GP essay question guide
Should sport and politics be kept apart?
Start by showing why full separation is unrealistic, then ask when political action in sport is justified. A strong answer gives a clear test for boycotts and bans.
Unpack this question first: 'Kept apart' assumes they can be separated, so test that first. 'Politics' covers boycotts, bans, protests by athletes and governments using sport for pride. Lesson: Reading an essay question: terms and scope
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Three argument directions
They cannot be separated
Governments fund teams, host events and use victories for national pride.
Qualification: That does not mean every political dispute belongs in sport.
Boycotts can pressure
Isolation in sport can show a government how the world sees it.
Qualification: Bans punish athletes for decisions they did not make.
Athletes have a voice
Athletes can use their fame to draw attention to injustice.
Qualification: Fans and sponsors may push back, and rules on protest differ.
A model paragraph
Our own paragraph for this question. Copy its moves, not its words.
Sport and politics cannot be kept fully apart, because governments fund teams, host events and use victories for national pride. The real question is when political action in sport is justified. A sports boycott can put pressure on a government that ignores peaceful protest. For decades South Africa was shut out of the Olympic Games because of apartheid, and that isolation helped show white South Africans how the world saw their system. Yet bans also punish athletes for decisions they did not make, and if every political dispute led to a ban, few international events would take place. Politics should enter sport only for serious and widely recognised wrongs, while ordinary disputes stay off the field.
How it is built
- Premise test: full separation is not possible.
- Case: South Africa's Olympic exclusion; the cost to athletes.
- Judgement: a threshold (serious, widely recognised wrongs).
Six examples to compare
Qatar 2022: World Cup, Rights, Image
Qatar hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup sparked global debate over migrant worker rights and its international image.
Possible essay use
The Guardian reported in February 2021 that more than 6,500 migrant workers from five South Asian countries had died in Qatar since December 2010.
Limitation
The 6,500 figure counts all deaths of workers from five countries in Qatar, whatever the job or cause; it is not a count of World Cup construction deaths.
Case or source date: 2021-02-23
Source: The Guardian
Nations First or World Together?
The COVID-19 pandemic showed tension between national self-interest (vaccine hoarding) and global cooperation (COVAX). This highlights choices leaders make.
Possible essay use
In February 2021 the UN Secretary-General said 10 countries had administered 75% of all COVID-19 vaccinations.
Limitation
The 75% figure describes the early rollout in February 2021; later in the pandemic supply was less of a barrier than delivery and hesitancy in some poorer countries.
Case or source date: 2021-02-17
Source: Al Jazeera
Middle Powers: New Players, New Rules
Examines the growing diplomatic power of middle-tier nations like Turkey, as they take independent actions to address global challenges amidst great power competition.
Possible essay use
The UN and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative on 22 July 2022.
Limitation
The deal lasted a year and Russia ended it, so it shows a middle power's influence within limits set by the great powers involved.
Case or source date: 2022-07-22
Source: S&P Global Commodity Insights
BLM: Global Fight for Racial Justice
The Black Lives Matter movement campaigns against police brutality and systemic racism. It gained global attention, especially after events in the US in 2020.
Possible essay use
George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on 25 May 2020; a jury convicted Chauvin of murder and manslaughter in April 2021.
Limitation
The protests changed public debate quickly, but national police reform laws stalled in the US Congress, so the case is stronger on awareness than on lasting policy change.
Case or source date: 2020-05-25
Hallyu: Korea's Global Culture Wave Power
The Korean Wave (Hallyu) shows how cultural exports like K-pop and K-dramas boost South Korea's global image and soft power.
Possible essay use
In December 2018 the Hyundai Research Institute estimated that BTS generated about 4.1 trillion won (about US$3.6 billion) of economic activity in South Korea each year.
Limitation
The figure is a think tank's model estimate from 2018, not measured output, and BTS took a break for military service from 2022 to 2025, so it describes one period.
Case or source date: 2018-12-18
Source: The Jakarta Post (AFP)
Russia-Ukraine War: Global Shockwaves and Impacts
The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine triggered global geopolitical shifts, economic instability, and vast humanitarian crises, reshaping international relations.
Possible essay use
Finland joined NATO in April 2023 and Sweden in March 2024 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Limitation
The war is ongoing and figures change; check the latest refugee numbers and the state of peace talks before citing them.
Case or source date: 2022-02-24
Source: NATO