GCSE Geography Short Paper B
Covers Coastal Landscapes and Processes, Glacial Landscapes and Processes, Urban Growth and Regeneration and 3 more.
Questions
Question 1 [1 marks]
Glacial Landscapes and Processes
Name the process by which rocks frozen into the base and sides of a glacier scratch and scrape the bedrock.
Question 2 [2 marks]
Coastal Landscapes and Processes
State two landforms of coastal erosion.
Question 3 [2 marks]
Development and the Changing Economic World
State two social indicators used to measure a country's level of development.
Question 4 [3 marks]
Urban Growth and Regeneration
State three pull factors that might attract someone to migrate to a city in a lower-income country.
Question 5 [3 marks]
Resource Management
Explain one strategy that can be used to increase a country's water supply.
Question 6 [3 marks]
Coastal Landscapes and Processes
Explain one reason why a headland and bay coastline forms where bands of resistant and less resistant rock meet the sea at right angles to the coast.
Question 7 [4 marks]
Resource Management
A household of 4 people currently uses an average of 165 litres of water per person per day. Fitting water-efficient fixtures is expected to cut this to 110 litres per person per day.
Calculate the household's total daily water saving in litres, then calculate this saving as a percentage of the household's original total daily use.
Question 8 [5 marks]
Geographical Skills
Two footpaths climb the same hill. Footpath A rises 90m in height over a horizontal distance of 1.5km. Footpath B rises 90m in height over a horizontal distance of 3.0km.
Calculate the gradient of each footpath in metres per kilometre, then state which footpath is steeper.
Question 9 [5 marks]
Glacial Landscapes and Processes
Explain how a terminal moraine forms at the end (snout) of a glacier.
Question 10 [6 marks]
Geographical Skills
A student wants to test whether pedestrian counts differ between a Saturday and a Tuesday at the same location in a town centre. On the Saturday, hourly counts over 4 hours were: 85, 102, 96, 110. On the Tuesday, hourly counts over the same 4 hours were: 40, 58, 51, 47.
Calculate the mean hourly pedestrian count for each day, then evaluate how reliable a conclusion about weekday versus weekend footfall would be, based on data from only one Saturday and one Tuesday.
Question 11 [6 marks]
Urban Growth and Regeneration
A city's congestion charge scheme raised 15.6 million pounds in its first year, while traffic entering the charging zone fell from 220,000 vehicles per day to 179,000 vehicles per day.
Calculate the percentage decrease in daily vehicles entering the zone, then evaluate whether this scheme could be judged a success.
Model solutions
| Question 1[1 mark] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| abrasion | B1 |
| Question 2[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| one valid landform, e.g. a headland, wave-cut platform, cave or arch | B1 |
| a second valid landform, different from the first | B1 |
| Final answer: Any two of: headland, wave-cut platform, cave, arch, stack, stump | |
| Question 3[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| one valid social indicator, e.g. literacy rate | B1 |
| a second valid social indicator, e.g. life expectancy, or infant mortality rate | B1 |
| Final answer: Any two of: literacy rate, life expectancy, infant mortality rate, access to safe water | |
| Question 4[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying a valid pull factor, e.g. more or better-paid jobs | B1 |
| identifying a second valid pull factor, e.g. better access to services such as healthcare and education | B1 |
| identifying a third valid pull factor, e.g. a perceived better quality of life, or more entertainment and opportunities | B1 |
| Final answer: Any three of: more/better paid jobs, better access to healthcare/education, perceived better quality of life, more entertainment/opportunities | |
| Question 5[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying a strategy, e.g. building a dam and reservoir | B1 |
| explaining how it works, e.g. this stores water from wet periods to release during dry periods | B1 |
| a linked benefit, e.g. this makes water supply more reliable throughout the year | B1 |
| Final answer: A named strategy such as a dam and reservoir, explained as storing water to even out supply through the year | |
| Question 6[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that the less resistant rock is eroded more quickly than the resistant rock | B1 |
| developing this, e.g. waves and processes such as hydraulic action wear away the weaker rock faster, leaving it set back as a bay | B1 |
| a valid concluding link, e.g. the resistant rock remains, protruding out into the sea as a headland | B1 |
| Final answer: Less resistant rock is eroded faster than resistant rock by processes such as hydraulic action, so it is worn back into a bay while the resistant rock remains, protruding as a headland | |
| Question 7[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| the original total daily use, 165 x 4 = 660 litres | M1 |
| the new total daily use, 110 x 4 = 440 litres | M1 |
| the daily saving, 660 - 440 = 220 litres | A1 |
| the percentage reduction, (220 / 660) x 100, approximately 33.3% (accept 33-33.5%) | A1 |
| Final answer: A saving of 220 litres per day, a reduction of approximately 33.3% | |
| Question 8[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| finding footpath A's gradient, 90 / 1.5 | M1 |
| footpath A, 60 metres per kilometre | A1 |
| finding footpath B's gradient, 90 / 3.0 | M1 |
| footpath B, 30 metres per kilometre | A1 |
| correctly identifying footpath A as the steeper of the two | B1 |
| Final answer: Footpath A = 60 metres per kilometre; footpath B = 30 metres per kilometre; footpath A is steeper | |
| Question 9[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that a glacier carries eroded rock debris within and beneath the ice as it flows downhill | B1 |
| developing this, e.g. when melting balances the rate of ice flowing forward, the position of the snout stays roughly the same for a period | B1 |
| identifying that the ice continues to melt at this fixed point, releasing the rock debris it has been carrying | B1 |
| developing this, e.g. this debris builds up as a ridge of unsorted material stretching across the valley at the point where the snout stayed for the longest time | B1 |
| a valid concluding link, e.g. this forms a terminal moraine, marking the furthest point the glacier's snout reached | B1 |
| Final answer: A glacier carries eroded rock debris within and beneath the ice; where the snout's position stays roughly fixed for a period, because melting balances forward ice flow, this debris is continually dumped there as the ice melts, building a ridge - the terminal moraine - marking the furthest point the glacier reached | |
| Question 10[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| the Saturday mean, (85 + 102 + 96 + 110) / 4 | M1 |
| 98.25 pedestrians per hour | A1 |
| the Tuesday mean, (40 + 58 + 51 + 47) / 4 | M1 |
| 49 pedestrians per hour | A1 |
| a valid point on reliability, e.g. data from just one Saturday and one Tuesday could be affected by unusual one-off events, such as weather or a local event, rather than showing a typical pattern | B1 |
| a valid improvement, e.g. repeating the survey on several different Saturdays and Tuesdays would give a more reliable, typical picture | B1 |
| Final answer: Saturday mean = 98.25 pedestrians per hour; Tuesday mean = 49 pedestrians per hour; a conclusion from just one of each day is not very reliable, since one-off factors like weather or a local event could distort the result, so repeating the survey on several different Saturdays and Tuesdays would give a more reliable picture | |
| Question 11[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| finding the decrease, 220,000 - 179,000 = 41,000 | M1 |
| setting up the percentage calculation, (41,000 / 220,000) x 100 | M1 |
| 18.6% (accept 18-19%) | A1 |
| a valid point supporting success, e.g. an 18.6% fall in traffic likely reduces congestion and improves air quality, and the revenue can fund public transport improvements | B1 |
| a valid limitation, e.g. some traffic may simply have diverted to roads just outside the zone rather than disappearing entirely | B1 |
| a supported overall judgement on whether the scheme should be judged a success | B1 |
| Final answer: An 18.6% decrease in daily vehicles; likely a success in reducing congestion and funding transport improvements, though some traffic may have simply diverted outside the zone | |