What 'peace & conflict' covers: Peace & conflict is part of the theme Sharing the Planet. You need vocabulary to talk about disagreements, dialogue, living together and how people resolve conflicts peacefully — and to give your opinion about them.
The words below are common English B vocabulary. Treat the list as a glossary: learn each term with its meaning and a synonym, then reuse them in the reading and writing sections.
- peace
- a state of calm, with no fighting or war
- conflict
- a serious disagreement or argument, often a long one
- dialogue
- a conversation in which people exchange ideas to understand each other
- coexistence / to live together
- people of different views or backgrounds living side by side peacefully
- respect
- treating other people and their views as worthy of consideration
- tolerance
- accepting beliefs or behaviour you may not share
- to argue
- to disagree, often in a heated or repeated way
- to fight
- to take part in a physical or verbal struggle
- to resolve / solve a problem
- to find an answer that ends a difficulty
- to reach an agreement
- to come to a shared decision both sides accept
- mediation
- the act of helping two sides settle a dispute by talking, with a neutral third person
- war
- armed fighting between countries or groups
- a refugee
- a person who has fled their country to escape war or danger
| Useful expression | What it means |
|---|---|
| It's better to talk things through than to fight. | Dialogue is more useful than confrontation. |
| I try to reach an agreement with everyone. | I aim for a shared decision, not a winner. |
| You have to respect people who think differently. | Accept other views even if you don't share them. |
| Peace starts with small gestures. | Big change begins with everyday acts of kindness. |
| We learned to solve our conflicts by talking. | Conversation, not force, ended our disputes. |
Why this matters: This vocabulary turns up in every skill — a reading text on living together, a listening interview about a school mediation scheme, a Paper 1 blog, or your oral. Reusing precise topic words is how you score Criterion A (Language).
Have something to say: Examiners reward developed ideas, not just vocabulary. Around peace & conflict, the common debates are: dialogue vs confrontation, how to live together when people disagree, and what role respect and tolerance play. 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
Conflict without dialogue
- When nobody listens, problems only grow.
- Fighting breaks down trust and creates more tension.
- A lack of respect makes any agreement impossible.
Dialogue and peace
- By talking, both sides understand each other's position.
- Mediation helps people find a fair solution.
- Respect lets us live together even when we think differently.
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.
Learning to live together: Last year, at my school, two groups of students argued every day over the use of the playground. The atmosphere was very tense and almost nobody spoke to one another.
So some teachers set up a peer-mediation group. Instead of punishing us, they taught us to listen to the other person and to look for a solution together. At first I felt embarrassed, but soon I understood that talking things through is better than fighting. Now we share the playground in turns and we solve problems by talking. We don't always agree, but we have learned to live together in peace and to respect one another.
- tense
- full of stress or anxiety; on edge
- peer mediation
- students helping other students settle a dispute by talking
- to feel embarrassed
- to feel awkward or self-conscious
- to talk things through
- to discuss a problem fully until it is resolved
- to live together in peace
- to coexist calmly, without fighting
IB-style task — one Paper 2 question
One question, step by step
- The question — "According to the text, what did the teachers do to improve the atmosphere?"
- Find it in the text. Look for the word "teachers": "So some teachers set up a peer-mediation group."
- The answer — They set up a peer-mediation group. 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 school is running a campaign on living together peacefully. Write a blog post for other students: describe a conflict you went through and give advice for resolving problems in peace.
Use an informal, friendly register. Write 250–400 words.
Blog structure — 5 steps
1
Catchy title
A title, often a question. "Do you fight about everything?"
2
Greeting + topic
Greet the reader and say what the post is about. "Hi everyone! Today I want to talk about…"
3
Your experience
Describe a past conflict in the past tense. "Last year there were a lot of conflicts…"
4
Two or three tips
Give advice using imperatives. "Listen to the other person", "talk things through", "look for a fair solution".
5
Motivating close
Finish with an encouraging line. "Start today — you'll make a difference."
Title → Greeting → Experience → Tips → Close
Model: the 5 steps in action
The blog post, step by step
- Do you fight about everything? There's another way to sort it out.
- Hi everyone! I'm Luca, and today I want to talk to you about something that affects us all: how to live together in peace.
- Last year there were a lot of conflicts in my class. We argued about everything and almost nobody listened to anyone else. Honestly, the atmosphere was awful.
- So here are three tips. First, listen to the other person before you reply. Second, talk things through instead of fighting. And third, always look for a solution that is fair for everyone.
- The most important thing, though, is to respect people who think differently. Peace isn't having no conflicts at all — it's resolving them by talking. Start today with one small gesture and you'll make a difference.
Why it scores: This answer hits all three Paper 1 criteria — here's what earns each one:
A — Language /12
- Range of tenses: past "there were", imperatives "listen", "look for"
- Connectors: "so", "though", "first/second/third"
- Topic vocabulary, used accurately
B — Message /12
- Task fully done: describes a conflict AND gives advice
- Ideas developed with concrete examples
C — Conceptual /6
- Blog conventions: a catchy title
- Direct address: "Hi everyone", "you'll make a difference"
- A persuasive, personal tone
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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. Read the questions first, listen for the key idea, then answer.
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 — Sara's mediation club: Hi, I'm Sara. At my school there's a mediation club. When two students argue, we help them talk calmly and listen to each other. We don't decide who is right; we just teach them to look for a solution together. For me, the most important thing is respect, because without respect there is no dialogue. Thanks to the club, the atmosphere is now much calmer and we get along better.
IB-style task — two listening questions
Two questions, step by step
- Q1 — What does the club do when two students argue? Listen just after "When two students argue": "we help them talk calmly and listen to each other." That is your answer.
- Q2 — Why, for Sara, is respect so important? She says it directly: "without respect there is no dialogue." Answer: because there can be no dialogue without it.
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.