Examiner comments: Question 6: To what extent is the achievement of political and social stability essential for development?
[Unit of study: Development]

While there is some initial conceptual slippage between democracy and political stability, the candidate shows an admirable understanding of the central concepts contained within this question. In particular, there is a nuanced distinction between the two forms of stability and a neat transition from a discussion of one to the next in the context of development. Generally, this is quite a sophisticated treatment of the question, despite some occasional lack of depth when it comes to real-world examples. The counterclaim is also quite compelling, though it could have benefitted from a more detailed example in support also. Still, there is more than enough here to warrant a mark in the top markband, although towards the lower end for the reasons stated above.