Paper 1 Topics: Conflict and Justice (Cambridge (CIE) AS English General Paper): Revision Note

Paper 1 essay summary

• Paper 1 of the CIE AS English General Paper is the essay component

• You will select one question from a list of ten options to write an essay of approximately 600-700 words

• The questions concern contemporary issues

Here, we will focus on the theme of conflict and justice, which falls into the topic area of economic, historical, moral, political and social issues. The theme can include:

• wars, conflict and terrorism 

• justice and the justice system 

• crime, prison and rehabilitation 

These questions are designed to promote argument and evaluation rather than mere description.

Why conflict and justice matter in Paper 1

Many General Paper conflict and justice questions ask you to explore the tension between peace and punishment, freedom and order or rights and responsibility. 

The exam is not testing your specialist knowledge, but rather your ability to think critically, write clearly and use examples effectively, which are all part of the Assessment Objectives.

To achieve a Level 5 essay, you will need to:

• Select and apply relevant information and examples (AO1)

• Analyse and evaluate arguments from more than one perspective (AO2)

• Communicate fluently and accurately in a formal style (AO3)

Remember, your essay on any topic is rewarded for balanced thinking. Avoid one-sided answers, as examiners look for essays that weigh different points of view before drawing a conclusion.

Paper 1 exam-style essay questions on conflict and justice

1. The justification of war

To answer this question, you can draw heavily on the information contained in the revision notes indicated below on reasons for war, such as the core conflict information which states that war is sometimes used to gain land, territory, or control of important resources like oil (such as the 1990 invasion of Kuwait).

Arguments against economic justification could use religious perspectives, as most religions oppose greed and selfishness, and refer to the principles of the Just War Theory, which demands that war must not be undertaken to acquire resources or territory. 

Counter-arguments could explore how national self-defense might involve protecting vital economic assets, making the distinction between greed and necessary economic defense a complex one.

You can read more about this topic in the following revision notes:

• Reasons for war

• Religious attitudes on war

• Nuclear war

• The Just War Theory

2. Crime and punishment

This question draws on content in the revision notes below regarding social control, the prison system and the concept of rehabilitation. You can detail the purposes of punishment (retribution, deterrence, incapacitation) and the reality of mass incarceration.

Evidence pointing toward a failure of rehabilitation includes the high reoffending rates and the lack of rehabilitation programs in many facilities. 

Conversely, arguments supporting rehabilitation efforts can reference initiatives like the Prison Arts Collective (PAC), emphasising that arts offer a way for offenders to channel and deal with emotion instead of resorting to violence, helping participants shape an identity that’s positive.

You can read more about this topic in the following revision notes:

• Social order and social control

• Crime surveys

• Police recorded crime statistics

• Public debates over criminal and deviant behaviour

• Media reporting of crime: moral panics

• Crime prevention and control: Right solutions

• Crime prevention and control: Left solutions

• Surveillance

• Punishment

• Victims of crime

3. The social causes of crime

This question allows for arguments taken from a range of revision notes on factors affecting criminal behaviour.

Arguments supporting societal factors can utilise sociological theories:

• Functionalist arguments citing inadequate socialisation

• Educational failure

• Poverty

• Subsequent status frustration leading to criminal subcultures (Cohen’s theory)

• Marxist views which link crime directly to the “criminogenic” nature of capitalist society, driven by competition, inequality and consumerism

Counter-arguments can focus on individual choice and can address the youth pursuit of excitement/adrenaline and the philosophical idea of free will, rather than being mere passive victims of labelling.

You can read more about this topic in the following revision notes:

• Social order and social control

• Functionalist perspective on crime and deviance

• Functionalism: Strain theory

• Functionalism: subcultural strain theories of crime

• Marxist perspective on crime and deviance

• The Marxist perspective on crime

• The Neo-Marxist perspective on crime

• The Interactionalist perspective on crime

• The relationship between social class and crime

• The relationship between gender and crime

• The relationship between gender, crime and poverty

• The relationship between ethnicity and crime

• The relationship between age and crime

4. Surveillance and public security

This topic area requires a balanced argument around the ethical limits of surveillance.

Arguments in agreement can cite how surveillance provides evidence, limits criminal activity and is essential for law enforcement.

Arguments challenging the word ‘only’ can detail how surveillance is also employed for other purposes:

• Public management (such as traffic control and resource deployment)

• Enhancing neighbourhood safety initiatives

• Commerce (tracking consumer preferences online)

This type of essay should also address the threat to privacy and civil liberties posed by excessive surveillance, citing the potential for state control and the discriminatory profiling that can occur.

You can read more about this topic in the following revision notes:

• Surveillance

• Data management

• Monitoring behaviour

• Analysing personal information

• The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000

5. Media representation of threat

This type of question links terrorism, conflict and the media.

Arguments suggesting inaccuracy can use concepts found in the revision note on the media’s representations of crime, showing how news values prioritise sensationalism, drama and violence, leading to the over-reporting of conflict and terrorism. This exaggeration creates “moral panics”, heightening public fear and sometimes leading to the scapegoating or negative labelling of specific groups.

Arguments for accuracy should acknowledge the legitimate, enormous threats associated with terrorism and the catastrophic consequences of modern conflict, especially nuclear war and weapons of mass destruction.

You can read more about this topic in the following revision notes:

• Terrorism

• Nuclear war

• Crime and globalisation

• Global capitalism and transnational crime

• State crime

• Media reporting of crime: moral panics

• Public debates over criminal and deviant behaviour

• Green crime

For an example of a full, top-scoring model answer for this topic, please go to our Conflict and Justice Model Answer.