The exam papers are worth 75% of the GCSE.

The exam is split into TWO papers, each sat on

different days.

1) Physical Environment: Geographical Skills (25 marks)

Tectonic Activity (15 marks)
Glacial Landforms and Processes
(15 marks)
Coastal Landforms and Processes (15
marks)

2) Human Environment: Population (25 marks)

Industry (25 marks)
Development (25 marks)

There will be a choice of these and other units in the exam

papers. Make sure you answer the CORRECT sections!
Make sure you have looked at past exam papers to become
familiar with the layout of each exam and the units and
questions within them.

TIMINGS

Paper 1: 1 hour 45 mins

A good guide is approx 30 mins for the skills section,
then 20-25mins for each unit. This leaves you up to 15
mins to review and check all your answers.

Paper 2: 1 hour 30 mins

A good guide is approx 25-30 mins for each unit. This
leaves you up to 15 mins to review and check all your
answers.
 Geography Revision Strategies
Ten ideas for ways to revise…
1) Post it!
Prepare a set of small revision postcards, colour coded for different units or topics. You have
to get all the key points about the topic on the postcard.

2) Test Me
Work in pairs, pick a topic to become the ‘expert’ in your partner becomes the ‘expert’ in a
different topic. Then bombard each other with questions on their topic. You get a point for
each question you get right and keep answering questions until you get one wrong. Then it’s
your turn to be the questioner!

3) Picture it
Make a series of revision notes using only pictures. It has to be obvious what you are showing
as your buddy has to explain it back to you.

4) All in the mind

Produce mind maps of the different topics. Use colours and images as much as possible.

5) Word association
With a buddy play a word association game. Pick a theme, then you have to associate as many
words as you can, of a geographical nature, around that theme. No hesitation or repetition!!!

6) Bite Size it
Reduce the topic to a ‘Bite sized’ format – i.e. chunk it down! Summarise the key points, case
studies etc. You could use a visual format for each. For example, draw a big mouth – the lips
can have the topic title; teeth can have key words on them; the tongue can have case studies.

7) Just a minute
Work in two’s or fours and work through a revision topic. Then somebody selects a theme
within it. You then have to talk for a minute (as the panel game) without repetition, hesitation
or deviation. An example would be the Unit ‘Settlement’ and the theme, map skills; you then
have to talk about map skills.

8) Taboo
You have to describe a key word, but are not allowed to use certain words. For example,
describe the word ‘earthquake’ but you cannot use ‘shaking, plate margin, vibration’. Use a point
system in teams to make it more fun!

9) Red Pen, Black Pen

When writing out revision notes, spider diagrams or mind maps, use a red pen to write the
parts that you are less sure of or have trouble remembering. Your brain will be more likely to
recall these parts in the future. Have another go at it a day or week later and see if you can
reduce the amount of red pen on the sheet.

10) Pictionary
Work in teams of two. You have to draw a key word selected from a topic by the opposite
team. Your partner has to work out what word or key term you are trying to draw. To add to
the challenge, use a time limit as well!
 Exam Technique
Examination success depends not only
upon how well you know your geography
but also being able to use this to give the
examiners the information they are asking.
Examiners help you give the correct
information by using ‘command words’.
Some common commands are below. Give
exactly what is asked and you should do
well.
Be prepared!
There are no secrets to success in
exams. Providing you have revised
effectively and are well organised, you
should do as well in the exams as your
geography ability will allow.
1. Revision
 start early
 ask if there is anything you
don’t understand – don’t leave
it to hoping it won’t come up in
the exam!
 attend any extra lessons
offered
 work out a realistic revision
timetable
 find a space where you are
happy to revise
 make your revision active,
don’t just read
 follow up a period of effective
revision with a reward 
2. On examination days
 arrive in plenty of time
 know your centre and
candidate numbers
 make sure you are fully
equipped
 take two pens, two pencils…
it’s much easier if the one
you’re using runs out or
breaks.
COMMAND WORDS: Know what they are asking.
Write what you’re being asked to, not what you want to!
Compare: Write what is similar and different
between two pieces of information. Use the word
‘whereas’ to help you compare.
Describe: Just write what you see. You may be
asked to describe what you see on a photo, graph or
map. Do not explain if you are only asked to
describe.
Explain/give reasons: You are now being asked to
say why something you have already described is
happening. Use ‘because’ to help you answer these
questions.
There are often two marks awarded for giving just
one reason. Where this happens you will be
expected to give a simple statement and its
elaboration. Ask yourself ‘so what’ to find the
elaboration.
Justify: You could be asked to justify a decision.
Explain the choice(s) in terms of why they
are better than other options available. You
may also include ways in which the choice is
not perfect, but highlight the bad points of
the other options.
Measure: You may be asked to measure on a map or
graph. Don’t guess – measure accurately using the
scale provided.
Suggest: This is similar to explain but tells you
that you are expected to bring in ideas and
understanding of our own and is not provided on the
paper.
What is meant by?: You are being asked to give a
definition of a geographical term. You must know
the main terms for each of the four Units. When
asked for a definition, giving an example is not
 The World of Case Studies

Case study questions have the largest proportion of marks, so it is very important
that you revise case studies in detail and are able to use them to answer questions.
Remember to use them whenever you can, even if they don’t specifically ask you to!

The Case Study: Getting it right

DEVELOPMENT – Example exam question.
Explain the causes of an environmental
hazard you have studied and how it may
affect the development of a country. (6)
Africa is a place that is  This is too broad an area. Which places/areas were
affected by drought and exactly affected? Name countries or a physical area
like the Sahel.
desertificaction.
 What crops and animals were affected? How
It has affected both crops and many? Did the person mean ‘malnutrition’ - should it
animals. They have little not be drought? Or if malnutrition is correct they must
water and suffer from explain the processes in between that lead to this.
malnutrition because of this. What diseases did the plants and animals suffer from?
This has meant that they have What happened to the soil – erosion by wind and
suffered from diseases and water? Finally, when asked about the effects on
died. people, it is not enough to state that they will have no
It has also effected the soil food.
and because of this little will
grow. This means people will  Too little rain when? Give a specific year. How might
global warming have affected the climate patterns? It
have no food.
didn’t rain for a long time- So what? The point needs
to be developed. What rivers were low? Name them.
The causes were there was too African countries are LEDCs so washing
little rain and rivers were low cars/watering gardens are inappropriate.
probably because of global
warming. It didn’t rain for a  Finally, there is not enough specific detail throughout.
long time. People were also

N.B can be either land or sea pollution but must be linked to industry. Do not credit Getting case studies right
both land and sea pollution. If done both, credit the best. needs practice. Write an
answer to the Case Study
Level 1 Basic (1-2 marks) Simple statements
below and mark it using the
Slag heaps / derelict buildings / dumping waste / poisonous fumes scheme on the left. Work with
Level 2 Clear (3-4 marks) Linked or elaborated statements. a partner to write notes like
Oil tankers delivering oil for industry can spill oil which can contaminate beaches the ones above to show how
and destroy wildlife/ Industrial waste such as chemicals can be dumped in the sea / you might get your answer to a
In coal mining areas the waste materials are left as slag heaps which are unsightly higher level. Then, practise
and can be unstable / When deindustrialisation takes place the area can be left with with more past questions.
derelict buildings and industrial waste.
Level 3 Detailed (5-6 marks) Linked elaborated statements with reference to at
least one example of a specific form of pollution or location where the pollution has
INDUSTRY
taken place. Using one or more
The inland sea of Japan has become heavily polluted because waste materials from examples, describe
oil refineries, chemicals and steel works and engineering plants in Kobe and the effects of
Hiroshima have been dumped there. Mercury escaped from a chemical plant at industrial pollution
Minamata, which killed many fish and sea birds.The area in the Ruhr industrial on either the
area of Germany became unsightly and dangerous because of the mining in the land or the sea. (6)
area. Lakes and marshes were caused by mining subsidence. Slag and waste heaps
were left over from the derelict steel works and coal mines.
 Geographical Skills Checklist
You should be able to… 
Basic Skills • Label and annotate diagrams, maps, sketches,
graphs, photos.
• Draw sketches from photos.
• Use and interpret aerial, oblique and satellite
images and photos.
Cartographic • Recognise and describe distributions and
(map) skills patterns on Atlas and OS maps.
• Draw label and interpret sketch maps.
• Recognise OS map symbols.
• Use four and six figure grid references.
• Calculate and measure straight and winding
distances using a scale.
• Give accurate directions using 8 compass
directions.
• Draw cross sections using contour lines.
• Describe shapes and patterns of settlement
considering physical features e.g. rivers, relief.
• Use maps in association with photos.
Graph skills • Construct line, bar, compound, pie and
scattergraphs.
• Complete numerical elements on a map e.g.
choropleth, isoline, proportional symbols.
• Interpret graphs, including those located on
maps.
• Read and interpret graphs to describe patterns,
trends and changes.
 We
Tectonic Activity
Earthquake - MEDC
Volcano - MEDC
Fold mountains
Uses of tectonic activity / human
activity
Glaciation
Erosion landforms
Deposition landforms
Tourism
Industry
Geothermal energy
Coasts
Hard rock erosion
Soft rock erosion
Deposition
Problems of Longshore Drift
Coastal protection Issues (Human
activity affects natural processes AND
natural processes affect human activity)
Human activity on the coast
♥ Case Studies!!
Kobe, Japan. 17th Jan 1995
Mt. Pinatubo, Philippines. 8-15th June 1991
Alps – Europe
Alps – HEP, forestry, sheep farming,
tourism.
Mount Pinatubo, Mount St Helens:
tourism, fertile soils, cheaper land,
mineral resources.
UK: Snowdonia, Lake District
Europe: Matterhorn, Switzerland
Cannock Chase & Eden Valley, Lake
District.
Lake District – walking, watersports
Alps – Skiing
Alps - HEP, farming, tourism, forestry
Iceland
Dorset, UK: Old Harry, Lulworth Cove
Mappleton, Holderness coast, NE Eng.
Spit – ‘Spurn Point’- southern point of the
Holderness coast, NE Eng.
Mappleton, Holderness coast, NE Eng.
Swanage, Dorset
Mappleton, Holderness coast, NE Eng.
Tourism in Dorset: Swanage
Problems in Blackpool.
 Population
Aging populations in MEDCs
Rural to Urban Migration - LEDC
Problems of over-population
Overcoming problems of overcrowding
LEDC
Overcoming problems of overcrowding
MEDC
Problems of under-population
Solving problems of under-population
Eastbourne - UK
Brazil, rural areas to the coast: Rio de
Janeiro
Sahel - desertification
- Self-help schemes, Rocinha, Brazil
- Sustainable farming – Machakos, Kenya
- One Child Policy - China
Land reclamation – Tokyo (Teleport Town)
& Kobe, Japan.
Western Isles, Scotland, UK.
Incentives schemes to encourage
migration to the islands.

Development
Obstacles to development (reasons
for the development gap)
Solutions to the drought hazard
Aid
Drought and desertification - Sahel
Appropriate technology: Machakos – Kenya
Sustainable (long-term) aid: WaterAid,
Ethiopia
Short term- e.g. Band Aid, Ethiopia; DEC –
Disaster Emergency Committee, Sumatra (Tsunami)

Long term – WaterAid, Ethiopia

Trade imbalance Japan (cars) and Kenya (coffee)
Trading Bloc EU – inc. UK, France, Germany, Spain
Fair Trade Traidcraft Coffee – Kenya

Industry
Heavy industry UK – Coal mining, Bridgend, South Wales.
Feeds into:
Steel-making industry, Port Talbot, South
Wales.
Manufacturing EU - Fiat car factory – S. Italy

High-tech/Footloose industry Cambridge Science Park, M4 motorway, UK

MNC/TNC LG – South Korean company, offices in

Newport, South Wales (after decline of
coal-mining)
NIC ‘Tiger economies’ – Korea, Taiwan,
Singapore, Thailand.