Weigh the Evidence
The middle of the Paper 3 issue evaluation: weighing stakeholder views, appraising the advantages and drawbacks of each option, and evaluating them against clear criteria before any decision.
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Weighing the options
Once you have read the booklet and worked out the issue, the stakeholders and the options, the next job is to weigh everything up. This module is that middle stage, and it is where most marks are won or lost. First you weigh the stakeholder viewpoints against each other, since different groups usually want different things. Then you appraise each option in turn, listing its advantages and its drawbacks honestly. To do this fairly you use the same explicit criteria for every option, such as the cost, the impact on people and the impact on the physical environment. You are not deciding yet; that final judgement comes in the next stage. Here the aim is a clear, balanced comparison. This module shows how to weigh the evidence.
Weighing words
Learn these before you weigh any option, and remember to judge every option by the same measures.
Advantages against drawbacks
Weighing an option fairly means holding its good points and its bad points side by side, not just one of them.
How to weigh options against criteria
Do not just pile up random points. Pick a small set of clear measures first, such as cost, the effect on people and the effect on the environment. Then take each option and judge it against every one of those same measures in turn, noting the good and the bad. Because you use one shared set of measures, the options can be compared fairly. Keep the decision back for now; the aim at this stage is a balanced weighing, not a winner.
Match the criterion to the question it asks
- cost
- impact on people
- impact on the environment
- feasibility
- how much money will it take
- who gains or loses jobs, homes or health
- what happens to rivers, land and wildlife
- can it actually be done
Which comparison is stronger?
Two students compare the options. One lists points in a random jumble. The other judges every option on cost, people and the environment. Whose comparison is stronger?
- The one who judges every option on the same criteria.
- The one who lists points in a random jumble.
- Whichever answer is simply the longest.
- Whoever finishes first.
Weighing an option well
Select the TWO things that make the weighing of options fair.
- Consider both the advantages and the drawbacks
- Judge every option by the same criteria
- Mention only the advantages of each option
- Use different criteria for each option
Points noted
For one option a student notes 3 advantages and 2 drawbacks. Add these to find how many points they have weighed for that option.
Order weighing the options
Put the steps of weighing the options in order, earliest first. Stop before the final decision.
- List the options already identified
- Choose the criteria to judge them by
- Weigh each option on each criterion
- Compare the options side by side
Complete the facts
The measures you judge every option against are the _____. A good point an option offers is an _____. A bad point or cost of an option is a _____. Gaining one thing while giving up another is a _____.
Match the option to its main drawback
- building a large reservoir
- building a small reservoir
- piping water in from far away
- doing nothing at all
- it floods a valley and some homes
- it supplies less water than is needed
- it costs a great deal to build
- the water shortage simply gets worse
Spot the true weighing facts
Tap the TWO statements that are true about weighing the evidence.
- A fair weighing shows both advantages and drawbacks
- Every option should be judged by the same criteria
- The final decision must be made at this stage
- You should mention only the good points
Weigh it up
Read each case and choose the best response, with a reason.
- A student praises the large reservoir option but never mentions the homes it would flood. How should the weighing improve?
- A student judges one option on cost but judges another on wildlife instead. Why is this a problem?
- At this middle stage, a student rushes straight to naming the best option. What should they do instead?
Weigh the options
A booklet on easing a water shortage offers three options: a large reservoir, a small reservoir, and piping water in from elsewhere. Weigh these options against clear criteria, without yet choosing one.
- State the criteria you will judge the options against
- Weigh the large reservoir option, with an advantage and a drawback
- Weigh the small reservoir option on the same criteria
- Weigh the piping option on the same criteria
- Finish by noting that a justified decision comes in the next stage, not yet