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
- Explain how sampling affects the quality of primary research.
- Design neutral and understandable survey or interview questions.
- Identify ethical responsibilities when collecting evidence from people.
- Recognise limitations in locally collected data.
Key Terms
- Population
- The complete group about which the researcher wants to draw conclusions.
- Sample
- The smaller group from which evidence is actually collected.
- Representative sample
- A sample that reasonably reflects important features of the wider population.
- Sampling bias
- A systematic distortion caused when some members of the population are more likely to be selected than others.
- Closed question
- A question with a limited set of possible answers.
- Open question
- A question that allows the participant to answer in their own words.
- Informed consent
- Agreement to participate after understanding the purpose and nature of the research.
Population And Sample
It is rarely possible for a student to ask every person affected by an issue. The researcher therefore chooses a sample. The sample should be large enough and varied enough for the intended purpose, while remaining practical.
A sample of students from one high-performing class cannot represent every student in a school. A survey shared only through one social-media account may exclude people who use different platforms. Students should describe who was included, how participants were selected and who may have been missed.
Writing Better Survey Questions
Questions should be clear, neutral and focused on one idea at a time. “Do you agree that the expensive and unreliable bus service should be improved?” is leading and contains two issues. A neutral version might ask participants to rate cost and reliability separately.
Closed questions are easy to count and compare, while open questions provide reasons and detail. A useful survey may combine both. Response options should cover realistic answers and should include “other” or “not sure” where appropriate.
Conducting Interviews
Interviews allow follow-up questions and can reveal why a person holds a perspective. The interviewer should prepare a short guide but listen carefully and ask for clarification when needed. Questions should not pressure participants or challenge them aggressively.
Interview evidence should be recorded accurately through notes or, with permission, audio recording. The student should distinguish the participant’s words from the student’s interpretation and avoid selecting only quotations that support one side.
Observation And Ethics
Observation can record traffic, litter, queue length, accessibility or use of public space. The researcher should decide in advance what will be recorded, where, when and for how long. Different times or locations may produce different results.
Participants should be treated respectfully. Consent may be required, personal information should be protected and sensitive questions should be avoided unless necessary and approved. Research should never create harm, embarrassment or risk.
Worked Example: Student Travel Survey
A school wants to understand why few students cycle. A strong sample includes different year groups, neighbourhoods and genders rather than only members of a cycling club. Questions could ask about distance, safety, cost, storage and weather without suggesting that cycling is the best option.
The report should state limitations. Students who were absent did not respond, and attitudes in one school may not represent the whole city. These limitations do not make the survey useless, but they affect the strength of the conclusions.
Common Mistakes
- Using only friends or easily available participants and calling the sample representative.
- Combining two questions into one item and making the answers difficult to interpret.
- Using leading wording that encourages the preferred response.
- Publishing names or sensitive personal information without permission.
Knowledge Check
1. What is the difference between a population and a sample?
Answer: The population is the whole group of interest; the sample is the smaller group from which data is collected.
2. Why are leading questions a problem?
Answer: They can influence responses and create biased evidence.
3. Give one advantage of an open question.
Answer: It allows participants to explain reasons and provide detail in their own words.
4. What should a student do with limitations in primary research?
Answer: State them clearly and explain how they affect the strength or generalisability of the findings.
