In terms of what you can choose, you have a fair amount of freedom. It could be something you have studied or discussed in any of your IB classes, a news article, something from your Extended Essay or an actual personal experience you have had.

There are several crucial factors to think about when choosing your RLS:

1. Is it a concrete example?

Avoid very general examples such as: Religion has had many negative impacts on society.

Instead go with something more specific such as: The influence of Evangelical Christian figures in current US politics.

2. Are there any clear knowledge questions you can draw from it?

For example, if the RLS you chose was: ‘Political interference in the race to find a COVID-19 vaccine’, you could make a knowledge question such as: ‘To what extent should scientific knowledge be independent of other considerations?’

3. Which Areas of Knowledge and Ways of Knowing can you use?

Analysing your RLS/KQ through different AoK’s and contrasting these perspectives is critical to a successful presentation. As such, make sure you really think about both the AoK’s and WoK’s you will bring into your talk.

4. Is your RLS interesting and, ideally, unique?

You want to choose an RLS which is engaging for the audience.

A degree of originality does not hurt either as it will help you stand to out from the crowd. This year many students will inevitably draw examples from the current coronavirus pandemic, so I would recommend going for a different topic if you can.

Do not just go with the first RLE you think of that fits the above criteria, brainstorm as many as you can.

I hope that these points give you a decent idea as to what to look for in a good RLE. If you still feel lost however, feel free to get in touch with me to book an online tutoring session.