Select evidence and compare perspectives
Use specific examples with explained relevance and compare viewpoints without inventing facts or authority.
Section ESSAY-EVIDENCE · Select evidence and compare perspectives
Original StudyForA teaching and fictional practice scenarios. Model responses illustrate reasoning; other well-supported answers are possible. These tasks do not award Cambridge marks or grades. A broad topic map is not a complete current-affairs reading programme. Full-length unseen-paper practice, an authenticated reading bank and calibrated human assessment remain outstanding.
Before you begin
- Read short English passages
- Distinguish a claim from its supporting reason
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
What should a reasoned answer do?
What you will learn
- Apply relevant examples to support and challenge an argument
- Compare social, historical, ethical and geographical perspectives
Evidence needs a bridge to the claim
A useful example is specific, accurate and relevant. Explain its mechanism: what happened, how it supports the reason, and where the inference stops. Do not attach an impressive statistic or an unnamed expert to a claim without being able to identify and evaluate its source.
Distinguish a fact, an opinion and a hypothetical illustration. Invented scenarios can clarify logic but cannot be used as evidence that a real policy worked. Keep source, date and context in your notebook.
Represent another view fairly
Explain why a different group might value an outcome differently. A parent, learner and employer may have different priorities in an education debate. Compare traditional and contemporary views or local and international contexts where useful, avoiding caricatures and assuming one person speaks for a whole group.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
Can a fictional example prove that a real policy worked?
Worked example
A paragraph says ‘Experts agree that parks are essential.’ Improve the use of evidence without fabricating a study.
Show the worked solution
- Replace the unsupported authority claim.
- Explain a specific possible benefit.
- Identify evidence needed to establish it.
Answer Parks can offer space for recreation where residents lack private outdoor space. To assess how important that benefit is locally, use verified evidence about access, use, costs and alternatives. This reasoning is clearer than claiming expert agreement without an identifiable source.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Guided: Explain why an attendance figure needs more than a number to support funding a cultural venue.
Give me a hint
Ask what the figure measures and how it connects to value.
Compare my reasoning
- Check period and definition of attendance.
- Consider repeat visits, access and costs.
- Explain which funding criterion it supports.
The figure needs a period, a definition and context. It may include repeat visits and reveal little about who could not attend or the cost per visit. It can support an argument about use, but the funding judgement also needs evidence of cultural or educational value, access and alternatives.
Look for these in your work
- Checks meaning
- Uses context
- Links evidence to a criterion
Independent: Give two different stakeholder concerns about later school opening, without claiming every member of either group agrees.
Give me a hint
Explain reasons rather than assigning fixed beliefs.
Compare my reasoning
- Some learners may value more sleep or travel flexibility.
- Some caregivers may face work or childcare constraints.
- State that views vary within groups.
Some learners may favour later opening because of sleep or transport needs, while some caregivers may worry about work schedules or childcare. These are plausible concerns to investigate, not assumptions about every learner or caregiver. A comparison should use evidence from the relevant groups and consider arrangements that address both needs.
Look for these in your work
- Explains two concerns
- Avoids stereotypes
- Requests evidence
Application: A strong international example differs from your country in funding and geography. Explain how to use it responsibly.
Give me a hint
Use comparison to test a mechanism, not copy a conclusion.
Compare my reasoning
- State what the example shows.
- Identify different conditions.
- Evaluate whether the same mechanism could operate locally.
Use the example to explain a possible mechanism and then compare funding, geography and institutions with the required local setting. The differences may limit transfer or suggest adaptations. Do not present another country’s result as a guaranteed local outcome; explain what further evidence would be needed.
Look for these in your work
- Explains relevance
- Identifies limits
- Tests transfer
Common mistakes
- Inventing statistics or quotations
- Name-dropping without explaining relevance
- Using a weak version of an opposing view
What can you explain now?
Can a fictional example prove that a real policy worked?
Compare with the explanation
No; it can illustrate reasoning but real-world claims need evidence
Label the example and keep its purpose clear.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Can a fictional example prove that a real policy worked?
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.