Component 3B – Global Politics
HOW TO: 30 MARK ESSAYS
Masterclass – Jal Patel
● 45 minutes
● The question stem will always be Evaluate the view…
● Both sides of the debate – give a fair balance however you must favour one side.
STRUCTURE
Introduction:
● Define key terms
● Give political context – why are they asking this question?
● Outline the main points you may cover
● Give a clear judgement
○ Don’t say “to an extent…” and sit on the fence.
Main body paragraphs:
● Point 1 – A significant point in favour of your argument, counterpoint and an interim
conclusion.
● Point 2 – A point in favour of your argument, counterpoint and an interim conclusion.
● Point 3 – Another point (maybe less significant) in favour of your argument, counterpoint
and an interim conclusion.
● Embedded judgements
○ The most important reason why…
○ A weaker argument that is often argued…
○ Giving priorities to some arguments over others.
● Analysis – significance, consequences, weaknesses, strengths, changes over time, or to
deconstruct your point, to show its impact and to link it to concepts and ideas.
○ Think about why examples are significant.
,Conclusion:
● Restate your clear judgement – give your main reason behind judgement
HOW TO WRITE AN A* ESSAY:
1. A strong introduction – give political context, define any key terms, set out the main
points of the debate, give a clear judgement.
2. Your judgement is sustained – start with your judgement, echo your judgement
throughout.
3. Use key terms
4. An intertwined debate – respond to your main point with the other side of the debate.
5. Deep analysis – significance of your point/examples?, strengths and weaknesses, links
6. A strong conclusion – restate your central argument, give main points behind your
judgement.
HOW TO GET TOP MARKS IN AO1:
● Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of political institutions, processes,
concepts, theories and issues.
● The key is having lots of good examples and explaining, not just using political terms
and concepts.
● Understanding is a key part of AO1 – define/explain political terms when you use them.
● The more specific and well-selected examples you have the higher your AO1 mark will
be.
HOW TO GET TOP MARKS IN AO2:
● Analyse aspects of politics and political information, including in relation to parallels,
connections, similarities and differences.
● AO2 is about your ability to compare points to counter-points, one type of an ideology
with another…
● Analysis – scrutiny and probing
● Candidates should form analytical views which support and reject the view presented by
the question.
○ They should look at different perspectives that arise from the view presented by
the question and show how these lay the foundations for a judgement.
HOW TO GET TOP MARKS IN AO3:
● Evaluate aspects of politics and political information, including to construct arguments,
make substantiated judgements and draw conclusions.
● It’s essential you run an argument through your whole essay going from the introduction
through to your conclusion.
● Make sure there is some nuance to your argument/judgement.
● Introduction – define the key terms in the question, set out the argument (the points and
counterpoints you are going to look at)
● Mini conclusions – each paragraph should have a mini conclusion.
, ● Which side of the debate wins?
● Why does it win?
● Rank in importance the analytical points (AO2) for
● Rank in importance the analytical points (AO2) against
● Think holistically and reason through the conclusion.
● Form and come to a judgement, based on evidence not a mere opinion.
● Discuss possible alternative constructive comments on reform/change to the
issue/debate. What is the likelihood of such change, and would it be
effective/successful?
HOW TO: 12 MARK ESSAYS
● You get a choice of two 12 mark questions on one of the 5 topics, excluding comparative
theories and a second compulsory 12-mark question on comparative theories.
○ Non-comparative theories 12 mark – will always ask you about 2 ideas,
institutions, issues or examples.
■ The question stem will start with ‘examine’
○ Comparative theories 12 mark – how realism and liberalism compare in their core
ideas OR how they link to issues arising out of the other 5 topics in global
politics.
■ The question stem will start with ‘analyse’
● Both questions are assessed with 6 marks for AO1 and 6 marks for AO2.
● You should aim to complete the questions in 15 minutes – 30 minutes for both.
STRUCTURE
● No introduction needed and you do not need to define terms.
● You need a ‘range of points’ – Jal Patel, you should have 3 paragraphs with one
crossover point (5 minutes paragraph)
○ ‘Examine the challenges faced by the EU and AU…
■ A challenge faced by the European Union is…
■ A challenge faced by the African Union is…
■ A challenge both organisations face are…
● Students have to reference both liberalism and realism in answering these questions.
○ Students have to make a connection to theorists in Component 1 Core Political
Ideas – otherwise your answer be capped at 9.
■ Typically will mean a reference to Hobbes and Locke.
AO1 – Knowledge and understanding
● 6 marks for AO1 – you have to incorporate ‘specific detail’.
○ The greater your detail, the higher the mark you are likely to receive.
○ It can also be important to be contemporary in your knowledge.
AO2 – Analysis
● 6 marks for AO2 – Analysis is significance.
● Analysis is showing significance, consequences, limitations, strengths, motivations,
making observations of changes over time, or to make links to concepts and ideas.
,C3.1 The state and globalisation
12 MARKERS:
1. Examine the ways in which the sovereignty of the nation-state has been challenged by
economic/political/cultural globalisation. (12) ✅
Economic globalisation Political globalisation Cultural globalisation
● States lose economic sovereignty ● Political globalisation involves the ● The internet makes it harder for
– increasing interconnectedness of participation of non-state actors in states to control the information
economies means that states can’t decisions affecting the nation- that citizens receive.
fully control their economies. state. ○ Facebook and Al-Jazeera
○ Government’s do not exert ○ The state is no longer played an important role in
control over the macro- autonomous in decision- provoking the Arab Spring
economic (large scale making. (2011).
economic factors) that they ● IGOs have weakened states ability ■ Undermined states
make. to operate as self-governing units. ability to control the
○ Globalisation of markets – ● Global problems operate beyond flow of information
1997 Asian financial crisis, borders, and cannot be resolved to their people.
2007-8 Global financial alone with just the state.
crisis. ○ Climate change, terrorism,
● States lose sovereignty to diseases.
economic IGOs – Bretton Woods
institutions.
○ Advance global free
markets and free trade.
○ SAPs implemented by the
IMF/WB – economic
growth is maximised by
free-market reforms and
free trade.
● Economic globalisation has
created a neoliberal consensus
that free trade creates greater
wealth and so all states should
engage with this economic model
, to achieve prosperity.
2. Examine the differences between cultural/political/economic and economic/political and cultural globalisation.
(12) ✅
Economic globalisation Political globalisation Cultural globalisation
● Economic globalisation is the ● Refers to the amount of political ● Refers to the sharing of ideas and
process by which the world’s cooperation that exists between information between and through
economy becomes more closely different countries. different countries.
connected. ● Since states still value domestic ● Cultural globalisation has the
○ Greater flow of goods, political hegemony – political potential to provide us with greater
services and capital. globalisation has not penetrated choice.
● Greater global commitment to free as deeply as economic
trade and free markets has globalisation.
encouraged this connectivity. ● IGOs have weakened states ability
○ Principles of the to operate as self-governing units.
Washington Consensus ● Global problems operate beyond
(1989) advanced by the borders, and cannot be resolved
Bretton Woods institutions. alone with just the state.
● Refers to the interconnectedness ○ Climate change, terrorism,
of economies through trade and diseases.
the exchange of resources.
3. Examine the difference between hyperglobalizers and globalisation sceptics. (12) ✅
* 2020 Paper – https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/A-Level/Politics/2017/Exam-materials/
9PL0_3B_msc_20201217.pdf
Hyperglobalizers Globalisation sceptics
● Hyperglobalizers believe globalisation is new, real and ● Globalisation sceptics believe we are seeing regionalism
everywhere. rather than globalisation.
● Belief that globalisation drives an integrated economy ● Don’t believe that we are moving to global capitalism for
with the prospect of prosperity for all. the benefit of all.
○ Since 1989, the collapse of communism and the ○ Arguably, the benefits of globalisation are only
