Focus on Practical Solutions to Global Ecological Problems
- In this theme, your task is to show how global environmental challenges can be turned into specific, targeted communication.
- Specifically, you start with a broad concern like climate change, then narrow the frame to one concrete step that a school, company, or individual can actually take.
Exam Relevance
The skill you're being tested on is whether you can handle sustainability as a practical problem with layered consequences.
Paper 1 (Writing)
- The most common text types are proposals, articles, reports, and formal emails.
- Tasks will often ask you to adapt a broad issue to a local setting, like how your school can cut waste, or how your city might promote cycling.
- A strong proposal or report will be measurable and audience-focused.
- If you’re writing to a school board, talk about costs, timelines, and student benefits.
- If it’s for a youth magazine, make it engaging, practical, and relatable.
Paper 1 HL – Proposal (Environment & Sustainability)
Task: Write a proposal for your school board suggesting practical ways the school can reduce its environmental impact.
Solution
Proposal for Reducing Single-Use Plastics at Westfield International School
Introduction
Our school currently distributes around 800 plastic bottles each week, most of which are discarded after a single use. This not only increases waste but also contradicts our commitment to teaching students global citizenship. This proposal outlines a practical plan to reduce single-use plastics in our school and foster a culture of sustainability.
Proposed Solutions
- Install Water Refill Stations
- Two refill stations should be placed near the cafeteria and sports hall.
- Students will be issued reusable bottles at the start of the school year.
- Schools in Singapore that adopted this policy reported a 65% drop in plastic bottle waste within three months.
- Introduce a Deposit-Return System in the Cafeteria
- A small deposit of $0.50 would be added to bottled drinks.
- Students return the empty bottles to reclaim their deposit.
- Germany’s system has reached recycling rates of 98%, proving the model’s effectiveness.
- Launch a Peer-Led Awareness Campaign
- Student Council members can design posters and short videos to be shared in assemblies.
- Research shows that peer influence is a powerful motivator in changing behaviour.
Benefits
- Environmental: Cutting 800 bottles per week prevents around 40,000 bottles per year from reaching landfill.
- Educational: Students practice sustainability in daily life, reinforcing classroom learning.
- Financial: Reduced demand for bottled drinks will lower stock costs for the cafeteria in the long term.
Implementation Timeline
- Summer break: Facilities team installs refill stations.
- September: Deposit-return scheme begins in the cafeteria.
- October: Awareness campaign launches.
Conclusion
This proposal offers a realistic, low-cost way for Westfield International School to reduce its environmental impact while modelling sustainable habits for students. I recommend approval so that the measures can be implemented at the start of the new school year.
- Always think about the incentives of the stakeholder you're writing for.
- What do they want?
- How can you communicate that?
Paper 2 (Reading & Listening)
- Here, you’ll usually see NGO reports, interviews, or news features.
- These go beyond content and are usually about stance.
- For instance, writers may often praise a solution before revealing its limits.
- A headline might say: “Solar Power: The Future of Energy?” but in the text, the author explains the challenges of storage or cost.
- The trap is reading too quickly and assuming the author is supportive.
- What’s actually being tested is your ability to pick up on qualifiers: “to some extent,” “although,” “in the short term.”
