In simple terms
A friendly intro before the formal notes — no formulas yet.
From Textual Detail to Global Conversation
The 'global issue' is the central argument of your Individual Oral. It is not just a topic like 'war', but a specific, debatable point of tension that has relevance across different cultures and time periods, and is explored in both your chosen texts.
Think of your texts as two different photographs of a specific type of tree. One photo is old, perhaps from a European forest (your literary work), and the other is a modern photo from an Asian city park (your non-literary work). The 'global issue' is not just 'trees'. It's a specific, complex statement about them, like 'the conflict between natural growth and urban containment'. Your job is to analyse the photographic techniques (the author's stylistic choices) in each picture to show how they both reveal this same fundamental conflict.
- 1
Identify a significant moment of tension or a recurring idea in your literary work.
- 2
Broaden this idea into a concept that exists beyond the text (e.g., from Nora's frustration to 'the constraints of gender roles').
- 3
Sharpen this concept into a specific, debatable statement of conflict or tension (e.g., 'the struggle between individual autonomy and societal expectations of femininity'). This is your global issue.
- 4
Verify that this exact issue is also clearly present and explorable in your non-literary body of work, representing a different 'local manifestation'.
Explore the concept
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Full topic notes
Formal explanation with the rigour you need for the exam.
Defining the 'Global Issue': Beyond the Buzzword
In the context of the IB English A: Literature course, a 'global issue' is not simply a current event or a broad topic. The IB defines it as having three key properties:
- Significance: It has a wide-ranging impact on a large number of people.
- Transnational Scope: It exists in different forms across national and cultural boundaries.
- Local Manifestations: It finds expression in specific local contexts and events, such as those depicted in your chosen texts.
Crucially, for a successful IO, your global issue must be formulated as a specific point of tension, a conflict, or a complex question. It is something to be explored, not just stated. For example, 'Racism' is a topic. A focused global issue would be: 'The way dominant cultural narratives perpetuate systemic racism by invisibilising minority experiences.'
A global issue must be a specific, debatable statement, not a single word or broad theme.
It must be demonstrably present and significant in both your literary work and your non-literary body of work.
The issue provides the 'why' for your analysis; you are analysing authorial choices in order to explore this issue.
Think of it as the thesis statement for your entire 10-minute oral.
The Funnel Method: From Broad Field to Focused Issue
The best way to arrive at a strong global issue is to narrow your focus progressively. Start with one of the broad 'Fields of Inquiry' and drill down until you have a specific, arguable statement. This process ensures your issue is both relevant to the course and sufficiently focused for a 10-minute analysis.
Ensuring Your Issue Connects, Not Just Compares
A common pitfall is treating the two parts of the oral separately, with a weak 'both texts show X' transition in the middle. A strong global issue prevents this. It acts as the central organising principle. Your oral should not be 'Analysis of Text A, then Analysis of Text B'. It should be 'An exploration of [Global Issue], first through the lens of Text A, and then through the contrasting/complementary lens of Text B'. Every point of analysis for each text must directly serve to illuminate a facet of the global issue.
Your global issue is the argument; your texts are the evidence.
Use transition phrases that reinforce the connection: 'This manifestation of the issue is echoed in a different medium in...', 'While the novel presents this conflict internally, the photographs externalise it by...'
The goal is synthesis: showing how the two texts, together, provide a richer and more complex understanding of the global issue than either could alone.
Examiners reward specificity. Avoid vague issues like 'the effects of war'. Instead, specify the 'what', 'how', or 'why'. For example: 'How non-combatants struggle to preserve cultural identity amidst the chaos of conflict'. This immediately gives you a focused analytical task: find how the author shows this struggle through character, setting, and imagery.
Crafting the Statement: Language and Phrasing
The way you phrase your global issue matters. It should be a concise, academic, and assertive statement that clearly outlines the scope of your oral. It is the first thing you will say and sets the tone for the entire assessment. Aim for a single, powerful sentence.
Worked examples
See the formulas applied — reveal one step at a time, like the exam.
Using F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and a collection of Banksy's street art, formulate a focused global issue using the 'funnel method'.
- 1
Field of Inquiry (Broadest): 'Culture, identity and community'.
Using Shakespeare's Othello and a selection of episodes from the podcast This American Life dealing with misinformation, refine a global issue from a weak to a strong formulation.
- 1
Weak Formulation (Topic): 'Jealousy and misinformation.' (Too simple, not an issue).
How it all connects
The big idea sits in the middle — tap a linked idea to explore the link.
Tap a linked idea to see how it connects back to the main topic — that connection is what examiners reward.
Glossary
Try to recall each definition before you reveal it.
Quick check
Answer in your head first — then tap to check. No pressure.
Revision flashcards
Flip the card. Test yourself before the exam.
Global Issue
A specific, significant, and debatable point of tension or conflict that is transnational in scope and has clear local manifestations in the chosen texts.
Key takeaways
Review these before you close the topic — retrieval beats re-reading.
- ✓
A global issue must be a specific, debatable statement, not a single word or broad theme.
- ✓
It must be demonstrably present and significant in both your literary work and your non-literary body of work.
- ✓
The issue provides the 'why' for your analysis; you are analysing authorial choices in order to explore this issue.
- ✓
Think of it as the thesis statement for your entire 10-minute oral.
Practice — then mark it
The whole point: a real Cambridge question, marked mark-by-mark.
Test Your Global Issue Formulation
Test Your Global Issue Formulation
Extra simulations & links
PhET, GeoGebra and other curated tools — open in a new tab.
Frequently asked
Checkpoint
One marked question is worth ten re-reads — close the loop before you move on.
Reading it isn’t knowing it — prove it.
Before you move on: do Test Your Global Issue Formulation on paper, snap a photo, and get examiner-style feedback on exactly where you win and lose marks.