Introduction to Making a Judgment

Welcome! In this part of your Thinking Skills journey, you are moving from being a "detective" (someone who finds clues) to being a "judge" (someone who makes a final decision). In Paper 2, Section A, you will be given several sources of evidence about a specific topic or incident. Your job is to look at all of them together, decide what is most likely true, and explain why you think so. This is called developing, articulating, and justifying a judgment.

Don't worry if this feels like a lot of information at once. We are going to break it down into simple steps so you can build a strong, high-scoring response.

Step 1: Evaluate Individual Pieces of Evidence

Before you can make a big decision, you have to know which sources you can trust. You shouldn't just believe everything you read! You need to assess the credibility of each source.

When looking at a source, ask yourself about the reliability of the person or organization providing it. The syllabus gives us five specific criteria to check:

  • Reputation: Does the source have a history of being honest and accurate?
  • Ability to see: Was the person actually there to witness the event, or are they just repeating rumors?
  • Vested interest: Does the person have a reason to lie? (For example, would they make money or avoid trouble by telling a certain story?)
  • Expertise: Does the person have special training or knowledge about the topic?
  • Neutrality/Bias: Is the person taking a side before they even look at the facts, or are they being fair?

Quick Tip: If you want to learn more about these specific checks, cross-reference the chapter on "Assess credibility of evidence." For now, just remember that a good judgment is built on the most reliable sources.

Step 2: Look for Connections Between Sources

A single source might be wrong, but when multiple sources say the same thing, the evidence becomes much stronger. This is the "multiple sources" part of your task. You need to see how the sources interact:

  • Corroboration: This is when two or more sources say exactly the same thing. It makes the evidence much more believable.
  • Consistency: This is when sources don't say the exact same thing, but their stories "fit together" without any clashing. We call this being not inconsistent.
  • Inconsistency/Contradiction: This is a red flag! If Source A says the light was red and Source B says the light was green, they are contradictory. You must decide which one is more credible.

Step 3: Developing and Articulating Your Judgment

Once you have weighed the evidence, you need to articulate (clearly state) your conclusion. This is your final answer to the question "What happened?" or "Is this claim true?"

For 2027 Exams: You will be asked to write a short argument using and evaluating the evidence from the sources.

For 2028 Exams onwards: You will specifically be asked to assess the "extent to which you agree" with a given claim. You might agree completely, agree a little bit, or disagree entirely.

How to state your judgment:
- Be direct: "Based on the evidence, it is highly likely that..."
- Be nuanced: If the evidence is messy, say so! "While Source A suggests X, the weight of the more reliable evidence in Sources B and C suggests Y."

Step 4: Justifying Your Judgment

This is the most important part. To justify means to provide the "because." You must explain your reasoning using the sources. A good justification usually follows this pattern:

  1. State your conclusion: (e.g., "The factory is likely responsible for the pollution.")
  2. Support it with strong evidence: (e.g., "This is supported by Source C, which is a scientific report from an expert with no vested interest.")
  3. Address conflicting evidence: (e.g., "Although the Factory Manager denies it in Source D, his evidence is less reliable because he has a vested interest in protecting his company’s reputation.")
  4. Combine sources: (e.g., "Furthermore, the expert report in Source C is corroborated by the eyewitness account in Source A.")
Key Takeaway

A perfect judgment doesn't just list what the sources say. It evaluates them (decides who to trust) and synthesizes them (puts them together like a puzzle) to reach a logical conclusion.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • The "He-Said-She-Said" Trap: Don't just repeat the sources. (e.g., "Source A says this, and Source B says that.") You must decide which one is better.
  • Ignoring the "Bad" Evidence: If one source disagrees with your conclusion, don't just ignore it. Explain why that source is less believable or less significant than the others.
  • Using Outside Knowledge: Only use the information provided in the sources. Even if you know a lot about the topic in real life, the exam tests your ability to use the given evidence.

Quick Review: The Judgment Checklist

When you are writing your answer, check if you have done the following:

[ ] Did I use more than one source?
[ ] Did I mention the reliability of the sources (Expertise, Vested Interest, etc.)?
[ ] Did I point out where sources agree (corroborate) or disagree?
[ ] Is my final conclusion clear and easy to find?
[ ] Did I explain why I reached that conclusion?

Did you know? In Thinking Skills, there is often no "correct" final answer like in a math problem. The examiners are looking at how you use the evidence to support your choice. As long as your justification is logical and based on the sources, you can earn full marks!