SL) and IB Business Management (HL/SL). She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce/Laws at USYD and has received stellar reviews from her past KIS Academics students. You can view Kaylee’s profile here and request her as a tutor.