Category: Outlines

To what extent has modern technology allowed people to spend their money more effectively?

• examine how modern technology has enabled people to spend their money
• assess whether it has helped people to spend their money more effectively
• make a judgement , based on the consideration of the evidence and argument put forward.
• modern technology allowing for more secure, varied and fast transactions
• money being saved on a variety of items and processes that used to be more costly
• the lack of pressure from salespeople allowing consumers to take their time over spending decisions
• the convenience of spending money from home saving time and money
• a wider range of products are available at a greater range of prices
• the dangers of fraud and security breaches impacting on a person’s privacy and finances
• the lack of a personal interaction as many prefer to visit stores and go into banks
• there can be delays in delivery and other problems with online only services.

To what extent can children’s literature be enjoyed by adults?

• examine examples of children’s literature
• consider the contexts in which so-called children’s literature can be enjoyed by adults
• make a judgement, based on the consideration of the evidence and argument put forward.
• the nostalgic value of adults encountering literature from their childhood
• children’s books often being very ‘adult’ in realism, emotional and psychological depth
• genres having crossover appeal in both children’s and adult literature
• many popular works of literature among adults were originally written for children
• whether adults can enjoy them may depend on the recommended age of the children’s books
• some popular works of literature have versions for children often lacking the depth of adult versions
• stories for children evoking only children’s experiences and their own autonomous world
• definitions of what constitutes literature for adults and literature for children often being blurred.

The movement of people from the countryside to cities cannot be sustained. Discuss.

• assess the scale of the movement of people to urban environments
• consider the extent to which movement of people from the countryside to cities can be sustained
• make a judgement, based on the consideration of the evidence and argument put forward
• the need for people to live in the countryside for resources and work
• the negative impact of excessive numbers of people moving from the countryside into the town
• the danger of overcrowding in urban environments and the negative impacts of this on people
• how urban life quickly adapts to the increasing number of people
• the provision of a wide range of facilities for large groups of people
• urban infrastructure may develop to meet the needs of a growing population
• the benefits to work/life balance of living in largely populated urban environments
• how it may be necessary and whether it is possible to reverse this process.

Is the modern world becoming a more charitable place to live in?

The question suggests that the  earlier  days  of the  modern world  were  ones  where  there was  a lack of charity,  necessitating greater calls for and  concrete action  to make  the world a more  charitable place. The increase in charity must address some modern world problems societies are grappling with.

A coherent judgement of whether the modern world of today  is indeed a more  charitable place  to survive or thrive in as compared to before. The response would need to draw from a range of examples across the world given the global  scope of discussion and  the examples must be contemporary ones. These  illustrations  must drive  arguments  that   are  comparative  to  furnish  the   assessment  of  ‘more’  or  ‘not  more’.  The conceptual understanding of ‘charity’ must also be  sound.

It is expected that this essay will present a complete and comprehensive understanding of ‘charity’ and  what it comprises and show shifts in the  modern world that  have  helped/blocked the growth  of charitable attitudes and  behaviours. IT is important to explain the underlying factors  that could account for the emergence of more  or less charity in the world today. It is also important to focus on the key word ‘ to live in’ and  the reasons accounting for this trend. Don’t confuse ‘charity’ and  being ‘charitable’.

Assess the view that unpaid voluntary work benefits the participants more than it benefits the people the participants are trying to help.

• assess the role of voluntary workers, their aims and contribution to society
• explore the benefits of voluntary work to the participants and wider society
• make a judgement, based on consideration of the evidence and argument
• voluntary work being for a charity, cause or pressure group
• young volunteers gaining experience and making contacts in sectors of interest to them, improving their future employment prospects
• retired people gaining a renewed sense of purpose from their voluntary activities and from contact with younger people
• participants acquiring a broad range of valuable personal and interpersonal skills
• the chosen group gaining a great deal from the services provided
• charities, in particular, relying on voluntary workers to reduce costs to maximise their potential efficiency and effectiveness
• volunteers not being properly vetted or supervised, possibly resulting in inappropriate behaviour
• volunteers being motivated by religious or other ideological interests, compromising the independence of those they are helping.

Strong religious belief can be both beneficial and damaging. Discuss.

• assess the benefits of religious beliefs to people and societies
• consider to what extent religious beliefs are damaging
• make a judgement, based on the consideration of the evidence and argument put forward.
• religious belief strengthen positive values; condemn those which are harmful
• the unifying qualities of religion creating a sense of community
• religious belief giving many people a sense of order, meaning and purpose to life
• belief and faith explaining mysteries and giving people an outlet to stress and anger
• the emergence of extreme cults and belief systems having a harmful impact on vulnerable people
• religious belief taking up time that would be better spent on other things
• religious belief resulting in war, death and harm to many groups of people
• the view that having a strong religious belief is ridiculous and unscientific.

An effective leader needs to be a good listener. Evaluate this statement.

• discuss what makes an effective leader
• the extent to which listening to others is an important quality in an effective leader
• make a judgement, based on the consideration of the evidence and argument put forward.
• leaders being successful if they understand the mood of the country
• the need for negotiation and discussion in leadership roles meaning careful listening is often required
• effective leaders often picking up on details that others miss
• poor leaders who refuse to heed or acknowledge important voices of dissent
• giving undue weight to the opinions of lackeys or cronies can be damaging
• an over-emphasis on listening leading to delay or inaction
• leaders sometimes having to make unpopular and immediate decisions and listening is often not helpful in such situations
• the dangers of relying on consultants and advisers and the negative impact this can have on management decisions.

GP Essay Outlines

GP Essay Outlines for Media, Ageis

GP Essay Outline 1: The media have exaggerated the importance of sport. Do you agree?

Sport in today’s increasingly commercialized world has gone wayward. Athletes no longer train immeasurable hours for pure adrenaline but for cold hard cash. Media coverage on sport has become a 24×7 party that highlights what sells and casts aside sportsmanship and other ideals arising from the sport. The media has indeed exaggerated the importance of sport today.

T.S 1 Commercialism has made sport a lucrative multi-billion dollar business.
T.S 2 Sporting victories have become an outlet for nationalism thanks to media coverage.
T.S 3 Sport still performs its noble function in school and amateur sports.

GP Essay Outline 2:Science encourages doubt; religion quells it. How far do you agree?

Religion is based on the intangible substance of faith and belief. Some quarters opine that religion has a numbing narcotic effect on scientific progress. But this is a narrow-minded and myopic claim. Religion does not stifle inquiry, in fact, science and religion work hand-in-hand to encourage probing of possibilities.

T.S 1 Critics will often cite the restrictions placed on Copernicus and Galileo and how the church tried to stop their research. However, this argument is old and inapplicable to the huge leaps science has made since the early 1600s.
T.S 2 Morals and ethics have guided science even in modern times.
T.S.3. Science can cure religion of error and superstition; religion can cure science of idolatry and false absolutes.

GP Essay Outline 3: Science, unlike religion, promises more than it delivers. Do you agree?

The history of mankind and its progress has been marked by both spiritual and material progress. Two radically different philosophical worldviews have emerged as catalysts and products of such progress: the empirical method of science and the more spiritual one of religion. But the truth of the matter is that science has not delivered as much as it has promised.

T.S.1. Religious pundits will assert that science has failed as it is unable to explain many phenomena’s.
T.S.2. We have received material progress from science.
T.S.3. Religion promises salvation and has developed society along moral lines.

GP Essay Outline 4: We worship the young and scorn the old. What is your view?

In a world where media constantly promotes the young while allowing the old to be largely relegated to the background, it would seem as though our culture is one that worships the young and scorns the old. But the reality in our ageing world is that old is gold. It is the old that actually commands attention today.

T.S.1. The obsession with the pursuits of the young are fuelled by media.
T.S.2. The old are worshipped as they hold tremendous financial power.
T.S.3. Older folk have much experience that is useful in industry and at home.

GP Essay Outline 5: A profit-driven mass media is more vibrant than a government-regulated one. Discuss.

When money or politics serve as the sole impetus for the production of mass media, then it eventuates in the ending of all variety, choice and vibrancy.  The real solution for sustaining life in mass media lies in the use of media to disseminate a wide variety of information and knowledge.

T.S.1. The modus operandi of commercial media is governed by corporate sponsors.
T.S.2. Government-regulated mass media is also dangerously focused on funding the growth of particular political motives. t.s.3. Government driven media cannot avoid censorship
T.S.3. Government driven media cannot avoid censorship.

GP Essay Outline 6: Do moral standards impede the progress of science?

Science has to adhere to rules to ensure that it can progress. Progress in science should not be contingent upon immorality and depravity. It would be superfluous to say that the progress of science has been impeded by morals.

T.S.1. The use of animals in clinical trials have been the bane of scientific progress.
T.S.2. Scientific progress, the driving force for the majority of the changes witnessed in the 21st century, requires a critical mind, free of prejudice and open to new ways of thinking. 
T.S.3. The debate surrounding embryonic stem cells is not the only example of an ethical controversy born out of scientific research. Genetically modified (GM) plants have also stirred a growing public controversy.