GP essay question guide
Is tradition a barrier to progress?
Avoid treating tradition as all good or all bad. A strong answer defines progress, separates customs that exclude people from customs that hold communities together, and gives a test.
Unpack this question first: 'Tradition' and 'progress' are both concepts to define. Progress towards what? Name a test, such as fairness or well-being, then ask when tradition helps or blocks it. Lesson: Abstract and values questions
Use this question in writing - Sign in, check the question, then write your response.
Topics: Society and Culture, Arts and Humanities, Politics and Governance
Three argument directions
Tradition can exclude
Some customs deny groups equal treatment for reasons no one can defend today.
Qualification: Change imposed too fast can provoke a backlash.
Tradition gives belonging
Festivals, family duties and shared practices help people cope with rapid change.
Qualification: Belonging for some can mean exclusion for others.
Use a test, not age
Keep customs that still serve people; reform those that only restrict them.
Qualification: People disagree about which customs pass the test.
A model paragraph
Our own paragraph for this question. Copy its moves, not its words.
Tradition becomes a barrier to progress when it is used to deny people equal treatment, but it can also carry the wisdom and ties that make change bearable. Some customs exclude groups for reasons no one can defend today. For centuries, women were kept out of many professions and denied the vote because custom said their place was at home. Ending those rules was progress, and tradition stood in the way. Yet much tradition is not like this. Family gatherings at festivals, or care for elderly parents, help people feel they belong during periods of rapid change. The useful test is not whether a practice is old, but whether it still serves people or now only restricts them.
How it is built
- Definition: progress as equal treatment and well-being.
- Contrast: customs that excluded women against customs that give belonging.
- Judgement: a test (serves or restricts) instead of a yes or no.
Six examples to compare
Sabarimala: Faith, Rights, Court Battles
India's Sabarimala temple dispute highlights conflict between religious customs barring women (ages 10-50) and gender equality principles upheld by courts.
Possible essay use
On 28 September 2018 India's Supreme Court ruled 4 to 1 that barring women aged 10 to 50 from Sabarimala was unconstitutional; Justice Indu Malhotra dissented.
Limitation
The nine-judge bench's ruling was pending when this record was checked, and it could change the legal position; check for it before citing the 2018 judgment as settled law.
Case or source date: 2018-09-28
Source: The Week
Singapore Repeals 377A: Rights, Values, Politics
Singapore's repeal of Section 377A decriminalized gay sex while protecting heterosexual marriage. This move highlights evolving social norms and political balancing.
Possible essay use
On 29 November 2022 Singapore's Parliament voted to repeal Section 377A; the repeal took effect on 3 January 2023.
Limitation
Repeal removed a criminal law but did not create marriage or other legal recognition for same-sex couples, so it should not be described as full legal equality.
Case or source date: 2022-11-29
Source: Singapore Statutes Online
Thailand's Marriage Equality Law Takes Effect
Thailand's marriage-equality law took effect in January 2025, extending civil marriage to same-sex couples.
Possible essay use
Thailand's marriage-equality law took effect in January 2025, extending civil marriage to same-sex couples.
Limitation
Formal legal equality does not immediately remove discrimination, uneven access, or social opposition.
Case or source date: 2025-01-23
Source: Royal Thai Government
Traditional Arts: Heritage or History?
Traditional arts face modern pressures. Are they vital for cultural identity or just nostalgic items in our globalised world?
Possible essay use
From 1991 Kelantan's PAS-led state government restricted traditional performing arts, including wayang kulit, as un-Islamic.
Limitation
This is one region and one organisation; how many young people now perform wayang kulit is not well measured, so claims of a full revival go beyond the evidence.
Case or source date: 2002-01-01
Source: Roads and Kingdoms
UNESCO Expands Its Intangible Heritage Lists
UNESCO's 2024 committee session added community practices and expressions to its intangible cultural heritage lists.
Possible essay use
UNESCO's 2024 committee session added community practices and expressions to its intangible cultural heritage lists.
Limitation
Listing can raise visibility but may commercialise, freeze, or unevenly represent living practices unless communities retain agency.
Case or source date: 2024-12-05
Source: UNESCO
Gender Gaps: Inequality in Work & Society
Gender inequality persists globally, seen in workplace pay gaps, leadership underrepresentation, and societal biases. This impacts individual lives and economic progress.
Possible essay use
The ILO estimates that women are paid about 20% less than men worldwide on average.
Limitation
Global averages hide large differences between countries, and part of the raw pay gap reflects differences in jobs and hours, which are themselves shaped by care duties and bias.
Case or source date: 2025-03-07