Essay Question
“Describe and explain the key features of China’s One
Child Policy and evaluate how sustainable it has been”
Name: ________________________
Date: __ / __ / __
Group: _______
Activation of Prior Knowledge
Task – Complete the
mind map activity to
identify what you
already know about
the following topics
for China:








Country facts
Culture
Population
Physical
Geography
Population
distribution
Changes in country
over time
Communism
Population control
o OCP
o Why?
o Rules
o Why wrong?
o How did it
work?
What do I already know
about China and their
One Child Policy?
Establishing purposes
You will need to find out more information about China as part of this research project. What do you want to know?
Why? Where will you look for it? (see the example done for you)
What do I want to find out?
How will this information
help?
Who was the person who introduced This will help me to introduce the
the One Child Policy?
One Child Policy
Where will I look for this
information?
Internet - Wikipedia
Reading strategy
There are different types of reading strategy that you may need to use when completing your research:
Technique
Skimming
Continuous
Scanning
How it is used?
Allow your eyes to glance quickly over a page taking
note of:
 Title – shortest summary of article
 Read opening paragraph – often summarises article
 Read headings and first sentences of each paragraph
 Look for keywords, bold words, summary boxes
 Read the last paragraph - conclusion
 Reading a piece of text from start to finish
 You read every word in order
Looking over an article very quickly for a specific piece of
information by:
 Looking for a keyword
 Anticipating how it might appear – diagram, quote
etc
 Skimming the article to see if a heading or opening
sentence leads you to the information
 Skip over irrelevant sections
 When you find the relevant sentence, read it all
Where is this useful?
Have a practice at using these techniques on the following:
In the late 1970s, the Chinese government introduced a number of measures to reduce the country's
birth rate and slow the population growth rate. The most important of the new measures was a onechild policy, which decreed that couples in China could only have one child.
In 1950 the rate of population change in China was 1.9 per cent each year. If this doesn't sound
high, consider that a growth rate of only 3 per cent will cause the population of a country to double in
less than 24 years!
Previous Chinese governments had encouraged people to have a lot of children to increase the
country's workforce. But by the 1970s the government realised that current rates of population
growth would soon become unsustainable.
The one-child policy
The one-child policy, established in 1979, meant that each couple was allowed just one child. Benefits
included increased access to education for all, plus childcare and healthcare offered to families that
followed this rule.
Problems with enforcing the policy:
Those who had more than one child didn't receive these benefits and were fined.
The policy was keenly resisted in rural areas, where it was traditional to have large families.
In urban areas, the policy has been enforced strictly but remote rural areas have been harder to
control.
Many people claim that some women, who became pregnant after they had already had a child, were
forced to have an abortion and many women were forcibly sterilised. There appears to be evidence to
back up these claims.
Impact of the policy
The birth rate in China has fallen since 1979, and the rate of population growth is now 0.7 per cent.
There have been negative impacts too - due to a traditional preference for boys, large numbers of
female babies have ended up homeless or in orphanages, and in some cases killed. In 2000, it was
reported that 90 per cent of foetuses aborted in China were female.
As a result, the gender balance of the Chinese population has become distorted. Today it is thought
that men outnumber women by more than 60 million.
Reading task
Read the articles provided and take notes using the recording table below:
Name of Source
(Source Type)
Date
Research Notes (key facts and how they will help you with your investigation)
Questions to consider about source
Name of Source
(Source Type)
Date
Research Notes (key facts and how they will help you with your investigation)
Questions to consider about source
Name of Source
(Source Type)
Date
Research Notes (key facts and how they will help you with your investigation)
Questions to consider about source
Features of discursive writing
You are going to use your research information to produce a piece of discursive writing. There are three basic
structures (ways of organising) for the discursive essay 


you argue strongly for a given discussion topic
you argue strongly against a given discussion topic
you argue about a given discussion topic in a balanced way.
The following basic structure should be employed for writing this essay.
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





Provide an interesting introduction.
Provide background information on the topic so the reader understands the context of the essay
State which argument you feel most strongly about but also make it clear that there are two-sides to this
argument. You will write about the one you feel strongly about first:
Present your first argument, with supporting evidence.
Present your second argument, with supporting evidence.
Present your third argument, with supporting evidence.
Present your fourth argument, with supporting evidence, and so on (the number of paragraphs like this will
depend on the number of arguments you can offer).
Indicate, in a single paragraph or more, that there is another side to this argument, with some idea of the
points likely to be made for the view(s) which are opposite to your own.
Provide a clear indication of your position, your stance in relation to the topic (are you 'for' or 'against' ?)
and conclude your essay.
The opening of an essay is important. It should capture the reader's attention in some way or another. It
should avoid being bland or dull. It should invite the reader to read on and create a sense of interest. If
the beginning is flat, it will not inspire your audience.
Methods of Opening a Discursive Essay
Provocative - e.g. “It is difficult to see how anyone can approve of fox hunting."
Balanced - e.g. “Fox hunting is a subject about which people hold strongly contrasting views."
Quotation - e.g. “Oscar Wilde once described fox hunting as 'The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable.'."
Illustration - e.g. “On a glorious autumn morning a terrified, exhausted animal is savaged to death by a pack of
baying dogs while a group of expensively dressed humans encourage the dogs in their bloody work."
Anecdote - e.g. “I have always detested fox hunting since I was almost physically sick while watching a television
film of the kill at the end of a hunt."
Connectives
Any well-written piece of discursive writing will flow as one continuous piece despite being made up of three or
four different arguments. One of the techniques which can help you to achieve this effectively is the use of linking
words. These words are used at the beginning of a new paragraph or to link ideas within a paragraph.
Same line of thought - e.g. - and, firstly, secondly etc., next, furthermore, likewise, in addition, similarly, also,
moreover.
Conclusion/summary - e.g. - thus, therefore, consequently, accordingly, in retrospect, hence, in conclusion, in
brief, as a result.
Definite statement - e.g. - without question, without doubt, unquestionably, absolutely.
Contrasting idea - e.g. - yet, on the other hand, nevertheless, however, although, conversely, otherwise, on the
contrary.
Further examples - because, for instance, since, for example, so that, despite the fact that, accordingly,
although, if, though, unless.
1 A subject which always arouses strong feelings on both sides of the
argument is the use of animals in medical research. I believe that,
though this may have been necessary in the past, other ways can be
developed to test drugs and, in the future, animals should not be
used.
2 One of my main reasons for saying this is that living tissues can be
grown in test tubes and new drugs can be tested on these. Computers
can also be programmed to show how medicines will react in the
human body.
3 Moreover, animals are not always like humans. They do not suffer
from all human diseases, so scientists have to give them the illnesses
artificially. The joints in rabbit legs are inflamed with chemicals to
help research in rheumatism. These tests do not always work because
animals do not react to drugs in the same way as humans. Aspirin, for
example, damages pregnant mice and dogs, but not pregnant women.
Arsenic, which is a deadly poison for humans, has no effect on sheep,
while penicillin, which is so valuable to humans, kills guinea pigs.
4 In addition, I believe that animal experiments should not be used
because of the unnecessary pain that they cause to animals. The
government introduced new rules about the use of animals in
experiments in 1986. Scientists claim that these rules safeguard
animals because they state that discomfort must be kept to a
minimum and that painkillers must be used where necessary and
appropriate. Surely this means, however, that scientists can still
decide not to use painkillers in the animal experiments because they
do not consider them appropriate. The British Union against
Vivisection claims that 75% of animals experimented on are given no
anaesthetic.
5 In spite of the claims of some scientists about the effectiveness of
animal research, the death rate in this country has stayed the same
over the last thirty years. There is also more long-term sickness, even
though greater numbers of animals are being used in research.
6 On the other hand, scientists claim that some experiments are so
small, for example giving an injection, that painkillers are not needed.
They also argue that experiments on animals have been very useful in
the past. For instance, the lives of ten million human diabetics have
been saved because of experiments with insulin on dogs. Dogs also
benefited, as the same drug can be used on them. In fact, a third of
medicines used by vets are the same as those used by doctors.
7 It is argued by researchers that the use of animals in experiments
cannot be replaced by methods using living tissue which has been
grown in test tubes. These tests do not show how the drugs work on
whole animals and so they only have limited effectiveness.
8 Although I accept that some drugs can be used on animals and
humans, this does not mean that they have to be tested on animals in
the first place when alternative methods are available. Alternative
methods do work. Various groups have been set up to put money into
other ways of researching. For example the Dr. Hadwen Trust has
shown how human cartilage can be grown in test tubes to study
rheumatism. Similar research is being done into cancer and multiple
sclerosis. Tests can be done on bacteria to see whether a chemical will
cause cancer. There is even a programme of volunteer human
researchers, where people suffering from illnesses offer to help in
research.
9 In conclusion, I accept that animal experiments have brought great
benefits in the past, but now money needs to be spent on developing
other methods of testing drugs and medical procedures, so that the
use of animals can be phased out altogether.
Paragraph
number
Purpose
Key questions to
consider
1
Introduction
What is China?
Where is China?
What is China like?
What do you think of
when you hear the word
‘China’?
What is this essay going
to be about?
2
Background
information
3
One Child Policy
What is China’s
population like?
Where do people live in
China (population
distribution)?
How is population
distribution linked to
physical geography?
Why has China’s
population grown so fast?
What problems has this
caused for China?
What is the One Child
Policy (OCP)?
When was the OCP
introduced?
Who introduced the OCP?
Why was the OCP
introduced?
How does the OCP work?
What rules were made
for the OCP? Incentives
offered?
Point(s) made (big/little)
Evidence
Keywords
Paragraph Purpose
number
Key questions to consider
4
What problems did the
OCP cause in China?
Arguments against
Why have these problems
been caused by the OCP?
How can the impacts of
the OCP be categorised?
 Social
 Economic
 Environmental
 Political
Are the impacts shortterm or long-term?
Are the impacts local,
national or global?
Who is affected?
Which is the worst
impact? Why?
Which is the least worst
impact? Why?
Point(s) made (big/little)
Evidence
Keywords
Paragraph Purpose
number
Key questions to consider
5
How has the OCP helped
China?
Arguments for
Has the rest of the world
benefitted from the
policy?
(see arguments against
for ideas about classifying
impacts)
6
Conclusion
What is your opinion on
the OCP? Why?
How sustainable has the
OCP been? (consider the
long-term impact and the
balance between social,
economic and
environmental)
Who else would have an
opinion on the OCP? Who
would agree with
you/disagree with you?
What could the future
solution be for China?
Are there any other
countries that have
successfully controlled
their population growth?
Point(s) made (big/little)
Evidence
Keywords
Opening your introduction
Method
Explanation
Example
Provocative
An opening statement
which provokes
thought/gives opinion.
e.g. “It is difficult to see
how anyone can approve
of fox hunting."
Balanced
An opening statement
that shows there are
two sides to the
argument.
An opening statement
with an important
quote from another
source.
An opening statement
which conjures up an
image in the mind of
the reader linked to
the topic.
e.g. “Fox hunting is a
subject about which
people hold strongly
contrasting views."
e.g. “Oscar Wilde once
described fox hunting as
'The unspeakable in
pursuit of the uneatable.'."
e.g. “On a glorious
autumn morning a
terrified, exhausted animal
is savaged to death by a
pack of baying dogs while
a group of expensively
dressed humans
encourage the dogs in
their bloody work."
e.g. “I have always
detested fox hunting since
I was almost physically
sick while watching a
television film of the kill at
the end of a hunt."
Quotation
Illustration
Anecdote
An opening statement
involving a personal
story related to the
topic.
Your ideas
Writing techniques
This school doesn’t have enough computers
for us to be successful. First, many rooms
don’t have any computers. This means we
can’t research information. Also some ICT
rooms don’t have enough PCs for each pupil
so we have to share. Finally, as we don’t use
PCs frequently, many of us don’t use them for
communication. This slows us down.
“BIG POINT, little point”
When providing a case you can make one big point (highlight
green) and then support this with 2-3 little points (highlight
red).
This means you develop the point you are making rather than
jumping from one idea to another without any depth.
The London 2012 Olympics were a great success for the
local people. The unemployment rate was reduced by 4%
due to the Olympics creating 5000 extra jobs in
construction and services. The reduction in
unemployment means more people are earning money
and so their quality of life will have improved. They will
also be taking fewer benefits from the government so this
money can be invested in other areas such as school and
hospitals for local people.
“Point, Evidence, Explain (PEE)”
After you have made a point (highlight red) you
then support the thing that you have said with a
piece of evidence (highlight orange). This proves
your point. It can be a number, quote, fact etc.
You then explain what your evidence shows and
why it is important (highlight green). How does it
support your point?
One Child Policy Assessment – Improving your level
Use this levels table for advice on how to improve the population assessment.
Section
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Section 1: The
background
Where is China?
What are its population
features?
Why does China have
problem with
overpopulation?
Simple description of
where China is and its
population problem.
Detailed description of
the geography of China
using keywords like relief,
environment, dense and
sparse.
Describes China’s
population problem using
dates.
As L4 but also includes a
detailed explanation of
why China has a
population problem.
As L5 but also explains
how China’s problems
could have affected other
places and what our
country thought about it.
Not applicable.
Section 2: The One Child
Policy
How did the policy work?
Was it successful?
Simple but accurate
description of the rules
and regulations (3-4
examples).
Detailed description of
the rules and regulations.
Uses 3-4 keywords (such
as registration, birth
certificate, spy, incentive)
As L4 but also detailed
explanation of how the
rules and regulations
worked. Explains whether
the policy worked or not.
As L5 but also detailed
explanation of how the
policy was used in
different situations.
Explains why other
countries were in favour.
Not applicable.
Section 3: Was the OCP
sustainable?
Criticisms and problems
Simple but accurate
description of the
problems caused by the
policy.
Detailed and accurate
description of the
problems caused by the
policy (uses 3-4 pieces of
evidence).
Detailed and accurate
explanation of why the
policy caused such
terrible problems (uses 34 pieces of evidence).
As L5 but also shows how
the rest of the world
began to object to the
policy and why.
As L6 but also discusses
the sustainability of the
policy.
Detailed summing up of
the China project.
Describes a way to help
China.
Detailed explanation of
the findings of the China
project. Gives a realistic
method of helping China
with its population
problem.
As L5 but also detailed
explanation of why
countries need to work
together on population
problems.
Explains why their
recommendation for
helping China is more
sustainable than the OCP.
Section 4: Conclusion and Simple summing up of
recommendations
the China project.
What do you think?
How would you solve
China’s problems
sustainably?
Population wordbox
DISTRIBUTION, DENSITY, POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE FACTORS, RESOURCES, UNEVEN
DENSELY, SPARSELY, URBAN, CONURBATION, RURAL, REMOTE, INACCESSIBLE, INFRASTRUCTURE
POPULATION EXPLOSION, BIRTH RATE, DEATH RATE, INFANT MORTALITY RATE, INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION
MYTH, REALITY, PROPAGANDA, MIGRATION, RURAL-URBAN, SEASONAL, INTERNATIONAL
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, LOCATION FACTORS
OVERPOPULATION, COMMUNISM, POLICY, ONE CHILD POLICY, RESOURCES, FAMINE, PLAGUE,
CONFLICT
OCP, STRATEGY, SPY, REGISTRATION, PERMISSION, PATRIOT, CERTIFICATE, MONITORING,
COERCION
HUMAN RIGHTS, ABORTION, TORTURE,
INFANTICIDE, PENSION, SUSTAINABLE
SUMMARY
RESOLUTION,
DISABILITY,
GENDER,