Introduction
As you prepare for IB ACIO 2025 Tier II (Descriptive English), the right practice can make all the difference. The descriptive exam tests not just writing skills, but your ability to think critically, cite examples, and keep abreast of current issues. Because the pattern (Essay + Comprehension + Long Answers) is confirmed for 2025, aspirants must sharpen their topic pool.
To help you, here are 30 high-probability essay / analytical topics you should practice now. Use them as a “topic bank,” write essays or long answers, revise, and gradually build fluency.
Why Practicing These Topics Helps
- Thematic overlap with real exams — Many past IB ACIO descriptive topics cluster around security, governance, technology, environment, public welfare. (See GetMyUni’s compiled past topics)
- Flexibility under exam conditions — Even if the exact topic doesn’t appear, parts of these themes often come up via twist or variation.
- Depth & breadth — These topics allow you to draw in examples from current events, policy, global trends, making your essays richer.
30 Essay / Analytical Topic Suggestions
- Cybersecurity in India: challenges and strategies
- Balancing national security and individual privacy
- Artificial intelligence: threat to jobs or opportunity for growth
- Climate change, migration & its socio-economic impact
- Role of intelligence agencies in countering terrorism
- Misinformation & social media’s threat to democracy
- Economic inequality vs inclusive growth in India
- India’s evolving role in global geopolitics
- Rural healthcare in India: gaps & reforms
- Internal security threats: insurgency, extremism & solutions
- Data privacy & surveillance laws in India
- Social media’s influence on public opinion and governance
- Reforming education for 21st century skills
- Sustainable development vs rapid growth: reconciling the two
- Urbanization & its challenges: slums, infrastructure, services
- Border tensions & strategic options for India
- Women’s empowerment: social & economic dimensions
- Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic for public health policy
- Transparency, accountability & e-governance in India
- Use of technology in intelligence and ethical boundaries
- Bridging the digital divide in India
- Agriculture, food security & climate risk
- Securing civil liberties while ensuring security
- Reviving rural economies: policy, innovation, empowerment
- Media regulation: protecting free press vs controlling misinformation
- Global conflicts & India’s strategic posture
- Role of startups and innovation in India’s future
- Energy transition: from fossil fuels to renewables
- AI, facial recognition, surveillance & ethics
- Disaster resilience & climate adaptation in India
How to Practice These Effectively
A. Use Different Question Forms
- Essay mode: “Discuss whether X is boon or bane,” or “Assess the challenges & prospects.”
- Analytical / Long Answer: “What are the structural causes, and how can we address them?”
- Comprehension tie-ups: If a passage on environment is given, you may be asked to answer sub-questions around these topics.
B. Build a Mini Fact Bank
For each topic, collect:
- Recent data / statistics
- Government policies / schemes
- Relevant global case studies
- Reports, surveys (e.g. UN, World Bank)
This gives you ammunition when writing under time pressure.
C. Rotate Topics
Don’t practice only one domain. Mix security, technology, environment, governance, welfare. This trains your mind to switch context swiftly—just like in the exam.
D. Simulate Under Time Bounds
Pick 1 topic from the 30, spend 20–25 minutes writing an essay as if in the exam. After finishing, revise and note errors. Then pick another topic next day for a long answer.
E. Maintain an Error / Improvement Log
After each writing session, mark common mistakes (grammar, repetition, weak transitions). Revisit this log before each writing session.
A Sample Mini Outline for One Topic
Topic: “Balancing national security and individual privacy”
Outline:
- Introduction — explain both terms, note conflict in modern states
- Importance of security — terrorism, cyber threats, internal threats
- Risks to privacy — surveillance abuse, data misuse, chilling effect
- Proposed measures / safeguards — legal frameworks, oversight bodies, transparency, minimal data doctrine
- Conclusion — call for balanced approaches, public awareness, judicial checks
You can use similar outlines for many of these topics, and then insert your examples, data, and suggestions.
Final Thoughts
These 30 topics are not a guarantee, but they are strategically chosen based on past trends, IB’s domain needs, and the current affairs landscape. If you practice them thoroughly—and with consistent feedback and revision—you’ll be in a much stronger position when the actual descriptive paper arrives.
✔️ Pro tip for Bank Whizz readers: Every week, pick 2 topics from this list and write full essays / long-answers. Post your essays in 7982774960 (WhatsApp) or send to me—I’ll review the best ones publicly to help others.