Essential Hard and soft power and their effectiveness.
Wording above is the Pearson specification, unchanged. Tick a line only when you could answer a question on it without notes.
The 30-mark essays (Section C). Marks split 10/10/10 across AO1 (knowledge), AO2 (analysis) and AO3 (evaluation), so an answer that describes without judging gives away a third of the marks. Examiners reward "a clear and consistent line of argument": decide your answer before you write, argue it in every paragraph, weigh the counter-argument as you go, and reach "fully substantiated" judgements. A one-sided essay is capped at Level 2 however much it knows. Structure by theme, never by date and never as a list of examples.
The 12-mark Examine questions (Q1). Marked on AO1 and AO2 only, 6 marks each. There is no AO3, so no introduction, no conclusion and no overall judgement. Write three short, dense paragraphs, each one comparing the two named items directly. An answer that discusses only one of the two named items is capped at Level 1.
Full official mark schemes for every Paper 3 Global question, year by year: open the Paper 3 Global mark scheme viewer.
Is hard power more effective than soft power?
Afghanistan 2021 is the sharpest example of the limits of hard power; Gulf sport and media the sharpest example of soft power buying influence. The US-Israel-Iran war (2026) is a current case of hard power in use, and a live test of what it can and cannot achieve.
Essential Hard versus soft power is a recurrent 30-mark title.
Essential How and why state power is classified.
Wording above is the Pearson specification, unchanged. Tick a line only when you could answer a question on it without notes.
The 30-mark essays (Section C). Marks split 10/10/10 across AO1 (knowledge), AO2 (analysis) and AO3 (evaluation), so an answer that describes without judging gives away a third of the marks. Examiners reward "a clear and consistent line of argument": decide your answer before you write, argue it in every paragraph, weigh the counter-argument as you go, and reach "fully substantiated" judgements. A one-sided essay is capped at Level 2 however much it knows. Structure by theme, never by date and never as a list of examples.
The 12-mark Examine questions (Q1). Marked on AO1 and AO2 only, 6 marks each. There is no AO3, so no introduction, no conclusion and no overall judgement. Write three short, dense paragraphs, each one comparing the two named items directly. An answer that discusses only one of the two named items is capped at Level 1.
Full official mark schemes for every Paper 3 Global question, year by year: open the Paper 3 Global mark scheme viewer.
Is China now a superpower rather than an emerging power?
The BRICS, enlarged in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE (Indonesia joined in 2025), are the collective face of emerging power and the shift to multipolarity.
Essential Classification and the rise of China are high-frequency 12 and 30-mark themes.
Essential Unipolarity, bipolarity, multipolarity and the changing order.
Wording above is the Pearson specification, unchanged. Tick a line only when you could answer a question on it without notes.
The 30-mark essays (Section C). Marks split 10/10/10 across AO1 (knowledge), AO2 (analysis) and AO3 (evaluation), so an answer that describes without judging gives away a third of the marks. Examiners reward "a clear and consistent line of argument": decide your answer before you write, argue it in every paragraph, weigh the counter-argument as you go, and reach "fully substantiated" judgements. A one-sided essay is capped at Level 2 however much it knows. Structure by theme, never by date and never as a list of examples.
The 12-mark Examine questions (Q1). Marked on AO1 and AO2 only, 6 marks each. There is no AO3, so no introduction, no conclusion and no overall judgement. Write three short, dense paragraphs, each one comparing the two named items directly. An answer that discusses only one of the two named items is capped at Level 1.
Full official mark schemes for every Paper 3 Global question, year by year: open the Paper 3 Global mark scheme viewer.
Is world order since 2000 more multipolar than unipolar?
Separate the two questions in the roller: the institutions of 1945 are stable, but the balance of power has moved bipolar to unipolar to multipolar.
Essential Polarity is one of the most examined 30-mark themes in the paper.
Important Democratic, autocratic, failed and rogue states and global order.
Wording above is the Pearson specification, unchanged. Tick a line only when you could answer a question on it without notes.
The 30-mark essays (Section C). Marks split 10/10/10 across AO1 (knowledge), AO2 (analysis) and AO3 (evaluation), so an answer that describes without judging gives away a third of the marks. Examiners reward "a clear and consistent line of argument": decide your answer before you write, argue it in every paragraph, weigh the counter-argument as you go, and reach "fully substantiated" judgements. A one-sided essay is capped at Level 2 however much it knows. Structure by theme, never by date and never as a list of examples.
The 12-mark Examine questions (Q1). Marked on AO1 and AO2 only, 6 marks each. There is no AO3, so no introduction, no conclusion and no overall judgement. Write three short, dense paragraphs, each one comparing the two named items directly. An answer that discusses only one of the two named items is capped at Level 1.
Full official mark schemes for every Paper 3 Global question, year by year: open the Paper 3 Global mark scheme viewer.
Do democratic and autocratic states affect global order in similar ways?
Somalia (failed) and North Korea (rogue) are the clean contrasting pair; democratic peace theory links this to Area 6.
Important A reliable 12-mark comparison topic.
Supporting How far the liberal model has spread, and stalled.
Wording above is the Pearson specification, unchanged. Tick a line only when you could answer a question on it without notes.
The 30-mark essays (Section C). Marks split 10/10/10 across AO1 (knowledge), AO2 (analysis) and AO3 (evaluation), so an answer that describes without judging gives away a third of the marks. Examiners reward "a clear and consistent line of argument": decide your answer before you write, argue it in every paragraph, weigh the counter-argument as you go, and reach "fully substantiated" judgements. A one-sided essay is capped at Level 2 however much it knows. Structure by theme, never by date and never as a list of examples.
The 12-mark Examine questions (Q1). Marked on AO1 and AO2 only, 6 marks each. There is no AO3, so no introduction, no conclusion and no overall judgement. Write three short, dense paragraphs, each one comparing the two named items directly. An answer that discusses only one of the two named items is capped at Level 1.
Full official mark schemes for every Paper 3 Global question, year by year: open the Paper 3 Global mark scheme viewer.
Is the liberal model still spreading?
This subsection is mostly evaluation fuel: it strengthens the realist case in the Area 6 theory questions.
Supporting Rarely a title, but strong supporting evidence for polarity and theory.
Important How far changing state relationships resolve global problems.
Wording above is the Pearson specification, unchanged. Tick a line only when you could answer a question on it without notes.
The 30-mark essays (Section C). Marks split 10/10/10 across AO1 (knowledge), AO2 (analysis) and AO3 (evaluation), so an answer that describes without judging gives away a third of the marks. Examiners reward "a clear and consistent line of argument": decide your answer before you write, argue it in every paragraph, weigh the counter-argument as you go, and reach "fully substantiated" judgements. A one-sided essay is capped at Level 2 however much it knows. Structure by theme, never by date and never as a list of examples.
The 12-mark Examine questions (Q1). Marked on AO1 and AO2 only, 6 marks each. There is no AO3, so no introduction, no conclusion and no overall judgement. Write three short, dense paragraphs, each one comparing the two named items directly. An answer that discusses only one of the two named items is capped at Level 1.
Full official mark schemes for every Paper 3 Global question, year by year: open the Paper 3 Global mark scheme viewer.
Do changing state relationships help or hinder solving global issues?
This is the synoptic glue: it connects power and developments to every other content area's 'address and resolve' strand.
Important The synoptic bridge for the power-and-developments questions.
How the balance of power has shifted, which is the spine of every polarity question (2025 Q3C, 2019 Q3A, 2020 Q3C).
Multipolar age of great powers. Many centres of power with spheres of influence; no single hegemon.
Bipolar Cold War. Two poles, US and USSR, with the order frozen by their rivalry and proxy wars.
Unipolar moment. US hegemony and liberal triumphalism after the Cold War.
Return to multipolarity. China, the US and the EU, with India, Russia and others rising; authoritarian capitalism challenges the West.
Contested multipolarity. Great-power rivalry returns (Ukraine, US-China); the 1945 institutions persist but power has spread.
Roll up and down: the arrows, scroll or swipe inside the box, the up and down keys, or click a year above.
Exam use: attach evidence to each panel: 1990s US hegemony (Gulf War coalition), Cold War bipolarity, and today's contested picture (China's rise, BRICS expansion, but US military spending still dwarfing every rival).
Exam use: place any actor's behaviour on the line and you have an instant AO2 comparison: Russia operating at the red end, China across the middle, the EU almost entirely at the blue end.
Each row takes an evaluative demand the specification makes in this area, quoted word for word, and shows the 30-mark question it tends to become. Learn both sides for every row.
| The spec wording | The question this becomes | The two sides in one line |
|---|---|---|
| "The use and effectiveness of the following types of power" | Evaluate the view that soft power is now more effective than hard power. | Yes: in an interdependent world attraction wins where force cannot. No: Ukraine shows military and economic muscle still decides outcomes. |
| "State power classifications: great powers; superpowers, including the USA; emerging powers" | Evaluate the view that the USA is still the only superpower. | Yes: no rival matches its military, economic and cultural reach combined. No: China's rise and US setbacks point to a post-American world. |
| "Consideration of the changing nature of world order since 2000" | Evaluate the view that world order today is more multipolar than unipolar. | Yes: power has spread to China, India and the regional powers since 2000. No: the USA still leads on every measure that decides a crisis. |
| "The characteristics, examples and consequences for global order" | Evaluate the view that failed and rogue states are the greatest threat to global order. | Yes: they export terror, refugees and instability far beyond their borders. No: great-power rivalry threatens far more than weak states do. |
| "Development and spread of: liberal economies; rule of law; democracy" | Evaluate the view that democracy and liberal values are in retreat. | Yes: authoritarian states have grown more confident and more numerous. No: the long trend since 1945 still runs toward markets, law and democracy. |
| "the changing relationships and actions of states" | Evaluate the view that the actions of states have resolved contemporary global issues such as conflict and poverty. | Yes: state-led coalitions have cut poverty and contained conflicts. No: rivalry between states is itself the biggest barrier to resolution. |
Twelve mixed questions covering the whole section. Your most recent score is shown in the top bar.