Example Candidate Responses

Component 3
Cambridge International AS & A Level
Global Perspectives and Research 9239
For examination from 2017

Version 2
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Contents

Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 2

Assessment at a glance .................................................................................................... 3

Component 3 – Team project ............................................................................................ 4

Introduction

Introduction

The main aim of this booklet is to exemplify standards for those teaching Cambridge International AS & A
Level Global Perspectives and Research (9239), and to show how different levels of candidates’
performance relate to the subject’s curriculum and assessment objectives.

In this booklet candidate responses have been chosen to exemplify a range of answers. Each response is
accompanied by a brief commentary explaining the strengths and weaknesses of the answers.

For ease of reference the following format for each component has been adopted:

Question

Mark scheme

Example candidate
response

Examiner comment

Each question is followed by an extract of the mark scheme used by examiners. This, in turn, is followed by
examples of marked candidate responses, each with an examiner comment on performance. Comments are
given to indicate where and why marks were awarded, and how additional marks could have been obtained.
In this way, it is possible to understand what candidates have done to gain their marks and what they still
have to do to improve their marks.

This document illustrates the standard of candidate work for those parts of the assessment which help
teachers assess what is required to achieve marks beyond what should be clear from the mark scheme.
Some question types where the answer is clear from the mark scheme, such as short answers and multiple
choice, have therefore been omitted.

Past papers, Examiner Reports and other teacher support materials are available on the School Support
Hub at www.cambridgeinternational.org/support

2 Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239

 Assessment at a glance

Assessment at a glance

Teachers are reminded that the latest syllabus is available on our public website at
www.cambridgeinternational.org and the School Support Hub at www.cambridgeinternational.org/
support

Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239 3

Component 3 – Team project

Component 3 – Team project

This set of Example Candidate Responses for AS Global Perspectives (9239) Component 3 reflects the
structure of the team project. Candidates are required to produce two pieces of individual work: a
presentation which is delivered to an audience and a reflective paper on the process of their work and their
collaboration with the others in their team. Each is marked using a separate marking grid and the two marks
are combined together to produce a final candidate folder mark. For each marking level, therefore, this set of
responses contains a presentation and a reflective paper at that level. Sometimes they are from the same
candidate when they have produced work at the same level, sometimes they are from different candidates.
In this way, it can also be seen that each piece of work is separately marked, and material produced for the
presentation cannot also be credited for the reflective paper, and vice versa.

A comment is also necessary on levels. There are five assessment criteria for the presentation and two for
the reflective paper. Each criterion is assigned a Level from 1 to 5 when marking. The reflective paper is
marked according to two criteria. An overall mark for each of the presentation and the reflective paper is
awarded by taking into account the different levels for each criterion and forming a judgement on the best fit
overall. Thus, there is a clear relationship between the levels achieved and the mark awarded.

Centres are also strongly encouraged to read the Principal Examiner’s Reports for each series for this
component alongside these example responses and commentaries. The Report for the June 2015 series is
particularly useful as it provides a detailed analysis of each marking criterion at varying levels of
achievement.

Presentation

Mark scheme

4 Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239

 Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 5

The presentation video is available at https://player.vimeo.com/

Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239 5

Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 5, continued

6 Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239

 Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 5, continued

Presentation transcript
Hi, I’ll be talking to you about providing sustainable food sources for those in need, specifically through the

solution of urban agriculture. So first let’s establish the problem. Food insecurity is the state of being without

a significant quantity of affordable and nutritious food. This is a really pervasive and widespread problem. 1

in 9 people don’t have enough food to live a healthy life and 3.1 million children die every year from

malnutrition. It exists in every region of the world and is a really relevant and pressing problem that needs a

solution. My group mates are going to discuss the solutions of aquaponics and genetically modified crops,

but I will be talking about urban agriculture. So this is the practice of cultivating, processing, and transporting

food in or around a village, city or town. So it’s basically like traditional farming in an urban environment. It

solves the problem of food insecurity by obviously providing food for people, but also provides community

empowerment which is something I’ll talk about later. And not only is it providing access to food, but it’s

providing access to healthy food. The benefits of urban agriculture can be viewed through three different

categories: the economic benefits, the environmental benefits, and the societal benefits.

First, let’s talk about the economic benefits. Farming provides jobs, but more so than that, it can

save people money. U.S. citizens have pretty consistently saved about $100 a month just by growing their

on produce. Here at home in Gainesville, FL it’s created a niche in the economy which is our farmers’

markets. In New York City, rooftop gardens have become a really big tourist attraction which brings in money

to that community. In Hyderabad, India households saved about 20% of their income by using urban

agriculture.

Some of the environmental benefits are the most important aspects of urban agriculture. It has much

less of an environmental impact due to the reduced transportation which is really important. Rooftop gardens

specifically can heat and cool a building which lessens the need for heating and cooling systems and those

produce a lot of air pollution. Urban agriculture also recycles wastewater–more effectively sometimes than

plants created specifically for that purpose. Urban farming is actually responsible for recycling 10% of

wastewater around the world. Our current methods of providing food use an enormous amount of energy

and water and contribute to habitat loss, so it’s really important that we change our focus to something more

sustainable throughout the years to come.

Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239 7

Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 5, continued

Societally, urban agriculture also has a lot of really important benefits. It empowers communities to take

control of what they’re eating which is especially important for people living in poorer areas where sometimes

their only access to food is the gas station down the street which is obviously not going to provide them the

nutrition to lead a healthy lifestyle. It’s also important for aesthetic and leisure purposes, specifically rooftop

gardens. It can give purpose and nutritional knowledge to a younger generation. A great example of this is

the Joshua Group in Harrisburg Pennsylvania which provides inner-city youth with jobs in farming. So not

only is it providing a source of income, but it’s also providing the nutritional knowledge and education for

these people to live healthy lives and hopefully pass that knowledge on to their children.

You can really see the success of urban farming locally, here in the U.S. and especially here at

home in Gainesville, Fl. I mentioned before that we have a really thriving urban agriculture community and

this is because county planners have changed development codes to encourage keeping chickens and

communal gardens and having farmers’ markets. In the United States, we’ve installed 8.5 million square feet

of rooftop gardens as of June of 2008 and that number has continued to skyrocket in the years after that. I

mentioned the Joshua Group, and something really cool about that organization is that they’re supported by

the Department of Agriculture through land grants and funding and things like that which really shows the

government has taken an initiative to support urban agriculture.

Globally, you can also see the success of urban farming. In Zimbabwe, two thirds of the population

use urban agriculture as their main source of sustenance which is really great, and what’s even greater is

that the government devoted 64,000 hectares of land to urban farming and 1 hectare equals 10,000 square

meters so that’s about 640 million square meters. In Cuba, 80% of vegetables are grown in cities which is

really incredible.

There are still steps we need to take, though. City planners need to change development codes to

further encourage the things I discussed earlier, and organizations like the Joshua Group need to become

more popular so that they can pass along the education necessary to live a healthy lifestyle and know how to

start urban farming in your own home or community. Governments need to emphasize the benefits of urban

farming. This is especially important in developing countries where a majority of the citizens still believe

urban farming to be unnatural or less efficient overall than traditional farming which is simply not true.

So why is this so important? Well, it’s a really well-rounded solution. I talked about how it attacks the

environmental, economic, and societal causes of food insecurity and things that result from food insecurity.

8
Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239
 Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 5, continued

More than that though, to solve a problem as enormous and global as hunger, the solution cannot be

imposed upon the people by the government; it has to start with the citizens and really actively involve them.

Urban agriculture is founded in the principles that regular people like you or me are more than capable of

creating meaningful and long-lasting change in the context of world hunger and urban agriculture. It’s really

our responsibility to future generations to find a more sustainable way of providing food and I believe that

urban agriculture holds that hope for a better future for us, and I hope that we make it a priority. Thank you

for listening.

Examiner comment – Level 5

 The candidate clearly identifies and explains her group’s issue of food insecurity from the outset and
throughout the presentation. The research presented is concisely delivered but dense and detailed,
meeting the requirements for Level 5.
 Her own perspective, or possible solution, is effectively focused on urban agriculture which is
explicitly contrasted with named alternative perspectives taken by other members of her team (such
as aquaponics and genetic modification). Not only this, she also contextualises her approach against
broader economic, environmental and social perspectives. These sharp differentiations within a
number of areas also produce Level 5 achievement.
 That movement from the economic, to the environmental to the social also produces an effective
structure for her presentation, which then allows her to provide effective case studies from a local
then a global context. The combined effect of this is to produce a logically structured and coherent
argument which also merits Level 5.
 Her conclusion is thoroughly justified in the final minute of her presentation and firmly located in the
arguments and evidence she has previously presented in her presentation as a whole. It is an
effective solution and thus achieves Level 4; for Level 5, clear innovation would also be required
within the context of the problem.
 The candidate’s communication methods were also effective: she engages her audience by
speaking fluently without notes, using arm gestures in a focused and expressive way and interacting
with well-chosen images using a pointer. Her intonation is also meaningfully integrated with her
content being delivered and also helps to engage the audience. There may have been some further
opportunities for creativity, but what has been achieved here meets the criteria for Level 4.

Total mark awarded: 23 out of 25

This candidate response fits with the middle of Level 5. A mark at the top of Level 5 could not be
awarded because the response lacked innovation and could have been more creative. A mark in the
middle of Level 5 is appropriate and the best fit.

Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239 9

Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 4

The presentation video is available at https://player.vimeo.com/video/147700139

Presentation transcript
SLIDE 1
Over the past school year my team and I have been assessing the question of should awareness be
increased to prevent sexism against women in future generations.

SLIDE 2
We first came across the issue of sexism while looking through a local newspaper, the Palm Beach Post.
The Palm Beach Post is the 7th largest newspaper in the state of Florida and is known statewide as a
reliable paper. The particular article we examined was written by Brian Biggane, who has been a sports
writer for the newspaper for 29 years and thus has a vested interest in writing the truth for if not then he can
lose his job. In the article “PGA of America removes its president for sexist remarks”, he said that Ted Bishop
made a comment on Twitter that a golfer sounds like “a little school girl squealing during recess.” This
remark by the PGA president received multiple outcries saying it was sexist against women and eventually
led to Ted bishop losing his presidency. Once we were introduced to the issue, we came across two
opposing views to our question.

SLIDE 3
The first source we viewed helped get a picture of what sexism really is. According to girl guiding.org sexism
is the “prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex.” We judged
girl guiding to be a credible source because it is the largest girl youth organization in the UK with over 500,00
members, and is globally known and respected. One statistic from the girl’s attitude survey was that 60% of
girls age 16-21 have been made to feel stupid because of their sex. This along with the other statistics from
the survey shows the impact sexism has on young girls today.

SLIDE 4
Another source that supports the need for further sexism awareness was the article “Valley of Dudes” from
the Economist. The economists is an international website known for its liberal views, thus may be somewhat
bias on this issue. The article was about how women are discriminated against in the workplace based off of
their gender. Women were excluded from a dinner with Al gore on the excise that they would kill the buzz.
Furthermore, this article states in Silicon Valley, women find it hard to break into tight men circles and often
feel unwelcome. Another source similar to these findings was the UN Women Google searches. UN Women
may have slight biased towards exaggerating the effects of sexism due to it explicitly trying to promote
women's rights, but the study conducted by them has hard irrefutable evidence, thus we take its findings as
being credible. The study conducted was typing, “women shouldn't” into Google search bars and seeing the
suggested results that would come up. Such phrases as “should not vote, or should not have rights” are just
a few of the sexist comments made against women. These two sources show the extent of women in today’s
society and how little respect they experience in the world.

SLIDE 5
Another reason for sexism awareness is that sexism is ingrained in society without many people realizing it.
For example, according to the UNFPA 100 to 400 million females have undergone (FGC) female genital
mutilation, with 3 million more girls at risk this year. FGC is the act of cutting external female genetilia for
non-medical reasons in such places as Africa and Asia. FGC is carried out to control a woman’s sexuality,
for religious reasons, or acts as a prerequisite for marriage. This act puts men’s needs above women’s and
violates their rights to their own bodies. The UNFPA is an organization that promotes the right of every man
and woman to enjoy equal opportunities in life with no bias towards favoring one gender over the other.
Moreover, the UNFPA works alongside governments and United Nations agencies, ensuring its credibility.

10 Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239

 Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 4

SLIDE 6
However, in our research we found many sources that claimed sexism against women does not need more
awareness. One source was the article “The real sexism problem” which states that men are between 40 to
70% of domestic violence victims yet only have less than 1% of domestic violence shelters. Men’s lives are
also given less value in emergency situations, with women being the first to be saved over men. However,
this article did not cite its sources, thus I cannot accurately say if the information is credible. However, this
website was biased towards debunking feminism and thus took on an aggressive manner towards women's
issues.

SLIDE 7
Two other sources we found against increase awareness were about the myth of woman in the work place.
According to “the myth of the glass ceiling” the author states that it is much easier today for woman to rise in
the workplace than it was in the past. The author further states that if a glass ceiling actually did exist then
she has broken it multiple times. She goes on to say that women are holding themselves back from
succeeding by creating fake sexist barriers and that women are just not prepared to work as hard as men
are. Similar to this the article “My New career matriarch” supports this claim and the powerful women
interviewed in the story all agreed that women need to face the hardships and get on with it. However these
two sources were both from women whose experiences were from the past and times are different now.
Moreover, both sources are from women's perspectives but do not consider women’s global issues.

SLIDE 8
The last source we used to support that sexism awareness does not need to be increased was the article
“Self- entitled women” found on psypost.org. Psypost is a scientific website dedicated to reporting honest
research related to human society and has a strong reputation in the science community as a trustworthy
outlet. The article was about a study conducted by the University of Auckland and found that women with a
greater sense of entitlement were more likely to feel that “Women should be cherished and protected by
men.” This is an example of how benevolent sexism is accepted by many females and how females use
sexism to their own advantage.

SLIDE 9/ 10
In conclusion, on one side of the awareness debate is that women are discriminated against in their careers,
undermined in society by not being as worthy of rights as men are, and have their rights to their own bodies
taken away. On the contrary, the opposing articles claim males have it worse in society than females, women
need to toughen up, and that many women use sexism to their own advantage. After doing my research on
the sexism issue and evaluating the two sides, I would have to say that awareness should be increased to
prevent sexism against women in future generations.

SLIDE 11
My team and I saw how culture and the limitation of education has played a large part in the sexist roles of
society based off of the UNFPA article. We believe that a lot of discrimination against women is due to lack
of education and understanding between the capabilities of the genders. We thus all agreed that one solution
to end sexism against women is to teach equality among all genders in nations where females are seen as
subordinate to males. We will do this by implementing a loose curriculum on the fundamentals of human
rights, such as the one suggested by girlsguiding.org and to promote peacefulness to end violence against
women.
Furthermore based off of the study conducted by the university of Auckland where it found women accept
benevolent sexism and the role of needing to be protected by a man, I think that women need to be
empowered themselves and realize their own capabilities. Sexism against women will never end if women
themselves don’t ever realize it needs to end as well. I believe that by creating a mentoring program, such as
one similar to the VSO program where an under-performing student was matched with a “big sister” mentor,
that women can then be inspired by other strong female role models. The more confidence instilled in the
female population the stronger woman can become in future generations and believe that they can do
anything they set their mind to, proving sexists wrong.

Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239 11

Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 4, continued

I believe that both of these solutions are a start to ending sexism against women and that the future
generation looks promising for being free of discrimination.

Examiner comment – Level 4

 The issue here is the social problem of sexism against women. From the initial definition onwards,
this issue is discussed on the basis of detailed and varied research from a number of contrasting
sources on information, meriting Level 5.
 It is unclear, however, from the presentation, how the candidate’s approach to the topic differs from
that of the other members of her team, meaning that the presentation achieves Level 2 on the next
criterion.
 Clear reference to other possible approaches, including those within the team, would have supported
the mark here. However, the presentation as a whole is well-structured and argued with consistent
lines of reasoning, organised around the evidence for and against increasing awareness and
meriting Level 4 for this aspect.
 Although not innovative, the proposed solution of increasing awareness is delivered in a detailed and
well-supported way, making it effective and also achieving at Level 3/4
 Presentational methods have some effectiveness: the candidate makes an effort to achieve eye
contact, has some international range and uses some effective images in support, giving Level 3 for
the final criterion.

Total mark awarded: 18 out of 25

This candidate response fits with the middle of Level 4. There is inconsistent achievement across the
levels with some at Level 2 and some at Level 3. This means that it would be difficult to award a mark
at the top of Level 4 and that the best fit is a mid-way Level 4 mark.

12 Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239

 Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 3

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Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 3, continued

Presentation transcript

Slide 1:

Good morning/afternoon, my name is __________, and my research question is -

Does humanity have ecological ways of disposing waste

I’m going to be talking about ‘Industrial’ Waste. These days, the world is growing at an ever- increasing rate.
Skyscrapers multiply by the second as economies grow, yet the unfortunate byproduct of this is the vast
amount of waste that we humans produce. This toxic waste is harmful for both our present and future, and
industrial waste may perhaps be the most dangerous variant. Industrial waste poses threats on multiple
levels, and evaluating its potential solutions is of great importance in the world we live in.

2nd Slide:

Lack of effective policies and poor enforcement drive allowed many industries to bypass laws made by
pollution control board which results in mass scale pollution which affects the lives of people. To avoid high
cost and expenditure, many companies still make use of traditional technologies to produce products. Many
small scale industries and factories that don’t have enough capital and rely on government grants to run their
businesses, however it still releases large amount of toxic gases in the atmosphere. Water pollution and soil
pollution are often caused directly due to inefficiency in disposal of waste. As a result, polluted air and water
causes chronic health problems, making the issue of industrial pollution into a severe one. Industries do
require large amount of raw material to make them into finished goods. This requires extraction of minerals
from beneath the earth. This causes soil pollution if spilt on.

3rd Slide:

Most industries require large amounts of water for their work. When involved in a series of processes, the
water comes into contact with a lot of harmful chemicals or radioactive waste.
These are either dumped into open oceans or rivers. As a result, many of our water sources have high
amount of industrial waste in them which seriously impacts the health of our eco-system.
Soil pollution is creating problems in agriculture and destroying local vegetation. It also causes chronic health
issues to the people that come in contact with such soil on a daily basis.
Air pollution has led to a steep increase in various illnesses and it continues to affect us on a daily basis
taking tolls on lives of many.

The issue of industrial pollution shows us that it causes natural rhythms and patterns to fail, meaning that the
wildlife is getting affected in a severe manner. Habitats are being lost, species are becoming extinct and it is
harder for the environment to recover from each natural disaster. This all leads to Global warming.
4th slide:

In India, much of the urban population is mainly affected by industrial pollution. The Urban sides are the most
suitable areas to dig up landfill to dispose, damaging the ecosystem all around and disturbing near by
residents. A lot of deaths have occurred ever since the landfills are being located at urban areas due to
tuberculosis and respiratory illnesses. The Government isn’t encouraged enough to effectively control
industrial wastage.

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 Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 3, continued

5th Slide:

Carbon emissions worldwide are extremely high, and continue to rise. Between 2005 and 2010, global
carbon emissions rose from below 30 million kilotonnes of CO2 to almost 34 million kilotonnes. Oil spills still
occur- the most devastating being the 2010 oil spill off the Gulf of Mexico. this all formed a toxic layer which
killed hundred and thousands of birds and underwater creatures.

Solution:

Clearly, the effects of industrial waste can be deadly, and therefore it is of great importance that solutions are
both found and implemented before it is too late. There may be several such solutions- including Legislation,
Moral and Social Incentives, Financial Incentives and Advertising. Legislation, very simply, refers to laws that
may be passed by governments. Governments can impose laws that either restrict the amount of hazardous
waste a firm is legally allowed to produce, or enforce certain waste disposal methods firms must carry out,
which may be more eco-friendly. Legislation offers a fairly direct way of solving the issue, but it has its flaws
as well. While it may virtually ensure positive action is taken, in countries where corruption is rampant, it may
be quite toothless. Laws passed may also have a chance of being overly harsh on a country's people-
solving the issue of industrial waste at the cost of the people's livelihoods. Financial Incentives are an
alternative approach, which may take several forms.

Subsidies may be provided by the government to firms which do not produce much toxic waste, therefore
causing firms to want to reduce the industrial waste they produce. Alternatively, taxes may be imposed on
firms which produce high amounts of waste. Firms will want to avoid these taxes and therefore try and
reduce their wastage. Either of these may be financial incentives, and can tackle the growing issue of
industrial waste. Financial Incentives may be effective as they can be easy to implement and may be
economically efficient (as they internalize the issue of wastage), but tax evasion is certainly not unheard of.
Much like laws, taxes may also be too harsh, costing local businesses dearly. Should taxes be too light
however, they may have no real effect whatsoever.

Social Incentives differ from Financial incentives, but may also provide a solution to the issue of industrial
waste. As opposed to provided monetary gains to firms that deal with waste well, governments may provide
firms official recognition for doing the same, and, should this recognition be valued highly, this would act as a
strong incentive for firms to efficiently deal with their waste. Social incentives may be far cheaper to
implement than financial incentives, and are unlikely to be at the cost of economic growth, should they not be
valued too highly, they may be entirely ineffective.

Advertisement may be another way to help solve this grave issue. Through constant advertising campaigns,
governments may be able to convince their people for the need of efficient waste disposal methods by firms.
Due to public pressure, firms are then likely to choose to minimize their waste produced. Advertisement may
be powerful in this way, yet unfortunately it may not be entirely effective all the time, as it may simply fail to
convince people fully.

There are several solutions to the issue of industrial waste. Unfortunately, for all their positives, they all have
drawbacks as well. Yet in a world far from perfect, can we really wait for the 'perfect' solution to fall in our
laps?

Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239 15

Component 3 – Team project

Examiner comment – Level 3

 This presentation focuses on the ecologically-sound disposal of waste as its issue, which it goes
some way towards clearly defining. Specific evidence here would have made its research base more
detailed and clearer here and would have supported the general outlining of issues. The
presentation therefore achieves Level 3 on the first criterion.
 In referring to his own perspective as the specific demands of industrial waste as the ‘most serious’
category of human-generated waste and makes some reference to other kinds of waste, giving it
Level 3 also on this criterion.
 There is some structure, listing different aspects and solutions for the waste issue which generates
some argument, but more detailed support and connections between points would have moved this
aspect beyond its achievement of Level 2: Level 2/3
 It is positive that a reasonable amount of space is devoted within the context of the presentation to a
listing and discussion of possible solutions, and these clear proposals, linked to what has gone
before, allow for a Level 3 conclusion.
 Presentational methods lack effectiveness, principally because the candidate reads throughout from
his script and does not tend to engage his audience through eye contact or intonation. It achieved
Level 2.

Total mark awarded: 13 out of 25

This candidate response fits with the middle of Level 3. This is a mixed Level 2 and 3 response
meaning that a mark at the top of Level 3 could not be justified. A mid-way mark in that Level is
appropriate.

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 Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 2

The presentation video is available at https://player.vimeo.com/video/147568211

Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239 17

Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 2, continued

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Example candidate response – Level 2, continued

Presentation transcript

So in this global perspective group project, I’ve chosen the topics water and electricity waste or usage. During this
project, I am going to have a very short introduction and then I am going to go on to water waste and then break it
down a little bit, but I’m going to focus on here, in school, mainly and then maybe kind of vary it out. Then I’m going to
go on to electricity and kind of break it down there and then in the end, I will see if there is any questions and then I will
take it from there and I will answer you guys as far as I can.

So in the introduction: I wanted to talk about this because it has been a real hassle, especially because coming from a
very hot country, it has been sort of hard to keep track on water and then here it is pretty different and in a way it is
kind of a hassle when you kind of think about how much water we actually waste even though you don’t really think
about it. So, in a way we waste about 80-100 gallons of water each day and this mostly consists of for example
flushing toilets and washing hands, brushing teeth.

So, starting off with water waste: as you can see I have put down some points, although it might be pretty hard to see,
but I have put down as example leakage, which uses up 10 000 of gallons of water each year. Overflow is about 2000-
20 000 gallons as well each year, and then running tabs or showers uses up about 315 litres and then laundry, as last,
150 litres. And then what can we do to save water? Well, for example, with leakage you can repair it as far as you can.
When you experience leakage it is best to get it repaired or repair it by yourself. Turn off tabs when you are not using
it. You use a tremendous amount of water if you brush your teeth for example and you let the tab running.

There is what we have rainwater tanks, in which you can collect water and then purify it so we can use it to drink or to
clean ourselves. And then something we don’t really remember to do, but like if you have got a pool and you if you live
in a hot place like Africa or Portugal or anywhere else, then you should cover your pools because then that prevents the
sun to heat to evaporate the water.

How does this affect our health? It kind of affects our health in various ways, for example, our bodies, because our
bodies depend on water and if you don’t have enough water or if you don’t have clean water that can affect us. As well
as money, because money kind of costs a lot of money so it is a shame to let it all go to waste.

Over here (points) is an example from my room. I don’t know how many times, but this is a picture from a long time
ago though, an overflow that we had. It was a very big hassle to get rid of, and it wasted tons and tons of water, which
is a shame.

And then here you can see there is a pie chart, which shows some examples that I have already given and then it shows
the percentages as well of how much water we use. But in the end, all pipes lead to the ocean!

And then moving on to electricity usage, as you can see I have broken it down. We mostly use electronics when it
comes to electricity, for example computers Or kettles or any kitchen utensils and as you can see about 33.57 billion
KW per hour and we get a lot of this electricity or electric energy from windmills that we have here which is lucky
because we have got so many here in Denmark so it provides us a lot of electricity but then again we should still look
after it. And then moving on the saving electricity we can use more candles or fire fuelled lamps, we can try to
remember to turn off our electronics, for example turn off the charger or the kettle or anything. And then something
that I have noticed here in school is that we tend to leave lights on, especially when we have lights provided from the
outside. That was something I just had to put in. And then again how does this affect our health? Again it affects the
money; it does cost a lot. But also if we leave things on, it could actually come as a result as harmful to our bodies.

This is again a chart that I have put in to show the rise of how much money throughout the years. And as much energy
that we have used. This shows Germany, Netherlands and Denmark.

Is there any questions?

Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239 19

Component 3 – Team project

Examiner comment – Level 2

 This presentation is strongest when it defines its issue as water and electricity usage. Some research
has clearly been done in support of this as the candidate provides some evidenced examples of
water wastage (and later in the presentation, electricity usage). It achieved Level 3.
 These points tend to be stated descriptively, so the candidate finds it difficult to develop a clear
perspective on their own, and there is no reference to how that perspective might compare with
others in their group, or other research perspectives. This limits the second criterion to Level 1,
 This also has implications for the structure of the presentation, which provides some examples of the
wastage of water and then electricity which could usefully have some more argumentative
development, but achieves Level 1/2.
 Having delivered those examples, the presentation comes to an end and there is no conclusion at all,
so the candidate must achieve 0 for the conclusion.
 There is some effective effort to use gesture, intonation and eye contact however, and some attempt
to use text and image in the slides, so the presentation does achieve Level 3 for its communicational
effectiveness.

Total mark awarded: 9 out of 25

This candidate response fits with a high Level 2. There are sufficient Level 3 qualities to raise it
higher rather than lower in Level 2, as such a mark of 9 towards the top of Level 2 is the best fit.

20 Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239

 Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 1

Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239 21

Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 1, continued

22 Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239

 Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 1, continued

Examiner comment – Level 1

 This presentation, on the issue of clothing sweatshops, raises a number of pertinent issues. Firstly,
all three members of the team present together and read out sections of their script. This is a
violation of syllabus requirements. However, an issue has been defined and some research has
been done as the presentation contains some evidence for the extent to which sweatshops are a
problem, the involvement of children and the involvement of a specific company, Nike. It therefore
achieves Level 2 for the first criterion.
 The descriptive and undifferentiated approach, however, means that the presentation cannot
achieve a specific perspective on its topic and achieves Level 1 for the second criterion.
 Structure is also lacking, as the presentation consists of a series of pieces of information about its
topic, with no clear progression between them, and scores Level 1 again here.
 As the recording of the presentation stops after three minutes (and no transcript has been provided),
it must be awarded 0 for the conclusion.
 There is a PowerPoint, but it only consists of text, and the candidates read from a script, meaning
communication methods are limited overall and Level 1 is achieved here.

Total mark awarded: 5 out of 25

This candidate response fits with a high Level 1. There is insufficient quality for it to be placed any
higher.

Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239 23

Component 3 – Team project

Reflective paper

Mark scheme

24 Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239

 Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 5

Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239 25

Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 5, continued

Examiner comment – Level 5

 This reflective paper resulted from a team project exploring the problem of avian flu and different
solutions for preventing its transmission. It begins with some effective evaluation of the candidate`s
own practice in working with others, identifying and assessing the effectiveness of each member in
the first paragraph in terms of their role. This could perhaps have been developed further as a set of
judgements, but meets the criteria for Level 4.
 The candidate`s reflection on the development of their own standpoint is a real strength however,
moving on from a summary of the group solution to a precise and detailed explanation of how each
member`s perspective compared with their own, and therefore developed and challenged the
candidate`s position. This is continued in the discussion of further research, meriting a Level 5 for
this criterion.

Total mark awarded: 9 out of 10

This candidate response fits with a low Level 5.

26 Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239

 Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 4

My team and I worked extremely well together on this project. During our class time we debated
on which question to pursue and found sources to back up each side of our argument. We looked hard for a
local source with something to do with sexism because we all felt a connection to the topic since we are
women. When I came across the “PGA President” source my team and I instantly agreed that it would be
our local source. We then assigned each person a job to look for different perspectives on the issue. One
researched sexism in the workplace, another researched sexism in society, and the last one researched
sexism in culture. Our team had no conflicts or disagreements that would hinder our work effort.
Moreover, one morning our team even woke up at five am so we could Skype call each other. We had an
extremely time effective system of assessing each source where we created an outline for the articles and
took out both the important information of each piece and assessed the credibility. This made it very easy
for me personally to finish off the individual part of my project and create my PowerPoint. I am very happy
with and proud of my team and wouldn’t have wanted to do it with anyone else.

However if I could improve one thing it would be that we narrow down our research and focus on
fewer articles. After we found twenty articles that we deconstructed together we each could then decide
which articles we wanted to include in our own project. With so many sources and information I wanted to
include it made it hard to construct a PowerPoint within the time limit and thus I had to take out a large
chunk I research I wanted to go over in my presentation. Moreover, I think to improve our argument we
must include more credible research on how sexism doesn’t exist in today’s society and include more
perspectives from the opposite sex that stand up for women and their struggles.

When coming up with solutions to our sexism issue, it was fairly easy to agree on which solutions
we all felt were best. Like I said before, my team and I are three girls raised in similar environments, thus
our working well together may be a side effect of having similar perspectives on life. This could seriously
hinder our research since our own perspectives are not diverse and limited to our own scopes as
seventeen-year-old girls. However, we tried our best to remove our personal biases from the argument
when assessing the articles and make the debate an even playing field. Thus we believe our solutions to
preventing sexism are valid. Our team thought some workable solutions would be to educate the public on
human rights, contact local governments to support women rising in society, and to boycott media’s that
portray women in a manner that lowers their self worth. We all felt that these solutions would be easy to
implement in the world and would lead to the generations to come to see women as equals with men.

Personally as a young lady myself, I didn’t realize the extent of sexism globally. I live in a sheltered
little town where people don’t appear to be sexist. The research has both opened my eyes and filled me
with sorrow to think that so many girls in the UK are ruined mentally due to sexism and that women in
Africa can’t even control what happens to their own body. Before this project I would have considered my
self to be neutral in the sexist debate, but now I see that my previous position was selfish. It was selfish of
me not to consider woman all around the world and that just because in my current moment where I live
sexism isn’t ubiquitous doesn’t mean that some girl my same age isn’t experiencing it in China or Nigeria. As
my fellow teammates and I were reading some of our research articles we all got really mad and sometimes
even riled up over what was happening to women all over the world and even in our own backyard without
us seeing it. I now see little bits of sexism in my own hometown, where I thought sexism didn’t exist
initially. This research has opened my eyes to show me that even I have been influenced by sexism by
growing up with it and thinking it was just normal.

Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239 27

Component 3 – Team project

Examiner comment – Level 4

 Here the candidate is reflecting upon her project investigating sexism. The candidate evaluates to
some extent their practice in working with others, referring to their common context as young
women, and some specific examples of how they communicated and how this related to the
construction of the candidate’s own presentation. This level of evaluation achieves Level 3/4 on the
mark scheme. It should be noted here that the differentiation of the candidate’s own perspective from
other team members is much clearer here, but cannot be credited as this must take place in the
presentation where their argument is presented rather than the reflective paper.
 Much more effective, however, is the reflection on how the candidate’s research has developed her
views. The final two paragraphs, where she assesses her own homogenous and limited perspective
against her discovery of the global range and diversity of examples of sexism constitute clear
reflection on their personal standpoint.

Total mark awarded: 7 out of 10

This candidate response fits with a low Level 4.

28 Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239

 Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 3

Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239 29

Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 3, continued

Examiner comment – Level 3

 This reflective paper is the candidate’s response to a team project which focused on the issue of fish
farming. It is at its strongest when it describes the actions and contributions of each team member in
detail. This section contains some assessment of their success together, meaning the candidate can
evaluate to some extent their practice working together with others (Level 2/3), but does not focus
directly and in detail on evaluation of the effectiveness of the group work.
 The reflective paper also evaluates the individual performance of each team member even though
this is not specifically called for by the mark scheme. The paper concludes with the ‘joint’ conclusion
of the group, shared by the candidate. This enables them to reflect to some extent on their own
viewpoint, but consideration of how this has been affected by the views of others is lacking, therefore
giving Level 2/3 for the second criterion.

Total mark awarded: 5 out of 10

This candidate response fits with a low Level 3. It does not have sufficient Level 3 quality to justify a
mark at the top of Level 3 but holistically it is stronger than the Level 2 descriptor. A mark of 5 is the
best fit.

30 Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239

 Component 3 – Team project

Example candidate response – Level 2

Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239 31

Component 3 – Team project

Examiner comment – Level 2

 This is a good example of how the quality of a reflective paper can benefit if a candidate is focused
and detailed in evaluating their experiences of team work. They go into specific detail in explaining
the factors which had negative impact on the team working effectively. The candidate does well in
evaluating the impact of this on their project as a whole. This means that the reflective paper meets
the requirements for Level 4 on the first criterion.
 However, there is no reference at all to their personal standpoint on the topic itself, or how that was
developed by the other team member or their research, so receives 0 for the second criterion. This
inconsistent profile of performance leads to a Level 2 achievement overall.

Total mark awarded: 4 out of 10

This candidate response fits with a high Level 2. The quality of their evaluation on the team work is
such that a mark at the top of Level 2 is the best fit.

32 Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives and Research 9239

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