About This Subject
This subject is not mainly a knowledge-based subject like Biology, History or Geography.
A student is not expected to memorise detailed facts about climate change, migration, healthcare, sport, technology and all the other syllabus topics. Cambridge states that the topics provide contexts in which students develop skills, while knowledge of topic content is not assessed. It also says students are not expected to have experience of every topic.
1: Core Concepts And Global Perspectives Skills
2: Research Methods, Evidence And Source Evaluation
3: Written Exam Preparation
4: The Individual Report
5: The Team Project
6: Global Topics 1–8
7: Global Topics 9–15
8: Global Topics 16–22
9: Practice Tasks, Model Responses And Checklists
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Learning Objectives
- Distinguish facts, opinions, predictions and generalisations.
- Assess evidence for relevance, sufficiency, representativeness and currency.
- Compare statistical evidence, expert evidence and personal testimony.
- Explain why correlation alone does not prove causation.
Key Terms
- Fact
- A statement that can be checked against evidence and shown to be accurate or inaccurate.
- Opinion
- A belief or judgement that may be supported by reasons but cannot be verified in the same way as a factual claim.
- Prediction
- A statement about what may happen in the future.
- Generalisation
- A broad claim made about a group or pattern, often from limited examples.
- Representative evidence
- Evidence drawn from a sample or source that reasonably reflects the wider group being discussed.
- Corroboration
- Support gained when independent sources or forms of evidence agree.
- Correlation
- A relationship in which two variables change together, without necessarily showing that one causes the other.
Recognising Different Statements
A fact is testable, but it is not automatically true merely because it is written as a fact. The source, method and context still need checking. An opinion expresses a judgement. A prediction uses present evidence to suggest a future outcome. A generalisation extends a claim from some cases to a wider group.
In Global Perspectives, students should identify the type of statement and then evaluate the support. A well-supported opinion may be more persuasive than an unsupported factual claim.
Main Types Of Evidence
Statistical evidence can show scale, frequency or trends. Expert evidence can explain technical issues, but expertise should be relevant to the question. Personal testimony can reveal lived experience and impacts that large data sets may hide, though one person may not represent everyone. Case studies provide depth but may not transfer to other contexts.
Documents, photographs, maps, experiments, surveys, interviews and official records can all provide evidence. The best evidence depends on the claim being tested.
A Practical Evidence Test
Ask five questions. Is the evidence relevant to the exact claim? Is there enough evidence? Is it representative of the group or place being discussed? Is it current enough for the issue? Can it be corroborated by an independent source or another method?
Also check how the evidence was produced. A large number is not useful when the method is unclear. A graph can mislead through a shortened axis, selective dates or missing units.
Correlation And Causation
If two trends occur together, one may cause the other, both may be caused by a third factor, or the relationship may be coincidental. For example, students who read more may achieve higher grades, but family support, prior attainment or access to resources could influence both reading and achievement.
A causal claim becomes stronger when there is a plausible mechanism, the cause occurs before the effect, alternative explanations are considered and findings are repeated in different settings.
Worked Example: A Survey Claim
A website reports that 82 per cent of its readers support remote work. The percentage appears precise, but the sample may consist mainly of people already interested in flexible work. The survey may be voluntary, allowing people with strong opinions to respond. It therefore may not represent all workers.
A stronger investigation would use a clearly defined population, a more representative sample, neutral questions and transparent information about response rate and date.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming that a numerical claim is reliable because it includes a percentage.
- Rejecting personal testimony completely instead of recognising its value and limitations.
- Treating a prediction as a confirmed fact.
- Claiming that one variable causes another merely because both increased together.
Knowledge Check
1. Why can a fact still require evaluation?
Answer: The statement may be inaccurate, outdated, taken out of context or based on a weak source.
2. What makes evidence representative?
Answer: The sample or source reasonably reflects the wider group about which the claim is made.
3. Why is corroboration useful?
Answer: Agreement between independent sources or methods reduces reliance on a single possibly weak source.
4. What is the difference between correlation and causation?
Answer: Correlation shows variables changing together; causation means one factor produces or contributes to the other.
