Cambridge A-Level Global Perspectives & Research: The Team Project (9239)

Component 3 – Team Project is worth 40 marks and is externally marked coursework, sitting alongside Component 1 (Written Exam) and Component 2 (Essay) as one of the three compulsory AS Level components in Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives & Research (9239). Where the Written Exam guide and Essay guide cover individually-produced components, Team Project is the one component built explicitly around collaborative research, even though the final marks are entirely individual.

What makes Team Project different

Unlike the Essay, which is a single piece of independent work, Team Project requires candidates to work in teams of two to five members to identify a local problem with global relevance. The team works together to agree a single problem statement broad enough that each member can research and argue a distinct, contrasting perspective on it – but from that point on, assessment is entirely individual. Team presentations are not accepted for submission; only individual work is marked.

Each candidate produces two pieces of individually authored, individually assessed work from the shared research process:

• a presentation (30 marks) on their own research and preferred solution
• a reflective paper (10 marks, maximum 800 words) on the team’s collaboration and their own learning

Forming the team and the problem statement

Teachers take an active role in creating teams – candidates do not simply self-select. The syllabus notes that teams of three or four tend to work best, since they are large enough to generate genuinely different perspectives on a problem but small enough to reach agreement on what to research. Once formed, the team’s central task is to identify a local problem that has global relevance and express it as a single statement broad enough in scope that different members can explore it from different angles – some more local, some more global – while still addressing the same underlying issue. Teachers support the team in formulating this statement, but the research direction and argument for each member’s chosen angle must be the candidates’ own.

Once the problem statement is agreed, each team member is allocated (or chooses) a distinct area of the problem to research, and is expected to argue from that distinct perspective towards an effective, workable solution – not to summarise the team’s collective findings, but to build and defend an individual position.

The presentation (30 marks)

Each candidate delivers a presentation, maximum 10 minutes, about their own research and their preferred solution. It can take either of two forms:

• a live recording of the candidate presenting to an audience of at least three people, one of whom must be the class teacher, recorded in one session in a quiet setting
• a presentation with a recorded voiceover, using presentation software with the candidate’s own narration attached, which does not require a live audience but must still be recorded in a quiet setting

Whichever format is used, the presentation is assessed against both AO1 (Research, analysis and evaluation) and AO3 (Communication), specifically:

• individual analysis of the team’s problem (AO1)
• range of research undertaken (AO1)
• evaluation of sources (AO1)
• justification for the candidate’s own proposed solution (AO1)
• a well-argued, well-organised presentation (AO3)
• effective use of visual information (AO3)
• language pitched appropriately for the audience (AO3)

The syllabus is explicit that the presentation should be engaging to a non-specialist audience, use audio and visual elements purposefully rather than extensively, and cite references clearly and accurately. Work beyond the 10-minute limit is simply not assessed, so timing the presentation precisely during preparation matters as much as its content.

Alongside the recording itself, candidates must submit the supporting audio/visual materials and a verbatim transcript of the presentation.

The reflective paper (10 marks)

The reflective paper is a maximum of 800 words and is assessed entirely against AO2 (Reflection). It focuses on two things:

• how effectively the team worked together, and what could have been improved
• the candidate’s own learning – which may be about the problem itself, the research skills they developed, the presentation skills they developed, or how the collaborative experience shaped their personal views

This is not a second presentation of research findings. Examiners are assessing genuine, specific reflection on process and collaboration, not a restatement of the problem or solution already covered in the presentation.

What must be submitted

For each candidate, four pieces of work go to Cambridge International:

1. the recording (live presentation or presentation with recorded voiceover)
2. the audio and/or visual materials supporting it
3. a transcript of the presentation
4. the reflective paper

A statement of originality is required for each candidate, and all materials must be submitted electronically by the deadlines set out in the Administrative Guide.

The teacher’s role and its limits

Teachers may support candidates in understanding the task, formulating a research topic, developing ways to explore different perspectives, building organisational and referencing skills, and developing clear oral arguments – but the syllabus draws a firm line once research and preparation begin. Teachers must not offer detailed subject guidance, carry out research on a candidate’s behalf, write or correct any part of a candidate’s notes, prepare any part of a presentation, produce any part of the transcript, or suggest amendments to a candidate’s presentation or reflective paper. Advice must stay general enough that candidates lead their own decisions – which matters for candidates to understand up front, since it shapes how much support they can realistically expect once the project is under way.

How to approach it

Choose a problem statement broad enough to support genuinely different individual angles, but specific enough that “local relevance” and “global relevance” are both concrete rather than asserted in the abstract – a strong problem statement names a real place, group or situation, not just a general global issue. Because AO1 (research, analysis, evaluation) carries the most marks in the presentation, prioritise the range and evaluation of sources over polish in the delivery itself, though both are assessed. Draft the reflective paper only after the presentation is finished, since genuine reflection on “what could be improved” is far more convincing – and far easier to write honestly – once the whole process, including its difficulties, has actually happened.

Official syllabus

Cambridge International AS & A Level Global Perspectives & Research (9239) syllabus for examination in 2026, 2027 and 2028 (Version 3, published December 2025) — official syllabus PDF, section 4 (“Details of the assessment – Component 3 – Team Project”). Verified 2026-09-02.