GP Preliminary Examination Paper 1

Question 6

Why is this question asked?

Would it matter if there were no borders between countries?
given the context of an increasingly globalised/ inter-connected/ inter-dependent/ borderless world or a global village with increasing mobility of goods, services, resources, people/ labour and advances in transport and communication technology

Analysis of question
Would it matter if there were no borders
between countries?
3. Use of modal
To talk about the result of an event you imagine To give opinion on something that is not that certain

4. Use of phrase
To set the condition

2. Contention
Would it be important/ significant/ make a difference?

1. Issue/ focus
Physical barriers, political boundaries, virtual restrictions, economic restrictions, & blurring/dilution of these

Strengths
1. Clear understanding of why borders are needed with persuasive arguments on their fundamental and vital roles:
a) b) c) d) e) Effective administration of and accountability for territories, people and resources Prevention of unjustifiable incursions into others territories Respect for sovereignty/ autonomy of states and their legitimate authorities Preservation of unique cultures, traditions & identity Protection from proliferation of diseases

Ability to discuss other manifestations of borders apart from obvious physical demarcations or political boundaries: Egs., protectionist policies vs opening of markets to external economies; the authoritys inability to exert control or enforce restrictions on the virtual world for good or bad Appropriate use of examples involving border issues/ disputes: Egs., Israel, the Gaza Strip & the Palestinians; Myanmar & Thailand; Kashmir borders (See http://www.mapreport.com/subtopics/p/b.html for access to articles on border disputes) Analysis of situations linked to management of national boundaries: Egs., protracted conflicts or refugee problems; fleeing atrocities by brutal regimes; mass migration & tension created; proliferation of criminal activities Analysis of the various global players whose actions are affected by national boundaries: Egs. war/ political/ economic refugees; supranational bodies; drug cartels; smugglers; terrorists

Strengths
Evaluation of increasing mobility for both the good as well as the undesirable elements: Egs., goods vs contraband; foreign aid vs intervention/ violation of national sovereignty Ability to show how different borders operate simultaneously: Egs., the workings of social networking sites superimposed on the restrictions posed by existing national borders; the chain reaction due to interconnected economies cannot be thwarted by national boundaries; the effects of environmental problems across borders Effective handling of opposing viewpoints without being contradictory

Areas for improvement

Simplistic/ nave deductions: Egs., If there were no boundaries, the people staying near the borders would not know which country they belong to and which language to learn; the developed country can influence the education system of the developing neighbour and improve its economy. Extremely literal take on the issue: only physical borders Failure to consider current realities leading to all hell broke loose or open a Pandoras box scenarios: Eg., firms would start to pollute the environment; governments cannot keep track of their citizens; the Malays in Singapore would go to Malaysia to seek better treatment; Malaysia would take control of Singapores land; no more border checks, customs and passports; people would not know if they have entered another country

Ignoring the fact that there has already been exchange of culture, ideas, etc. even with the existing borders: Egs., overseas exchange programmes, regional and international games