Issue Evaluation

🧠 Memory Aids: IDEALS and SEDIMENT

IDEALS — Your Decision-Making Framework

Use this mnemonic to remember all six steps of the Issue Evaluation process. The phrase to remember: "I Decided Every Alternative Looked Solid"

• I — Identify the issue and decision
• D — Data: evidence in the booklet (types, strengths, limits)
• E — Evaluate: advantages and disadvantages of each option
• A — Alternatives: consider ALL options, not just your preference
• L — Losers and winners: stakeholder analysis (who benefits, who loses, who pays)
• S — Supported decision: your recommendation + evidence + own knowledge + justified conclusion

SEDIMENT — Your Option Evaluation Criteria

Use this mnemonic to make sure you never miss an important impact category when comparing options. Remember: "Seven Evaluation Dimensions: I Must Evaluate Now and Tomorrow"

• S — Social impacts (on people, communities, quality of life)
• E — Economic impacts (costs, jobs, property values, tourism)
• D — Disadvantages (specific downsides and unintended consequences)
• I — Implementation (feasibility, timeline, planning requirements)
• M — Management (long-term maintenance, who is responsible, what happens in 50 years)
• E — Environmental impacts (habitat, natural processes, carbon, biodiversity)
• N — Need (how urgent, how many affected, what happens without action)
• T — Trade-offs (what is sacrificed, is it acceptable given the context)

Decision-Making Language — Phrases That Signal Level 3 Thinking

These phrases do not guarantee Level 3 marks, but they force you to think in the right way. If you find yourself unable to finish one of these sentences, you have identified a gap in your argument:

• "On balance, Option A is preferable because [reason that outweighs the alternative]..."
• "Although Option B has the advantage of [specific advantage], its main limitation is [specific limitation that outweighs the advantage]..."
• "The most significant factor is [specific factor] because it outweighs [counter-factor]..."
• "Option A would be more sustainable in the long run because [specific reasoning linked to timescale or natural processes]..."
• "For stakeholders such as [specific group], Option A is better because [reason]. However, for [other group], this creates a problem because [reason] — but this is outweighed by [resolution]..."
• "The evidence from Source [X] suggests [interpretation], which supports Option A over Option B because [causal reasoning]..."
• "Despite [strongest counter-argument], Option A remains the better choice because [definitive reason]..."