Get That Grade

GET THAT GRADE!
Unit 10

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Test 9 Feedback

World Development

A measure of a country’s wealth, based on the value of goods and services produced per person.

2	A measure of the country’s level of development based on the population’s combined income, life expectancy and level of education. To gain both marks the idea of a combination, plus at least two of the measures is needed.

It takes into account the country’s quality of life, and distribution of wealth, rather than just considering wealth with no regard for its distribution.

Allow one mark for each correct answer. It is quite easy to explain why literacy and life expectancy are important. Brief but interesting answers on some of the others would gain the final mark. For instance:

The position of women is an important measure because if women are educated and have some freedom they usually work and earn money, have fewer children, but know enough to look after their children better and keep them healthy.

5	Level 1	The answer picks out some relevant facts about Karanja’s life, and/ or about the women’s lives, but does not explain why these are important, e.g.: Karanja cannot afford the rent on his house, because he does not earn enough. The women have to do the farming and they cannot grow good crops because of the unreliable rainfall. (1-2 marks)
	Level 2	There is some description of the problems, and some linking of these problems to the country’s level of development, e.g.: The women who have to do the farming cannot grow good crops because of unreliable rainfall, so this means that people have to migrate to the cities. This urbanisation causes problems because there are not enough houses or jobs. (3-4 marks)
	Level 3	The answer contains clear description, fully linked to the explanation. There is a clear understanding of what development means, e.g.: Development means more than just increasing GNP. It is about wealth for all the people and includes quality of life. Karanja cannot afford the rent for his house. The village women cannot grow good crops, so people have to migrate to the cities causing overcrowding and unemployment. This is not development for all the people. (5-6 marks)
		The person who wrote this last answer has thought very carefully about the meaning of the question. He or she defined what the term ‘development’ was all about, and then sought for evidence as to whether development was being achieved. This took some time and some planning – but get used to doing that now, so that it becomes easier to do it in the real exam.

Allow one mark for an answer which picks out a relevant fact and uses this to sum up the level of development, but which does not elaborate on that fact.

Further marks are awarded for development of ideas supported with relevant facts, e.g.:

Kenya is known as an LEDC. We are not given its GNP, but we are told that it is a country with great contrasts in wealth.(/) The country started to develop when it became independent. Adult literacy – an important measure – is improving, (/) but some other measures are getting worse. Kenya has very serious problems, and it seems like it is at a low level of development (/) and not really improving much.

That is a good answer, which gained full marks before the end – but that is fine, so long as the writer did not run out of time in the exam.

What have you learnt about Kenya from reading this article? Try to remember it for the exam. It might well make a useful little case study. Use it to illustrate answers on ‘measuring development’ if you do not have a good example already.

7	(a)	Check back through the notes on the Topic Task to make sure that you know the answer. If your answer was not right make sure that you re-learn it.
	(b) and (c) are examples of thorough answers.
	(b)	Chembakoli is a village in Southern India, which ActionAid is working to develop. The people lost their land to incomers from the north, so AA is trying to get their rights to some land recognised. Then the people can grow their own food for subsistence with some for sale. AA also helped them to set up a nursery for new crops of tea bushes. This makes them self-reliant. AA also provided money to train a health worker. She inoculates children against diseases and teaches their mothers about hygiene. If child mortality rates fall the people cut their birth rate. One of the first things that AA did was to provide funds for a well to be dug in the village, by the villagers.
	(c)	This project is sustainable, because it makes the farmers self-sufficient so they are less likely to migrate to the cities. Looking after the babies and children cuts the birth rate, which will cut down population pressure. Making sure that local people do the work, rather than outsiders, teaches people skills which will last them a lifetime, which helps make the project sustainable.

In your answers to this question you should have referred to some or all of the following:

the name of the country
the industries that were developed
who provided the capital to set up these industries
where the products were sold
whether there was a ‘multiplier effect’ – i.e. whether growth of one industry led to growth of other industries and services
the infrastructure of roads, ports, airports, training, etc., which grew to serve the industry
how much the economy has grown since industrialisation started
whether growth is continuing

Perhaps you could also consider whether the growth is sustainable or not, and suggest how the development might go in future.

You ought to check back through your answer to make sure that you have referred to real places and real companies. Your answer must not be vague. Write with a ‘sense of place’. You will not get full marks for generalisations that could apply to any NIC.