In General Paper, we discuss and read about issues on which people have different, usually contradicting views, and examine the basis for these opinions.

The topic areas listed in the syllabus for the exam in 2009 are:

• Historical, social, economic, political and philosophical topics

• Science including its history, philosophy, general principles, current developments and applications
• Mathematical and geographical topics
• Literature and language
• Arts and crafts
• Topics of local interest and national concern

A list of online resources for information on specific issues is found at the bottom of this page.

The website for the Cooperative Research Centre for Innovative Dairy Products (Australia) has a good guide for the study of issues in its GenEd section, which allows copying for educational use. The more relevant information is collated with some modification below and on the Analysing Issues page.

What is an issue?

An issue is a matter or topic of concern that might arise from a significant event, development or process and about which there are differing views or perspectives.
It is useful to transform the topic from a statement to a question as this can help you to identify different responses. For example:

Topic	Statement of Issue	Issue as a question
Cloning	Cloning in beef cattle	Should cloning of beef cattle be permitted?
Transformation (GMO’s)	Insertion of foreign genes into sugar beet to convey herbicide tolerance	Should sugar beet be genetically modified to become herbicide tolerant?

Analysing issues

Click here for an extensive guide on how to analyse issues.

Online Resources

Global Issues - Social, Political, Economic and Environmental Issues That Affect Us All
Helpful links can be found on this textbook site for 'Becoming a Critical Thinker' by Vincent Ryan Ruggiero