1
Unit 1 - Arts in society
Source 4 contrasts the views of an artist and an art collector with regard to
whether historical art and artefacts should be returned to their countries
of origin.
www.digisocial.com/ browse_mode=default&cc=true&filters=wt:h&hide_dec
Rosa’s blog
As an artist, I strongly feel that art belongs with the people who made it.
If it was taken away in the past or bought by rich traders more recently, it should
be returned to where it belongs – to the people who made it. To return art to its
rightful owner is simply to correct an injustice, to address a robbery.
Art is part of a country’s history and also part of its treasure. It holds a country’s
story, its values, and its memory. Moreover, if art is returned to a country, it
would bring tourists and visitors to the country to see the art, helping to fund
further artists and the country’s economy.
During World War II, the Nazi regime stole innumerable pieces of art from Jewish
victims. Much effort has been done to return this art to its owners. The same
amount of effort should be put into returning other stolen art to the people who
made it.
www.digisocial.com/ browse_mode=default&cc=true&filters=wt:h&hide_dec
Lin’s blog
As an art collector in London, I think we must accept that history is history. What
happened cannot be undone. Art and artefacts that have been in museums for
generations belong as much to the museum as they ever did to the people who
made the art.
Take the Rosetta Stone. It is part of the British Museum. It has a history in Britain
now, and a history for the world. Who made it is, of course, of historical interest,
but that should not mandate where it is held now.
Moreover, where would the Rosetta Stone be safer? Great art really belongs to all
of humanity, not to any one group of people. Thus, we need to keep it where it is
safest and most accessible to all. It is not about how we feel about it, it is about
conserving it for all of humanity, for generations to come.
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Unit 2 - Change in culture
and communities
Source 3 argues that a country should preserve its cultural heritage, and that
it should do this with government funds, higher taxation, targeting culture in a
national curriculum for schools, and the nation’s people volunteering their time
and money to assist.
Cultural heritage helps us as a nation to see who we are and where we belong in
world history. Therefore, preserving it is very important, some might even consider
it a patriotic duty. However, the preservation of places of cultural and historic
importance is less well funded than it might be. Although UNESCO do support world
heritage sites (UNESCO 2021), its generosity has its limits.
It is important to value our heritage and for everyone, no matter who, to make the
effort and ensure that it is preserved for future generations. One good solution is
to use funds raised from a dedicated heritage tax paid by every worker of our nation
as they earn. In addition, those who do not earn a wage, such as school students,
ought to be encouraged to fundraise in aid of preserving their own heritage. One
might argue to make this a compulsory part of our nation’s history curriculum.
As a consequence, this country as a whole will be able to benefit directly from
these efforts.
Research clearly shows that many cultural heritage sites already struggle to rely
on money generated in the form of voluntary donations in order to keep going. So,
without question, the people of this nation, of all ages, need to step in and be pleased
to help our local and national sites of global importance.
3
Unit 3 - Climate change,
energy, and resources
Source 1 shows why countries meet regularly at climate conferences. The
source lists some effects of climate change pointed out by the UN.
At regular periods, world leaders get together at climate conferences where they
agree on measures to limit the effects of climate change. During COP27, it was agreed
that global emissions should be reduced by 45 per cent by 2030 and net zero achieved
by 2050 in order to limit global temperature warming to 1.5°C.
According to the UN, these are some of the effects of climate change:
● flooding
● cancer and asthma due to pollutants
● droughts
● mental health issues such as depression
● displacement due to natural disasters
● still births due to pollutants.
● hunger
Source 2 is a table with arguments outlining some benefits and challenges of
climate change.
Benefits of climate change
Challenges of climate change
● More jobs available as crop production
efficiency increases with longer growing
seasons, e.g. fruit, sugar cane.
● Increased use of chemicals to control
increased number of weeds, producing
more agricultural waste.
● Governments look to invest in additional
nuclear energy plants.
● Using nuclear fusion, which is cleaner than
nuclear fission but much more expensive.
● As temperatures rise in some countries, less
money will be spent on heating.
● Higher risk of heat stroke and related
illnesses.
● More profit for companies who operate
shipping channels close to the Arctic and
Antarctic as the ice caps melt.
● Increase in tourism to rainforests and
islands to see them before they
become extinct.
● Lower mortality rates in cold countries as
they heat up.
● Multinational companies cause high CO2
emissions and potential oil spills with
increased use of fuel in ships.
● Sea levels rise, threatening island
communities.
● New diseases which thrive during flooding
and in warmer conditions.
3
Unit 3 - Climate change,
energy, and resources
Source 3 shows a reader’s response to a newspaper article about climate
change. The writer talks about what personal actions they take to reduce their
impact on the planet, but they also express concern that big business and
governments might not do enough to mitigate the effects of climate change.
When scientists and environmentalists warn that
we need to drastically reduce our dependency on
fossil fuels, I wonder what alternative they have
in mind. It’s all very well saying that we need to
switch to renewables and stop climate change, but
electric vehicles are still very expensive and I don’t
think solar and wind energy are sufficient for 8
billion people.
Of course, I do my part. I shower rather than take
a bath and I boil only the water that I actually
use, but honestly, I doubt that it’s the individual
that is to blame. Industry and big business are the
big polluters and governments should tax them
heavily. We all need to adapt to climate change,
but I think governments are now going a bit over
the top with their plans for net zero emissions
and limiting temperature rises. They never seem to
achieve what they pledge at these climate summits.
Anyway, if hot weather is here to stay, I don’t mind
a few more hours of sunshine.
Source 4 is a discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of the loss
and damages fund. Two people with different views argue about whether it
is only wealthier nations who should make contributions to a climate change
disaster fund.
Onyiloko: Well, yes, but you have to consider
what is just and fair. Wealthier countries have a
much higher energy consumption than people
who live in many other countries. Just because
climate change is having a more devastating
result in less developed countries, doesn’t mean
they should bear all the costs. I think it would
be unethical to say that richer countries don’t
need to help. Think about the last 200 years
when industrialization happened in Europe,
and factories, a growing number of cars, and
the transportation of goods caused a lot of CO2
emissions. These developments resulted in the
problems we have now with ice melting and
global temperatures rising. Wealthier industrial
countries made the mess, so they should pay
their way now to clean it up. We need to think of
future generations. They also want to breathe
clean air and live in a healthy environment.
Miguel: I was not very surprised to hear that
some countries were against setting up a fund
to help developing nations pay for problems
such as flooding and other climate changerelated damage. Every country is just thinking
about themselves now. Even countries that are
considered wealthy are in debt and the energy
crisis is hurting individuals. In my country,
we have people going on strike because their
salary cannot pay for these high bills and, when
they hear that even more money should be
given to developing nations, people think that
politicians don’t really understand them. What
good do these promises at climate summits
do? Will we really be able to achieve net zero
or limit temperature rises? I think wealthier
governments cannot afford to give more money.
They must invest in their own countries.
4
Unit 4 - Conflict and peace
Source 1 presents data relating to the claim that crime, especially domestic
crime, kills more people globally than in armed conflicts.
Today, crime kills far more people than armed conflicts. In 2017, almost half a million
people across the world were killed in homicides, far surpassing the 89,000 killed in
active armed conflicts and the 19,000 killed in terrorist attacks.
Organized crime and gang violence vary widely across regions. Countries in the
Americas have the worst homicide rates by a wide margin, accounting for 37 per
cent of the global total. Political instability gives rise to organized crime. Meanwhile,
political violence no longer affects only low-income states. In the past 15 years,
more than half of the world’s population has lived in direct contact or closeness to
significant political violence.
For women and girls, the home remains the most dangerous place. Some 58 per cent
of female homicides were carried out by partners or family members in 2017, up from
47 per cent in 2012.
(adapted from https://www.un.org/en/un75/new-era-conflict-and-violence)
Source 2 argues that technological advances such as AI and machine learning
have increased the access to weapons of war and at the same time making
those weapons more sophisticated.
Technological advances are contributing to the changing nature of conflict. There
are concerns about the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning
to enhance cyber, physical, and biological attacks. For example, by making them
more finely targeted, harder to attribute, and easier for small groups, perhaps even
individuals, to carry out.
▲ Soldiers working with
a drone
Emerging technologies are lowering the barriers to obtaining biological weapons –
toxic substances or diseases used to harm or kill humans, livestock, and crops. There
are concerns that advances in AI and 3D printing could facilitate biological attacks by
automating the development and production of the weapons and the systems that
develop them.
(adapted from https://www.un.org/en/un75/new-era-conflict-and-violence)
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Unit 5 - Development,
trade, and aid
Source 4 provides two different viewpoints on global trade. One person argues
that her engineering company has decided to reduce trade with other countries,
arguing that ‘home comes first’. She is opposed by a government trade envoy
who argues that she cannot see the bigger picture and that her attitude will lead
to economic problems on a wider scale.
Pippa and Sam are guests on a television show called Economics Weekly.
Pippa
We run a small engineering company and we have decided to focus our sales
in our own country first. Earlier this year we cancelled a contract with a Latin
American country as we felt that our technical know-how was benefiting them
while our own engineering sector should be prioritized.
The events of the Covid-19 pandemic showed the world that some countries rely
way too much on others and it’s the responsibility of companies like ours to avoid
this dependence in the future.
If we have sufficient resources then, yes, we could assist others, but we simply
don’t. Our economic development is more important than helping others, even
in cases of human crises, I’m afraid. We can only help so much before our own
people are affected.
And why should we trade with countries who do not hold the same political view
as us? As the global economy crashes around us, we need to stay stable and
invest at home or at least with similarly minded partner countries.
Sam
I’m here as part of a government trade envoy to South America, which means
I represent small and large companies to develop not just trade links but also
cultural links with countries in the region. History tells us that if we go it alone
we will suffer on an economic level as well as on a human level.
I remember 1992 when we had a policy which was anti-free trade and we ended
up losing 12 per cent on our GDP over the next three years. The industry that
was affected most was engineering; sales dropped by 35 per cent and at least
100 companies went out of business.
Since then, we have developed a good balance of trade with countries in South
America. We export as many products as we import. If we do what you want,
that balance will change and, trust me, not to our benefit.
I can tell you, economics doesn’t have a political view. Countries will trade with
anyone if there is a benefit for both. People are people and we all want the latest
technologies, after all.
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Unit 6 - Digital world
Source 4 shows two viewpoints which contrast remote working from home for
companies that operate online. One speaker points out negative effects, while
the other shows a degree of sympathy but goes on to say that some people have
the new skillset for remote working while others don’t.
Abbey
Last week, I had to see my doctor as I have been suffering for weeks with
headaches and dizzy spells. She asked me all of the usual questions about my
general health – was I eating properly, getting enough sleep, socializing, that
sort of thing.
Then the doctor asked me about my work and I told her about my new
job working for a company that operates entirely online. I was very keen
as it allowed me to work from home a lot and have flexible working hours.
However, I have been spending too long in front of a laptop or an iPad.
The doctor said this was causing my headaches and dizziness, so I spoke to
my employer about having some time away from screens. It all made me
frustrated and angry-that intensive exposure to digital devices is clearly not a
good idea for our health, both physical and mental.
Krishna
Recent research from Germany shows that working from home is not always
productive. It found that people are less inclined to take breaks and ended up
working for six-hour periods continuously so that they can finish work earlier.
If you were in an office, you would have to take breaks under national laws to
protect your health.
The digital world is the modern world and the future world. In jobs like ours,
the skillset we need to have depends on being efficient and comfortable with
interactive work calendars, shared data storage accounts, using the internet to
access the right information quickly, flipping to an iPad for presentations, and
even holding virtually all our meetings virtually!
I work for an international company and I video-call colleagues all over the
world. It’s great to be truly global and that can only be achieved by the digital
enhancements that you appear to be struggling with.
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Unit 7 - Education for all
Source 1 shows how UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 was affected by the
Covid-19 pandemic.
UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 ensures inclusive and equitable education and
promotes lifelong learning for all. This goal was challenged by the Covid-19 pandemic.
● The pandemic caused a global education
time they were unable to attend school.
crisis.
● School closures have affected
● It is estimated that 147 million children
girls, children from disadvantaged
missed more than half of their in-class
backgrounds, those living in rural areas,
instruction in 2020 and 2021.
children with disabilities, and children
from ethnic minorities more than their
● This generation of children could lose a
peers.
combined total of $17 trillion in lifetime
earnings (at current value) due to the
Source 2 suggests what schools with limited resources should invest in.
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Unit 7 - Education for all
Schools have limited resources. When choosing what to invest in, they must also
consider what not to invest in. Should schools invest in:
● books or computers?
● pencils or internet access?
● desks or clean water?
● teacher training or enrichment activities?
Source 3 is a letter written by a parent who is expressing concern that many
schools do not have sufficient coverage in the curriculum of different cultures
and languages, especially indigenous cultures.
My name is Suraya. I am worried about schools in general. Not because learning
is bad. I love education and I want all my children to have as much education
as possible. I am worried, however, about education not being inclusive of a
variety of cultures. My family speaks several indigenous languages. The schools
here, however, only teach in the national language, and English. My culture and
language are not represented. I am afraid that if my children attend school their
education will be limited. They will forget where they come from. They will forget
what our culture teaches us about plants, about animals, about nature. I think
education needs to be changed to ensure that the cultures of minorities and
indigenous peoples are represented and taught. This is the only way to ensure
that our countries value who we are and that my children can grow up safe and
respected.
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Unit 7 - Education for all
Source 4 shows two different points of view held by two people who are trying
to become the city’s mayor. One is arguing for a limited curriculum which
focuses on key subjects such as maths; the other argues for a much broader
curriculum, for example to include a wider range of interests and needs.
Candidate 1
Schools have limited resources. It is key,
therefore, that we concentrate on using our
limited resources where they will have the most
impact. What will help students the most?
The truth is that most students will not do art.
Most students do not want to learn another
language. Every student, however, needs to learn
how to speak and write well in English to get a
good job. Every student needs to know enough
Candidate 2
Schools are here to serve all students. If a student
is an artistic genius and the school fails to provide
what they need, the school has failed them. If a
student is unable to see and the school does not
have any books in braille, the school has failed
them. Schools are not just about the basics.
Schools are about preparing our students for the
future. In order to succeed, students need to be
creative, adventurous, and brave. They need to be
able to overcome adversity.
maths to know if they are being paid a fair salary.
Our focus, therefore, needs to go back to basics:
maths and English. And sport because sports
events attract great crowds and are great for
fundraising. I am sorry but the rest cannot be
funded in reality. In an ideal world, we would
fund all courses, but in the real world we need to
fund only what is essential.
Schools need to share their funding so that these
goals can be achieved. We need to be creative and
consider how we can, for example, teach the same
amount of maths, but with fewer expenses, so that
we can help those students who need translations
or support in other ways.
Schools should be about everyone. They cannot
ignore those who do not fit the mould of the
“average student”.
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Unit 8 - Employment
Source 3 focuses on the CEO of a successful company who talks about strong
leadership, with strong characters who lead by example and set the standards
for employees to follow, especially he says, in the USA.
It doesn’t matter which country you are in, it’s always best to appoint strong and
successful leaders to ensure the wellbeing and productivity of a workforce. You only
have to research the profiles and success of the top companies in the USA to prove
this. They all have owners and CEOs who are strong characters, who lead by example,
and who show that they push themselves as hard as they can.
Look at the evidence of a leading electric car manufacturer which has used profits
to create a space programme that can take humans to Mars. Surveys regularly show
that employees want to work hard for their company to gain benefits such as a large
house, top of the range car, and exotic holidays. When an employee sees the company
doing well, they are motivated to join in and raise their own standards.
Data on unsuccessful companies suggests that it is often because they lack strong
leadership and make poor decisions at the top. The workforce loses confidence and
unemployment is the result.
Running a company needs charisma. Don’t be a boring, slow-paced boss who stays
in the office too much. Get out there and engage! Yes, I would say that I have a lot of
charm and that this inspires the people who work for me.
9
Unit 9 - Environment, pollution,
and conservation
Source 3 is an interview with an environmental activist who talks about being
involved in the Green Carpet Challenge to raise awareness about ethical
fashion. She argues that it is greed and selfishness that puts wildlife in danger,
and she quotes research to suggest that more than 42,000 species are at risk of
extinction.
Young people enjoy watching me as a character on screen, and I believe
they will also pay attention to what I am trying to achieve as a real-life
environmental activist. I care deeply for the environment and, by taking part
in the Green Carpet Challenge, I have been able to campaign for wearing
sustainable recycled fashion. Ethical fashion is trendy. Really beautiful clothes
should be made from recycled material and be worn again, and again.
Research has shown that fast fashion is harmful to the environment.
It worries me to see plastic in our oceans, harming wildlife and polluting
our water. Plastic is the biggest polluter on the planet. We must stop using
single-use plastic globally. After interviewing my fellow actors we all concluded
that it is greed and human selfishness that puts wildlife in danger. Humans
exploit the environment and animals for their own profit.
Yes, the reality is that the destruction of habitats is interconnected with
the loss of species of plants and animals. We really do live in the age of
extinction. More than 42,100 species are threatened with extinction. This
data has just been released by the IUCN, the International Union for
Conservation of Nature. António Guterres, the Director General of the UN,
has called the human race a “weapon of mass extinction” because so many
species are endangered.
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Unit 10 - Globalization
Source 1 provides data about the trend of online college courses and shows the
results of a survey predicting the future of online learning in higher education.
Due to the increase in digital globalization and the Covid-19 pandemic many college
students have switched to online courses. In a 2020 survey, 21,507 adults were asked
how they thought higher education would be carried out in their country in five years’
time. The results can be seen in the graph.
Saudi Arabia
Italy
30%
27%
Brazil
25%
Germany
25%
UK
24%
U.S.
24%
France
23%
Spain
21%
Mexico
17%
China
15%
Argentina
14%
Japan
13%
Peru
12%
Chile
9%
45%
50%
57%
51%
48%
50%
48%
51%
63%
37%
54%
40%
60%
64%
Source 2 is a table listing benefits and challenges of online education.
Advantages of online education
● Cheaper than in-person classes and no travel costs
Disadvantages of online education
● Flexible schedule of seminars
● Health problems such as headaches, eye problems, neck
ache, backache
● Needs discipline to study on your own
● No visa necessary
● Environmentally friendly and sustainable
● Lack of face-to-face contact could make students feel lonely
● Not everybody has fast broadband
● More comfortable to learn from home
● Access to online libraries
● Stressful study environment, especially in small apartments
● Courses could be automated and staff will be made
redundant
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Unit 11 - Health and wellbeing
Source 3 focuses on a teenager who seeks out positive role models on social
media, connecting with like-minded people who are wary of stereotyping. She
researches family orientated web sites.
I used to follow social media for entertainment. At first, I was just looking at
jokes and cat videos which my friends and I would all discuss and laugh at.
It was really fun and brought us all together. Then I started watching makeup tutorials and fashion influencers. The more I watched, the more I became
worried that I was not as pretty as the people posting the videos. I talked to
my friends and a teacher about this feeling and they helped me find much
more positive healthy role models – real people, not filtered and computerenhanced avatars but people that looked like me and sounded like me. I did
some research and found that, in the last three years, the number of online
family fitness role model sites has increased 240 per cent! Many of these
sites have been started by parents concerned about the negative stereotypes
influencing their children’s health and wellbeing but, more interestingly,
the vast majority – around 82 per cent – have been started by children
themselves. These sites promote healthy living and thinking. They move away
from impossible goals and focus on positive mental health through achievable
happiness goals that you share in real life with your family.
Unit 12 - Law and criminality
Source 1 uses statistics to show the increase of gun ownership in specified
countries.
Gun ownership varies country by country. The global trend is that gun ownership is
increasing. The data below combines guns owned legally and illegally, and covers
ownership by civilians (members of the public).
120
Percentage per 100 people
120.5
100
80
60
62.1
52.8
42.5
40
39.1
39.1
34.7
34.7
34
32.4
20
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12
Highest gun ownership, 2022
Source 2 shows the benefits and drawbacks of increasing community policing.
The table shows some advantages and disadvantages of a stronger community police
presence.
Advantages
Disadvantages
● Direct regular contact with the community
increases trust levels.
● People become careless about their own
safety.
● Local people see that money is being spent
on them.
● People care less about others as they leave
it to the police.
● Local officers get to know the local crime
spots better.
● Tensions could rise in high crime areas.
● Crime can be prevented as officers arrive
quicker on the scene.
● Seeing more police makes people believe
that criminals will stop.
● Money might be better spent on digital
surveillance.
● Criminals will just focus their crimes
elsewhere.
12
Unit 12 - Law and criminality
Source 3 covers the research produced by a professor of Criminology who
supports the argument that there is no such thing as victimless crime. It uses
case studies from the perspectives of victims affected indirectly.
Source 4 presents two people arguing with each other about how harsh
punishment, especially prison sentences, should be for serious crimes. One
takes the view that rehabilitation should be prioritised, while the other’s
viewpoint is that longer, tougher sentencing is needed.
Jaydee
In my opinion, the courts should hand out much more severe and longer
sentences for people who commit serious crimes, such as robbery, first degree
murders, and attacks on women. In all of these situations, I am 100 per cent
sure that the offenders know exactly what they are doing and research I have
seen shows that more than 50 per cent of them don’t show any remorse and
don’t regret their actions at all. They seem not to care about how their crimes
have affected victims and they have no idea about victimless crime.
When some of these hardened criminals are interviewed, they often say that
it’s an easy life in modern prisons. They can exercise, improve their strength
and fitness, and receive a free education. I don’t think they should receive any
of these benefits. I mean, how are they supposed to reflect on how bad their
actions were?
I’d place serious criminals in solitary confinement for at least two years after
they are sentenced.
12
Unit 12 - Law and criminality
Michaela
One of the problems with the penal system is that prisons in many countries
are designed to keep criminals in rather than encourage them to think of a
life outside. I could name several countries where the mindset is that once a
serious crime has been committed, the person is infected for life with criminal
intent and, when given the option or opportunity, will commit the same crime
or a more serious one again. How can this attitude benefit anyone? In these
countries, data shows that serious crime is on the rise, not declining.
My view is that we should seek to rehabilitate, and immediately, so that
people imprisoned can begin to show the many sides of their character. We
all make errors and get things wrong, so we all deserve at least a second
chance.
In countries which put rehabilitation first, crimes are reducing and prisons are
not overflowing. That also helps, as prisoners deserve a good level of human
rights.
Unit 13 - Media
and communication
13
Source 1 is a line graph that shows the projected trend of a range of social
media types for the ten year period from 2017 to 2027 in South America
As of June 2022, Facebook was the leading social media platform in South America
in terms of audience figures, with approximately 302.69 million users. Instagram
followed with 226.28 million users in the region. Video-based TikTok had 178.73
million users, whilst micro-blogging platform Twitter had 39.33 million users in the
continent.
Number of users (millions)
300
200
100
0
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023*
2024*
2025*
2026*
2027*
Source 2 gives a list of issues raised by social media globally.
● The majority of social media users use their preferred platforms every single day.
● The use of social media by people at work can be distracting and in serious cases can
lead to a company losing money.
● Some platforms raise awareness of issues such as disability and equality.
● Losing touch with social media can lead to not being up to date with current trends.
● The police use social media to identify and reduce crime.
● Quality of life becomes quality of social media life.
● Evidence shows that, as social media usage goes up, students’ grades go down.
● It is difficult to stay anonymous on social media – somebody somewhere knows who
you are.
14
Unit 14 - Migration
and urbanization
Source 4 is a debate between two people about the benefits and drawbacks of
city life. Each person mentions several different perspectives including socioeconomic, technological, healthcare, and environmental.
Yukiko
I love big cities. There are so many fantastic entertainment opportunities. At
weekends, I meet my friends and we go to a restaurant or to one of the many
karaoke bars. My parents moved here because they wanted me to go to a
better school. Dad set up his own business selling spices. He has customers
from around the world and makes good money.
My mum is a nurse and she thinks that big cities attract higher qualified
doctors and healthcare professionals, so you get better healthcare and you
can see specialists if you need to. My grandparents live in a village out in
the countryside. I like it there, but I wouldn’t want to live away from the city.
There is nothing to do and there are no jobs. I mean, I’m not surprised – the
internet is so unreliable, I can’t even chat with my friends when I visit my
grandparents.
Stefan
Urbanization has many drawbacks. Inequality is just one of them. The gap
between the rich and the poor is often really visible. I think many people
would feel quite lonely in such a big city.
My parents both work on our dairy farm. When I was ten years old, I
learned how to milk a cow. When I finish school, I want to develop my
parents’ business and start making cheese. People like to buy local organic
products. Small steps is the way forward.
When the pandemic came along, we felt quite safe here with lots of fresh air
and few people around. Living on a farm is healthier and more sustainable
than the stressful and polluted life in a city. The environment is clean and we
are self-sufficient. We create our own energy from cow manure. You won’t
find that in the city!
15
Unit 15 - Political
power and action
Source 4 is a debate between two people about whether the UN Security
Council should adapt to modern times by adding members from a wider range
of countries globally.
Lilia
It seems to me that the UN Security Council in its current form is a relic of
the past. The five permanent members reflect the political powers that were
dominant at the end of World War II. However, the world has moved on
since then and the Security Council needs to adapt to reflect this.
Today, the Security Council should reflect the changing political landscape.
For example, all nuclear-empowered nations should be included as, indeed,
should those states with the largest populations, as they have the greatest
combined impact in the global economy.
It is also significant that the majority of seats with the veto of power
belong to developed northern hemisphere countries. In my opinion, if the
Security Council is to represent credibility going forwards then the southern
hemisphere should have an equal ability to veto policies. As such, permanent
representation from Latin America, the Indian subcontinent, and Africa at the
very least needs to be built into the council’s constitution.
Joshua
I agree that the UN Security Council is far from perfect but, in principle, it
functions as required. Change for the sake of change will have no beneficial
impact. There will always be nations that feel marginalized despite considering
themselves significant enough to be one of the permanent members. Should
the group keep expanding until everyone is included? How would this benefit
the organization?
The current permanent members might not directly speak for all the
individual nations of the world, but they are a representative balance, each
with the ability to ensure differing voices and perspectives are heard to
prevent global catastrophe. Adding more voices would not necessarily add
more constructive debate. They would just make more noise, stifle progress,
and encourage tensions, not discourage them.
The Security Council is but one arm of the United Nations organization,
designed on the larger world stage to ensure global peace. It is not perfect
but it is effective.
16
Unit 16 - Poverty and inequality
Source 1 provides data about the effects of poverty on households in the UK.
It shows how poorer people struggle with debts, the cost of living and mental
health issues.
These are some of the effects of poverty on families in the UK over the one-year
period from May 2021 to May 2022:
● Of all single parent households in the UK, 83 per cent have debts above 50 per cent of
their annual income.
● 23 per cent of all families are in arrears with at least one utility bill payment.
● 64 per cent of families have changed their shopping habits as a consequence of the rise
in household bills.
● The UK National Health Service has recorded a 15 per cent increase in those seeking
assistance with mental health issues directly attributed to a change in economic
circumstances.
Source 2 is a table with advantages and disadvantages of children working.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Cheap, plentiful labour is of benefit to growing a
national economy.
Cheap child labour artificially reduces all labour costs.
Allows poorer families the opportunity to earn
additional income for poorer families.
Low wages trap families in poverty.
Lower production costs result in cheaper products and
higher demand by consumers.
Cheap goods are environmentally unethical and
encourage fast fashion waste.
Children develop independence and have the
opportunity to learn transferable skills.
Children are deprived of the opportunity to go to school
and develop independent lives.
16
Unit 16 - Poverty and inequality
Source 3 is a first-hand account of a farmer who describes how his village
community and his business has changed as a result of international trade,
competition, and a lack of governmental support.
I’m Patrick and, when I was a boy, the country
needed to be fed. There were 42 farms spread across
the marshland that produced food and wool. The
demand for our products was high and times were
good. But, as the world appeared smaller because
of international trade, cheaper food and wool from
around the world was easily purchased, our small
farms could not compete and slowly the money we
earned got less and less. We lost a lot of our young
people, who went to look for better paid work in
the cities. The number of people who worked on
the land and lived in the village reduced. As families
moved away, first the school closed and then the
shop because there were not enough people to
keep both going. The government stopped spending
money in our area. There were no longer any buses
to the town, and the village became very quiet and
felt cut off from the world. Our busy and prosperous
community began to become poor.
However, this isolation was the village’s salvation.
As the world got busier, our quiet corner is more
attractive to visitors, who would come to stay, trying
to find peace and tranquillity. We still don’t have a
school and the buses only come twice a week but
slowly we are rebuilding our community.
Source 4 is a debate between two people about the advantages and
disadvantages of governments decreasing their foreign aid budgets in favour of
increasing their military defence budgets.
Dale
If a country has limited resources from trade, it has to be careful where it
spends that money. A government’s primary purpose should be the welfare
of its people, so it should not be spending money on its military if portions
of the population live in poverty. Globally, on average, governments spend
15 per cent of their GDP on defence. That money should be spent on food,
education, and healthcare. Lifting people out of poverty and giving them a
better life has to come first, not rockets and battleships. Even if only half
what was spent on defence was spent on education, the nation would prosper.
It cannot be ethical to let people live in squalor when there is money being
spent on fighter jets.
The governments of the world need to invest in their people, not munitions.
Also less global defence spending would make the world a more peaceful
place.
16
Unit 16 - Poverty and inequality
Ruth
Yes, what you say is true and the best way to ensure people’s welfare is to
keep them safe from harm. The nation needs secure borders so its progress is
sustainable.
In addition, the military provides jobs, secure incomes that help to lift
their extended families out of poverty. Importantly, the trade deals that
governments sign with international arms manufacturers and foreign
governments often come with preconditions including international aid
designed to help with the poverty situation. In 2017, this amounted to
$3 billion worldwide. Without defence spending, there wouldn’t be any aid. So
yes, ethically, governments should prioritize addressing poverty and one of the
best ways to do it is via defence spending.
Also, reducing global defence spending would not make the world a safer
place. In fact, it would put power into the hands of those who refuse to spend
less, potentially making the world more dangerous.
17
Unit 17 - Social
identity and inclusion
Source 1 shows a graph that lists the top ten countries on the global social
mobility index, 2020, from data collated by the World Economic Forum.
Social mobility can be understood as a movement in personal circumstances,
either upwards or downwards, of an individual in relation to that of their parents. In
absolute terms, it is the ability of a child to experience a better life than their parents.
Social mobility can be measured against a number of outcomes ranging from health
to educational achievement and income.
The graph shows the top ten countries on the global social mobility index, 2020, from
data collated by the World Economic Forum.
1 Denmark
85.2
2 Norway
83.6
3 Finland
83.6
4 Sweden
83.5
5 Iceland
82.7
6 Netherlands
82.4
7 Switzerland
82.1
8 Austria
80.1
9 Belgium
80.1
10 Luxembourg
79.8
Source 2 is a table that provides some factors that affect social mobility, such as
gender, ethnicity, family, location, and media.
Factors that affect social identity
Example
Ethnicity, race, culture
Sense of pride that can be strengthened or weakened
Gender
As seen by self, others, and society
Family
Identifying with labels such as son, daughter, brother, sister
Location
The country or town we are born in and the opportunities it provides
Media
Messages we get from advertising, television, music, games, movies
17
Unit 17 - Social
identity and inclusion
Source 3 features a member of the Danish military who argues with the use of
qualitative research that being in the army, air force, or navy helps a person to
develop a stronger sense of identity.
www.digisocial.com/ browse_mode=default&cc=true&filters=wt:h&hide_dec
I don’t usually contribute to online blogs but, when I saw the theme of this blog,
I felt I just had to offer my opinion based on my experience as one of the few
senior female officers in the Danish Army. Our unit has just carried out some
qualitative research on the experience of male and female soldiers. The main
method we used was interviewing people at three different stages of their duty.
The first interview was on entry, when joining the unit. The second interview
was six months later, halfway through the service period. And finally, an exit
interview, so that we could find out about positive and negative experiences.
Our focus was on personal perspectives. What we found was that 78 per
cent of soldiers serving their required one year in the army had a positive
viewpoint, saying that they had benefited. Of these, 25 per cent had benefited
in three distinct ways. Our conclusion is that spending time in a controlled and
disciplined environment results in positive outcomes for most people.
Source 4 shows how two people differ about the role that sport plays in
developing a person’s identity. The woman argues that female identity has
become stronger, better recognized as equal, lessening stereotypes. The man
argues that it’s nothing to do with gender – that playing sport itself develops
and strengthens a person’s identity.
Gisella
Thank you for inviting me to this panel discussion
on the benefits and drawbacks of getting involved
with sport. I think what we are really discussing here
is playing sport with a view to becoming better at a
specific sport, increasing our proficiency, and, as a result,
making that sport a much bigger part of our lives.
In my case, now that I play cricket for the national team,
it is all of my life, really. Yes, sure, I do have a social life
but the sport comes first. Some benefits I have found are
that my identity as a professional female sports player is
very strong now. Physically, I am very strong.
As far as gender equality goes, in our country the
women’s cricket team receives as much attention as the
men’s team. There is no longer any stereotyping about
the women’s game being slower, less aggressive, and
somehow gentler. No way! I’m also very pleased with
the support we’ve had from the government.
At the national level, our game is held at the same
value as the men’s game. And this, I believe, is a big
part of our recent success in the Cricket World Cup.
17
Unit 17 - Social
identity and inclusion
Ian
I’m less concerned with the gender issue. Much is made of this and, while
I’m pleased to hear of the success achieved by my young friend on the panel
who is now playing cricket at the national level – as I did a long time ago,
I feel the most important personal perspective is that sport builds character
irrespective of which gender you are.
For example, sport builds physical and mental strength. I don’t agree with
this current debate over mental health issues because of sport. I take the view
that these issues will probably have been there before in a person’s life.
More than anything, sport prepares you for victory – it’s the taste of winning
that overrides any sense of losing. You deal with losing by winning the next
time, surely. And, let’s not forget, many of us get paid money, lots of money, if
we win. Not much else matters, in my view.
In this debate, however, we need to mention facilities. When I was at the
top of my game, facilities were reasonable, but certainly not impressive. The
government didn’t really want to pay for sport. This is wrong. That’s one
aspect I do agree with the young lady about.
18
Unit 18 - Sport and recreation
Source 3 presents the viewpoint of a high intensity trainer who argues, among
other things, that boxing is a useful sport to research the positive effects of
building body strength. It’s also argued that body strength training is supported
by medical evidence and would be prescribed by many doctors. Research
undertaken by a university is quoted suggesting that building stronger mental
capacity results in people resisting injuries better.
www.digisocial.com/ browse_mode=default&cc=true&filters=wt:h&hide_dec
Sport is clearly good for you. I have been involved in sport globally for over 20
years and wherever I go as a trainer I receive positive feedback. My specialist
area is core exercises to strengthen the core body muscles – the back, the sides,
and the abdomen.
Last month I was in China, working with a professional boxing team, and my next
trip is to Sweden to support their winter Olympic cross-country skiers. In China,
we were able to increase the efficiency of the boxing team by a factor of 15 per
cent. Boxing is the best sport to research and apply our core exercise approach
to increase body strength.
I don’t always work with professionals. I visit amateur clubs and schools, and I
have also worked with retired people in their homes. I’m happy to bring my core
training to everyone. In almost all cases, core training is supported by strong
medical evidence. Most doctors would prescribe at least 45 minutes of this kind
of exercise if they could.
I do accept that some sports are aggressive and injuries can result. I use research
done by a university and the evidence they have so far is that people with
stronger mental capacity suffer less when injured. In my view, therefore, our
government should fund more sports nationally, if only for people to build their
brain muscle!
19
Unit 19 - Technology,
industry, and innovation
Source 1 is a bar graph that shows the money spent on developing space
programmes in 2020 and 2021 by ten countries.
The Space Age began in 1957 when Russia (then the Soviet Union) launched Sputnik,
the world’s first satellite. It was 12 years later when the USA sent astronauts to land on
the Moon. By 2023, the Space Age has seen 60 years of development.
The money spent on space programmes from major countries is shown in the graph.
60
50
54.59
47.69
40
1.46
1.06
0.68
0.72
2.57
2.43
UK
a
re
EU
So
ut
h
Ko
1.48
1.09
a
di
In
y
ly
2.38
2.4
an
rm
Ge
Ja
Ru
an
Fr
a
in
Ch
US
A
0
Ita
4.21
3.32
n
pa
1.96
2.04
3.57
3.58
ia
ss
10
3.95
4.04
20
ce
30
10.29
8.85
Expenditure in billion US dollars
70
▲ Bar graph showing government expenditure on space programmes in 2020 and 2021, by
major country US$ billions
Source 2 is a table which lists arguments for space exploration, alongside
challenges that are faced.
Advantages of space exploration
Disadvantages of space exploration
● It can seek out other planets for their resources and to
build human colonies on.
● It increases the amount of junk humans leave in space.
● It takes us closer to contact with life elsewhere in the
universe.
● It helps us develop advanced technology which is
useful on Earth.
● It attracts private investors, lowering the funding
needed from governments.
● It brings global scientists together with a single aim.
● Funding is a challenge, as space exploration is
extremely expensive.
● It has its dangers and can result in loss of life.
● It often produces no significant results or gains.
● Another challenge is how to involve less economically
developed countries.
Source 1 provides data showing the percentage of adults, aged 25–45, who own
bicycles in nine countries.
The graph shows the percentage of 1,000 adults, aged 25–45, who own bicycles in
nine countries. Surveys were done on the streets of each capital city in 2016 and 2021.
100
90
80
Bicycle ownership (%)
20
Unit 20 - Transport,
travel, and tourism
70
60
67
61
54
47
50
54
57
41
37 39
40
28
30
27
18 18
20
12 14
10
0
61 63
60
Germany
France
UK
Greece
South
Africa
Chile
Sweden Portugal
Egypt
Source 2 is a table showing the advantages and disadvantages of cycle lanes.
Advantages of building cycle lanes
Disadvantages of building cycle lanes
They ease congestion by taking cars away
from the roads.
They slow traffic, increase congestion, and
raise pollution.
Cycling improves mental and
physical health.
Hardly anyone uses them.
They make city streets safer by
reducing traffic.
They are only ever used by white, middleclass males.
It is cheaper than building new roads.
They prevent deliveries for roadside
businesses.
They make deliveries quicker and more
convenient for businesses.
They are dangerous for pedestrians.
21
Unit 21 - Values and beliefs
Source 3 summarizes the result of a survey about values. It includes family,
friendship, career, money, and health as important factors and shows how
priorities change with age.
Having seen research that says that 76 per cent of retired people value friendship
over money, I decided to test this with some neighbours, young and old, from various
ethnic backgrounds. We all sat together to share views. Some of the younger group
members were very keen to be heard and would talk over each other. But when one of
the elders of the group spoke, no matter what background they came from, everyone
sat quietly and listened. I asked what was the most important thing in their lives and
most agreed on the connections with friends and family. It was clear that the older
the person, the more important these contacts were. The younger people mentioned
careers and income as priorities and I noticed a couple of the old folks astonished at
this. One man said that, since being ill, he understood the value of healthy living and
was doing all he could to change his priorities. Another lady was sad because she
missed her grandchildren who she rarely saw because they lived in another country.
This is common now, with statistics suggesting that 69 per cent of adult children live
over 100 km from their parents. The things that the group held dear were all simple to
pinpoint, but it was clear that priorities change with age.
Source 1 is a graph providing information about the rise of AI in the agricultural
sector over a period of 20 years, from 2020 to 2040.
Use of AI in agriculture
22
Unit 22 - Water, food,
and agriculture
2020
2021
2030
2037
2040
Source 2 is a short letter written by an employment agency concerned about
the increase of robots in farming. It states the human costs and suggests
potential job losses as being unfair.
The demand for precision agriculture is steadily increasing and, by 2025, the
associated industry will be worth $20 billion. We are a nationwide employment
agency and we are concerned about the increase in agricultural robots in farming.
Every year, we have thousands of low-skilled workers who are looking for work in the
agricultural sector. Since 2020, we have seen a steep decline in farm jobs and we are
worried that in future robots could be more employable than human workers. We
believe this is not the right direction to take. If robots carry out farming jobs, they will
be faster and more precise than some human workers. This is unfair.