Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457): Topic: Digital world — Revision Notes

These notes condense the Digital world study guide; read that first for full explanations and worked paragraphs.

They follow the Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457) syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027, Version 2 (published April 2025). Digital world is one of the 22 topics in section 3, and the topic list is for all three components described in section 4: Component 1 Written Exam (1 hour 25 minutes, 70 marks, 35%), Component 2 Individual Report (60 marks, 30%) and Component 3 Team Project (70 marks, 35%). Topic knowledge is not assessed. The syllabus states that knowledge of content is not assessed, so these notes show how to use Digital world to practise the assessed skills, not facts to memorise. Test yourself afterwards with the Digital world practice questions. The IGCSE Global Perspectives hub and checklist cover the whole course.

The assessed skills in one table

Assessment objective (section 2)	Weighting in the qualification	What it looks like with Digital world
AO1 Research, analysis and evaluation	68%	Find evidence on an issue such as the digital divide; explain causes and consequences; judge sources and arguments; assess courses of action
AO2 Reflection	15%	Explain why a parent, a tech company or a student sees the issue differently; justify your own view; reflect on how your view changed
AO3 Communication and collaboration	17%	Present a clear, referenced report; work as a team on a local digital issue

Component 1 is 100% AO1. Components 2 and 3 assess all three AOs.

Key terms

Syllabus terms (section 3).

Term	Syllabus meaning
Issue	An important subject or problem for discussion
Perspective	A viewpoint on an issue based on evidence and reasoning
Research	The systematic study of a global issue to find evidence and develop understanding
Evidence	Information about a global issue that helps to develop understanding or prove that something is true or false
Argument	A series of statements containing reasons and evidence which support a claim about a global issue

Source-judging terms (Component 1, section 4).

Term	Quick meaning	Clue words
Claim	Statement that something is true	“is”, “does”, “causes”
Fact	Can be checked and proved true or false	numbers, dates, named events
Opinion	Personal view; cannot be proved	“I think”, “better”, “worse”
Generalisation	Sweeping statement about a whole group	“all”, “every”, “always”, “teenagers are”
Prediction	Statement about the future	“will”, “by 2030”
Value	Belief about what matters	“should”, “more important than”
Vested interest	Author gains from an outcome	seller, funder, campaign group
Bias	One-sided presentation	only one side quoted, missing evidence

Digital world working vocabulary. Digital divide (gap in access and skills); digital inclusion (everyone can use digital services); data privacy (control over personal information); misinformation (false, not meant to mislead) and disinformation (false, meant to mislead); algorithm (rules deciding what users see); screen time (time on devices).

Real-world examples at a glance

Use these only as starting points for research. Check them in reliable sources before you cite them.

Example	What it is	What it shows	One evaluation point
ITU estimate, 2024	UN agency estimate: about 5.5 billion people online, about 2.6 billion offline	The digital divide is a global issue	A global estimate hides differences inside countries
GDPR, applied from 25 May 2018	European Union data protection law	A regional or national course of action on privacy	A law alone does not prove it is well enforced
Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age Act, passed 2024	Certain platforms must stop under-16s holding accounts; took effect December 2025	Governments act on young people and social media	Recent, so evidence of effects is still limited; critics question age checks
M-Pesa, Kenya, launched 2007	Mobile phone money service	Technology can include people without bank accounts	Success in one country may not transfer elsewhere

Must-know distinctions

• Topic vs issue. “Digital world” is a topic. “Should schools ban phones?” is an issue that divides opinion.
• Fact vs opinion. “The library has 12 computers” can be checked. “Video calls are less friendly” cannot.
• Claim vs argument. A claim is one statement. An argument gives reasons and evidence for a claim.
• Opinion vs perspective. A perspective is based on evidence and reasoning; a bare opinion is not.
• Correlation vs cause. Students with more screen time sleeping less does not prove screens cause less sleep.
• Cause vs consequence. Branch closures cause travel problems; travel problems are a consequence.
• Local, national, global. One town’s bank closures; a country’s data law; worldwide internet access.
• Reliability vs relevance. A reliable source can still be irrelevant to your question.
• Activity vs impact. In the Team Project, “we handed out 100 leaflets” describes what you did; a before-and-after survey shows whether anything changed.
• Individual Report vs Team Project issue. The Individual Report needs a global issue with local and/or national and global perspectives; the Team Project needs a local issue.

Mini plan: a typical extended question

Typical task (Component 1, Question 4 style): assess which course of action would best reduce digital exclusion in a community, using all the sources.

1. Opening judgement (1–2 sentences). Name the action you think is best and the main criterion, for example lasting effect.
2. Action 1, e.g. free digital skills classes. Evidence from a source; who benefits; which cause it tackles. Limitation: does not help people without a device.
3. Action 2, e.g. keeping cash and in-person services. Evidence; benefit for people excluded now. Limitation: cost for businesses; does not build skills.
4. Action 3 if useful, e.g. a device-loan scheme. Feasibility and sustainability.
5. Compare. Weigh actions on effectiveness, feasibility, fairness and sustainability. Say which perspective each action favours.
6. Final judgement. Answer the question directly and explain why; note what further evidence would help.

Keep every point tied to the sources. A sentence such as “the source shows that 38% of older residents surveyed do not use online banking, so classes tackle a real cause” earns more than general comments about technology.

Quick self-test

1. What does the syllabus say about knowledge of content in 0457?
2. Give the syllabus meaning of “perspective”.
3. Is “Social media” a topic or an issue? Turn it into an issue.
4. Classify: “By 2035, cash will disappear.”
5. Classify: “Teenagers are addicted to their phones.”
6. A study on the benefits of an app is paid for by the app’s maker. Which term applies?
7. In an invented survey, 210 of 300 residents own a smartphone. What percentage is that?
8. Name two questions you should ask to judge a source’s reliability.
9. Give one local and one global perspective on cashless payments.
10. State the word count for the Individual Report.
11. Which component asks a team to choose a local issue?
12. Why does a correlation between screen time and sleep not prove cause?

Answers

1. It is not assessed; topics are a context for practising skills.
2. A viewpoint on an issue based on evidence and reasoning.
3. A topic. For example: “Should governments set a minimum age for social media accounts?”
4. A prediction.
5. A generalisation.
6. Vested interest.
7. 210 ÷ 300 × 100 = 70%.
8. Any two: who wrote it; why; when; how the evidence was gathered; whether other sources agree.
9. Local: an older resident who struggles to pay without cash. Global: an international body concerned that people offline are excluded.
10. 1500–2000 words, not including the bibliography or reference list.
11. Component 3, the Team Project.
12. Another factor, such as homework load or stress, could affect both; the study would need to control for other factors.

Where marks are usually lost

• Describing technology instead of using the sources. In the Written Exam, prior knowledge is not assessed.
• Saying a source is “unreliable” with no reason. Name the author, purpose, method or vested interest.
• Treating opinion surveys as proof of effects: what people believe about screens is not evidence of what screens do.
• Ignoring sample details. Who was asked, how many and how matter in every evaluation of research.
• Giving perspectives without explaining why people hold them (values, experience, interest).
• Listing causes and consequences instead of linking them with “because” and “so”.
• Choosing a course of action without comparing it with another, or with no criteria.
• Individual Report titles that are topics, not questions that divide opinion.
• Team Project actions that are too big to carry out or have no way of measuring success.
• Ending without a clear judgement that answers the question.

Links

• Digital world study guide
• Digital world practice questions
• Written Exam study guide and Written Exam practice
• Individual Report practice
• Team Project study guide and Team Project practice

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 school uses the Digital world topic.