IGCSE GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP ALL KEY TERMS

Absolute monarch

A monarch with unlimited power over the country because there are no constitutional or legal checks

Activism

The action of campaigning to raise awareness about an issue

Advocate

A person who supports something in public

Amputee

A person who has had the removal of a limb due to trauma or medial reasons

Ancestral

An extended family that dates back generations

Ancestry

A family lineage or descent

Article

A separate part in a written document, such as a legal agreement

Artificial

Something that has been created by a human

Artificial intelligence

Computers that are designed to think and act more like human beings

Asylum seeker

A person who seeks safety and protection away from their home country; they seek refugee status

Autocratic regime

A state where one person has absolute power. They demand that people obey completely without asking for anyone else’s opinion

Ballot

A system or occasion of secret voting

Batik

A way of printing colours on cloth, using wax and coloured dyes

Bias

A preference for a person or one point of view over another; allowing personal opinions to influence a judgement

Bilingual

The ability to speak two languages

Bill

A suggestion for a new law. Bills are discussed before being voted on and either passed into law or rejected

Biodiversity

The number of different plant and animal species that live in the world or in a particular area

Biometrics

Using information from a person’s body, such as fingerprints or eye pattern or colour, to prove their identity

Bionics

Using mechanical and electronic systems to copy human and animal actions

Borehole

A deep hole made in the ground when looking for natural resources, such as water

Brain drain

When large numbers of educated and highly skilled people leave their own country to live and work in another where pay and conditions are better

Breadwinner

The member of a family who earns most of the money for the family

Bribery

An attempt to persuade someone to do something for you by giving them money, gifts or something else they want

Carbon dioxide and storage (CCS)

A way of capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it underground

Carbon footprint

The amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere due to the activities of an individual, organisation or community

Carbon neutral

When carbon emissions are zero or carbon emissions are balanced out by saving carbon elsewhere

Censorship

To limit (or prevent) access to information and expression of thought

Charismatic

A quality where a person has a special ability to naturally attract people to get attention and influence others

Charity

A group or organisation set up to provide help or raise money for those in need

Child mortality rate

How likely it is that a child will die between birth and the age of 5 (per 1,000 live births)

Circular economy

A process to reduce waste and develop ways of using the same resources many times

Citizen

A person who has the right to be a member of a particular country

Civilians

People who are not in the military or police

Closed questions

Straightforward questions that can be answered with “yes” or “no”

Collaboration

Two or more people working together to achieve or create the same thing

Colonialism

The process whereby a governing power takes control over another nation

Commercial

The activities involved in buying and selling goods

Common market

A group of countries that have an agreement for trading among themselves and how they trade with countries outside the group

Communicable (or infectious) diseases

Illnesses that come from an infection and can be spread from person to person

Communications technology

A method of transferring information through the use of technology, eg. electronics

Communist

A political system that promotes public ownership and communal control

Community

A group of people who share common characteristics

Community cohesion

A common vision and shared sense of belonging for all groups in society

Computer viruses

Programs made to harm a computer system. They spread by duplicating and attaching themselves to files