IB DP Global Politics – Thematic study – Development and sustainability Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs – the IB holds copyright in its own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available through your school or the IB store.

This practice set covers the Development and sustainability thematic study of IB DP Global Politics. It follows the IB Diploma Programme Global politics guide (first assessment 2026, published February 2024), the course examined from the May 2026 session onwards. It spans all four prescribed topics, common to SL and HL; question 10 is HL only.

The thematic study is examined in Paper 2. Paper 1 is set on the core topics, so questions 3-7 use development content to train Paper 1 source skills. All countries, people and organisations in the sources are fictional. Course links: hub · checklist.

Questions

1. (Paper 2 preparation – concepts) Distinguish between development as economic growth and development as expanded capabilities. [2]

2. (Paper 2 preparation – concepts) Distinguish between absolute and relative poverty, giving one way each can be measured. [4]

Questions 3-7 refer to Sources A, B and C.

Source A – original data written for Marlbridge (fictional countries)

Indicator	Norland	Sudavia
GNI per person (PPP $)	18,400	9,600
Average annual GDP growth, last ten years	6.1%	2.4%
Life expectancy at birth (years)	66	74
Mean years of schooling, adults	6.2	9.8
Gini index (0-1)	0.52	0.31
Share of people multidimensionally poor (H)	0.28	0.12
Average intensity of deprivation among the poor (A)	0.45	0.40

Source B – original text written for Marlbridge. A statement by a fictional farming cooperative in Norland’s Kerran Valley.

Company X’s copper mine opened in our valley twelve years ago. National growth figures rose. Here the story is different. Some men found work at the mine, but most jobs need skills few of us were trained for. The river we fish and farm from now runs grey after heavy rain. Land was taken with little consultation. The mine brought growth, but it did not bring development.

Source C – original text written for Marlbridge. A statement by a fictional mining firm, Company X.

Company X has invested heavily in Norland. We employ 4,000 people directly, and our royalties fund national schools. We built the valley’s first paved road and clinic. We meet all national environmental standards and publish an annual sustainability report. Development takes time. Without private investment, the valley would have no road, no clinic and no jobs.

3. (Paper 1 style – source-based) Identify three pieces of evidence in Source A that Norland’s faster growth has not produced broader development. [3]

4. (Paper 1 style – source-based) Using Source A, calculate the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for each country and explain why the MPI ranking differs from the GNI ranking. [4]

5. (Paper 1 style – source-based) Explain the claim in Source B that the mine “brought growth, but it did not bring development”. [4]

6. (Paper 1 style – source-based) Compare and contrast the views of Source B and Source C on the effects of Company X’s mine. [6]

7. (Paper 1 style – source-based) Using Sources A, B and C and your own knowledge, evaluate the claim that investment by transnational companies is the most effective pathway to sustainable development. [10]

8. (Paper 2 style – essay) “Sustainable development is a contradiction in terms.” Discuss this statement with reference to examples. [15]

9. (Paper 2 style – essay, integrating) To what extent does lasting development depend on peace and on respect for human rights? [15]

10. (Paper 3 style, HL) Read Stimulus D.

Stimulus D – original text written for Marlbridge. In the fictional low-lying coastal district of Maren, seawater is seeping into farmland. Rice yields have fallen for five years running, and many young people have left for the capital. The national government is heavily indebted and says it cannot fund sea defences on its own.

Recommend a course of action to address the political issue in Stimulus D, justifying it with evidence from a case study you have researched. [6]

Answers

1. Growth is a rise in output or income per person, such as GDP per capita. [1] Capabilities means widening the real freedoms people have to be healthy, educated and take part in decisions (Sen), which growth may not deliver. [1] [2] Examiner insight: “Distinguish” needs the difference made explicit; two separate definitions with no contrast word (“whereas”, “but”) risk losing the second mark.

2. Absolute poverty: below a fixed minimum for basic needs. [1] Measure: the World Bank’s international poverty line in dollars a day. [1] Relative poverty: well below the typical standard of your own society. [1] Measure: income below 60% of the national median. [1] [4] Examiner insight: Each measure must match its own definition; a correct pair of definitions with the measures swapped earns only the definition marks.

3. Any three: Norland’s life expectancy is lower (66 vs 74 years) [1]; its adults have fewer years of schooling (6.2 vs 9.8) [1]; its Gini index is higher (0.52 vs 0.31), so income is less equal [1]; a larger share of people are multidimensionally poor (0.28 vs 0.12). [3] Examiner insight: An AO1 “identify” question rewards the figures from the source; “Norland is less developed” alone scores nothing.

4. MPI = H × A. [1] Norland 0.28 × 0.45 = 0.126; Sudavia 0.12 × 0.40 = 0.048. [1] Norland’s GNI per person is about 1.9 times Sudavia’s, yet its MPI is about 2.6 times higher. [1] GNI is an average that hides distribution, while the MPI counts deprivation in health, education and living standards household by household, and Norland’s high Gini suggests growth has gone to a minority. [1] [4] Examiner insight: Show the multiplication for both countries; a bare pair of answers loses the method mark if either value is wrong.

5. Growth means national output rose, which the writer accepts. [1] Development needs local benefits, but most jobs needed skills locals lacked. [1] The polluted river harmed farming and fishing, so sustainability fell. [1] Land was taken with little consultation, a political failure of voice and legitimacy for a marginalised group. [1] [4] Examiner insight: “Explain” needs reasons tied to the source; each mark here comes from a separate strand of the source linked to a dimension of development.

6. Both agree the mine created some local jobs (B: some men found work; C: 4,000 employed). [1] Both link the mine to wider national change: B to growth figures, C to schools funded by royalties. [1] B says most jobs need skills locals lack, whereas C stresses the total number employed. [1] B reports river pollution, whereas C claims to meet national environmental standards. [1] B stresses land taken without consultation, whereas C does not mention consultation at all. [1] B separates growth from development; C treats investment as development that simply takes time. [1] [6] Examiner insight: The guide asks for a running comparison for top marks; describing Source B and then Source C separately limits the credit even if every point is accurate.

7. Indicative points; the real paper applies markbands holistically.

• For: FDI brings capital, jobs and technology (Source C’s 4,000 jobs, road and clinic). [1]
• For: royalties can fund national services, as C claims for schools. [1]
• For, own knowledge: export-led growth with FDI helped lift many East Asian households out of extreme poverty. [1]
• Against: Source A shows fast growth alongside high inequality (Gini 0.52) and a higher MPI. [1]
• Against: Source B shows environmental costs and land loss, so the pathway may not be sustainable. [1]
• Against, own knowledge: supply-chain disasters such as the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse show weak labour standards. [1]
• Evaluating sources: C is written by the firm and has a clear interest; B is one community’s view. [1]
• Alternatives: human development or state-led pathways may do more for capabilities. [1]
• Key concept: power asymmetry between a large TNC and a marginalised valley community. [1]
• Judgement: TNC investment supports growth but is sustainable only with regulation, consultation and fair revenue sharing. [1] [10] Examiner insight: The top markband needs effective synthesis of source material and own knowledge; answers that only summarise the sources stay in the middle bands.

8. Model plan with indicative points. The real paper is marked holistically against the IB markbands, not point by point.

• Define sustainable development (Brundtland, 1987) and show it is contested. [1]
• Separate environmental, social and economic sustainability. [1]
• Claim: growth raises material and energy use, clashing with ecological limits, e.g. fossil-fuel-led growth versus climate targets. [1]
• Social sustainability: growth that widens inequality may not last politically. [1]
• De-growth view: rich states must shrink throughput, so “sustainable growth” is contradictory. [1]
• Counterclaim: decoupling – some states have grown while cutting emissions. [1]
• Environmental Kuznets curve argument, and the criticism that pollution is exported. [1]
• The SDGs as an attempt to combine goals; critique that growth targets pull against climate targets. [1]
• Example of a synergy: clean energy access or girls’ education. [1]
• Weak vs strong sustainability changes the answer. [1]
• Power: who defines “sustainable” – IFIs, rich states, or affected communities. [1]
• Climate justice: states that emitted least suffer most (loss and damage fund, COP27). [1]
• Regenerative or buen vivir views as alternatives to both sides. [1]
• Weighs the strength of each side’s evidence. [1]
• Justified conclusion, e.g. contradictory only if development means endless growth. [1] [15] Examiner insight: The 13-15 band needs diverse perspectives explored and evaluated; listing de-growth and the SDGs without weighing them is capped lower.

9. Model plan with indicative points (markbands apply in the real paper).

• Define lasting development (political, social, institutional, economic). [1]
• Link to peace: the guide lists conflict as a political factor. [1]
• Conflict destroys infrastructure, diverts spending and displaces people; develop a named conflict-affected case. [1]
• Aid and investment avoid unstable states. [1]
• Rights link: participation, free expression and secure property support accountability. [1]
• Capabilities view: rights are part of development itself, not only a means. [1]
• Counterclaim: some states grew fast under authoritarian rule with limited rights. [1]
• Response: whether such growth is lasting, legitimate and fairly shared. [1]
• Counterclaim: peace without development can be fragile. [1]
• Other factors matter: geography, debt, trade, institutions. [1]
• Sovereignty: IFI conditions and debt may shape outcomes more than internal peace. [1]
• Legitimacy: accountable governments sustain reforms. [1]
• Interdependence: global supply chains and climate change affect even peaceful states. [1]
• Explicit links across all three thematic studies. [1]
• Justified conclusion on the extent. [1] [15] Examiner insight: An integrating question needs explicit links across thematic studies; an essay confined to development misses its demands.

10. Recommendation: a jointly funded adaptation plan (salt-tolerant crops, mangrove restoration, targeted sea defences). [1] Actors: national government with local councils, the farming community and an IGO or climate fund. [1] Evidence from your researched case (e.g. a drought or flood response) showing what worked. [1] Funding: debt means external climate finance is needed, e.g. the loss and damage fund. [1] Legitimacy: farmers share in the decision, improving compliance. [1] Limitation or risk, with a way to reduce it. [1] [6] Examiner insight: A recommendation needs supporting evidence from a case you researched; a sensible plan with no case evidence cannot reach full marks.

Where marks are usually lost

• Answering a “distinguish” question with two separate definitions and no contrast.
• Omitting working in index calculations such as MPI = H × A.
• Comparing sources one after the other instead of point by point.
• Naming examples without explaining how they support the claim.
• Presenting only one side of a debate such as de-growth or the SDGs.
• Forgetting the key concepts in Paper 2 essays.

Next steps

• Development and sustainability revision notes
• Development and sustainability study guide
• Course hub and printable checklist
• All free 10-minute diagnostics
• Book a free trial class

Official syllabus

International Baccalaureate Organization, Diploma Programme Global politics guide, first assessment 2026 (published February 2024). Thematic studies: Development and sustainability.