What 'scientific innovation' covers: Scientific innovation is part of the theme Human ingenuity. This section gives you the words for it.
You need vocabulary to…
- talk about inventions, technology, research and artificial intelligence
- talk about how science changes our lives
- give your opinion about them
How to use this list: The words below are common English B vocabulary. Treat the list as a glossary: learn each term with its meaning, then reuse them in the reading and writing sections.
- innovation
- a new idea, method or invention; the act of creating something new
- invention — to invent
- a new device or product someone has created — to create it
- (technological) advance
- a step forward; a way technology improves over time
- discovery — to discover
- finding something that existed but was not yet known — to find it
- artificial intelligence (AI)
- computer systems that can do tasks that usually need human thinking
- research — to research
- careful study to find out new facts — to carry out that study
- scientist
- a person who studies science or does research
- to solve a problem
- to find an answer or a way to deal with a difficulty
- to improve our lives
- to make daily life better or easier
- sustainable
- able to continue without harming the environment for the future
- ethics — ethical
- ideas about what is right and wrong — morally acceptable
- risk — risky
- the chance that something could go wrong — involving such a chance
- breakthrough
- an important new discovery that solves a problem or moves science forward
| Useful expression | What it means |
|---|---|
| Artificial intelligence is changing the world. | AI is having a huge effect on daily life. |
| This invention can solve real problems. | It is genuinely useful, not just clever. |
| Scientific research saves lives. | Studies in medicine and science keep people alive. |
| We have to use technology responsibly. | We should think about ethics, not just progress. |
| I'm interested in advances that are sustainable. | I value technology that doesn't harm the planet. |
Why this matters: This vocabulary turns up in every skill — a reading text about a new invention, a listening interview with a scientist, a Paper 1 article about technology, or your oral. Reusing precise topic words is how you score Criterion A (Language).
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Have something to say: Examiners reward developed ideas, not just vocabulary. Around scientific innovation, the common debates are: progress vs the risks of new technology, artificial intelligence replacing jobs, and the ethics of research. Take a position and back it up.
Opinion phrases (use these to introduce a view)
- In my opinion… / From my point of view… — to introduce what you think
- It seems to me that… / I believe that… — a slightly softer way to give a view
- The most important thing is… — to highlight your main point
- On the one hand… on the other hand… — to weigh up two sides
- I (completely) agree that… / I'm not convinced that… — to react to an idea
Risks of new technology
- Some inventions can take away people's jobs.
- Artificial intelligence raises problems of ethics and privacy.
- Not all innovation reaches everyone equally.
Benefits of science
- Medical research saves many lives.
- Technology can help protect the environment.
- Advances solve real problems and improve daily life.
Inventions and inventors
- A new robot, and how it could help people
- Young inventors and their tips
- Materials made from waste
Medicine and food
- Robots in surgery: benefits and dangers
- Surprising medical stories
- Meat grown in a laboratory
Discovering nature and space
- What studies reveal about animals
- Stargazing: what you can see and when
- Ordinary people helping scientists
- a breakthrough
- an important new discovery that solves a problem
- to carry out (a study)
- to do a piece of research
- findings
- what a study discovers
- a prototype
- the first model of a new invention, made to test it
- lab-grown / cultivated meat
- meat produced from animal cells in a laboratory
- citizen science
- research in which members of the public collect data
Link your ideas: Connectors lift your answer from a list into an argument: moreover (to add), however (to contrast), therefore (to conclude), although (to concede). Use at least two or three in any written answer.
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Read like Paper 2: Here is a short blog post — the kind of text Paper 2 (Reading) gives you. Read it once just for the general idea; don't worry about every word. Then we'll work through one exam question together.
A day at the AI museum (1 of 2): Last weekend I visited an artificial intelligence museum that has just opened in my city. Honestly, I went in feeling a little sceptical, but I came out delighted.
In the first room, a robot guide explained each invention to us in several languages.
A day at the AI museum (2 of 2)
Then I tried an app that diagnoses illnesses from a single photo, and I was amazed by how fast it was. What I liked most was a workshop where a scientist showed us how technology can help the environment. I left thinking that innovation isn't something to fear: used well, it improves our lives and solves real problems.
- sceptical
- doubtful; not easily convinced that something is true or good
- a guide
- someone (or here, something) that shows visitors around and explains things
- to diagnose
- to identify an illness from its signs
- a workshop
- a practical session where someone teaches you how to do something
- the environment
- the natural world — air, water, land and living things
IB-style task — one Paper 2 question
One question, step by step
- The question — "According to the text, what did the app the writer tried do?"
- Find it in the text. Look for the word "app": "I tried an app that diagnoses illnesses from a single photo, and I was amazed by how fast it was."
- The answer — It diagnoses illnesses from a single photo. The words are right there in the text, so no outside knowledge is needed.
Reading technique: For an "according to the text" question, find the exact line that proves your answer — don't rely on memory or general knowledge.
The task: Your class visited an artificial intelligence museum during science week. Write a report for the head of science: describe what students saw and recommend how to approach new technology.
Write 250–400 words.
Report structure — 4 steps
1
Title
Say what the report is about. "Report: Year 11 visit to the AI Museum"
2
Purpose
One sentence: why this report was written. "This report describes the visit and suggests…"
3
Findings
The facts: what happened or what you found. "Students tried an app… Most were impressed, but…"
4
Recommendations
What should be done, using should. "First, students should get informed…"
Title → Purpose → Findings → Recommendations
Model: the 4 steps in ~100 words
The report, step by step
- Report: Year 11 visit to the AI Museum, 4 March
- Purpose. This report describes the science-week visit and suggests how students can get more from new technology.
- Findings. Students tried an app that diagnoses illnesses from a photo and saw inventions that help the environment. Most were impressed, but some said they felt afraid of artificial intelligence because they did not understand it.
- Recommendations. First, students should get informed before they form an opinion. Second, they should try out new technology without fear in short, supervised workshops. Finally, every science week should include one innovation that helps other people.
Why it works: A strong report does this for each of the three Paper 1 criteria:
A — Language /12
- Range of tenses: past "students tried", present "this report describes", modal "should"
- Connectors: "but", "because", "first/second/finally"
- Topic vocabulary: innovation, diagnose, artificial intelligence
B — Message /12
- Task fully done: describes the visit AND makes recommendations
- Findings and recommendations kept apart
C — Conceptual /6
- Report conventions: title, purpose, headed sections
- Formal, impersonal register: "students", not "we"
- Recommendations with "should"
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How listening is tested: Paper 2 also tests listening: you hear short clips, each played twice, and you never see the words.
The listening method
- Read the questions first.
- Listen for the key idea.
- Then answer.
Practising with a transcript: Here we'll use a transcript so you can practise the technique on the page. Read the questions, then find the answer in the speaker's words.
Transcript — Nora the inventor (1 of 2): Hi, I'm Nora and I'm a designer. A few years ago I invented a sustainable material made from the pineapple leaves that are left over in the fields. Before, those leaves were thrown away as rubbish, but now they're turned into a kind of plant-based leather.
Transcript — Nora the inventor (2 of 2)
I did a lot of research in the lab, and at first I failed many times. For me, the most important thing about innovation is solving a real problem and looking after the environment.
IB-style task — two listening questions
Two questions, step by step
- Q1 — What did Nora make her material from? Listen just after "a sustainable material made from": "the pineapple leaves that are left over in the fields." That is your answer.
- Q2 — What matters most to her about innovation? She says it at the end: "solving a real problem and looking after the environment."
Listening technique: Read the questions before the clip plays. Each question usually points to one short part of the recording — listen for the words around it, not the whole thing.