GCE 2026 Civic Education: Answers and Model Essays

(a) A: presidential elections. B: parliamentary elections.

(b) A councillor (also the mayor or council chairperson).

(c) The Electoral Process Act No. 35 of 2016.

(d) A by-election is held between general elections to fill a seat left vacant by the death, resignation or expulsion of an MP or councillor.

(e) At this stage Parliament makes or amends laws, such as the Constitution and the Electoral Process Act, that set the rules for how elections are conducted.

(a) Cultural beliefs are ideas that a group of people accept as true, for example about God, ancestors, life and death, and which guide how they live.

(b) Traditions are customs and ways of doing things passed from one generation to the next, for example traditional ceremonies such as the Kuomboka.

(c) Rites of passage are ceremonies that mark a person’s move from one stage of life to another: birth, initiation into adulthood, marriage and death.

(d) Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical items and non-physical features (monuments, artefacts, language, music and customs) inherited from past generations and preserved for future ones.

(a) Cash deposits and withdrawals; money transfers and bill payments.

(b) It saves time and transport costs because agents are near home; it avoids long queues and is open beyond banking hours.

(c)(i) Current accounts are demand deposits, used mostly by businesses. Money can be withdrawn at any time by cheque, usually no interest is paid, and overdrafts may be given.

(c)(ii) Deposit accounts are savings or fixed (time) deposits on which the bank pays interest. Money is kept for a period, and notice is usually required before withdrawal.

(a) Work done by children below 18 that is harmful to their health, education and physical or mental development.

(b)

1. Forced (commercial) child prostitution: a child is coerced, sold or trafficked by adults who sexually exploit the child for money.
2. Voluntary (survival) child prostitution: a child exchanges sex for money, food or shelter because of poverty, being orphaned or living on the street.

(c)

1. Enforce laws such as the Children’s Code Act and punish offenders.
2. Provide free education and support poor families, for example through the Social Cash Transfer.

(a) 2010.

(b) About $300 million.

(c) The maximum amount of goods and services an economy can produce using all its available resources.

(d)

1. A fall in copper prices on the world market.
2. A rise in oil prices and high interest rates on foreign debt.

(e) The Social Cash Transfer scheme and the Food Security Pack programme.

(a)

1. Appointment of a commission: the President appoints a Constitution Review Commission under the Inquiries Act and gives it terms of reference.
2. Collection of views: the commission collects submissions from citizens, chiefs, churches, political parties and other groups at public sittings in all provinces and districts.
3. Report and draft: the commission analyses the submissions and presents a report and a draft constitution to the President.
4. Government White Paper: the government publishes a White Paper showing which recommendations it accepts or rejects.
5. Constituent body: the draft is debated by a body representing different groups, such as the National Constitutional Conference.
6. Parliament: the Constitution Bill is published in the Government Gazette and goes through first reading, second reading, committee stage and third reading in the National Assembly. It needs the support of at least two-thirds of all members.
7. Referendum: changes to the Bill of Rights (Part III) and Article 79 must be approved in a national referendum in which at least half of the registered voters take part.
8. Assent: the President signs the Bill and it becomes law, for example the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2016, assented to on 5 January 2016.

(b)

1. Clarity: written in simple, clear language so it is not misinterpreted.
2. Protection of rights: a Bill of Rights protects citizens’ fundamental rights and freedoms.
3. Separation of powers: power is divided among the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary, with checks and balances.
4. Flexibility: it can be amended as society changes, but not so easily that it becomes unstable.
5. Legitimacy: it reflects the will of the people because citizens took part in making it.
6. Durability: it lasts a long time and brings political stability.

(a) Substance abuse is the use of drugs or substances such as alcohol, tobacco or medicines in excess or for purposes they are not meant for, in a way that harms the user and others.

(b)

1. Alcohol (beer, spirits, kachasu): drunkenness, poor judgement, liver cirrhosis, accidents and addiction.
2. Tobacco (cigarettes, snuff): nicotine addiction, lung cancer, bronchitis and heart disease.
3. Cannabis (marijuana, dagga): hallucinations, memory loss, poor concentration and mental illness.
4. Cocaine and heroin: strong addiction, heart failure and death from overdose; sharing needles spreads HIV.
5. Inhalants (glue, petrol, jenkem): brain damage, dizziness, suffocation and sudden death.

(c)

1. Loss of productive labour: addicts cannot work, reducing national production.
2. More crime: abusers steal and commit violence to get money for drugs.
3. Higher government spending on health care, rehabilitation centres and law enforcement.
4. Spread of HIV/AIDS through risky sexual behaviour.
5. Road accidents and a poor national image, with loss of life.

(a)

1. Voting: citizens aged 18 and above vote in general elections, by-elections and referendums.
2. Standing for office: citizens can contest as councillors, members of parliament or president.
3. Joining organisations: citizens join political parties, civil society organisations and ward development committees to influence decisions.

(b)

1. Cultural beliefs: many traditions see women as home keepers and men as leaders.
2. Low levels of education: many women lack the education and skills needed for leadership.
3. Lack of finance: women often cannot afford nomination fees and campaign costs.
4. Political violence: violence and intimidation during campaigns discourage women.
5. Family responsibilities: housework and childcare leave little time for politics.
6. Lack of support: some husbands, families and even other women do not support women candidates.
7. Party structures: male-dominated parties adopt fewer women as candidates.

(a) Marriage is a legally and socially recognised union between a man and a woman who voluntarily agree to live together as husband and wife. In Zambia it may be a statutory marriage under the Marriage Act or a customary marriage.

(b)

1. Consent: both parties must freely agree to marry.
2. Capacity (age): both must be 18 or older and of sound mind.
3. No legal impediment: they must not be closely related, and neither may already be married under statutory law.
4. Formalities: the legal procedures must be followed: notice, licence, registrar and witnesses in a statutory marriage, or payment of lobola in a customary marriage.

(c)

1. Child marriage: one or both parties are below 18. It denies children education and harms their health.
2. Same-sex marriage: a union between two people of the same sex is not recognised by Zambian law.
3. Incestuous marriage: marriage between close relatives, such as a brother and sister, is prohibited.
4. Bigamy: marrying another person while still married under the Marriage Act is a criminal offence.

(a) Debt relief is the partial or total cancellation, reduction or rescheduling of a country’s debt by its creditors, for example Zambia under the HIPC Initiative in 2005.

(b)

1. Soft (concessional) loans: low or no interest, with a long repayment period and a grace period, for example from the World Bank.
2. Hard (commercial) loans: high interest and a short repayment period, for example from commercial banks or Eurobonds.

(c)

1. Falling export prices: low copper prices reduce the foreign earnings available to repay debts.
2. High interest rates increase the amount that must be paid back.
3. Mismanagement and corruption: borrowed money is stolen or misused.
4. Unproductive projects: loans are spent on projects that do not generate income.
5. Depreciation of the kwacha makes foreign debt more expensive in local currency.
6. Rising oil prices use up foreign exchange that could repay debt.
7. Natural disasters such as droughts and floods force the government to borrow more.