Part 3 – Thematic Study: Development and Sustainability
An Academy adaptation for planning and mastery.
LAYER 1: CONTENT OVERVIEW (Academy Study Breakdown)
The IB Global Politics guide identifies prescribed content for the Development and Sustainability thematic study. The Academy has organised this prescribed content into smaller study areas and study checkpoints to make it easier to learn, practise and track.
IB PRESCRIBED CONTENT – ACADEMY ORGANISATION
The following 6 study areas are Academy-created organisation of the prescribed content. They are not the official IB prescribed-topic structure.
| Academy Study Area | SL | HL |
|---|---|---|
| Contested Meanings of Development and Sustainability | ✓ | ✓ |
| Measuring Development and Inequality | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pathways to Development | ✓ | ✓ |
| Debates on Development and Sustainability | ✓ | ✓ |
| Political Actors and Development | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sustainability and Environmental Governance | ✓ | ✓ |
The Academy has organised the prescribed Development and Sustainability content into 6 study areas and 35 trackable Academy study checkpoints for Part 3. These checkpoints are an Academy-created study organisation, not official IB syllabus requirements.
Key ideas explored in this thematic study:
- Development
- Sustainability
- Poverty
- Inequality
LAYER 2: RECOMMENDED SEQUENCE
Purpose: A suggested order for learning the thematic study. This is not an IB-required sequence.
| Academy Study Area | Sequence | Why we suggest it |
|---|---|---|
| Contested Meanings | 1st | Establishes the foundational concepts |
| Measuring Development | 2nd | Shows how development is assessed |
| Pathways to Development | 3rd | Explores how states pursue development |
| Political Actors | 4th | Examines who shapes development |
| Debates on Development | 5th | Analyses the key tensions |
| Sustainability and Environmental Governance | 6th | Connects to wider course |
STUDENT ACTION: “This is a suggested Academy sequence. You may adapt it to your own learning style, teacher’s sequence and classroom work.”
LAYER 3: SYLLABUS ITEMS WITH MASTERY TRACKING
SECTION: DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY (2026 Syllabus – 35 Checkpoints)
Instructions:
– Use the status buttons to mark a checkpoint Not Started, Revising, or Practising.
– Use Test Mastery when you are ready to check whether you can mark the checkpoint Mastered.
– You must pass the Mastery Gate for the status to become Mastered.
– If you cannot pass, choose I Couldn’t Pass. The checkpoint will be marked Revising and added to your Weak Spots.
LAYER 4: MASTERY GATE
Purpose: Test your understanding of the selected checkpoint.
Answer the questions that match the learning objective type:
🔹 For DEFINE / DESCRIBE checkpoints:
☐ Can I recall the definition accurately?
☐ Can I explain it in my own words?
🔹 For EXPLAIN checkpoints:
☐ Can I recall the definition?
☐ Can I explain the mechanism/process?
☐ Can I give an example?
🔹 For APPLY checkpoints:
☐ Can I recall the definition?
☐ Can I explain the concept?
☐ Can I give an example from a contemporary case study?
🔹 For DISCUSS / EVALUATE checkpoints:
☐ Can I recall the definition?
☐ Can I explain the concept?
☐ Can I give an example/case study?
☐ Can I evaluate it (strengths AND limitations)?
PASS?
YES → 🟢 MASTERED
The checkpoint moves to Mastered.
Academy Spaced Review: 1 Day → 3 Days → 7 Days → 30 Days
NO → 🔴 REVISING
The checkpoint remains in Revising and is added to your Academy Weak Spots.
LAYER 5: DASHBOARD
DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY – PROGRESS OVERVIEW
🚨 WEAK SPOTS (Checkpoints that failed the Mastery Gate):
⬆ UPCOMING SPACED REVIEWS:
📊 PROGRESS: 0%
LAYER 6: HL EXTENSIONS AND GLOBAL POLITICAL CHALLENGES
HL students: The higher level extension is not composed of additional prescribed content, but of guiding questions that structure students’ research.
HL students conduct extended inquiries around eight Global Political Challenges:
- Borders
- Environment
- Equality
- Health
- Identity
- Poverty
- Security
- Technology
These challenges are explored through the guiding questions of the HL extension, drawing on concepts, topics and ideas from the wider course.
Evidence Analysis and Interpretation
Evidence analysis and interpretation skills are developed through the HL course and are relevant to Paper 3. These skills should be developed alongside the course rather than treated as a separate topic to study only at the end.
Academy Examples of HL Connections
| HL Challenge | Possible Development and Sustainability Connections |
|---|---|
| Borders | Migration and development, regional inequality |
| Environment | Climate change, resource scarcity, sustainable development |
| Equality | Inequality, marginalised groups, inclusive development |
| Health | Health and development, access to healthcare |
| Identity | Cultural identity and development, indigenous rights |
| Poverty | Absolute and relative poverty, poverty reduction strategies |
| Security | Conflict and development, human security |
| Technology | Digital divide, technology and development |
Paper 3 – HL
Paper 3 is a stimulus-based paper focused on the HL extension global political challenges. The stimulus may include text, data, diagrams and infographics.
Paper 3 is 1 hour 30 minutes, worth 28 marks, and contributes 30% of the final assessment at HL.
LAYER 7: KEY CASE STUDIES REFERENCE
Purpose: These are Academy-selected example case studies. They are examples – not a required list.
| Case Study | Year(s) | Focus | Useful for… |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Maldives | Ongoing | Economic development vs environmental survival | Sustainability, Debates |
| China’s Belt and Road Initiative | 2013–present | Infrastructure, debt, development pathways | Pathways, Actors |
| UN Sustainable Development Goals | 2015–2030 | Global development targets | Measuring, Actors, Sustainability |
| Rwanda’s development model | 1994–present | Post-conflict development, state-led growth | Pathways, Actors |
| Bolivia’s resource nationalism | 2006–present | Resource extraction, indigenous rights | Debates, Actors |
| Kenya’s digital economy | 2007–present | Technology, FDI, economic development | Pathways, Measuring |
| Indigenous Australians | Ongoing | Marginalisation, inequality in developed states | Actors, Inequality |
| Paris Climate Agreement | 2015–present | Environmental governance, global cooperation | Sustainability, Debates |
For each case study, try to know: Context → Actors → Concepts → Evidence → Strengths → Limitations → Relevance.
⚡ ACADEMY RECOMMENDATION – FOR PLANNING PURPOSES
Aim for strong mastery of the Development and Sustainability thematic study while continuing to build research skills and Core application alongside it. The 80% mastery target is an Academy planning guideline only. It is not an IB requirement and does not predict an IB grade.
📞 Need Help with Development and Sustainability?
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This dashboard is an adaptation created by IB Global Politics Academy. It is NOT the official IB syllabus. Always refer to the official IB Global Politics guide (first teaching 2024, first assessment 2026) for definitive syllabus content.
🔗 Official IB Global Politics subject brief
IB Global Politics Academy · Part 3 Development and Sustainability · Adapted from IB DP Global Politics Guide (2024)