Introduction
In the IB ACIO 2025 exam, Tier II’s descriptive English section demands not just writing ability but also topical awareness. The descriptive paper (50 marks total; essay 20, comprehension 10, two long answers 20) expects you to write on issues rooted in society, economy, environment, governance, security, and more. To maximize your chances, it’s vital to practice well-chosen topics that are likely to appear or help you build depth.
In this post, we propose Top 10 high-yield topics, explain why they matter, and provide hints / subthemes & mini pointers so your practice becomes targeted and effective.
Why These Topics Matter
- These topics reflect recurring themes in intelligence / civil service, media, policy debates.
- They overlap with current affairs, so practicing them helps you stay updated.
- Answering across these topics strengthens your ability to handle essay, comprehension linking, and long answer portions of descriptive English.
- Even if a direct topic doesn’t appear, the underlying issues provide fodder for analogies, examples, statistics, or critique in essays.
Also, many of these topics are already flagged by exam coaching and expert sources as probable essay / current affairs themes.
Top 10 Topics & What to Cover
Here are the 10 suggested topics along with subareas / questions you should be ready to write about:
| # | Topic | Key Angles / Subthemes to Practice | Why It’s High Yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Internal Security & Cyber Threats | Cyber espionage, data leaks, digital policing, AI in surveillance, state vs privacy balance | The Intelligence Bureau works with internal security; cyber threats are rising. |
| 2 | Impact of Technology & AI on Jobs | Automation vs displacement, skill shift, lifelong learning, regulation of AI | Always relevant in debates about future of work. |
| 3 | Climate Change, Migration & Sustainability | Climate refugees, rural distress, green policies, adaptation strategies | Environmental stress is global and local—frequent in current affairs. |
| 4 | Governance, Accountability & Transparency | E-governance, citizen participation, corruption control, Right to Information | Governance issues often form the backbone of policy essays. |
| 5 | Health & Pandemic Preparedness | Public health infrastructure, vaccine access, health insurance, global health security | COVID taught us the value of resilience. |
| 6 | Economic Inequality & Inclusive Growth | Rural-urban gaps, marginalized communities, universal basic income, policy reforms | Inequality is central to socio-political stability. |
| 7 | Media, Misinformation & Democracy | Fake news, social media regulation, press freedom, filter bubbles | Vital to contemporary discourse. |
| 8 | National Security & Border Challenges | Cross-border terrorism, India-China / Pakistan dynamics, intelligence coordination | Direct tie to IB roles and expectations. |
| 9 | Ethics in Technology / Surveillance | Facial recognition, algorithmic bias, data ethics, citizen consent | Cutting across law, tech, human rights. |
| 10 | Role of India in Global Order | Foreign policy, multipolar world, strategic autonomy, Indo-Pacific role | Desirable in essays requiring broader geopolitical thinking. |
How to Practice These Topics Effectively
Here’s a method to turn topics into strong writing skills:
A. Break Each Topic into 3 Question Types
- Essay style (“Discuss whether X is a blessing or curse …”)
- Analytical / Long Answer (“Why is inequality rising in India, and how to check it?”)
- Comprehension-link (you may get a passage on health / climate / media and must answer via sub-questions)
Practice across all three forms to ensure flexibility.
B. Build a Mini Topic-Bank with Facts & Examples
For each topic, maintain a sheet with:
- Recent data, statistics, survey reports
- Government schemes & policies
- Landmark judgments / laws
- Global comparisons / case studies
When the exam comes, you’ll have rich content to plug into your essays.
C. Time Yourself & Alternate Topics
Don’t practice only one domain. Rotate topics so your mental agility increases. Try writing an essay one day on Topic 3, then next day a long answer on Topic 8, etc.
D. Review & Improve Using a Checklist
After writing, review:
- Structure & coherence
- Linking sentences and flow
- Depth (did you give examples / data?)
- Relevance (did you stray off topic?)
- Language, errors, repetition
Maintain an error log to track your recurring weak spots and fix them.
Mini Example / Sketch
Let me sketch a mini outline for Topic 1: Internal Security & Cyber Threats (essay form):
Title: “Cyber Threats in India: A Silent Front”
Outline:
- Introduction: Define cyber threats (hacking, ransomware, state actors).
- Challenges: infrastructure gap, weak legislation, low public awareness.
- Impacts: financial losses, political interference, social engineering.
- Solutions: capacity building, public-private partnerships, stronger data laws, cyber education.
- Conclusion: A secure digital domain is vital for national resilience.
You can also use this topic for a long answer — e.g. “How can India strengthen its cyber security posture in next 5 years?”
Why Mastering These 10 Topics Gives You an Edge
- Even if exams don’t ask exactly these topics, these are core issues from which variations are likely.
- Answering across diverse themes arms you with flexibility — you won’t be caught off guard.
- These topics overlap with current affairs, so your reading time gives you fuel for essays.
- They directly relate to intelligence, governance, security — showing you understand the domain of IB ACIO.