Year 10 Paper 6: Whole Year Review
This paper covers all eight Year 10 topics, including natural hazards, climate change, UK ecosystems, hot deserts and rainforests, river and coastal landscapes, and geographical skills.
Year 10 here means a typical teaching order, not a syllabus rule. No exam board defines what belongs to Year 10, and schools sequence the course differently. Check it against your own scheme of work before using it to decide what a class has covered.
Questions
Question 1 [1 marks]
Coastal Landscapes and Processes
Name the erosional process in which air trapped in cracks in a cliff face is compressed by waves, weakening the rock.
Question 2 [1 marks]
Development in Extreme Environments
Name one plant adaptation that helps a cactus survive in a hot desert.
Question 3 [1 marks]
Climate Change
Name one greenhouse gas released by burning fossil fuels.
Question 4 [2 marks]
River Landscapes and Processes
State two processes by which a river transports its load, other than solution.
Question 5 [2 marks]
Weather Hazards
State two conditions needed for a tropical storm to form.
Question 6 [2 marks]
Ecosystems and Biomes
State two roles that decomposers play in an ecosystem.
Question 7 [2 marks]
Tectonic Hazards
State two characteristics of a shield volcano.
Question 8 [2 marks]
Climate Change
State two impacts of climate change on wildlife.
Question 9 [3 marks]
Geographical Skills
State three pieces of equipment a student might use during river fieldwork to measure velocity, width and depth.
Question 10 [3 marks]
Development in Extreme Environments
Explain one reason why water is a major challenge for people living in a hot desert environment.
Question 11 [3 marks]
Ecosystems and Biomes
Explain one reason why an ecosystem with high biodiversity is generally considered more stable than one with low biodiversity.
Question 12 [4 marks]
Climate Change
The table shows the average global temperature anomaly, the difference from the 1961-1990 average, for four decades.
1980s: +0.18 deg C 1990s: +0.32 deg C 2000s: +0.51 deg C 2010s: +0.72 deg C
Calculate the increase in the temperature anomaly from the 1980s to the 2010s, then calculate this increase as a percentage of the 1980s figure.
Question 13 [4 marks]
Tectonic Hazards
The Richter scale is logarithmic. Each whole number increase in magnitude represents an earthquake that releases about 32 times more energy.
One earthquake measures magnitude 4. A second earthquake at the same location measures magnitude 6.
Calculate how many times more energy the magnitude 6 earthquake releases than the magnitude 4 earthquake, then state whether a magnitude 8 earthquake would release more or less energy than the magnitude 6 earthquake.
Question 14 [4 marks]
River Landscapes and Processes
A river has a bankfull cross-sectional area of 24 square metres upstream of a meander, and a velocity of 0.9 metres per second.
Use the formula discharge = cross-sectional area x velocity to calculate the river's discharge in cubic metres per second, then state what would most likely happen if the discharge exceeded this bankfull level.
Question 15 [5 marks]
Development in Extreme Environments
A region of hot desert had 210,000 hectares of grazing land in 2000. By 2020, desertification had reduced this to 147,000 hectares.
Calculate the percentage decrease in grazing land between 2000 and 2020, then calculate the average annual rate of loss in hectares per year.
Question 16 [5 marks]
River Landscapes and Processes
Explain how an ox-bow lake forms from a meander.
Question 17 [5 marks]
Coastal Landscapes and Processes
Explain how groynes are intended to reduce coastal erosion on a beach.
Question 18 [5 marks]
Climate Change
Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was 315 parts per million (ppm) in 1960 and had risen to 415 ppm by 2020.
Calculate the increase in CO2 concentration over this period, then calculate the average rate of increase in ppm per year, and suggest one implication of this rate compared with natural rates of change seen in ice-core records.
Question 19 [5 marks]
Ecosystems and Biomes
In a UK grassland ecosystem, a survey recorded 4800 grass plants, 240 rabbits and 12 foxes in one hectare.
Calculate the ratio of grass plants to rabbits, and the ratio of rabbits to foxes, both in their simplest form, then explain what these ratios show about energy loss between trophic levels.
Question 20 [5 marks]
River Landscapes and Processes
A river channel has a cross-sectional area of 18 square metres and the water is flowing at a velocity of 0.6 metres per second.
Use the formula discharge = cross-sectional area x velocity to calculate the river's discharge in cubic metres per second. Then explain what would happen to the discharge if the cross-sectional area doubled while velocity stayed the same, and suggest one event that could cause the cross-sectional area to increase in this way.
Question 21 [6 marks]
Ecosystems and Biomes
For a small-scale UK ecosystem you have studied, explain how it has changed over time as a result of succession, and evaluate the impact of one human activity on the ecosystem.
Question 22 [6 marks]
Weather Hazards
Assess the extent to which economic development affects a country's ability to prepare for and respond to tropical storms.
Question 23 [6 marks]
Tectonic Hazards
In 2010, an earthquake measuring magnitude 7.0 struck Haiti, a lower-income country, killing an estimated 220,000 people. In the same year, an earthquake measuring magnitude 6.3 struck Christchurch, New Zealand, a higher-income country, killing 185 people.
Calculate how many times greater the Haiti death toll was than the Christchurch death toll, giving your answer to the nearest whole number, then explain why Christchurch, despite experiencing a lower-magnitude earthquake, suffered far fewer deaths than Haiti.
Question 24 [6 marks]
Coastal Landscapes and Processes
Assess the effectiveness of hard engineering and soft engineering as strategies for managing coastal erosion.
Question 25 [6 marks]
Climate Change
Global mean sea level rose by approximately 3.3mm per year between 2006 and 2018.
Calculate the total rise in sea level over this 12-year period in millimetres, then convert your answer to centimetres, and suggest reasons why the impact of this rise is not the same for every coastal location.
Question 26 [6 marks]
Coastal Landscapes and Processes
For a stretch of UK coastline you have studied, evaluate the case for using managed retreat rather than continuing to defend the coastline with engineering.
Model solutions
| Question 1[1 mark] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| hydraulic action | B1 |
| Question 2[1 mark] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a valid adaptation, e.g. a thick waxy stem to store water, or spines instead of leaves to reduce water loss | B1 |
| Final answer: Any valid adaptation, e.g. a thick waxy stem for water storage or spines to reduce water loss | |
| Question 3[1 mark] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| carbon dioxide (or another valid greenhouse gas, e.g. methane) | B1 |
| Final answer: Carbon dioxide (or another valid greenhouse gas) | |
| Question 4[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| one valid process, e.g. traction (rolling large boulders along the bed) | B1 |
| a second valid process, e.g. saltation (bouncing small stones along the bed) or suspension (carrying fine sediment within the flow) | B1 |
| Final answer: Any two of: traction (rolling along the bed), saltation (bouncing along the bed), suspension (carried within the flow) | |
| Question 5[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| one valid condition, e.g. sea surface temperature above 26-27 degrees C to a depth of at least 50m | B1 |
| a second valid condition, e.g. low wind shear, or a location 5-30 degrees north or south of the Equator | B1 |
| Final answer: Any two of: sea surface temperature above 26-27 deg C; low wind shear; location 5-30 deg from the Equator; a pre-existing area of low pressure | |
| Question 6[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| one valid role, e.g. breaking down dead plants and animals | B1 |
| a second valid role, e.g. releasing nutrients back into the soil for producers to reuse | B1 |
| Final answer: Any two of: break down dead organic matter, release nutrients back into the soil for producers to reuse, prevent a build-up of dead material | |
| Question 7[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| one valid characteristic, e.g. gentle, shallow sides | B1 |
| a second valid characteristic, e.g. formed from runny, low-viscosity basaltic lava that flows easily | B1 |
| Final answer: Any two of: gentle/shallow sides, runny (low-viscosity) basaltic lava, a wide base, frequent but relatively gentle eruptions | |
| Question 8[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| one valid impact, e.g. species migrating to cooler areas or higher altitudes | B1 |
| a second valid impact, e.g. changes in migration or breeding timing, or habitat loss such as melting sea ice | B1 |
| Final answer: Any two of: species migrating to cooler areas or higher altitudes, changes in migration/breeding timing, habitat loss (e.g. melting sea ice), increased extinction risk for species that cannot adapt | |
| Question 9[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a valid piece of equipment for velocity, e.g. a flow meter, or a float and stopwatch | B1 |
| a valid piece of equipment for width, e.g. a tape measure | B1 |
| a valid piece of equipment for depth, e.g. a metre ruler or metre stick | B1 |
| Final answer: Any three of: a flow meter or a float and stopwatch (velocity), a tape measure (width), a metre ruler/stick (depth) | |
| Question 10[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that rainfall in a hot desert is extremely low and highly unreliable, often less than 250mm a year | B1 |
| developing this, e.g. this makes it very difficult to grow crops or maintain a herd of animals without access to another water source | B1 |
| a valid concluding link, e.g. this forces many communities to rely on deep boreholes, irrigation schemes, or water transported from elsewhere | B1 |
| Final answer: Rainfall in a hot desert is extremely low and unreliable, making it very difficult to farm without another water source, so many communities rely on boreholes, irrigation or water transported from elsewhere | |
| Question 11[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that a high-biodiversity ecosystem has many species that can fill similar roles in the food web | B1 |
| developing this, e.g. so if one species is lost or declines, others can often take its place in the food chain | B1 |
| a valid concluding link, e.g. in a low-biodiversity ecosystem, losing one key species is more likely to cause the food web to collapse | B1 |
| Final answer: A high-biodiversity ecosystem has many species that can fill similar roles, so losing one species is less likely to collapse the food web, unlike a low-biodiversity ecosystem where a key species is harder to replace | |
| Question 12[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| finding the increase, 0.72 - 0.18 = 0.54 | M1 |
| the increase, 0.54 deg C | A1 |
| setting up the percentage calculation, (0.54 / 0.18) x 100 | M1 |
| the percentage increase, 300% | A1 |
| Final answer: An increase of 0.54 deg C, a 300% increase | |
| Question 13[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| recognising the magnitude difference between magnitude 4 and magnitude 6 is 2 | M1 |
| calculating 32 x 32 | M1 |
| 1024 times more energy | A1 |
| correctly stating a magnitude 8 earthquake would release (much) more energy than the magnitude 6 earthquake | B1 |
| Final answer: 1024 times more energy; a magnitude 8 earthquake would release more energy than the magnitude 6 earthquake | |
| Question 14[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| substituting into the formula, 24 x 0.9 | M1 |
| 21.6 cubic metres per second (cumecs) | A1 |
| correctly stating the river would flood, spilling out of its channel onto the surrounding floodplain | B1 |
| a valid linked point, e.g. this is why bankfull discharge is used to define a river's flood risk threshold | B1 |
| Final answer: 21.6 cumecs; if discharge exceeded this bankfull level, the river would flood, spilling out onto the surrounding floodplain, which is why bankfull discharge marks a river's flood risk threshold | |
| Question 15[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| finding the decrease, 210,000 - 147,000 = 63,000 | M1 |
| setting up the percentage calculation, (63,000 / 210,000) x 100 | M1 |
| 30% decrease | A1 |
| dividing the decrease by 20 years, 63,000 / 20 | M1 |
| 3150 hectares per year | A1 |
| Final answer: 30% decrease; an average loss of 3150 hectares per year | |
| Question 16[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that erosion on the outer bends of adjacent meanders makes the neck of land between them narrower over time | B1 |
| developing this, e.g. often during a flood, when the river has more energy, it breaks through the narrow neck and takes the shorter, straighter route | B1 |
| identifying that deposition then seals off the entrance to the old meander bend | B1 |
| developing this, e.g. leaving the old bend isolated from the main channel as a curved, standalone lake | B1 |
| correctly naming the resulting landform, an ox-bow lake | B1 |
| Final answer: Erosion narrows the neck of land between adjacent meander bends until the river breaks through, often during a flood, taking a shorter, straighter route; deposition then seals off the old bend, leaving it isolated as a curved ox-bow lake | |
| Question 17[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that groynes are wooden or rock barriers built out into the sea, perpendicular to the coastline | B1 |
| developing this, e.g. they interrupt longshore drift, trapping sediment being moved along the beach | B1 |
| identifying that this builds up a wider beach on the up-drift side of the groyne | B1 |
| developing this, e.g. a wider beach absorbs more wave energy before it reaches the base of the cliff or sea wall behind it | B1 |
| a valid concluding link, e.g. this reduces the rate of erosion on that section of coastline | B1 |
| Final answer: Groynes interrupt longshore drift, trapping sediment and building a wider beach on the up-drift side; a wider beach absorbs more wave energy before it reaches the cliff or defences behind it, reducing erosion on that section of coastline | |
| Question 18[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| finding the increase, 415 - 315 = 100 | M1 |
| 100 ppm | A1 |
| dividing the increase by the number of years, 100 / 60 | M1 |
| 1.7 ppm per year (accept 1.6-1.7) | A1 |
| a valid implication, e.g. this rate is far faster than natural CO2 changes seen in ice-core records over past millennia, suggesting a human rather than a purely natural cause | B1 |
| Final answer: An increase of 100 ppm; an average rate of about 1.7 ppm per year, far faster than natural historical rates of change, suggesting a human rather than a purely natural cause | |
| Question 19[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| simplifying the grass to rabbit ratio, 4800 : 240 | M1 |
| 20 : 1 | A1 |
| simplifying the rabbit to fox ratio, 240 : 12 | M1 |
| 20 : 1 | A1 |
| explaining that far fewer individuals exist at each higher trophic level because energy is lost, e.g. as heat, through respiration, or in uneaten/undigested parts, at each stage of the food chain | B1 |
| Final answer: Grass to rabbits = 20 : 1; rabbits to foxes = 20 : 1; both show a sharp fall in numbers at each trophic level because most energy is lost, as heat or waste, at each stage rather than passed on | |
| Question 20[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| substituting into the formula, 18 x 0.6 | M1 |
| 10.8 cubic metres per second (cumecs) | A1 |
| correctly stating the discharge would double, since discharge is directly proportional to cross-sectional area when velocity is held constant | B1 |
| a valid explanation of that proportionality, e.g. twice the cross-sectional area of water passes a point each second at the same speed | B1 |
| a valid event that could increase the cross-sectional area, e.g. heavy rainfall raising the channel's water level and width after a storm | B1 |
| Final answer: 10.8 cumecs; the discharge would double to 21.6 cumecs, since discharge is directly proportional to cross-sectional area at constant velocity; this could happen after heavy rainfall raises the channel's water level | |
| Question 21[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| Names and locates the small-scale UK ecosystem studied (1 mark) | 1 |
| Describes an early stage of succession in this ecosystem, e.g. pioneer species colonising bare ground or open water (1 mark) | 1 |
| Describes a later stage, e.g. a build-up of soil or nutrients allowing larger plants such as shrubs or trees to establish (1 mark) | 1 |
| Describes a human activity affecting the ecosystem, e.g. grazing, drainage, or recreational trampling (1 mark) | 1 |
| Explains the impact of this activity on the ecosystem's development, e.g. grazing can hold succession at an earlier stage by preventing shrubs establishing (1 mark) | 1 |
| Reaches a supported overall judgement on how significant this human impact has been (1 mark) | 1 |
| Final answer: A named UK ecosystem with described early and later successional stages, an explained human impact and a supported judgement on its significance | |
| Question 22[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| Identifies a way a higher-income country can prepare, e.g. hurricane-proof building codes and early warning systems (1 mark) | 1 |
| Identifies a way a higher-income country can respond, e.g. well-resourced emergency services and rapid evacuation plans (1 mark) | 1 |
| Identifies a limitation facing a lower-income country in preparing, e.g. limited money for building codes or warning infrastructure (1 mark) | 1 |
| Identifies a limitation facing a lower-income country in responding, e.g. fewer emergency vehicles, hospitals or trained personnel (1 mark) | 1 |
| Uses a specific named example to support a point (1 mark) | 1 |
| Reaches a supported overall judgement on how far development level determines preparedness and response (1 mark) | 1 |
| Final answer: A balanced answer contrasting preparation and response in higher- and lower-income countries, using a named example, with a supported judgement that development strongly shapes the outcome | |
| Question 23[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| dividing the two death tolls, 220,000 / 185 | M1 |
| approximately 1189 times greater (accept 1189-1190) | A1 |
| noting that Christchurch's magnitude (6.3) was lower than Haiti's (7.0), yet its death toll was far smaller | B1 |
| a valid reason for the difference, e.g. New Zealand's strict building codes meant most structures withstood the shaking | B1 |
| a second valid reason, e.g. Haiti's capital had a high population density and the earthquake's focus was shallow and close to the city | B1 |
| a concluding point that level of economic development, not magnitude alone, best explains the difference in death toll | B1 |
| Final answer: Approximately 1189 times greater; despite its lower magnitude, Christchurch suffered far fewer deaths because of stricter building codes, while Haiti's high population density, shallow focus and lower level of development greatly increased its death toll | |
| Question 24[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| Describes a named hard engineering strategy, e.g. rock armour, a sea wall, or groynes (1 mark) | 1 |
| Explains how it reduces erosion, e.g. a sea wall reflects wave energy away from the base of the cliff (1 mark) | 1 |
| Describes a named soft engineering strategy, e.g. beach nourishment or managed retreat (1 mark) | 1 |
| Explains how it reduces erosion or its impacts, e.g. beach nourishment widens the beach so it absorbs more wave energy (1 mark) | 1 |
| Compares the two approaches, e.g. hard engineering is effective but expensive and can increase erosion elsewhere, while soft engineering works with natural processes and is often cheaper (1 mark) | 1 |
| Reaches a supported overall judgement on which is more effective, or that a combination works best (1 mark) | 1 |
| Final answer: A compared, judged answer covering at least one hard and one soft strategy, their mechanisms and a supported conclusion | |
| Question 25[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| multiplying the annual rate by the number of years, 3.3 x 12 | M1 |
| 39.6mm | A1 |
| converting mm to cm, dividing by 10 | M1 |
| 3.96cm | A1 |
| a valid reason the impact varies by location, e.g. low-lying coastal areas or river deltas are affected far more than coastlines with high cliffs | B1 |
| a second valid factor, e.g. local land movement (subsidence or isostatic rebound) can add to or offset the global rise at a given location | B1 |
| Final answer: 39.6mm, which is 3.96cm; impact varies because low-lying coasts and deltas are far more vulnerable than high cliffed coasts, and local land movement can add to or offset the global rise | |
| Question 26[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| Names and locates the stretch of UK coastline studied (1 mark) | 1 |
| Describes what managed retreat would involve at this location, e.g. removing or not replacing existing defences and allowing the sea to reclaim the land (1 mark) | 1 |
| Describes an advantage of managed retreat, e.g. it is often cheaper than building or maintaining hard engineering, and can create new habitat such as saltmarsh (1 mark) | 1 |
| Describes a disadvantage, e.g. residents or farmers may lose their homes or land, and businesses could be forced to relocate (1 mark) | 1 |
| Considers who would be most affected by the decision (1 mark) | 1 |
| Reaches a supported overall judgement on whether managed retreat is the better option at this location (1 mark) | 1 |
| Final answer: A named coastline with a described managed retreat option, its advantage and disadvantage, who is most affected and a supported judgement on whether it is the better option | |