Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457): Topic: Conflict and peace – Revision Notes

These notes condense the Conflict and peace study guide. Read that first if anything here is unfamiliar, then test yourself with the Conflict and peace practice questions.

They cover the topic Conflict and peace from the Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457) syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027, Version 2 (published April 2025). The topic list in section 3 applies to all three components: Component 1 Written Exam, Component 2 Individual Report and Component 3 Team Project. The skills come from the assessment objectives in section 2 and the component details in section 4.

Remember: topic knowledge is not assessed. The syllabus says “knowledge of content is not assessed in this syllabus”. These notes show how to use Conflict and peace to practise the assessed skills: research, analysis and evaluation; reflection; and communication and collaboration. For the course overview, see the Global Perspectives hub and the 0457 checklist.

The assessed skills in one table

Assessment objective	What it means for this topic	Components
AO1 Research, analysis and evaluation	Find and judge evidence about a conflict issue; analyse causes, consequences and perspectives; assess courses of action	1, 2 and 3
AO2 Reflection	Consider perspectives objectively and with empathy; justify your own view; reflect on how research and teamwork changed your thinking	2 and 3
AO3 Communication and collaboration	Present arguments clearly with citations and references; contribute to the Team Project	2 and 3

Key terms

Term	Definition
Issue	(Syllabus definition) an important subject or problem for discussion
Perspective	(Syllabus definition) a viewpoint on an issue based on evidence and reasoning
Evidence	(Syllabus definition) information about a global issue that helps to develop understanding or prove that something is true or false
Argument	(Syllabus definition) a series of statements containing reasons and evidence which support a claim about a global issue
Conflict	A serious disagreement or struggle between people, groups or states, from local disputes to war
Peacemaking	Bringing sides to an agreement through negotiation or mediation
Peacekeeping	Neutral forces or observers helping to stop fighting restarting
Peacebuilding	Long-term work on the causes of conflict: trust, institutions, the economy
Mediation	A neutral third person helps the sides reach their own agreement
Reconciliation	Rebuilding relationships between groups after conflict
Vested interest	The writer gains if readers accept their view
Generalisation	A broad statement about a whole group based on limited cases

The source-judging toolkit

Section 4 lists eight terms candidates benefit from understanding: bias, claim, fact, generalisation, opinion, prediction, value and vested interest. Learn a conflict example for each so you can spot them fast.

• Claim: “Peer mediation has stopped fights at our school.”
• Fact: “The agreement was signed by both sides.”
• Opinion: “The treaty is pointless.”
• Generalisation: “Soldiers never want peace.”
• Prediction: “Fighting will return once the peacekeepers leave.”
• Value: “Dialogue is always better than force.”
• Bias: A report quoting only one community’s view of a clash.
• Vested interest: An arms company saying more defence spending keeps the peace.

Reliability checklist: author and expertise; purpose and vested interest; method (sample size, who was asked, self-reported or measured); date; support from independent sources.

Perspectives at a glance

Use “who, what, why, one evaluation point” for each perspective.

Who	What they argue (example issue)	Why	One evaluation point
Victims’ group	Those responsible for abuses must face trial	Wants justice and recognition	Trials can take years and reach few cases
Government after a civil conflict	A truth commission helps the country move on	Needs stability and cooperation from former opponents	May be accused of protecting powerful people
Peace campaign group	Arms sales to states at war should stop	Values non-violence	Ignores the argument that states need weapons for defence
Defence industry	Arms exports are legal and support jobs	Profits and employment depend on sales	Clear vested interest; check its job figures independently
Local school leader	Peer mediation reduces fights	Wants a calm, safe school	Evidence may come from the school’s own records

Courses of action at a glance

Real examples to show how to evaluate an action. They are not content to memorise.

Action	Level	What it does	One evaluation point
Mine Ban (Ottawa) Treaty, 1997	Global	Bans anti-personnel landmines for states that join	Binds only states that sign; some major military powers have not
UN peacekeeping missions	Global	Neutral forces help keep ceasefires	Depends on troop contributions, funding and the sides’ consent
Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement, 1998	National	Shared government in Northern Ireland	Institutions can stall when parties disagree
South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission	National	Public testimony about abuses under apartheid	Amnesty for those who told the truth left some victims feeling denied justice
Peer mediation in schools	Local	Trained students help settle disputes	Unsuitable where one side holds much more power

Five criteria for assessing any action: effectiveness, feasibility, acceptability to all sides, sustainability, unintended consequences.

Must-know distinctions

• Topic vs issue. “Conflict and peace” is a topic. “Should countries sell weapons to states at war?” is an issue.
• Opinion vs perspective. An opinion can be unsupported. A perspective rests on evidence and reasoning.
• Peacemaking vs peacekeeping vs peacebuilding. Reaching agreement; holding the ceasefire; tackling causes over time.
• Cause vs consequence. Why the conflict started or continues vs what it leads to. Link them in chains.
• Bias vs vested interest. Bias is one-sided presentation. Vested interest is gaining from the outcome. A source can have one without the other.
• Claim vs evidence. The claim is what is said. Evidence is what supports it.
• Local, national, global. The Individual Report needs local and/or national perspectives and global perspectives. The Team Project needs a local issue.
• Evaluating an action vs describing it. Description says what happened; evaluation judges how well it worked and why.

Mini essay plan: assessing actions

Typical extended question (in the style of Question 4, which asks candidates to “assess actions in response to the global issue”): “Using the sources, assess which action would do most to reduce conflict between two communities.”

1. Introduction (2-3 sentences). Name the issue and the two or three actions in the sources. State the criteria you will use.
2. Action 1. What it is; evidence from the sources that it works; who would need to agree; limitation or unintended consequence.
3. Action 2. Same structure. Compare directly with Action 1 using the same criteria.
4. Quality of the evidence. Which action has stronger support? Point out vested interests, small samples or predictions presented as facts.
5. Judgement. Choose the action that does most, explain why it beats the alternative on your criteria, and say what would make you more confident (for example, independent evidence).

Keep each paragraph tied to the sources. Prior knowledge of the conflict earns nothing.

Quick self-test

1. What does the syllabus say about knowledge of content in 0457?
2. Give the syllabus definition of a perspective.
3. Turn the topic Conflict and peace into one local issue.
4. What is the difference between peacekeeping and peacebuilding?
5. Classify: “If peacekeepers leave, fighting will start again within a year.”
6. Classify: “Young people always join armed groups for money.”
7. Why does a vested interest not automatically make a source wrong?
8. Name three questions to ask when judging a survey’s reliability.
9. Which perspectives must the Individual Report include?
10. Give one way a Team Project on school disputes could measure the success of its action.
11. Name one limitation of a treaty as a course of action.

Answers

1. It is not assessed; the topics are a context for developing skills.
2. A viewpoint on an issue based on evidence and reasoning.
3. For example: how should our school deal with arguments between year groups over shared spaces?
4. Peacekeeping holds a ceasefire in place; peacebuilding works on the causes of conflict over the long term.
5. A prediction.
6. A generalisation.
7. The evidence may still be accurate; vested interest is a reason to check it against independent sources.
8. Who ran it; how many people were asked and who they were; whether answers were self-reported.
9. Local and/or national perspectives, and global perspectives.
10. Compare the number of reported incidents before and after, or use a before-and-after questionnaire.
11. It binds only the states that join it.

Where marks are usually lost

• Bringing in background knowledge about a real conflict when the question asks you to use the sources.
• Naming a source as “biased” without saying what is left out or who gains.
• Identifying a perspective but not explaining why that group holds it.
• Listing causes and consequences separately instead of linking them.
• Treating a prediction or a claim in a source as if it were an established fact.
• Assessing only one action when the question asks you to compare.
• Giving a judgement with no criteria, or criteria that do not appear in the paragraphs.
• In the Individual Report, choosing a title that does not divide opinion or is too broad to research.
• In the Team Project, choosing an action with no way to measure success.

Next steps

• Written Exam guide
• Global Perspectives revision notes
• Individual Report revision notes
• Team Project revision notes

Official syllabus

These notes are based on the Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457) syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027, Version 2 (published April 2025), sections 2, 3 and 4. Your teacher will confirm how your course uses the topics.