This page will give you a few handy hints as to what constitutes a global issue, which is not only valuable as a young, international student, but will also give you great insights for Paper 1 and, crucially, for the Individual Oral.
What is a Global Issue?
Too many times this question has come up, from teachers in training workshops, and from students in the classroom. Will we be penalised if we discuss something that, according to the examiner, is not a global issue?
The truth is, if you can articulate clearly (in the first minute of the oral) why a particular issue is of global significance - there is good advice in the Subject Guide here about it being 'transnational', of global signficance and having wide-ranging impacts that are felt in local contexts, for example - then you should be fine.
Take a look, too, at the Blog post within this site about the M21 Subject Report. There is discusses why the global issue is so important, and what ideas were used successfully by some students around the world.
UN Sustainable Development
Alternatively, why not check out the UN's Sustainable Development Goals below. If the future of the planet is the most significant global issue, since it requires international cooperation for any kind of future for the planet and our species, then any of these would be a good starting-point:
How much of Individual Oral - Global issue? have you understood?
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