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

These notes condense the globalisation study guide; read that first if anything here is new.

They cover the Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457) syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027, Version 2 (published April 2025), sections 2 to 4. Globalisation is one topic on the section 3 topic list, which is used for Component 1 Written Exam, Component 2 Individual Report and Component 3 Team Project. The syllabus says knowledge of content is not assessed, so these notes show how to use the topic to practise the skills, not facts to memorise.

Links: Global Perspectives hub · 0457 checklist · globalisation practice questions · Written Exam revision notes · Individual Report revision notes · Team Project revision notes

What the syllabus assesses

Assessment objective	Weighting in the qualification	Where it counts
AO1 Research, analysis and evaluation	68%	100% of Component 1; 67% of Component 2; 36% of Component 3
AO2 Reflection	15%	0% of Component 1; 8% of Component 2; 36% of Component 3
AO3 Communication and collaboration	17%	0% of Component 1; 25% of Component 2; 28% of Component 3

Component 1 is 1 hour 25 minutes, 70 marks, four compulsory questions on a source insert: Question 1 (18 marks) analyses information, arguments and perspectives; Question 2 (16 marks) evaluates research or evidence and suggests how to test a claim; Question 3 (16 marks) judges the quality of arguments; Question 4 (20 marks) assesses actions using all sources.

Command words printed in the syllabus: Analyse, Describe, Evaluate, Explain, Identify, Suggest.

Key terms

Term	Meaning
Issue (syllabus)	An important subject or problem for discussion
Perspective (syllabus)	A viewpoint on an issue based on evidence and reasoning
Research (syllabus)	The systematic study of a global issue to find evidence and develop understanding
Evidence (syllabus)	Information about a global issue that helps to develop understanding or prove that something is true or false
Argument (syllabus)	A series of statements containing reasons and evidence which support a claim about a global issue
Globalisation (working definition)	Growing connection of economies, cultures and people through trade, investment, technology, travel and communication
Supply chain	The series of firms and places a product passes through from raw material to buyer
Multinational company	A firm that operates in more than one country
Tariff	A tax on imported goods
Glocalisation	Global products or ideas adapted to suit local cultures
Vested interest	A personal stake (often money or status) in what others believe
Generalisation	A claim stretched from a few cases to all cases

Examples at a glance

Real examples you can research. You will not be asked to recall them; they help you practise evaluating evidence.

Example	What happened	Use it to show	One evaluation point
Ideal X, 1956	Malcolm McLean’s ship carried the first containers	A cause: cheaper shipping	One invention rarely explains a trend alone
WTO, 1 January 1995	Organisation set up to oversee rules of trade between members	A cause: agreed trade rules	Rules do not guarantee equal benefits
Ever Given, March 2021	Ship blocked the Suez Canal for six days	A consequence: fragile supply chains	One event shows a risk, not its frequency
Chip shortage, 2020–2021	Shortage of computer chips made in a few places forced car makers to cut output	A consequence: dependence on few suppliers	Pandemic demand changes were also a cause, not only globalisation
Global minimum tax, 2021	More than 130 countries agreed, through the OECD, to a 15% minimum tax rate for large multinationals	A course of action	Each country must pass its own law, so results vary
KOF Globalisation Index	ETH Zurich index scoring economic, social and political globalisation	Measuring the topic	Results depend on the indicators chosen
Friedman (2005) vs Stiglitz (2002)	Two books, broadly supportive and broadly critical	Experts disagree	Both are arguments, not neutral data

Must-know distinctions

• Topic vs issue. Globalisation is a topic. “Should my country tax imported steel?” is an issue.
• Cause vs consequence. Cheaper shipping is a cause; cheaper clothes in shops are a consequence.
• Fact vs opinion. “The factory closed in 2024” can be checked. “Closing it was a disgrace” cannot.
• Claim vs evidence. A claim is what someone wants you to accept; evidence is what is offered to support it.
• Prediction vs fact. “Prices will fall” is about the future, so it cannot yet be checked.
• Vested interest vs bias. A vested interest is a stake in the outcome; bias is a one-sided presentation. A vested interest makes bias more likely but does not prove it.
• Local vs national vs global. Use all three levels where the question allows; the Team Project must start local.
• Perspective vs opinion. A perspective rests on evidence and reasoning; an opinion may not.

Perspectives at a glance

Who	Likely perspective	Why they might hold it
Shopper on a low income	Welcomes cheaper imported goods	Lower prices stretch a tight budget
Worker in an older factory	Worried about jobs moving abroad	Their income depends on the factory staying open
Owner of an exporting firm	Supports open trade	New markets mean more sales
Small local shop owner	Wary of global chains	Competes with firms that can charge less
Environmental campaigner	Questions long supply chains	Transport over long distances adds to pollution
Government	Balances all of these	Must weigh jobs, prices, trade partners and votes

Remember: these are typical positions, not fixed rules. A low-income shopper may also be a factory worker. Show that you understand the reasoning behind each view before you judge it (AO2 asks you to consider perspectives “objectively and with empathy”).

Quick checks for any globalisation source

1. Who wrote it, and what do they gain? Look for a vested interest.
2. What is the claim? Write it in one line.
3. What evidence is given? Is it data, personal experience, expert view or none?
4. How big and fair is the sample? One town or one group cannot speak for a country.
5. Is the language loaded? Words such as “flooding”, “ruined” or “destroy” signal bias.
6. Does the conclusion go further than the evidence? This is where most marks for evaluation come from.

Mini plan: a typical extended answer

Question type (Component 1, Question 4 style): “Which course of action would be most effective in reducing the harm caused by global supply chains? Use all the sources and explain your judgement.”

1. Name two or three actions from the sources (for example, safety agreements, tariffs, consumer labelling).
2. For each action: who would carry it out, what it would change, the evidence in the sources that it could work, and one weakness or side effect.
3. Compare. Which action reaches the cause rather than the symptom? Which affects most people? Which is realistic?
4. Judge. Pick one action and say why it beats the others, using source evidence.
5. Qualify. State one condition that would make your chosen action work better (for example, enforcement).

Reflection is not credited in Component 1, so do not spend time on how your view changed. Save that for the Individual Report and the Reflective Paper.

Quick self-test

1. Does the 0457 syllabus assess knowledge of globalisation?
2. Give the syllabus definition of a perspective.
3. Turn the topic “globalisation” into an issue that divides opinion.
4. “Container shipping made goods cheaper to move.” Cause or consequence of globalisation?
5. “All global brands wipe out local culture.” Which of the eight Component 1 terms fits best?
6. An exporters’ union praises a new trade deal. What should you note about the source?
7. Which assessment objective has 0% weighting in Component 1?
8. What word limit applies to the Individual Report?
9. Which levels of perspective does the syllabus say Component 1 sources present?
10. Give one drawback of tariffs as a course of action.

Answers

1. No. The syllabus states that knowledge of content is not assessed; the topic is a context for the skills.
2. A viewpoint on an issue based on evidence and reasoning.
3. For example: “Should countries limit cheap imports to protect local jobs?”
4. A cause: it helped trade grow.
5. Generalisation (it stretches some cases to all).
6. A vested interest: its members gain from the deal, so check for one-sided evidence.
7. AO2 Reflection.
8. 1500–2000 words, not counting the bibliography or reference list.
9. Personal, local and/or national, and global.
10. Higher prices for consumers, or other countries responding with their own tariffs.

Where marks are usually lost

• Writing what you know about globalisation instead of using the source material in Component 1.
• Saying “this source is biased” without naming who gains and quoting the loaded words.
• Accepting a percentage without asking how big the sample was and who was asked.
• Treating a single event as proof of a general pattern.
• Calling a perspective “wrong” instead of explaining the reasoning behind it.
• Listing courses of action without comparing them and reaching a judgement.
• Choosing an Individual Report question that does not divide opinion or has no global impact.
• Picking a Team Project issue that is national or global, not local.
• In the Reflective Paper, describing the action but not evaluating how effective it was.

Official syllabus

Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457) syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027, Version 2 (published April 2025). Sections 2 to 4 hold the assessment objectives, topic list, key terms, component details and command words.