What is Paper 3? (DP IB Global Politics: HL): Revision Note

Introduction to paper 3

• Paper 3 is the higher-level-only component of IBDP Global Politics

  • It tests a different kind of skill from papers 1 and 2

  • Rather than asking you to recall prescribed content, it asks you to draw on research you have carried out yourself during the course

• This section of the course focuses on eight broad topic areas that present major challenges in global politics

  • Borders

  • Security

  • Environment

  • Health

  • Poverty

  • Equality

  • Technology

  • Identity

• During the course, you carry out two independent inquiries, each focused on a real-world case study that connects to at least one of these topic areas

• These case studies are the foundation of everything you do in Paper 3

The stimulus

• When you sit for paper 3, you will be given a short stimulus - an extract from a book, article, report or similar source - which you will not have seen before

• The stimulus introduces a concept, argument or political idea connected to the HL topic areas and does two important things:

  1. It provides the starting point for question 1, which asks you to engage directly with the ideas in the extract

  2. It frames the theme for questions 2 and 3, which then draw on your own researched case studies

• The stimulus will not be about your specific case studies

  • It sets a lens - for example, a stimulus about the role of non-state actors - through which you then apply your own knowledge

The questions

Paper format

Question 1: 3 marks

• A short analytical question directly linked to the stimulus

• You use your knowledge of the course (including your case studies) to answer it

• Common command terms are analyse, distinguish, explain and suggest

• Allow around 10 minutes for this question

Question 2: 10 marks

• This question has two parts that are closely linked

• You choose the case study and political issue in Part (a), and Part (b) grows from that choice

• Pick a case study you know thoroughly, and one where you can identify clear non-state actors

Part a - 4 marks

• You identify a political issue from one of your case studies and explain how three different types of actors or stakeholders are involved

• Allow around 10 minutes for this question

Part b - 6 marks

• Building directly on part a, you recommend a course of action that would increase the influence of a specific non-state actor in relation to that same political issue

• Allow around 20 minutes for this question

Question 3: 15 marks

• The extended response question

• This is worth more than half the total marks for the paper

• Using one of your case studies and making reference to the stimulus, you examine the connections between at least two of the eight HL topic areas

• Allow around 50 minutes for this question (including a few minutes for planning)

How the questions connect

• The three questions are designed to build on each other

  • Question 1 gets you thinking about a key concept introduced by the stimulus

  • Question 2 applies that kind of thinking to a specific political issue in your own case study

  • Question 3 zooms out to examine how your case study illustrates the interconnected nature of global political challenges

• You may use different case studies for question 2 and question 3, or the same one

  • The decision depends on which case study gives you the richest material for each question