Bringing the world together: sports events; music events; campaigns and good causes

Theme 5: International and Global Dimension — Bringing the World Together

Welcome to your comprehensive revision guide for Theme 5: International and global dimension (Bringing the world together) for Pearson Edexcel GCSE Japanese (1JA0)!

Whether you are aiming for a Foundation pass or pushing for a Grade 9 at Higher tier, this topic gives you fantastic opportunities to show off impressive vocabulary and complex sentence structures across all four papers: Paper 1 (Listening), Paper 2 (Speaking), Paper 3 (Reading), and Paper 4 (Writing).

In this chapter, you will learn how to discuss international events that unite people across the globe, express personal opinions about global issues, and describe charitable actions using authentic Japanese.

1. Essential Topic Vocabulary

To talk about bringing the world together, we divide our vocabulary into three core areas: Sports Events, Music Events, and Campaigns and Good Causes.

A. Sports Events (スポーツイベント)

International sporting competitions are one of the most common contexts in Theme 5.

• オリンピック (orinpikku) — Olympics
• パラリンピック (pararinpikku) — Paralympics
• ワールドカップ (wārudokappu) — World Cup
• 国際大会 / こくさいたいかい (kokusai taikai) — International tournament / convention
• 試合 / しあい (shiai) — Match / game
• せんしゅ (senshu) — Player / athlete
• チーム (chīmu) — Team
• おうえんする (ōen suru) — To support / cheer for
• 勝つ / かつ (katsu) — To win
• 負ける / まける (makeru) — To lose
• 世界中 / せかいじゅう (sekaijū) — All over the world
• 国際 / こくさい (kokusai) — International

B. Music Events (音楽イベント)

Music festivals and charity concerts bring diverse cultures together.

• コンサート (konsāto) — Concert
• 音楽フェスティバル / 音楽フェス (ongaku fesutibaru / ongaku fesu) — Music festival
• ライブ (raibu) — Live performance
• 歌手 / かしゅ (kashu) — Singer
• バンド (bando) — Band
• 歌う / うたう (utau) — To sing
• えんそうする (ensō suru) — To perform a musical instrument
• 世界の音楽 / せかいのおんがく (sekai no ongaku) — World music

C. Campaigns and Good Causes (キャンペーン・チャリティー・社会運動)

Talking about helping others, fundraising, and working towards world peace shows high-level thematic understanding.

• チャリティー (charitī) — Charity
• ボランティア (borantia) — Volunteer / volunteering
• 募金 / ぼきん (bokin) — Fundraising / collecting donations
• お金をあつめる / おかねをあつめる (o-kane o atsumeru) — To raise / gather money
• 助ける / たすける (tasukeru) — To help / save / rescue
• 支援する / しえんする (shien suru) — To support / aid
• 参加する / さんかする (sanka suru) — To participate / take part in
• 平和 / へいわ (heiwa) — Peace
• 難民 / なんみん (nanmin) — Refugees
• 協力する / きょうりょくする (kyōryoku suru) — To cooperate

Section Key Takeaway: Master your Katakana loanwords early! Many event terms come from English, but they must be written with correct Japanese Katakana spelling and long vowel marks.

2. Key Grammar Structures for Theme 5

Using a wide range of grammatical structures allows you to express complex ideas about global unity and charity work.

A. Expressing Purpose with ために (In order to / For the sake of)

This is the single most useful grammar point for this topic because it lets you explain why people organise events or raise money.

Pattern 1: Verb [Plain Present Form] + ために (In order to do...)
Example: お金をあつめるために、チャリティーコンサートをします。
(o-kane o atsumeru tame ni, charitī konsāto o shimasu.)
"I will hold a charity concert in order to raise money."

Pattern 2: Noun + のために (For the sake of [noun])
Example: 世界の平和のために、協力しなければなりません。
(sekai no heiwa no tame ni, kyōryoku shinakereba narimasen.)
"We must cooperate for the sake of world peace."

B. Motion for a Purpose: Verb Stem + に行く / に来る

When you travel somewhere to take part in an activity or event, use this structure.

Pattern: Verb [Stem] + に行きます / に来ます
Example: 週末、ボランティアをしに行きました。
(shūmatsu, borantia o shi ni ikimashita.)
"At the weekend, I went to do volunteer work."

C. Expressing Opinions with と思います (I think that...)

In the Speaking and Writing exams, examiners want to hear your personal viewpoints on international events.

Pattern: [Plain Form Clause] + と思います
Example: スポーツは世界をつなぐと思います。
(supōtsu wa sekai o tsunagu to omoimasu.)
"I think that sports connect the world."
Question form: どう思いますか。(dō omoimasu ka — "What do you think?")

D. Listing Representative Actions with ～たり、～たりする

Instead of listing actions using simple te-form, use ~tari, ~tari suru to indicate a non-exhaustive list of activities you did at an event.

Pattern: Verb 1 [Past plain ~ta] + り、Verb 2 [Past plain ~ta] + りします / しました
Example: 募金をしたり、歌を歌ったりしました。
(bokin o shitari, uta o utattari shimashita.)
"We did things like collecting donations and singing songs."

E. Sharing Experience and Aspirations

To talk about events you have attended in the past or wish to join in the future:

Past Experience: Verb [Past plain ~ta form] + ことがある
Example: ボランティアをしたことがあります。
(borantia o shita koto ga arimasu.)
"I have had the experience of doing volunteer work."

Future Desire: Verb [Stem] + たいです / たくないです
Example: 国際大会に参加したいです。
(kokusai taikai ni sanka shitai desu.)
"I want to participate in an international tournament."

Grammar Key Takeaway: Linking a cause with ために and finishing with an opinion using と思います instantly elevates your writing into the Higher tier mark band!

3. Common Pitfalls & Examiner Advice

Avoid these frequent errors reported by Edexcel GCSE examiners:

1. The Strict "No Rōmaji" Rule

Writing in English alphabet (rōmaji) receives zero credit on Paper 4 (Writing). Even if you forget a kanji, always write the word in authentic Hiragana or Katakana, never in rōmaji.

2. Missing Long Vowel Marks (ー) in Katakana

Don't drop the elongated vowel marker (長音符 / ちょうおんぷ). A missing line changes the pronunciation and is marked as a spelling mistake.

• Correct: コンサート (konsāto) | Incorrect: コンサト
• Correct: ワールドカップ (wārudokappu) | Incorrect: ワルドカップ
• Correct: ボランティア (borantia) | Incorrect: ボランチア

3. Particle Errors with 参加する (さんかする)

In English, we say "participate in" or "join an event", which tempts English speakers to use the object marker を. In Japanese, 参加する takes the target particle に.

• Correct: イベントに参加する (ibento ni sanka suru)
• Incorrect: イベントを参加する

4. Location Particles: で vs に

Remember that the actual action of an event taking place uses で, while movement towards an event uses に or へ.

• スタジアムで試合があります (There is a match at the stadium).
• 東京に行きます (I go to Tokyo).

5. Politeness & Register Consistency

Stick to polite style (です / ます) consistently across your speaking responses and general essays. Erratic switching back and forth between plain style (だ / る / た) and polite style reduces your mark for grammatical accuracy.

6. Writing Grid (原稿用紙 / げんこうようし) Rules

In Paper 4, you write on squared paper. Remember:

• Write strictly one character (Kana, Kanji, or punctuation mark) per box.
• Punctuation marks (。and 、) get their own individual square.
• A punctuation mark should never start a new line; place it in the bottom corner of the last square of the previous line if you run out of space.

4. Step-by-Step Model Sentences

Let's look at how to build up answers from Foundation level to Higher level for speaking and writing tasks.

Model 1: Sports Events

Basic (Foundation):
去年、オリンピックを見ました。楽しかったです。
(kyonen, orinpikku o mimashita. tanoshikatta desu.)
"Last year, I watched the Olympics. It was fun."

Upgraded (Higher Tier):
日本チームをおうえんするために、テレビで試合を見ました。選手たちは一生けん命がんばったので、感動したと思います。
(nihon chīmu o ōen suru tame ni, terebi de shiai o mimashita. senshu-tachi wa isshōkenmei ganbatta node, kandō shita to omoimasu.)
"In order to support the Japanese team, I watched the match on TV. Because the athletes tried their very best, I think it was deeply moving."

Model 2: Music & Charity Events

Basic (Foundation):
コンサートに行きました。チャリティーでした。
(konsāto ni ikimashita. charitī deshita.)
"I went to a concert. It was a charity."

Upgraded (Higher Tier):
難民を助けるために、友だちと音楽フェスティバルで募金をしたり、歌を歌ったりしました。将来も、このような活動に参加したいです。
(nanmin o tasukeru tame ni, tomodachi to ongaku fesutibaru de bokin o shitari, uta o utattari shimashita. shōrai mo, kono yō na katsudō ni sanka shitai desu.)
"In order to help refugees, I did things like collecting donations and singing songs at a music festival with my friend. In the future too, I want to participate in this kind of activity."

5. Quick Review Checklist

Before sitting your exam, check that you can confidently do the following:

[ ] Spell key international Katakana terms accurately (オリンピック, コンサート, チャリティー, ボランティア).
[ ] Use Verb [Plain] + ために and Noun + のために to explain the purpose of global events.
[ ] Attach particle に to 参加する.
[ ] State your personal viewpoint using ～と思います.
[ ] List multiple actions using ～たり、～たりしました.
[ ] Format your writing neatly on squared paper (原稿用紙) without using any rōmaji.