Overheated Classrooms in Heatwaves

The question

How to approach this two-part question question

A two-part question asks two direct questions. Answer both fully, one in each body paragraph.

1. Paraphrase the topic and say how you will answer both questions.
2. Body 1 answers question one with reasons and an example.
3. Body 2 answers question two with reasons and an example.
4. Conclude with a short summary of both answers.

How to plan this answer

Structure

1. Introduction: paraphrase the problem of overheated classrooms in heatwaves and name the two parts: why older schools overheat, and how education authorities should respond.
2. Body 1: the first part, covering building design such as large windows, poor insulation and flat roofs, plus crowded rooms that generate heat.
3. Body 2: the response, covering external shading, improved ventilation and flexible timetables that move lessons to cooler parts of the day.
4. Body 3: the limitations of these responses, covering the cost of retrofitting, the energy use of air conditioning and the time needed to complete building works.
5. Conclusion: summarise why older schools overheat and recommend a realistic programme of short-term and long-term measures.

Idea bank

• A top-floor classroom under a flat roof with single-glazed windows facing south, which can become very hot by early afternoon.
• Thirty pupils in a small room, whose body heat adds to the temperature even before the sun is strong.
• External blinds or shading on the windows, which block sunlight before it enters the room and cost far less than air conditioning.
• Moving lessons to earlier in the day or allowing shorter lessons during heatwaves, which is a low-cost temporary measure.
• Limitation: air conditioning cools rooms quickly but raises energy bills and carbon emissions, so it may not suit every school.

Useful vocabulary

• to retain heat: Old brick walls can retain heat long after the sun has set.
• single-glazed windows: Single-glazed windows let in a great deal of heat during summer months.
• to be poorly insulated: Many older schools are poorly insulated and lose heat quickly in winter and gain it in summer.
• to shade: External blinds can shade classrooms from direct sunlight.
• to ventilate: Opening windows is not enough if the room cannot be properly ventilated.
• to retrofit: Retrofitting insulation to older buildings can be expensive but effective.
• to be sweltering: Classrooms can become sweltering by mid-afternoon in a heatwave.
• to adapt the timetable: Schools may adapt the timetable during extreme heat to protect pupils.
• heat stress: Heat stress can make it very difficult for pupils to concentrate.
• to prioritise: Authorities should prioritise the most overheated buildings in their funding plans.

Common mistakes

• Discussing only the building and ignoring the crowded classrooms, which are a real cause of overheating.
• Writing about climate change in general terms without linking it to the specific problem of older buildings.
• Confusing 'education authorities' with national government, which weakens the response section.
• Offering solutions without any comment on cost or how realistic they are for a school with a limited budget.

Examiner tip: Separate short-term responses, such as blinds and timetable changes, from long-term investment, such as retrofitting. Showing both timescales makes your recommendations more realistic.