What are the consequences of uneven social development, and how can it be improved?
Key Idea 7.2 (Theme 7): the consequences of and responses to uneven social development, the effects of poor health, education and gender inequality, and the strategies used to improve social development, including aid, education and health programmes, the role of governments and NGOs, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
A focused answer on Key Idea 7.2 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2 (Theme 7): the consequences of uneven social development, and the strategies used to improve it, including aid, education and health programmes, the role of governments and NGOs, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point covers Key Idea 7.2 of WJEC Unit 2 Theme 7: the consequences of and responses to uneven social development. You need the effects of poor health, education and gender inequality, and the strategies used to improve social development, including aid, education and health programmes, the role of governments and NGOs, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The consequences of uneven social development
Responses: top-down strategies
Responses: bottom-up strategies and the SDGs
Improving gender equality
Try this
Q1. What are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. A set of global targets agreed by the United Nations covering issues such as good health, quality education, gender equality and clean water, which guide governments and organisations in improving social development.
Q2. Explain one consequence of poor education for a country. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Low literacy and few skills mean the workforce is less productive and people struggle to find better-paid work, so poverty continues and the economy is held back, making it harder for the country to develop.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC Unit 2 (Theme 7)4 marksDescribe the consequences of poor social development.Show worked answer →
A short data-response describe question. Reward described consequences.
Health and education. Poor health care means lower life expectancy and high infant mortality, and the spread of disease; poor education means low literacy and fewer skills.
Wider effects. Poverty continues across generations, the economy is held back by an unskilled workforce, and gender inequality limits opportunities, so the country struggles to develop.
Top marks. Two or three clear consequences, such as ill health, low literacy, continued poverty and a weaker economy.
WJEC Unit 2 (Theme 7)8 marksAssess the strategies used to improve social development.Show worked answer →
An assess/extended question (levels marking). Reward a balanced look at strategies with a judgement.
Top-down. Government and international aid can fund hospitals, schools and clean water, and large health programmes (such as vaccination) save lives, but big projects can be costly and not always reach the poorest.
Bottom-up and goals. NGOs and small, local education and health schemes reach communities directly and are often sustainable, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals set shared targets for health, education and equality.
Judgement. Conclude which approaches are most effective and sustainable, noting that a mix often works best.
Related dot points
- Key Idea 7.1 (Theme 7): measuring social development, the difference between economic and social development, the indicators of social development (health, education, gender equality and access to services), and the reasons social development varies within and between countries.
A focused answer on Key Idea 7.1 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2 (Theme 7): the difference between economic and social development, the indicators of social development (health, education, gender equality, access to services), and why social development varies within and between countries.
- Key Idea 8.1 (Theme 8): consumerism and its impact on the environment, the growth of consumerism and the rising demand for resources and energy, the ecological footprint, and the environmental impacts including pollution, waste, resource depletion and climate change.
A focused answer on Key Idea 8.1 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2 (Theme 8): the growth of consumerism and rising demand for resources and energy, the ecological footprint, and the environmental impacts including pollution, waste, resource depletion and climate change.
- Key Idea 6.1: measuring global inequalities, what development means, the economic and social indicators used to measure it (GNI per head, the HDI, birth and death rates, literacy and life expectancy), the limitations of single indicators, and the global pattern of development (the development gap and the LIC, NIC, HIC classification).
A focused answer on Key Idea 6.1 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2: what development means, the economic and social indicators used to measure it, the limitations of single indicators, and the global pattern of development including the development gap and the LIC, NIC and HIC classification.
- Key Idea 6.2: the causes and consequences of uneven development at the global scale and within one low-income country (LIC) and one newly industrialised country (NIC), the physical, economic, historical and political causes, the consequences of uneven development, and the strategies used to reduce the development gap.
A focused answer on Key Idea 6.2 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2: the physical, economic, historical and political causes of uneven development, its consequences within a LIC and a NIC, and the strategies used to reduce the development gap.
- Key Idea 6.4: regional economic development, the changing economic structure of a country (primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary sectors), the causes of regional inequality within a country, the role of transnational companies, and the strategies used to reduce regional differences.
A focused answer on Key Idea 6.4 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2: the changing economic structure of a country, the causes of regional inequality, the role of transnational companies, and the strategies used to reduce regional differences in development.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC GCSE Geography (Wales) specification (3110) — WJEC (2019)