Important Economic, security and political regionalism.
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 regionalism a significant force in global politics?
The supranational-intergovernmental split (Area 1) is the key to ranking the forms: the EU pools sovereignty, ASEAN does not.
Important Core content for the regionalism essays.
Essential Why regionalism grows and what it does to the state.
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 increased regionalism a direct consequence of globalisation?
This links Area 1 and Area 5: regionalism pools sovereignty, which is the gentler reading of the sovereignty-erosion debate.
Essential The regionalism-and-globalisation link is a recurrent 30-mark title.
Important NAFTA/USMCA, the African Union, the Arab League and ASEAN.
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 EU a useful model for regionalism elsewhere?
The SCO and USMCA show the two non-EU directions: a security bloc led by China and Russia, and a free-trade deal that stays intergovernmental.
Important Essential for comparison questions and to avoid an EU-only answer.
Essential What drove integration, the institutions and the debates.
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.
Has the EU been a successful model of integration?
The euro is the clearest case of pooled sovereignty: shared currency without shared budgets is what strained Greece.
Essential The EU is the centre of gravity of this content area.
Essential How much power the EU really has.
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 EU a superpower comparable with the United States?
This connects to Area 4: the EU is a clear test case for what counts as a superpower versus a great power.
Essential A frequent 30-mark title in its own right.
Important How far regionalism resolves 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.
Have regional organisations played a key role in addressing global issues?
This is the synoptic bridge: regionalism can be applied to almost any global-governance question.
Important The 'regionalism and global issues' strand is heavily examined.
How European integration deepened and then met its limits, the spine of any EU essay.
Treaty of Rome. The European Economic Community founds the single-market project among six states.
Maastricht Treaty. Creates the EU, citizenship and the path to the euro: deepening as well as widening.
The euro. A shared currency without shared budgets, which later strains the bloc in the Eurozone crisis.
Eastward enlargement. Ten mostly Central and Eastern European states join: widening on a large scale.
Lisbon Treaty. Streamlines decision-making and extends qualified majority voting.
Brexit. The UK leaves: integration is shown to be reversible and the intergovernmental pull endures.
Roll up and down: the arrows, scroll or swipe inside the box, the up and down keys, or click a year above. Full interactive timeline on Panther →
Exam use: the spec names every body on this map. Pair the EU (supranational) against any of the other four (intergovernmental) to show why depth of integration, not size, decides how much a regional body constrains its members.
Exam use: matches the predicted Q1(b) exactly, and the placing test ("can it bind a state that voted no?") is a ready-made AO2 line for any institutions question.
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 relationship between regionalism and globalisation" | Evaluate the view that regionalism is a stepping stone to globalisation rather than a barrier against it. | Yes: regional blocs open markets and train states in cooperation. No: blocs can turn inward, diverting trade and hardening rivalry. |
| "The impact on state sovereignty" | Evaluate the view that regional organisations have eroded state sovereignty. | Yes: EU law and majority voting bind members against their will. No: states join, shape and leave blocs by sovereign choice, as Brexit proved. |
| "Prospects for political regionalism and regional governance" | Evaluate the view that political regionalism will never match economic regionalism. | Yes: states pool markets readily but guard political sovereignty fiercely. No: the EU shows economic union steadily pulling politics along behind it. |
| "Debates about supranational versus intergovernmental approaches" | Evaluate the view that the EU has become more supranational than intergovernmental. | Yes: the Commission, the Court and qualified majority voting override single states. No: the big decisions still sit with the member governments in the Council. |
| "Significance of the EU as an international body/global actor" | Evaluate the view that the EU is a global superpower. | Yes: the largest single market in the world gives it real trade and regulatory power. No: without one army or one voice it punches below its economic weight. |
| "The ways and extent to which regionalism addresses and resolves contemporary global issues" | Evaluate the view that regionalism has done little to resolve contemporary global issues. | Yes: the AU and the Arab League have struggled with conflict on their own doorsteps. No: regional blocs deliver peace, trade and standards where global bodies stall. |
Twelve mixed questions covering the whole section. Your most recent score is shown in the top bar.