Gapminder has asked thousands of fact questions about the world to huge numbers of people and found the answers most of us get wrong. The Upgrader turns those questions into short quizzes, then shows you the real figure and where it comes from. Use it to find out which of your assumptions about development, population and climate are out of date before an examiner does.
Paper 2 rewards named, dated evidence. A confident answer built on a stale picture of the world scores badly, and most of us carry a stale picture without knowing it.
A lot of what we believe about poverty, birth rates and life expectancy was true decades ago. The world moved on and our assumptions did not.
Every question makes you commit to an answer before you see the data. Being wrong on record is what makes the correct figure stick.
Each answer comes with a sourced figure. That is exactly the kind of specific, dated fact that lifts a short response.
You do not need to work through the whole site. Go to the topic that matches what we are studying.
Family size, population growth and where people live. Try it alongside the demographic transition model work, then again at the end of the unit.
Core 1 · MigrationWho is displaced, where they go and how many there are. Most people badly misjudge where refugees end up, which matters for any forced migration answer.
Core 2 · Global climateEmissions, energy and who is most exposed. Good preparation for the vulnerability and resilience questions, where assumptions about rich and poor countries often go wrong.
Core 3 · Resources and developmentQuestions grouped by the Sustainable Development Goals: poverty, hunger, health, water, energy and more. Use the hunger, water and energy goals for the resource nexus.
Case studies · By regionRegion by region questions. Before you write up a case study, check what you assume about that part of the world. This link opens Africa; the other regions are on the Upgrader home page.
Start of year · BaselineThe original test that started it all. Take it cold in the first weeks, keep your score, and retake it before mocks to see how far your worldview has moved.
Gapminder reports what people get wrong and links to where the real figure comes from. In your answer, cite the original organisation and the year, not the quiz. And remember that a global average hides huge variation between and within countries, which is often where the marks are.
