Learner Guide
4. Component 2 – Specimen answer
This section takes you through an example of an Individual Report (IR). It will help you to understand some of the
criteria and what is required in your IR. All information and advice in this section is specific to the IR.
The mark weightings allocated to each of the assessment objectives are:
AO1 – 40 marks
AO2 – 5 marks
AO3 – 15 marks
Specimen answer (Individual Report) Examiner comments
Topic: Health and Wellbeing
Issue: Corporal punishment in the home
Research question: Should parents be banned from
using corporal punishment? (1991 words) 1 1 As this question says
‘Should…?’ we understand that
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the this is a question that people have
Child1 Article 19 says governments must protect different views on and it can be
answered Yes it should / No it
children from violence, abuse and being neglected by
shouldn’t.
anyone who looks after them. Article 3 says when
adults make decisions, they should think about how
their decisions will affect children. All adults should do
what is best for children.1
Corporal punishment is a form of violence. It is
punishment that causes physical pain.2 Corporal
punishment happens at home, school, and in judicial
systems.2 Most European countries have banned all
three types. Sweden was the first country to ban
corporal punishment in 1966. By 2019, 58 Countries
banned corporal punishment, so that shows it is
an issue in all those countries and probably also in
countries where it has not been banned.2 Human
Rights Watch estimated that about 90% of countries
had made corporal punishment for children illegal.
My research focus is corporal punishment of children
at home. I want to find out why parents use this
punishment, how it affects children and what we
should do to solve this issue. 2 2 The candidate gives us an
introduction that shows this is a
There are a lot of different ideas about parenting global issue. The introduction gives
around the world. Different cultures have different us an idea what the candidate is
family traditions and new research is telling us new going to tell us about.
information about parenting.
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Learner Guide
Specimen answer (Individual Report) Examiner comments
Some people believe there are four main types of
parenting:
Authoritarian: parents believe their children should
do as they are told and obey all rules without any
discussion.
Authoritative: parents have clear rules, but their
children's thoughts and feelings are considered.
Permissive parents are easy-going. They let their
children do what they want and only get involved if
something goes badly wrong.
Uninvolved parents usually do not know what is
happening or what their children are doing. They don’t
usually set any rules. www.verywellfamily.com/types-
of-parenting-styles-1095045
Authoritarian parents are the most likely to give
punishments to their children and that can include
violence - corporal punishment. Corporal punishment is
common globally. Around 60% of children aged 2–14
years are regularly punished physically by caregivers. In
some countries, most students say they are physically
punished by school staff. The risk is about the same for
boys and girls, rich and poor.4 3 3 We see that there are different
attitudes to the issue around the
Causes world, some evidence is given in the
form of statistics. It is not clear how
Research has shown different reasons why parents use
this section is relevant to the issue.
corporal punishment. Parents were interviewed to find
out if they used corporal punishment and why they did
this. 6,7
Some adults were disciplined or punished by smacking
when they were children. So, this feels normal to them.
If they are successful adults now, it seems like the right
thing to do. They think they are helping their children
to grow up as good citizens and to keep out of trouble.6
Some cultures still believe it is the best way to discipline
their children: quicker, easier and works better than
trying to explain everything. Parents should be in
complete control and smacking and punishment helps
them do that. They think children will understand
a smack better than a long discussion about why
something is wrong. 6,7
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Learner Guide
Specimen answer (Individual Report) Examiner comments
Other parents do know smacking is not good. They
have read all the guidance about parenting. They
understand that it is not kind and that it has bad
effects on their children. But still sometimes they get
frustrated and ‘lose it’ and hit their children before
they stop and think. They might feel guilty about it,
but they still do it sometimes.7
Some parents are just damaged, they have anger-
management issues. They cannot control themselves.
They get angry easily and when they are angry, they
are violent. They might be generally aggressive, using
violence to solve any issues they have, and this includes
domestic violence.6 Other parents just do not know
that physical punishment is damaging for children.
They might not hit their children if they understood,
or if they knew a better way.8
Consequences
There has been a lot of research on the effects
of corporal punishment on children.3,4 Corporal
punishment affects children’s development, their
wellbeing and mental health. Children who are
punished physically feel pain, they are sad, afraid,
angry, and ashamed. Sometimes they blame themselves
and feel guilty too.4 Fear of their parents makes them
stressed and causes changes in the way their body and
brain work.
Corporal punishment has short-term and long-term
consequences. Direct physical consequences include
damage, disability and even death. Long-term
mental health consequences include anxiety disorders,
depression, addiction, self-harm and even suicide.
When children who are physically punished grow up,
they may become unstable and aggressive, even when
they are adults. They often struggle with learning and
with managing their own feelings. This can lead to
problems at school and lack of success in education and
at work. They may become aggressive, growing up to
be aggressive adults.4
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Learner Guide
Specimen answer (Individual Report) Examiner comments
Their lack of education, caused by their struggles
at school may make it difficult for them to get a
good job and they may be attracted to criminal
behaviour. Losing control of feelings may cause
antisocial behaviour and violence. Because they had an
unhealthy relationship with their parents, they may
struggle to build healthy relationships in future, and
this may impact their family life as adults.4 All these
problems are multiplied when they are punished more
often. Research has shown that aggression and low
achievement in reading and mathematics are worse
when punishment is more frequent.4 4 4 Causes and consequences of
corporal punishment are explained.
Global Perspective There is some discussion of
different attitudes, and the candidate
UNICEF says that governments should make sure
shows that they understand how
children are protected and looked after by their people feel about this issue.
parents, or by other people when this is needed. Also,
governments should make sure that people and places
responsible for looking after children are doing a good
job.1 5 5 Very general comment about
child protection. This is not a
Courses of Action
developed perspective on the issue
All governments should ban corporal punishment of of corporal punishment.
children. They should also develop policies to reduce or
stop the problem. They can introduce the Parenting for
Lifelong Health (PLH) programme. This programme is
backed by WHO and UNICEF.5 Over the past 4 years,
the programme has spread to more than 20 countries
due to increasing demand. Dr Catherine Ward is
the founder of PLH and is a child psychology expert.
She says that PLH is focussed on solving problems
by showing parents they can raise their children
differently.5
“We are seeing parents using harsh parenting often
because they don’t know alternatives,” says Dr Ward.
“They want to do the right thing. But parents who
use harsh discipline can affect children’s mental health
badly, often leading to depression and problems around
the child’s conduct, including risky behaviour ...” 5
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Learner Guide
Specimen answer (Individual Report) Examiner comments
Lucie Cluver professor of child and family social work
says “If you make such services possible, people will
attend. Parents everywhere want to do the best for
their children and are very willing to receive support
on issues like preventing corporal punishment and
harsh discipline. This is very positive.”5
WHO’s Prevention of Violence Coordinator, Dr
Butchart, says PLH is as low-cost as possible. The
programme concentrates on the link between the
treatment of children and their development. ‘...so
that children both survive and thrive’.5 It could be very
helpful for countries that want to make a difference to
get involved with the PLH programme.
How can parents manage their children without using
violence? These days there are different ideas about
how parents should raise their children. These are
called parenting styles. www.verywellfamily.com/types-
of-parenting-styles-1095045
In Japan, most parents discuss quietly with children
– they give them time to calm down if they are
misbehaving. They discuss carefully and in private why
their behaviour is not good. Children are expected to
respect others and to have empathy for them. They
learn this from their parents and teachers because
when they behave badly, their parents will wait for a
private moment to explain the effect of their behaviour
instead of telling them off in front of other people
and making them feel ashamed. Children are taught
responsibility from a young age; they are expected to
tidy and clean up and to organise themselves. Because
their parents teach them these habits from a very
young age, they learn how to control themselves and
have responsibility easily. https://japantruly.com/how-
do-japanese-discipline-children/
If children are raised in this way, it seems normal to
them to raise their own children in the same way. For
parents who were not raised that way themselves,
it might be more difficult. They might need to join
a parenting class or get advice about how to start
making changes in the way they cope with their
children.
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Learner Guide
Specimen answer (Individual Report) Examiner comments
What did Sweden do to ban corporal punishment
so early? First, in 1966, Sweden banned corporal
punishment in schools. In 1976, they voted to ban it
in the home. Then they started a publicity campaign.
They sent a brochure called “Can You Bring Up
Children Successfully without Smacking and Spanking?”
to all households with children. The brochure was
translated into many languages. Parents were given
advice and support about raising children without using
violence. Information was printed on milk cartons to
start families discussing the issue. Save the Children
Sweden and BRIS held public debates and displayed
posters on the issue. During the 1980s the number of
children who were smacked fell to about 33%.14
Since the 1980s, more people report suspected cases
of domestic violence to the authorities. This is because
people do not excuse this behaviour these days, they
do not think it is the parent’s private business.14 Social
services check out any reports of violence and see if
the family needs support and if the child needs to be
protected. Then they make sure families get any help
they need. Recent studies show that even vulnerable
parents who were punished as children are able to raise
their own children without violence if they have the
right support and advice.14
If we want to stop corporal punishment, we have to
teach parenting skills. Then parents can raise their
children without violence. The example of Sweden
shows that this can be done if it is planned carefully,
and the government and social services follow through. 6 6 Plenty of detail about the
possible courses of action and
Evaluation the candidate chooses the best
I got evidence from UNICEF to show that many approach in the Reflection below.
countries have banned corporal punishment of children.
UNICEF is a reliable source of information about the
rights of children because they are careful to check
their figures. This means the statistics are accurate
and we can see that this is a global issue, and most
countries are worried about it.
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Learner Guide
Specimen answer (Individual Report) Examiner comments
I used sources from the USA, India, Japan, and China,
all agreeing with each other that parents should not hit
children and should use other ways of teaching them
right from wrong. The article from Harvard about the
effects of spanking on the brain is reliable. WHO is the
World Health Organization, they are a good source of
information about corporal punishment. 7 7 Only the first point about
UNICEF is explained.
Reflection
I did not know that spanking was so bad for children
before I did this research. I already knew it upset them,
because I remember one of my friends in primary
school said he got smacked when he was naughty. It
made him very sad. I did not understand all the effects
though and I did not know that there were so many
different reasons why people might hit their children.
I think corporal punishment should be banned
everywhere. Some of my research showed me that
other countries are trying to ban it 9 and I hope
they will be successful. At the same time, it looks as if
just banning it is not really enough. If parents do not
know how bad it is and all the effects of it, they might
continue doing it. So, we do need to have parenting
classes or publicity about this issue to help parents
understand how to raise their children without beating
them or punishing them. If countries follow the Swedish
plan that would be the best. They can get help from
UNICEF, but they need to have a full plan of giving
guidance and help to parents who are struggling. They
can use simple ways to get their message across and
they need to have social services in place to support
parents, they might need to include counselling and
mental health support for parents who are vulnerable 8 8 This section answers the
themselves. question and the candidate gives
their own perspective explaining
Reference List
how it has changed. It does
www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention/convention- not explain how other people’s
perspectives changed the
text-childrens-version
candidate’s perspective.
www.unicef.org.uk/what-we-do/un-convention-child-
rights/
www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/21/04/effect-
spanking-brain
www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/21/04/effect-
spanking-brain
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Learner Guide
Specimen answer (Individual Report) Examiner comments
www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/corporal-
punishment-and-health
www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/
preventing-violence-against-children-promotes-
better-health
www.verywellfamily.com/why-parents-spank-reasons-
for-corporal-punishment-620129
www.indiaparenting.com/why-do-parents-hit-their-
kids.html
www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/survey-
shows-77-parents-spank- children-at-home/story-
zNNnm3jsFKshnpcCKPS0YO.html
www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/social-welfare/
article/3119258/hitting-or-scolding-your-child-will-
soon-be
www.who.int/teams/social-determinants-of-health/
violence-prevention/inspire-technical-package
www.care.com/c/parenting-styles-around-the-world/
www.who.int/publications/i/item/inspire-seven-
strategies-for-ending-violence-against-children
https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/document/
never-violence-35-years-swedens-abolition-corporal-
punishment/ Total mark awarded = 43 out of 60
Marks awarded
Table A Analyses a global issue: Establishes the global nature of the issue and Mark awarded = 5 out of 5
supports with explanation.
Table B Analyses causes and consequences of a global issue: Analyses, explains Mark awarded = 5 out of 5
causes and consequences of corporal punishment in depth.
Table C Analyses different perspectives on a global issue: (BOD) Mainly own Mark awarded = 5 out of 10
perspective supported. Others are implied, section labelled ‘Global Perspective’ is
not focussed on corporal punishment of children.
Table D Analyses and evaluates possible courses of action: Well developed courses Mark awarded = 10 out of 10
of action, selects one and justifies (in conclusion).
Table E Evaluation of evidence and sources: One point is developed, the others are Mark awarded = 5 out of 10
basic
Table F Reflection: Answers the question, reflects on change of perspective – but Mark awarded = 4 out of 5
not on others’ perspectives – the anecdote about the friend pre-dates the research
so counts as what the candidate already thought and why.
Table G Structure and clarity: Generally easy to follow; the structure is a bit Mark awarded = 6 out of 10
confused at first.
Table H References: Some missing citations, occasional variation in method. No Mark awarded = 3 out of 5
access dates at all.
Total mark awarded = 43 out of 60
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Learner Guide
Examiner comment
The candidate shows good evidence of research on a global issue. The global nature of the issue was clearly
explained at the beginning and developed. Causes and consequences of the issue were explained – in this case the
reasons that parents use corporal punishment and the effects of corporal punishment on children.
There was clear evidence to show that corporal punishment is a global issue but there was no clear global or national
perspective. Perspectives did not seem to have been researched. Only the writer’s own perspective was presented
and explained.
Courses of action were well developed and detailed and the preferred course of action was selected, and their choice
was justified in the conclusion.
Evaluation was limited, most of the points made were either descriptive or of limited detail.
The response answered the question in some detail, reflecting on their own change of perspective, but without
reflecting on others’ perspectives.
More than one method of citation/referencing was used, though the citation seemed complete. Some citations were
in the form of web addresses and others were numbered with the numbers linking to the reference list. No dates of
access were provided.
Common errors and general guidance
In general, explain in your own words. Using long quotes can waste words that could be used to explain or develop
your points. The best approach is to make notes of interesting or useful opinions, facts, ideas, or information, with the
sources, and save them under the relevant heading for when you start to write your essay.
Give equal space to the different areas of their essay. This allows you to avoid using too much space for some criteria,
leaving too little room for others.
Where you have a lot to say, it may help to remove material that is not relevant to the issue, such as the descriptions
of authoritative, permissive, and uninvolved parents. In this essay, authoritarian parenting is relevant and that
is explained. However, we do not find the others mentioned again. The Japanese example could be labelled as
authoritative to make that relevant, otherwise it is not necessary.
Perspectives should be clearly presented, with supporting evidence. In this essay, some different attitudes and
feelings are included, but they are not presented by the candidate as perspectives. The Global Perspective section is
not directly relevant to the question, or the issue and does not read as an opinion on corporal punishment.
• A research question which is too difficult to answer, too vague or just about one country, so that it is not about a
global issue.
• No issue in the research question, or in the introduction. Just a general topic.
• Descriptive essays. Candidates just give a lot of information with no discussion about what anyone thinks about
their issue.
• Not addressing one or more of the assessment criteria, especially course of action, reflection and
evaluation.
• No perspectives. Some candidates give information about countries and described situations instead of
explaining what anyone thought or felt about the issue.
• No causes. Some candidates do not provide any explanation about why the issue had happened, or what might
make people behave in certain ways.
• No sign of analysis: no explanations or discussions – just lots of information.
• Courses of action listed or not relevant (nothing to do with the issue, the causes or consequences).
• Muddled / disorganised essays – showing lack of planning. These are difficult to read and follow.
• Undeveloped points. Candidates sometimes make relevant comments about the issue they are discussing, or
identify causes and consequences, or say that their sources are strong or weak. They do not develop these by
explaining, giving examples or evidence to support their comments.
• No reflection or explanation of how the research, analysis and perspectives affected candidate’s personal
perspective.
• No sources mentioned in the essay, so it is not possible to know what is researched material, and what is the
candidate’s own thoughts.
• Reference list not complete or not relevant to the sources mentioned in the text.
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