What 'ethics' covers: Ethics sits in the theme Sharing the Planet. You need vocabulary to talk about right and wrong — and to give your opinion on ethical questions.
What you need words for
- what is right and wrong
- values and duties
- acting responsibly towards other people and the planet
Use the list as a glossary: 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.
- ethics
- the set of ideas about what is morally right and wrong
- a value
- a principle a person believes in, such as honesty or respect
- honesty
- the quality of being truthful and fair, not cheating or lying
- responsibility
- a duty to act well and to take care of the results of what you do
- a (moral) dilemma
- a situation where it is hard to decide what the right thing to do is
- conscience
- the inner voice that tells you whether you are acting well or badly
- a duty
- something you feel you ought to do because it is right
- fair / unfair
- treating people justly / treating people unjustly
- fair trade
- a system that pays producers a decent, fair price for their work
- responsible consumption
- buying and using things while thinking about their real effects
- exploitation
- treating people unfairly to profit from their work
- to do the right thing
- to act in the way you believe is morally correct
- to take a stand
- to state clearly what you believe and defend it
| Useful expression | What it means |
|---|---|
| It wouldn't be right to keep it. | Keeping it would be morally wrong. |
| I felt it was my duty to help. | I felt I ought to help because it was the right thing. |
| It goes against my values. | It clashes with the principles I believe in. |
| We all have a responsibility towards others. | Each of us ought to care about other people. |
| I'd rather have a clear conscience than the money. | Acting rightly matters more to me than profit. |
Why this matters: This vocabulary turns up in every skill — a reading text on fair trade, a listening interview with a volunteer, a Paper 1 blog about responsible shopping, 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. Take a position and back it up.
The common debates on ethics
- Doing the right thing even when it costs you.
- Responsible vs cheap consumption.
- How far we are responsible for others.
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
Why ethics can be hard
- Doing the right thing often costs time, money or effort.
- Cheap products can hide the exploitation of workers.
- It is easy to look away and tell yourself it's not your problem.
Why it's worth it
- You can act with a clear conscience.
- Fairer choices help producers and the planet.
- Small everyday decisions add up and set an example for others.
Animals
- Buying a pet without thinking it through
- Zoos or sanctuaries?
- Animal welfare and animal rights
What we buy
- Cheap fast fashion and who pays for it
- Fair trade and responsible brands
- Meat grown in a laboratory
Doing the right thing
- Volunteering abroad: helping or harming?
- Honesty when nobody is watching
- Fair and open use of AI
- animal welfare
- making sure animals used by people are treated well
- animal rights
- the idea that animals should not be used by people at all
- fast fashion
- cheap clothes made quickly and thrown away quickly
- exploitation
- using people unfairly, for example paying them too little
- a dilemma
- a difficult choice between two options
- to take responsibility (for)
- to accept that something is your duty
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.
Where do my clothes come from? (1 of 3): Last year I started to wonder where my clothes really came from. Before, I bought very cheap T-shirts without thinking about anything else.
Where do my clothes come from? (2 of 3)
One day I read that behind such low prices there were often people working in very poor conditions. It struck me as unfair, so I decided to change my habits. Now I buy less, I choose responsible brands, and when I can, I donate the clothes I no longer wear.
Where do my clothes come from? (3 of 3)
It isn't always easy or cheap, but it's worth it. I'm convinced that the small everyday choices we make are ethical choices too, and that, together, we can consume in a fairer way.
- to wonder
- to ask yourself; to be curious about something
- conditions
- the situation people work or live in
- unfair
- not just; treating people in a way they don't deserve
- responsible (brand)
- one that cares about its workers and the planet
- to be worth it
- to be valuable enough to justify the cost or effort
- convinced
- completely sure of something
IB-style task — one Paper 2 question
One question, step by step
- The question — "According to the text, what does the writer do now with the clothes they no longer wear?"
- Find it in the text. Look for the words "no longer wear": "when I can, I donate the clothes I no longer wear."
- The answer — They donate them. 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 responsible-consumption week. Write a proposal to the student council: suggest a project for more ethical shopping and explain why it is needed.
Write 250–400 words.
Proposal structure — 3 steps
1
Heading and purpose
To, From, and what you propose, in one line. "Proposal: a school clothes-swap shop. To: … From: … Purpose: …"
2
The plan
How it would work: who, what, when. "Once a month, students would bring clothes…"
3
Justification
Why it is worth doing, then ask for approval. "A swap shop costs nothing… I would ask the council to approve…"
Purpose → Plan → Justification
Model: the 3 steps in ~100 words
The proposal, step by step
- Proposal: a school clothes-swap shop. To: the Student Council. From: Alex Green. Purpose: to help students buy less and choose more ethically.
- The plan. Once a month, students would bring clothes they no longer wear and swap them for something new to them. Volunteers would sort the clothes, and anything left over would go to a local charity.
- Why it is needed. Like many students, I used to grab whatever was cheapest and never asked who had made it. A swap shop costs nothing, cuts waste and shows that every small choice counts. I would ask the council to approve a trial in November.
Why it works: A strong proposal does this for each of the three Paper 1 criteria:
A — Language /12
- Range of forms: conditional "students would bring", past "I used to grab", past perfect "who had made it"
- Connectors: "like many students", "and"
- Topic vocabulary: ethically, swap, charity
B — Message /12
- Task fully done: suggests a project AND explains why it is needed
- A concrete plan: what, who, when
C — Conceptual /6
- Proposal conventions: To / From / Purpose heading
- Plan and justification under bold headings
- A formal request for approval
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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.
How to answer — 3 steps
1
Read the questions first
Do this before the clip plays.
2
Listen for the key idea
Focus on the part each question points to.
3
Then answer
Use what the speaker actually says.
Questions → Key idea → Answer
Practise on the page: 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 — Daniel the volunteer (1 of 2): Hi, I'm Daniel. I started volunteering two years ago, after I met an elderly neighbour who lived alone and had nobody to help her. I felt it was my duty to do something. Now I do her shopping twice a week and, above all, I keep her company.
Transcript — Daniel the volunteer (2 of 2)
I don't charge anything: for me, helping other people is a value that matters more than money. What I like most is seeing her smile when I arrive.
IB-style task — two listening questions
Two questions, step by step
- Q1 — Why did Daniel start volunteering? Listen just after "I started volunteering two years ago": "after I met an elderly neighbour who lived alone and had nobody to help her. I felt it was my duty to do something." That is your answer.
- Q2 — Does Daniel get paid? He says it near the end: "I don't charge anything: for me, helping other people is a value that matters more than money." Answer: no, he doesn't get paid.
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.