SECTION B
Essay
125 marks
All ideas having large consequences are always simple.
WRITE IN
90 min
1,000–1,200 words
Reading the topic
The topic says that ideas with the largest impact tend to be simple at their core, even when their discovery or implementation is hard. A simple idea is easy to understand, communicate and spread, which is why it changes the world. The examiner expects examples from science, economics, ethics and governance, and a distinction between simplicity of idea and complexity of execution.
ThesisIdeas that change history are usually simple in essence, which lets them spread widely, though turning a simple idea into reality often demands complex work.
Dimensions to cover
- 1Mathematics: a simple concept like zero transformed arithmetic, commerce and later computing
- 2Science: some of the deepest laws of nature can be written in a single short equation
- 3Health: low-cost, easily explained remedies have saved more lives than many sophisticated technologies
- 4Ethics: powerful moral ideas such as non-violence or equality are simple to state, which is why they inspire mass movements
- 5Governance: a simple reform idea can be hard to implement, as complex design details often erode its simplicity
- 6Caution: oversimplified slogans can also mislead, so simplicity must rest on truth, not just catchiness
Counter-view
- Critics argue that many important ideas, like quantum mechanics or climate models, are deeply complex. The essay should accept this and argue that even complex theories often rest on a simple core insight, while simplicity of idea does not mean simplicity of execution
Open and close
- Open: Open with a health worker in a village showing a mother how to mix salt, sugar and clean water to save a child with severe diarrhoea
- Close: Conclude that the mark of a great idea is that a child can understand it, though it may take a nation to carry it out
Where marks usually go
- Claiming that all simple ideas are good or all complex ideas unimportant
- Ignoring the gap between a simple idea and its difficult implementation
- Listing inventions without explaining why their simplicity made them consequential
Examples that fit
- HistoryBrahmagupta's text of 628 CE set out rules for calculating with zero, a simple idea that underpins place-value arithmetic and digital computing.Brahmasphutasiddhanta (628 CE), Brahmagupta
- HistoryEinstein's 1905 relation E equals mc squared expressed the equivalence of mass and energy in a short equation with vast consequences.Einstein, 'Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?', Annalen der Physik (1905)
- CaseOral rehydration solution, a simple mix of salt, sugar and water, was hailed by The Lancet in 1978 as potentially the most important medical advance of the century.The Lancet editorial, 'Water with sugar and salt' (1978); WHO and UNICEF guidance on ORS
- CaseGST, launched in 2017 on the simple idea of one nation one tax, faced complex execution through multiple rates and compliance hurdles that the GST Council has had to revise.GST Council, Government of India