The IDEALS Framework — Your Step-by-Step Approach

I — Identify the issue and the decision to be made
Before you can evaluate anything, you need to be clear about what problem the decision-maker is facing and what specific choices are on the table. The issue is the underlying problem (e.g., coastal erosion threatening properties and infrastructure). The decision is what should be done about it (e.g., Option A: managed retreat vs Option B: hard engineering sea wall). Write out both in one sentence before you do anything else. If you cannot state the issue and the choices clearly, you cannot evaluate them properly.

D — Data: what evidence is in the resource booklet?
Go through each source systematically and note: what type of source is it? (map, graph, photograph, written text, statistics, news article) What does it show? What does it not show? Who produced it and why? When was it produced? A map showing land use from 2005 may not reflect what the area looks like now. A graph produced by a developer will select data that supports their proposal. A photograph can show scale and emotion but tells you nothing about frequency or extent. Note the strengths and limitations of each source before the exam.

E — Evaluate: advantages and disadvantages of each option
For every option in the booklet, build a table: what are the advantages (social, economic, environmental)? What are the disadvantages? What is the cost — financial, environmental, social? Who benefits? Who loses? This is where the SEDIMENT criteria (see below) are most useful. The goal here is not to make a decision yet — it is to understand the genuine trade-offs so your eventual decision is properly supported.

A — Alternatives: consider all the options given
Issue evaluation booklets almost always present 2–3 options. A common mistake is to focus entirely on your preferred option and barely mention the alternatives. Examiners at Level 3 expect you to show you have genuinely engaged with all the options — and that you can explain why you are recommending one over the others. Your decision is only convincing if you can show the alternatives are less suitable, not just that your choice is good.

L — Losers and winners: stakeholder analysis
Every geographical decision creates winners (people who benefit) and losers (people who are disadvantaged). Identifying stakeholders — who they are, what they want, why they want it — is one of the most heavily rewarded skills in Issue Evaluation. A strong answer names specific stakeholder groups, explains their interests, and shows awareness that one option's benefit to one group may be another group's disadvantage. See the full stakeholder section below for worked examples.

S — Supported decision: your recommendation with justification
This is your final step — and the most important one for the extended mark question. You must commit to one option. You must support it with specific evidence from the resource material. You must use your own geographical knowledge (a real case study, a theory, a process). You must acknowledge the strongest objection to your choice and explain why it is outweighed. Do not hedge. Do not say "it is difficult to say." Make a decision and justify it.