Written Paper - BLITZ NOTES
Written Paper - BLITZ NOTES
Written Paper - BLITZ NOTES
Definitions
● Types of information
○ Fact - Pieces of information that are true, and are verifiable by
observation and prior knowledge to prove their truth.
○ Opinion - Beliefs, views or judgements. It is not verifiable by
observation, but can be agreed/disagreed with.
○ Predictions - Attempt to foresee or say what will happen in the future. It
is not verifiable by observation until the event occurs.
○ Value Judgements - Particular kinds of opinions which attempt to
differentiate good from bad or right from wrong.
● An issue is a topic or problem that can be debated or discussed.
● Cause: something which produces a result; a person or thing which is
responsible for a situation, action or event.
● Consequence: an effect which follows logically from a cause; something
which happens because of another situation, action or event.
● Types of perspectives
○ Personal perspectives: this is a perspective that an individual has
about an issue. It is influenced by local and national perspectives, but
also by the reflective thinking that each individual does.
○ Local perspectives can be related to a small part of a country,
especially when there are differences within a country. Local
perspectives can also relate to a region which is much bigger than a
country and which can share a common perspective on some issues.
○ National perspectives are related to a particular country as a whole.
National perspectives include:
■ Issues relating to government policy
■ What is best for the country
■ The way in which the people of that country see things.
○ Global perspectives are related to the world as a whole.
Evaluating an issue
● the consequences/impact
● the benefits for individuals, countries and the world
● human rights issues affect everyone
● issues of value and beliefs about rights and responsibilities
● morality – issues of right and wrong from different cultures
● vulnerable individuals/groups
● other reasonable responses
Strengths
● factual evidence
● whether several different types of fact are used
● is the factual evidence is generally relevant?
● is the evidence is related clearly and explicitly to the argument?
● is the evidence is used forcefully in a strongly worded argument?
● is research evidence is cited?
● is personal experience used?
● other reasonable response
Weaknesses
● research evidence is partially cited – the source and authorship are not clear
● level of expertise of the author is not clear – may have poor knowledge claims
● method of research is alleged/unclear
● there is only a little clear, specific statistical/numerical evidence
● the evidence is not easy to verify/check from the information provided
● too much reliance on opinion and personal anecdote
● evidence may be out of date
● personal testimony/anecdote/values may not apply to other places/countries
etc.
● other reasonable responses
Testing claims
Possible Methods