Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457): Topic: Social identity and inclusion — Study Guide

This guide is for Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457), using the Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457) syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027, Version 2 (published April 2025). “Social identity and inclusion” is one of the topics in the topic list in section 3 of the syllabus. The topic list is for all components, so you can meet this topic in Component 1 Written Exam, Component 2 Individual Report or Component 3 Team Project. The skills you practise here are those in section 2 (assessment objectives) and section 4 (details of the assessment).

Topic knowledge is not assessed. The syllabus states plainly that knowledge of content is not assessed. Nobody will mark you on facts you have learned about identity or inclusion. This page shows you how to use the topic to practise the assessed skills: AO1 Research, analysis and evaluation, AO2 Reflection, and AO3 Communication and collaboration.

Use this with the Global Perspectives hub and the 0457 checklist. For this unit there are also revision notes and a practice set. For how each component works, read the guides to the Written Exam, the Individual Report and the Team Project.

Coverage table

Syllabus reference	What you must be able to do (from the document)	Where assessed
Section 2, AO1 Research, analysis and evaluation	Design, carry out and evaluate research into global issues, their causes and consequences and possible courses of action; use evidence to support claims; identify and analyse issues, arguments and perspectives; analyse and evaluate evidence, reasoning and sources; develop a line of reasoning to support an argument, perspective or course of action	Components 1, 2 and 3
Section 2, AO2 Reflection	Consider different perspectives objectively and with empathy; justify your personal perspective with evidence and reasoning; consider how research, other perspectives and teamwork have influenced your learning	Components 2 and 3
Section 2, AO3 Communication and collaboration	Present arguments, evidence and perspectives clearly; include citations and references; contribute to the Team Project	Components 2 and 3
Section 3, Topics; Issues and perspectives	Choose a topic from the list, find issues within it and use research and reasoning to understand different perspectives	All components
Section 4, Component 1	Analyse sources, evaluate research or evidence, evaluate arguments and assess actions; understand bias, claim, fact, generalisation, opinion, prediction, value and vested interest	Component 1 Written Exam
Section 4, Component 2	Research a global issue that divides opinion; local and/or national and global perspectives; causes and consequences; one proposed course of action; your own view	Component 2 Individual Report
Section 4, Component 3	Identify a local issue, research perspectives, plan and carry out an action, measure its success, reflect	Component 3 Team Project
Section 4, Command words	Analyse, Describe, Evaluate, Explain, Identify, Suggest	Component 1 Written Exam

Key terms for this topic

The syllabus defines two terms you must use precisely. An issue is “an important subject or problem for discussion”. A perspective is “a viewpoint on an issue based on evidence and reasoning”. A perspective is not just a feeling. It needs reasons.

The words below are not syllabus content. They are working vocabulary that helps you write clearly about this topic.

• Social identity: the sense of who you are that comes from the groups you belong to, such as family, language, nationality, age group, faith or school.
• Inclusion: making sure people can take part fully in a community, school, workplace or society.
• Exclusion: when people are left out, by rules, attitudes, cost or physical barriers.
• Discrimination: treating someone less fairly because of a group they belong to.
• Belonging: feeling accepted as part of a group.
• Integration: newcomers and existing residents mixing and sharing common institutions.
• Multiculturalism: the view that different cultural groups should keep and celebrate distinct identities within one society.

Integration and multiculturalism are contested ideas. Supporters of each have reasons. Your job is to explain those reasons, not to declare one side right before you have weighed the evidence.

Finding issues at global, national and local level

A topic is broad. An issue is narrow enough to research. The syllabus asks for global, national and local levels, so practise moving an issue between them.

Level	Example issue within this topic
Global	Should international agreements require countries to make public services accessible to disabled people?
Global	Do social media platforms strengthen or weaken people’s sense of identity?
National	Should school dress rules allow cultural or traditional dress and hairstyles?
National	Should reserved places (quotas) be used to increase the presence of under-represented groups in public bodies?
Local	Do newcomer students feel they belong in our school?
Local	Can wheelchair users reach every building in our neighbourhood?

A good issue divides opinion. “Discrimination is bad” is not an issue, because almost nobody disagrees. “Should school dress rules allow exceptions for cultural identity?” is an issue: parents, students, teachers and governments give different answers.

Perspectives: who sees the issue differently, and why

For each issue, list the people or groups involved and ask why they think what they think. Their views often come from values (what they believe matters most), experience and interests.

Take the national issue of school dress and appearance rules.

• Some parents and teachers support one identical uniform for all, because they believe it reduces visible differences in wealth and background.
• Other families want room for cultural dress or traditional hairstyles, because these are part of a child’s identity and family heritage.
• A government may stress clear national rules that every school can apply in the same way.
• Students themselves may see appearance as a way to express who they are, and may feel excluded if a rule treats their family’s tradition as untidy.

At global level, international human-rights documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (see below) set out a principle of non-discrimination. They do not settle how a school’s dress rules should be written.

Worked example paragraph (perspectives):

Parents who support one identical uniform hold an equality perspective: they value fairness and believe that dressing the same hides differences in wealth. [knowledge] In the source, the claim that “uniform makes everyone equal” reflects this value. [application] However, the perspective assumes that sameness of dress removes all differences, and it overlooks students for whom a hairstyle or garment is part of their culture and who may feel less included, not more. [analysis] The perspective is understandable, but it would be stronger if it was supported by evidence from schools that have tried both approaches. [evaluation]

Causes and consequences

The syllabus asks you to analyse causes of problems or reasons for disagreement, and consequences or impacts. Build chains: cause, then effect, then a further effect.

Possible causes of exclusion:

• physical barriers (steps, no ramps, no lifts)
• cost (uniforms, club fees, travel)
• language differences
• stereotypes and prejudice
• rules that were designed for the majority without thinking about others
• lack of information about what support exists

Possible consequences:

• for individuals: loneliness, lower confidence, missed education or jobs
• for communities: less trust between groups, wasted talent
• for countries: lower economic output, social tension, but also, where inclusion succeeds, a wider range of skills and ideas

Notice that consequences can be positive or negative and can fall on different groups. A strong answer says who is affected and how.

Using invented data to practise: in a fictional town, Kelton, a fictional community centre surveyed 60 older residents. 21 of them (35%) said they had no one to talk to in most weeks. A cause chain might run: buses stopped running in the evening, so older residents stopped going to the centre’s events, so they had fewer chances to meet people. Then ask: is the survey big enough? Who was not asked? People who never visit the centre were probably missed, so the real figure could be higher.

Judging sources and evidence

Section 4 says you will benefit from understanding bias, claim, fact, generalisation, opinion, prediction, value and vested interest, and that you should be able to analyse and evaluate use of evidence and language. Identity sources are often emotional, so this matters.

• Claim: a statement that something is true, which may or may not be supported. “Inclusive schools get better results.”
• Fact: something that can be checked. “The town hall has no lift.”
• Opinion: a personal view. “The new festival was a waste of money.”
• Generalisation: a claim about a whole group from limited cases. “Young people don’t care about their heritage.”
• Prediction: a claim about the future. “If the club closes, older residents will stop leaving their homes.”
• Value: a belief about what matters, such as fairness, tradition or freedom.
• Vested interest: the writer gains if the reader is persuaded. A company that sells ramps writing about accessibility laws has one.
• Bias: a one-sided presentation that leaves out relevant evidence.

Evaluating real reference points. You may cite international documents in coursework, but evaluate them:

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), Article 2, says everyone is entitled to its rights without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language or religion. Strength: widely recognised. Limitation: it is a declaration, so it sets standards rather than forcing a country to act.
• The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was adopted in 2006 and came into force in 2008. Strength: it is a treaty that states sign up to. Limitation: signing does not show how well a country carries it out, so you need evidence from that country.
• Sustainable Development Goal 10 (reduced inequalities), target 10.2, aims to promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all by 2030. Strength: shows global priority. Limitation: a target is an aim, not evidence of progress.
• The World Health Organization estimates that about 1.3 billion people, around 1 in 6, experience significant disability. Strength: a respected international source. Limitation: global estimates combine national data collected in different ways.

Worked example paragraph (evidence):

The source states that 1 in 6 people worldwide experience significant disability, which is a checkable estimate attributed to the World Health Organization. [knowledge] The writer uses it to argue that every new building in the town must be fully accessible. [application] The figure is global, so it does not show how many people in this town need step-free access, which is the evidence the argument actually needs. [analysis] The source is credible, but the reasoning makes a jump from a global figure to a local decision, so the argument is only partly supported. [evaluation]

Courses of action

Component 1 asks you to assess actions. The Individual Report asks you to consider different courses of action and propose one. Judge each action on: who carries it out, cost, how quickly it works, who benefits, who might lose out, and how you would know it worked.

Examples for this topic:

• student-run clubs where students share their cultures
• reviewing school dress rules with students and families
• accessibility audits of public buildings
• awareness campaigns against stereotypes
• reserved places for under-represented groups (contested: supporters say it speeds up fair representation; critics say selection should be on individual merit alone and that quotas can create resentment)
• shared community events that bring groups together

Worked example paragraph (course of action):

A student-run culture club invites students of all backgrounds to lead activities from their own traditions. [knowledge] For newcomer students who say they feel left out, it targets the cause directly, because it gives them a place to meet others and a role in which their background is valued. [application] It costs little, but it depends on committed student leaders, and it may attract mainly students who are already confident. [analysis] It is likely to help in the short term, but on its own it does not change the attitudes of students who never attend, so it works best alongside other actions. [evaluation]

Individual Report ideas

The syllabus asks for a global research question on an issue that divides opinion, with local and/or national and global perspectives, causes and consequences, a single proposed course of action and your own view. Some starting questions:

• Should school dress rules allow exceptions for cultural identity?
• Do quotas improve the inclusion of under-represented groups in public life?
• Should countries require all public buildings to be accessible?
• Does social media help or harm young people’s sense of identity?

Weak question: “What is social identity?” It is descriptive and does not divide opinion. Better questions ask “should”, “to what extent” or “how effective”.

Read our Individual Report revision notes for structure.

Team Project ideas

The Team Project needs a local issue and an action the team can carry out and measure. Ideas:

• Newcomer students feel isolated: run a welcome event and measure belonging with a before-and-after survey.
• A local park is hard to use for wheelchair users: carry out an access audit and present findings to the people who manage it.
• Older and younger residents rarely mix: run a skills-swap afternoon and count returning participants.

Each team member should research a different perspective, for example students, teachers, parents and a local organisation. See the Team Project revision notes.

Common errors

• Writing everything you know about identity instead of analysing the sources. Knowledge of content is not assessed.
• Treating “discrimination is wrong” as an issue. It needs to divide opinion.
• Naming a perspective without the reasoning behind it.
• Calling any statement you disagree with “biased” without saying what is left out.
• Confusing a fact with a claim: a statistic is only a fact if it can be checked and is attributed.
• Proposing an action without saying who does it, how, and how success would be measured.
• In the Team Project, choosing a national issue instead of a local one.
• Giving your own verdict on a contested question before weighing both sides.

Where to go next

Test yourself with the revision notes, then try the practice set. For more source-based practice, use Written Exam practice questions. Related topics in the same course: Change in culture and communities, Migration and urbanisation and Poverty and inequality.

Official syllabus

Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives (0457) syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027, Version 2 (published April 2025). Section 3 lists the topics and section 4 describes each component. Your teacher will confirm which topics your class uses.