Evaluating Solutions: pg- 128 - 134

Q4 - Which solution do you think will be most effective for places with shrinking
populations to most effectively attract young people? ( 20 marks )

 Incentives for migrants

 Investments in new technological industries
 Encouraging young people to have more children

In your answer you should

 State your conclusion

 Give reasons and evidence to support your choice
 Use material in the source and/or your own ideas
 Consider different arguments and perspectives

Mark scheme:

Effective use of evidence and reasons to support arguments

• Uses a wide range of evidence and reasons to fully support the candidate’s argument.
• Evidence and reasons are clearly relevant to the issue in the question.

Convincing and clear reasoning

• Clear, convincing and sustained lines of reasoning related to the issue in the question and the
candidate’s argument.
• Well-structured and explicit consideration of different perspectives or actions.

Judgements are fully supported

• Judgements are clearly related to the issue, clearly explained and consistent with the
candidate’s argument.

Candidates may consider some of the following:

• Reference to scale of impact on hunger.
• Reference to different consequences and implications for individuals / different groups /
government.
• How long it might take to make a difference.
• Barriers to change e.g. power of interest groups like farmers and multi-nationals.
• The influence of individuals and groups on decision making.
• The role of vested interests and power differences.
• Potential conflicts of interest.
• Difficulties in planning and coordinating improvements.
• Cost and access to resources to implement change.
• Other relevant response.

Pointers:
Range of well developed points. One well developed point includes the following:
 1. Clearly defined criteria(listed below)
2. Use comparative structure not descriptive structure
3. Give Examples from source/ experiences/ prior knowledge
4. Further consequences (step by step) for each criteria on different viewpoints
5. Different arguments in favour and against like economic, political, social, technological,
environmental
6. Mini conclusion for each criteria and
7. One final Conclusion reaching one judgment/ one solution

How to evaluate probable solutions and reach one conclusion

1. If only one solution is given in the question, you can compare its consequences to other solutions
mentioned in the source or something which is common knowledge and used somewhere already
2. Include different perspectives ( global/ national/ local, and different arguments- social, economic,
environmental, political, technological, cultural etc)
3. Explain further consequences – what would be further consequences for different groups of people/
different cultural perspectives, if a solution is implemented. Will it result in a domino effect or cyclical
effect which will reduce the issue?
4. Compare solutions on as many of the following points: -( minimum 4)
a. Scale of impact- how many people will be impacted/ benefitted by the solution
b. Depth of impact- For how long will they be benefitted
c. Time taken- How long will it take to implement the solution; can it be implemented in a short
time or will it take a long time
a. Cost of implementing the solution and Resources needed- What are the resources
needed for implementation of the solution- Are these easily available or will these have to
be procured with difficulty. Will procurement of resources create new problems for some
other group of individuals?
d. Self interest/ vested interest- Does the organisation responsible for implementing the solution have any
self interest in doing so?
e. Political motive- Does the government has any political motive to not act on an issue or underplay its
importance to save its own reputation
f. Cooperation – Is international cooperation required to implement the solution. If yes, how long would it
take and how easy/difficult would it be to cooperate with many countries with their own individual agendas
g. Cultural Barriers- Is it a deep-rooted issue which will take a long time for people to adjust to as they
are deeply attached to it as part of their traditional and cultural practices
h. Collective Action- Is it an issue which can be resolved by collective action. How easy/ difficult would it
be to raise collective awareness and bring people together to take action. How long can this action be sustained?
5. The answer can be structured in paragraphs based on the points being compared. In each paragraph 2 -3
solutions can be compared and further consequences explained. For example- 1st para can discuss the scale of
impact of 2 solutions, 2nd para can discuss cost of implementation of these 2 solutions etc.
6. Maintain a balance between strengths and weaknesses during comparison. No solution can be 100%
perfect. Compare the weakness also.
7. Reach a conclusion and identify 1 solution which according to you would be most effective after
considering the comparison you have done.

Criteria of Comparison Solution Solution Solution

1 2 3
Who will be responsible to implement the solution ( government/ society/
NGO/ International Organisations/ Companies etc)
There can be a chain of solutions also at different levels. If so, identify the
chain.

How much time will be required to implement it ( short term or long term)

How much will it cost ( low or high)

How many resources will be required for implementation?

How many people would be impacted ( scale of impact)

Identify the viewpoints which will be impacted by the solution.

For how long will they be impacted ( Depth of impact )

Will it require lot of coordination

Will coordination / collaboration pose difficulties

Will there be cultural barriers in changing societies beliefs and values

Will there be political/ self interest motives preventing the solution to be

implemented

Can collective action be taken easily for this issue and solution or would it
be too risky/ legally bound/ difficult to motivate people

Will it lead to positive further consequences / domino effect. Explain

Will it lead to a positive cyclical effect. Explain