Discuss how national and international development policies can reduce human population growth [9 marks]

Indicative Content	Guidance
Education and empowerment: Education's role in reducing fertility rates → e.g. family planning / contraceptive education Empowering women through education → decreases desire/pressure for (larger) families Accessible information/resources → can lead to informed family planning decisions Healthcare and mortality: Impact of improved healthcare on infant mortality → vaccination programs / healthcare accessibility reduce child deaths Improved sanitation / clean water access → decreasing avoidable childhood deaths leads to reduced crude birth rates Government policies: One-child policy in China → successfully reduced birth rates through strict government control India's National Population Policy → encourages later marriages / fewer children → promotes family planning Economic growth and urbanisation: Economic development / increased economic welfare → can lead to a decrease in birth rates Reduced reliance on children in urban vs rural settings → urbanisation can contribute to lower birth rates	You will always have to answer two 9 mark questions from Section B in your IB ESS SL Paper 2 exam This is a 'level of response' answer. The examiner will award you a combined mark out of 9 for knowledge, application, analysis and evaluation ‘Discuss’ (for 9 marks) requires: Knowledge of concepts, principles and models Application to the context using relevant and focused examples Analysis showing logical and coherent chains of reasoning of a range of issues Evaluation showing critical thinking linked to the context Depth is more important than breadth It is sensible to discuss two or three main points but to apply, analyse and evaluate them fully For top-level evaluation, informed judgement is required This can be demonstrated in a conclusion that synthesises and weighs up the arguments to form a supported answer to the question
Model Answer
National and international development policies can greatly influence human population growth. Educational initiatives and the empowerment of women can play a very important role in this [K]. Countries that invest in education show a resulting decline in fertility rates, due to increased awareness and family planning choices. The provision of family planning resources, including greater access to contraceptives and education about reproductive health, can be a powerful strategy for reducing population growth [An]. Improved healthcare systems, along with sanitation initiatives and better access to clean water, can directly reduce infant mortality rates [K]. As child survival rates increase, the incentive for larger families decreases, leading to a natural decline in birth rates and contributing to the overall stabilisation of population growth [An]. Countries such as Rwanda have seen notable success, employing community-based health programs to enhance healthcare accessibility, eventually resulting in a decline in birth rates [Ap]. Government policies can play a significant role, with China's one-child policy being the most famous example of this. Whilst controversial, this policy achieved its intended goal of curbing population growth through strict measures. Taking a different approach, India's National Population Policy focuses on voluntary family planning, later marriages, and reproductive health [Ap]. Economic empowerment and urbanisation can act as natural drivers for reduced birth rates [K]. As nations undergo economic development, families often opt for smaller sizes, as urban settings reduce the traditional reliance on children for support. This is demonstrated by countries like Brazil, where increasing urbanisation has coincided with a decline in fertility rates [Ap]. Finally, global cooperation is also essential in reducing population growth, as collaborative efforts between MEDCs and LEDCs, involving the transfer of knowledge and technologies, are important in finding long-term sustainable solutions to population challenges [An]. It is clear that sustainable development policies should focus on enhancing education, healthcare infrastructure, and economic opportunities [E]. In addition, lessons learnt from both successful and less effective policies should inform future strategies. In summary, the reduction of human population growth requires a comprehensive and combined approach, with continuous evaluation and adaptation of policies to ensure sustained positive impacts on global demographics [E].
Commentary
This answer is an example - yours may be different The answer discusses several ways in which development policies can reduce population growth and finishes with a supported final judgement The effectiveness of these various approaches is evaluated in their respective paragraphs The response is annotated to show where the skills of knowledge (K), application (Ap), analysis (An) and evaluation (E) have been demonstrated

Human Population Dynamics (SL IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS))

Topic Questions