Year 11 Paper 3: Ecosystems and Human Geography
This paper covers UK ecosystems and hot deserts and rainforests together with urban issues, the changing economic world, resource management and geographical skills.
Year 11 here means a typical teaching order, not a syllabus rule. No exam board defines what belongs to Year 11, 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]
Resource Management
Define the term 'food security'.
Question 2 [1 marks]
Ecosystems and Biomes
Name one producer that might be found in a UK pond ecosystem.
Question 3 [2 marks]
Development and the Changing Economic World
State two ways in which a country's employment structure typically changes as it develops economically.
Question 4 [3 marks]
Geographical Skills
State three pieces of equipment a student might use during river fieldwork to measure velocity, width and depth.
Question 5 [3 marks]
Urban Growth and Regeneration
State three features of a sustainable urban settlement.
Question 6 [4 marks]
Ecosystems and Biomes
A hedgerow survey recorded 850 metres of hedgerow around a farm in 1980. By 2020, only 340 metres remained.
Calculate the percentage of the hedgerow that had been lost by 2020.
Question 7 [3 marks]
Development in Extreme Environments
Explain one reason why water is a major challenge for people living in a hot desert environment.
Question 8 [5 marks]
Ecosystems and Biomes
Explain two reasons why removing hedgerows from around fields can reduce biodiversity in a UK farming landscape.
Question 9 [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 10 [5 marks]
Development in Extreme Environments
Explain two economic opportunities that tropical rainforest environments can offer for development.
Question 11 [5 marks]
Development and the Changing Economic World
Explain two reasons why bottom-up (small-scale, community based) aid projects can be more effective than top-down (large-scale, national) aid projects at helping the poorest people in a country.
Question 12 [5 marks]
Resource Management
A country generated 340 TWh (terawatt-hours) of electricity in one year, of which 68 TWh came from renewable sources.
Calculate the percentage of the country's electricity that came from renewable sources, then calculate how many more TWh of renewable electricity would be needed for renewables to reach 30% of the total, assuming total generation stays the same, and suggest one challenge in reaching this target.
Question 13 [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 14 [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.
Question 15 [6 marks]
Geographical Skills
A student recorded the number of pedestrians counted at a town centre location every hour during a land use survey:
09:00: 24 10:00: 38 11:00: 45 12:00: 62 13:00: 58 14:00: 40
Calculate the mean number of pedestrians per hour. Describe the overall pattern shown by the data, and suggest one reason for the pattern.
Model solutions
| Question 1[1 mark] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a valid definition, e.g. having reliable access to enough safe, nutritious food to meet dietary needs | B1 |
| Final answer: Having reliable access to enough safe, nutritious food to meet dietary needs | |
| Question 2[1 mark] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| a valid producer, e.g. pondweed or algae | B1 |
| Final answer: Any valid producer, e.g. pondweed or algae | |
| Question 3[2 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| one valid way, e.g. the proportion of workers in the primary sector falls | B1 |
| a second valid way, e.g. the proportion of workers in the secondary and then tertiary sectors rises | B1 |
| Final answer: Any two of: a falling share of workers in the primary sector, a rising share in the secondary and then tertiary sectors, a small quaternary sector emerging in the most developed countries | |
| Question 4[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 5[3 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying a valid feature, e.g. good public transport reducing car use | B1 |
| identifying a second valid feature, e.g. accessible green space for residents | B1 |
| identifying a third valid feature, e.g. energy-efficient buildings, effective recycling schemes, or affordable housing | B1 |
| Final answer: Any three of: good public transport, accessible green space, energy-efficient buildings or renewable energy use, effective recycling/waste schemes, affordable housing | |
| Question 6[4 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| finding the loss, 850 - 340 = 510 | M1 |
| setting up the percentage calculation, (510 / 850) x 100 | M1 |
| 60% | A1 |
| a valid comment, e.g. this represents a major loss of habitat for hedgerow species such as birds and small mammals | B1 |
| Final answer: 60% of the hedgerow was lost, representing a major loss of habitat for hedgerow species such as birds and small mammals | |
| Question 7[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 8[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that hedgerows provide habitat and shelter for many species, including birds, insects and small mammals | B1 |
| developing this, e.g. removing them destroys this habitat, so these species lose somewhere to live and breed | B1 |
| identifying that hedgerows act as corridors connecting separate patches of habitat | B1 |
| developing this, e.g. removing them isolates populations in different fields, making it harder for species to move, feed or find mates | B1 |
| a valid concluding link, e.g. both effects make it harder for a wide range of species to survive in the farmed landscape | B1 |
| Final answer: Hedgerows provide habitat for birds, insects and small mammals, which is destroyed when they are removed; they also act as corridors connecting habitat patches, so removing them isolates populations and makes it harder for species to move, feed or breed, reducing biodiversity | |
| Question 9[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 10[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying an opportunity, e.g. mineral extraction, such as gold or iron ore mining | B1 |
| developing it, e.g. this generates export income and creates jobs in the mining industry | B1 |
| identifying a second opportunity, e.g. commercial agriculture, such as growing soya or rearing cattle | B1 |
| developing it, e.g. this earns foreign currency by supplying global food and animal feed markets | B1 |
| a valid concluding point, e.g. both opportunities can fund wider national development, such as infrastructure and services | B1 |
| Final answer: Two developed opportunities, e.g. mineral extraction generating export income and jobs; commercial agriculture earning foreign currency, both able to fund wider national development | |
| Question 11[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| identifying that bottom-up projects are usually planned with, and run by, the local community itself | B1 |
| developing this, e.g. so they are more likely to meet the specific needs of the community, using technology and skills that are affordable and easy to maintain locally | B1 |
| identifying that top-down projects are often large, expensive schemes decided on by national governments or large organisations | B1 |
| developing this, e.g. so the benefits, such as electricity or irrigation water, may not reach the poorest or most remote communities first, or at all | B1 |
| a valid concluding link, e.g. smaller, local projects can sometimes make a bigger practical difference to the poorest people specifically, even though they help fewer people in total | B1 |
| Final answer: Bottom-up projects are planned with and run by the local community, so they better meet local needs using affordable, locally maintainable technology; top-down projects are large national schemes whose benefits, such as electricity or irrigation, may not reach the poorest or most remote communities first, so smaller local projects can make a bigger difference specifically for the poorest people | |
| Question 12[5 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| setting up the percentage calculation, (68 / 340) x 100 | M1 |
| 20% | A1 |
| finding 30% of the total generation, 0.30 x 340 = 102 | M1 |
| 102 TWh needed in total, so 34 more TWh of renewable electricity are needed (102 - 68) | A1 |
| a valid challenge, e.g. this would need substantial new investment in renewable capacity such as wind or solar, which takes time to build | B1 |
| Final answer: 20% currently from renewables; an extra 34 TWh of renewable generation would be needed to reach 30% of the total, requiring substantial new investment in capacity such as wind or solar | |
| Question 13[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 14[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 | |
| Question 15[6 marks] | |
|---|---|
| Answer or working | Marks |
| adding the six totals, 24 + 38 + 45 + 62 + 58 + 40 = 267 | M1 |
| dividing the total by 6 | M1 |
| the mean, 44.5 pedestrians per hour | A1 |
| describing the pattern, e.g. pedestrian numbers rise steadily through the morning to a midday peak, then fall in the early afternoon | B1 |
| correctly identifying the peak time, 12:00 | B1 |
| a plausible reason, e.g. more people are out during their lunch break around midday | B1 |
| Final answer: Mean = 44.5 pedestrians per hour; numbers rise to a midday peak at 12:00, likely due to lunchtime footfall, then fall | |