Evaluate the view that international environmental agreements have been effective in addressing global environmental issues.

Edexcel A-Level Politics | Component 3B | 2027 Predicted Paper | Mark Scheme Question 3(c)

You must consider this view and the alternative to this view in a balanced way.

(30 marks)

The command word “Evaluate” requires students to consider arguments supporting and challenging the proposition, assess their relative strength and reach a justified overall judgement. As a 30-mark Section C question, AO1, AO2 and AO3 are each worth 10 marks, so detailed knowledge of international agreements needs to be used to construct sustained analysis and evaluation, not simply described.

A strong answer would normally compare the successes and limitations of agreements such as Rio, Kyoto, Copenhagen and Paris, while using issues such as state sovereignty, developed versus developing-world divisions and the tragedy of the commons to explain why international agreements have succeeded or failed. These areas are expressly required by the Edexcel specification.

Levels-based mark scheme

Level	Marks	Indicative qualities
Level 0	0	No rewardable material.
Level 1	1–6	Limited knowledge, with mainly descriptive points. Analysis and evaluation are superficial and conclusions are largely unsupported.
Level 2	7–12	Some accurate knowledge and some relevant analysis. Competing arguments are considered to a limited extent, with only partly substantiated judgements.
Level 3	13–18	Mostly accurate and relevant knowledge supports developed analysis. Both sides are considered and there is generally relevant evaluation, leading to some justified conclusions.
Level 4	19–24	Accurate and carefully selected knowledge consistently supports coherent analysis and evaluation. Arguments are balanced and mostly substantiated, producing focused conclusions.
Level 5	25–30	Thorough and detailed knowledge is effectively selected. Analysis is perceptive and sustained, evaluation is consistently substantiated, and the response reaches fully focused and justified conclusions.

Pearson's examiner guidance stresses that the higher levels depend on AO3 throughout the essay, not simply knowledge followed by a judgement in the final paragraph. The 2023 examiner report praised extended responses which made regular mini-judgements and used examples as evidence for evaluation.

Indicative content

Arguments supporting the view

1. Rio established an enduring framework for international environmental co-operation

The 1992 Rio Earth Summit helped institutionalise international environmental governance. The UNFCCC was opened for signature at Rio in June 1992 and subsequently entered into force in 1994.

Students could argue that Rio was effective because it:

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