Evaluate facts, opinions and evidence
Compare claims in linked non-fiction passages and judge how the evidence supports or limits each viewpoint.
Exam scope and assessment notes
This is an original online starter guide, not the complete approximately 130 guided learning hours, full-length timed papers, a Cambridge mark scheme, or an official grade. The short Chinese examples and all Chinese-language instruction need review by a qualified first-language Chinese teacher before publication. StudyForA self-checks cannot judge character formation, idiom, register or literary interpretation to Cambridge standards. Classical Chinese practice here teaches an approach but does not provide a complete, teacher-checked collection of Ming-dynasty texts.
Before you begin
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which study action is best supported by this lesson?
What you will learn
- R4: analyse and evaluate facts, ideas and opinions.
- Separate a reported fact from a recommendation or judgement.
- Use the source's evidence and limits in an evaluation.
Label the kind of statement
Paper 1 Section 2 gives two thematically linked non-fiction passages. The candidate must use and evaluate their information to produce an argumentative or discursive response.
A statistic, an interviewee's experience and an author's recommendation are different kinds of evidence. Attribute each statement to its source and ask what group or period it represents.
Compare strength and limitation
An evaluation explains what evidence supports a claim and what it cannot establish. One participant's experience may illustrate a point but cannot establish that everybody experiences the same result.
A recommendation is not proof that the recommended action worked. Keep the source's verbs and qualifications when describing outcomes.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
A report says an event «may improve» attendance. What would you need before claiming attendance increased?
Worked example
Passage A reports that 18 of 40 students use the new study room daily. Passage B quotes one student who says it is quieter than the hallway. What does each source support?
Show the worked solution
- Treat the count as a survey result from 40 students.
- Attribute the quietness comparison to one student.
- State what these facts do not establish.
Answer Passage A supports that 18 of the 40 surveyed students report daily use. Passage B supports one student's view that the room is quieter. Neither proves that all students use or prefer the room.
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.
A passage says a garden produced 30 kilograms of vegetables last month and the coordinator believes it improved teamwork. Which is measured and which is a viewpoint?
Give me a hint
Look for a quantified recorded result and an attributed judgement.
Compare my reasoning
- Identify the reported quantity and time.
- Identify who expresses the teamwork claim.
- Keep the two forms of evidence distinct.
The 30 kg in one month is a reported measurement. The teamwork claim is the coordinator's viewpoint unless the source gives separate evidence for it.
Look for these in your work
- Identifies the measurement
- Attributes the opinion
- Does not treat opinion as measured outcome
One passage says a later bus lets students attend clubs; another notes that the service costs more to run. Give one strength and one limitation of each claim if neither passage includes data.
Give me a hint
Evaluate plausibility while naming the missing evidence.
Compare my reasoning
- Explain why the access claim is plausible.
- State what would verify participation changes.
- Explain the cost concern and needed cost comparison.
A later bus could improve access, but attendance records would be needed to show that participation increased. Higher running costs are a relevant concern, but no figures are provided to show their size or how they compare with benefits.
Look for these in your work
- Evaluates both viewpoints
- Names evidence needed
- Avoids inventing data
A campaign uses one dramatic story to argue that every school should adopt a policy. Explain the story's value and the limit of the general conclusion.
Give me a hint
Distinguish illustration from representative evidence.
Compare my reasoning
- State what the individual story can illustrate.
- Explain why it cannot establish a universal effect.
- Name a broader evidence source.
The story can illustrate one person's experience and show why the issue matters. It cannot establish the policy's effect in every school; comparison data across different contexts would be needed.
Look for these in your work
- Recognises illustrative value
- Limits the generalisation
- Suggests appropriate evidence
Common mistakes
- Treating a personal account as a representative survey
- Calling a claim false because it has limited evidence
- Failing to attribute opinions to their source
What can you explain now?
A report says an event «may improve» attendance. What would you need before claiming attendance increased?
Compare with the explanation
Measured attendance before and after, with context
The word «may» signals a possibility; outcome data is needed to establish a change.
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Make it stick
Explain one decision that helps you r4: analyse and evaluate facts, ideas and opinions.
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.