AEB 2008

GCSE Exam Questions

To advance slide click here

How to use this package

• Choose any 1 of the 3 answered questions and see if you would have marked them the same as an examiner

• Or have a go at the sample question yourself then check your answer

Try your hand at being a GCSE examiner. Compare the marks you would give to those an examiner would.

Answer this GCSE question yourself then check your answer

Click on your choice

Exit program

Choose your topic

• There are 3 questions each with 2 sample answers for you to mark….

Changes in industry

Economic Activity

Measures of Development

Click on the topic of your choice

Changes in Industry

• First look at the question – read it through and think how you would answer it.

• Then look at the student answer and see where they gained and lost marks.

a) Look at the graph of changing employment in the United Kingdom 1841 to 1991.

(i) Name the sector in which

Manufacturing industry is most

Important. [1]

(ii) Which sector has increase the

Most? [1]

b) Explain why there has been an increase in out-of-town shopping centres in the last 15 years. [5]

c) Study this map of the M4 corridor. The M4 corridor is an area where hi-tech industry has expanded rapidly.

Using the map and your knowledge,

explain why hi-tech industry is

locating in the M4 corridor. [8]

Answer

(a) (i) 1911

(ii) Tertiary

(b) There has been an increase in the use of freezers so people can buy a large amount at one time and store. There is a large choice, the shops often selling a large number of items under the same roof. Therefore, all the shopping can be done at one time. People travel by cars and there is plenty of space to park. The shops like it as there is room for expansion.

(c) Hi-tech industry has located in the M4 corridor because of good communications such as the M4 and the railway. It is close to London but on cheaper land away from the capital. The Marlborough Downs are areas of beauty where people like to live an so the owners are prepared to move their factories to this area. The lack of pollution is important because hi-tech industry, which deals with computers, cannot work in a polluted atmosphere. It needs highly trained people and lots of research. All along the M4 corridor are universities, like Oxford, Bristol, Bath and Cardiff.

Click here to see question again

Click here to see examiners marks and comments

(a) (i) 1911

(ii) Tertiary

(b) There has been an increase in the use of freezers so people can buy a large amount at one time and store. There is a large choice, the shops often selling a large number of items under the same roof. Therefore, all the shopping can be done at one time. People travel by cars and there is plenty of space to park. The shops like it as there is room for expansion.

(c) Hi-tech industry has located in the M4 corridor because of good communications such as the M4 and the railway. It is close to London but on cheaper land away from the capital. The Marlborough Downs are areas of beauty where people like to live an so the owners are prepared to move their factories to this area. The lack of pollution is important because hi-tech industry, which deals with computers, cannot work in a polluted atmosphere. It needs highly trained people and lots of research. All along the M4 corridor are universities, like Oxford, Bristol, Bath and Cardiff.

0/1 - question asked for the name of the sector

1/1

3/5 Some good points, but too much business studies and not enough geography. Could write- land on edge of settlement is cheaper so plenty of room for car parks and large stores. Need car parking as shopper travel large distances. Shops have moved out from CBDs due to high rents, traffic congestions and pollution.

6/8 – student tends to let the facts speak fro themselves rather than explaining. Eg. The motorway provides good road transport. The small high-value goods are best carried by road. Rapidly developing high-tech industries need constant research which also takes place in the universities.

10/15 Grade C candidateClick here to return to menu

Economic Activity

• First look at the question – read it through and think how you would answer it.

• Then look at the 2 student answers and see where they gained and lost marks.

(a) From the following list choose two jobs from each sector of employment.

(i) Primary

(ii) Secondary

(iii) Tertiary

[3]

(b) Study the two pie graphs below. They show average percentages for employment sectors in LEDCs for 1950 and 1995.

(i) Describe the changes shown from 1960 to 1995 [3]

(ii) How do they show that LEDCs have become more economically developed? [2]

(c) Choose either one named area in the UK or one LEDC with many manufacturing industries. Explain why these industries have grown in the area or country chosen. [7]

Hotel worker

Miner

Worker in a car factory

Shopkeeper

Steel maker

Farmer

Answers

Candidate A

(a) (i) Farmer and Miner

(ii) Steel maker and worker in car factory

(iii) Hotel worker and shopkeeper

(b) (i) Primary has gone down form 75% to about 60%. Secondary and tertiary have gone up. The tertiary has gone up to just over 25% in 1995 from about 16% in 1960. More people are living in towns and fewer are staying on the land to farm.

(ii) When a country becomes developed, it has a lot of industry . People move to cities (this is called rural-urban migration) to work in factories, shops and offices, where wages are higher. This leaves fewer farmers (primary sector) and the economy of the country depends less on farming as well.

(c) There are many light and high-tech industries along the sides of the M4 between London and Bristol. One area is on the Slough industrial estate where Mars bars are made and there are other food-processing factories, such as those making soft drinks. It is right next to the M4 for easy access to markets. High speed trains run along the line between Bristol and London. There are also high-tech industries in this area, which need skilled workers, who come from many universities in the area, such as Bristol and reading. Road and rail links to London are excellent, where the largest market in the UK is found. They also go to Heathrow airport, the UKs largest airport, with good links to countries and markets overseas. All these factors explain why industries have grown up in this area.

All the answers are correct 3 marks

Would earn all 3 marks – refers to change and quotes values (although last sentence is irrelevant)

Again a good answer 2 marks

6 out of 7 marks – a little extra detail needed for all 7 marks.eg size of the London market, or the links to the M25.

14 out of 15 A* answer

Click here to return to question

Click here to see candidate B’s answer

Click here to see marks

Candidate B

(a) (i) Farmer and Miner

(ii) Steel maker and worker in car factory

(iii) Hotel worker and shopkeeper

(b) (i) Primary has gone down and the secondary and tertiary have gone up.

(ii) As a country develops less people are dependant on farming (primary industry) and take up jobs in factories (secondary industry). As development continues and wages increase there is more money to spend on service industries and the tertiary industries grow.

(c) Industries need lots of workers. Good transport such as roads and railways are also needed. High-tech industries are growing in the UK because more and more people are using computers. There are plenty of these industries next to the M4 corridor near London because of good transport and big markets.

All the answers are correct 3 marks

Would earn 2 marks – as 2 correct statements are made, but without figures or details to back it up.

Good answer 2 marks

This is a poor answer and would only get 1 of the possible 7 marks. The area chosen is not named until the end, no precise information is given and vague terms such as ‘good transport’ are of little value. Much too short for a 7 mark question.

8 out of 15 C answer

Click here to return to question

Click here to return to menu

Click here to see marks

Measures of Development

• First look at the question – read it through and think how you would answer it.

• Then look at the 2 student answers and see where they gained and lost marks.

(a) One measure of development is GNP. What do the letters GNP stand for? [1]

(b) Give a definition for each of the following measures of development

(i) Literacy rate [2]

(ii) Infant mortality [2]

(c) Study Figure 1 which shows world development. The index used is based upon high life expectancy, high rates of literacy and low rates of infant mortality. The greater the index, the higher the level of development.

(i) Describe the pattern of world development shown in Figure 1 [5]

(ii) Name one country with a low level of development (55 or below) [1]

(iii) Give reasons for the low level of development in the country named in (ii) [4]

Answers

Candidate A

(a) Gross National Product

(b) (i) The number of people in a country who can read and write.

(ii) The number of children who die before they reach 1 year old per 1000 people in a country.

(c) (i) The highest levels of development (90 and over) are mainly found in North America, Europe and Australia. The lowest levels of development (less than 30) are mainly in Africa. A lot of the countries that are quite low (31-35) area also in Africa and there is no country with a higher level of development than this in Africa, making Africa the least developed continent. In South America most countries are better developed than in Africa. In Asia there is no clear pattern, but levels of development tend to be higher in the north (eg Russia) than in the south (India)

The pattern of values on the map confirms the world’s north-south divide with MEDCs mainly above 90 and many LEDCs in Africa and Asia below55. The north-south dividing line bends southwards so that Australia is placed on the northern side of the line.

(ii) Ethiopia

(iii) Since the 1980s there have been many droughts in Ethiopia. It is part of the area called the Sahel and lies on the edge of the Sahara Desert. In most years the rains have failed and people have suffered from the lack of food, causing famine. Thousands of people have died, especially the young and old, who suffer most when there is not enough food.

Correct answer 1 mark

Would earn 3 marks – full marks for (ii) but precise answer for (i) would be – the percentage of people (not the number) who can read and write.

A good description of the patterns. Locates highest and lowest values, describes the ones in between then tries to summarise about the whole pattern. Full 5 marks.

Only 2 out of 4. Drought is a good reason, but needs to mention others e.g high population, over-cultivation, desertification and wars. Question asked for reasons so more than one must be given for full marks

12 out of 15 grade A answer

Click here to return to question

Click here to see candidate B’s answer

Click here to see marks

1 mark

Candidate B

(a) Gross Domestic Product

(b) (i) The % of people in a country that are literate. A person who is literate can read and write.

(ii) The % of children who die young

(c) (i) In North America development is high. It is lower in South America with most countries between 56 and 89. It is 90 and over in Europe, which is high, but is much lower in Africa and Asia, where there are some countries with less than 30. There is no pattern to world development. For example, Australia is higher than all the other countries in the bottom half of the map.

(ii) Africa

(iii) In Africa there are many droughts eg in the Sahel. The Sahara desert is growing bigger. This has been caused by the many droughts and desertification. Desertification is when soil is blown away from the surface, leaving only sand and rock. Africa is a place that has many wars. There is always fighting, leading to refugees and people starving in refugee camps. This is why the country of Africa has a lot lower level of development than the UK

No marks GDP is not the same at GNP

Would earn 3 marks – full marks for (i), but (ii) should read – is expressed as the number per 1000 not as a percentage and should state under 1, not just ‘young’

Does not look at the whole overall pattern. Only states values for one continent at a time. Unlikely to gain more than 2 marks.

Never refer to the ‘bottom half of a map’ as it indicates a lack of geographical understanding – always use compass directions instead.

Can only get 2 marks as names Africa as a country. These marks can be given for general points. The Sahel is a region not a county.

7 out of 15 grade D answer

Click here to return to question

Click here to return to menu

Click here to see marks

Africa is a continent not a country. 0 marks

On the following page is a sample GCSE question on economic geography. Use your knowledge to answer it then once finished check you answer against a possible top mark answer.

Remember to check how many marks are awarded for each part of the question and decide how much information and detail you need to give to achieve those marks.

1. Answer all the following questions..

(a) What do you understand by a tertiary industry? [1]

(b) Name one raw material of the steel industry [1]

(c) In which sector of industry does a farmer work? [1]

(d) Name an industry where the product gains weight during manufacture. [1]

(e) Describe two ways in which governments can influence the location of industry. [2]

(f) Define a footloose industry, giving an example [2]

2. For an LEDC you have studied, explain why the country is having difficulty in developing manufacturing industry. [6]

3. Name a Newly Industrialised Country (NIC) and describe its main characteristics. [4]

Now check you answers

When the examiner sets several short answers be careful not to spend too much time on each.

ANSWER

1. (a) Tertiary industries are service industries like shops and banks

(b) The steel industry uses a large amount of iron ore (could have also said coal or limestone)

(c) Farmers work in primary industry

(d) Beer gains weight during manufacture when water is added and that is why breweries used to be in cities to save transport costs. Other good examples are cars and computers – much heavier than their component parts.

(e) Governments can influence the location of industry by setting up industrial estates and by giving grants. The government gave Sony a grant to set up in South Wales

(f) A computer software company is footloose because it can be almost anywhere that the owner wants it to be.

Click here to return to question

Click here to see rest of answer

2. The LEDC I have studied is Nigeria. They are finding it difficult to develop industry because the people living there do not have the right skills. Also the government has been unstable. Like all LEDCs they find it difficult to compete with the MEDCs with trade so they have little money to spend on developing their manufacturing industry. They do not have the expertise to set up these industries and need to borrow money to build them that would put the country into more debt.

3. South Korea is an NIC. I think it has developed a manufacturing industry with the help of its government. They have provided education and training for the people living there and especially women who have joined the labour force. I think the government has also put tariffs on imports to the country and this has protected the new industry in South Korea. There is a large labour force which I think has been willing to work for low wages and there have not been strong unions to hold strikes to stop production,

Click here to return to question

That completes this section on Economic Geography GCSE

questions

Click this box to return to the main menu to choose another topic

Click here to exit the program to review your knowledge or try one of the short quick answer.

Good Luck with your GCSE

Press ESC to exit