Section A

Answer all the questions in this section.

Questions 1, 2, and 3 carry 12 marks and Question 4 carries 14 marks.
You should allocate your time accordingly.

Lithospheric Processes, Hazards and Management

1 Figure 1 shows about 350,000 earthquake epicentres from 1963-1998.

a) Describe the distribution of earthquake epicentres as shown in Figure 1. [4]

• Pacific Ring of Fire – major site for earthquakes (seen from the density of dots
found there)
• Along mid-ocean ridges in the Atlantic and Indian oceans
• Mediterranean region and through middle east all the way to Himalayas
• Intra-plate earthquakes, e.g. North America and Africa
• Asia and Himalayan region
• Mention the varying concentrations of earthquake epicentres, i.e. some locations
have many epicentres and others do not

b) Account for the distribution that you have described in a). [6]
• Strong correlation between earthquake foci and plate boundaries
• Convergent boundary between continental crusts – e.g. Himalayan region
o Earthquakes are generated as compressive forces continue to compress
continental crusts
• Convergent boundaries with subduction zones, i.e. oceanic crust with either
another oceanic or continental zone, e.g. pacific ring of fire, Indonesia, south
America, etc.
o Plates subducting beneath another get caught because of rough edges.
Pressure builds up until plates slip and tremendous amount of energy is
released
• Divergent boundaries, e.g. mid-ocean ridges in Atlantic and Indian oceans
o Spreading boundaries causes fracturing and movement in the crust that
generates earthquakes
• Transform boundaries, e.g. San Andreas fault
• Intra-plate epicentres the result of hotspot activity and movement of continental
crust

c) Describe briefly the earthquakes (in terms of depth and magnitude) found on the
western coast of South America. [2]
• Depth of earthquake foci increases as one moves eastward into continent of south
America
• Earthquakes found on western coast are of high magnitude

The Globalisation of Economic Activity

2 Figure 2 shows the UK employment structure from 1900 to 2020.

a) Describe the trend of the employment in the primary sector from 1900 to 2020 as
shown in Figure. [4]
• Trend: Primary sector shows a decreasing cumulative share in the UK
employment structure from 25% in 1900 to 3% in 2020, with 2 high peaks (25%
 2
in 1900 and 16% in 1960) and 1 low peak (10% in 1920), before leveling off to
3% from 1980 to 2020.

• Must include description of trend, high peaks and low peak.

• No figures (at most 2m)

b) Suggest reasons for the rise of the tertiary sector. [8]

• Trend: Primary sector shows a decreasing cumulative share in the UK
employment structure from 25% in 1900 to 3% in 2020, with 2 high peaks (25% in
1900 and 16% in 1960) and 1 low peak (10% in 1920), before leveling off to 3%
from 1980 to 2020.

• Must include description of trend, high peaks and low peak.

• No figures (at most 2m)

3 Answer either the question on Hydrologic processes or the question on Urban

Challenges. Do NOT answer both.
EITHER
Hydrologic Processes, Hazards and Management
Figure 3 shows the influence of some drainage basin characteristics on storm
hydrographs.

a) Define the terms lag time and peak flow. [2]

• Lag time is the time difference between the peak of the rain storm and the peak
flow of the river
• Peak flow is the maximum discharge in the river recorded after a particular rainfall
event.

b) Describe the variations in the lag times and peak flows of the discharges shown on
the hydrographs for A and B. [4]
• For A (Basin shape)
o Hydrograph on the left shows a longer lag time than the hydrograph on the
right
o Hydrograph on the left also possesses a higher peak flow than the
hydrograph on the right
o In addition, hydrograph on the right experiences two peak flows, with the
later peak flow peaking at a lower level than the first.
• For B (Stream network)
o The variation between lag times for the hydrographs in B is not as disparate
as the hydrographs shown in A.
o However, there is a marked variation in the peak flows with the hydrograph
on the right displaying a much higher peak flow than the hydrograph on the
left.

c) Explain the relationship between (i) discharge and drainage basin shape, and
between (ii) discharge and drainage basin stream network. [6]
• For (i)
o Drainage basin shape determines the pattern of discharge experienced by
gauging station further downstream
o Generally, a circular drainage basin shape would result in a higher peak

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flow and a shorter lag time as compared to an elongated basin shape
o Concerned with the distance of each tributary to the gauging station

• For (ii)
o The relationship between discharge and drainage basin stream network has
to do with drainage density
o A denser stream network would result in a higher discharge levels while a
less dense stream network would have lower discharge levels
o When drainage density is higher, it means that there are more streams
contributing discharge within the drainage basin. This will lead to an overall
higher peak discharge

OR
Urban Issues and Challenges
Figure 4 shows the largest urban agglomerations by population in millions.
a) Which cities are projected to have i) the greatest population growth and ii) the
smallest population growth between 1995 and 2015? [2]
• ai) Bombay (1m)
• aii) Tokyo and New York (1m)

• For part aii), student must identify both cities to score 1 mark

b) Compare the rates by which the cities shown in Figure have grown between 1975 and
1995. [4]
• Compare between DCs and LDCs:
o Generally, LDCs have higher urban growth than DCs.
o E.g. New York (1 million) versus Sao Paulo (8 million)
o Exception: Tokyo (10 million) and Shanghai (2 million)

• In general, students must state a trend before giving figures.

• Pure figures with no comparison (at most 1m)

c) With reference to the figure, explain the low growth in some cities. [6]
• DCs: New York and Japan (especially from 1995 – 2015)
o Cities are already developed with high urbanization levels, so can’t grow
much faster
o Counterurbanisation
o Suburbanisation

4 Answer either the question on Lithospheric and Hydrologic processes or the

question on Globalisation and Urban Challenges. Do NOT answer both.
EITHER
Lithospheric and Hydrologic Processes, Hazards and Management
Figure 5 shows the positive and negative connections between the subsystems of slopes
of a valley and the river channel.

a) Describe the connections between the river channel subsystem and the valley slope

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subsystem. [6]
• River channel subsystem and valley slope subsystem are mutually dependent and
have a dynamic relationship with each other that is constantly adjusted and re-
adjusted.
• Changes in either subsystem affects the other
o There is a positive relationship between channel erosion and valley-side
slope angles where an increase in the former will cause an increase in the
latter, e.g. an increase in channel erosion at the channel sides will undercut
the valley slopes and cause it to become steeper
o Similarly, a positive relationship is observed as an increase in slope erosion
leads to an increase in the amount of river bedload because the eroded
materials are transported to and enters the river channel, e.g. surface runoff
erodes the surface and entrains sediments which it brings along to the river
channel
• There is a self-adjusting mechanism in the subsystems that regulates and works
towards reaching equilibrium
o A negative feedback mechanism exists within the river channel subsystem
that keeps the entire process in equilibrium, i.e. an increase in channel
erosion will eventually result in a slowing down of the same process.
o Increase in channel erosion  increase in valley-side slope angles 
increase in slope erosion  increase in river bedload amount  decrease
in channel erosion

b) Suggest how the processes of river erosion might affect the angle of slope of the
valley sides. [8]
• Channel erosion leads to a local steepening of valley-sides slopes as channel
sides are worn away
• Hydraulic Action
o The removal of loose material through the force of impact of water alone
• Abrasion
o The mechanical wearing away of channel sides by the impact or grinding
action of particles carried/transported by the river. Most effective when
sediments transported by the river are coarse and angular fragments.
o More pronounced during floods
• Solution
o Chemical weathering of minerals in contact with river water and its
subsequent removal of soluble products

OR
The Globalisation of Economic Activity and Urban Issues and Challenges
Table 6A and Table 6B show the number of Global 500 companies and the revenue
generated in the top 10 cities in 2005 and 2006 respectively.

a) Compare the changes in Table 4 and Table 5 from 2006 to 2007. [6]
• Change in the ranks of cities
• Atlanta rose from 10th place in 2005 to 9th place in 2006.
• Dusseldorf was in 10th place in 2005, but no longer in the top 10 placing in 2006.
• Change in the number of Global 500 companies

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• General decrease in the number of Global 500 companies (Give figures) from
2005 to 2006.

• Change in the Global 500 revenues ($ in millions)

• Increase in the revenue for most cities from 2005 to 2006 (Give figures)
• Exception of Rome and Atlanta which showed a decrease from 2005 to 2006.
(Give figures)

• Must discuss at least 2 categories (i.e city ranking, number of Global 500
companies and Global 500 revenues), or else maximum 3 marks.

b) With reference to specific examples, explain how the functional characteristics of

global cities are attractive to Global 500 companies. [8]
• Economic
• Demographic
• Technological
• Cultural
• Political

• At least 3 points with good explanations and substantiation.

• No reference to examples, at most 4m.

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Section B Physical Geography

Answer one question in this section

Lithospheric Processes, Hazards and Management

5 EITHER
a) Compare and contrast the characteristics of limestone and granite. [9]
• On the basis of:
o Rock type: limestone is a sedimentary rock made up of organic deposits of
marine organisms, but granite is an intrusive igneous rock that results from
the cooling of magma (relatively coarse-grained because of intrusive
nature)
o Mineral composition: limestone comprised largely of calcium carbonate
whilst granite is made up of three minerals (mica, feldspar, and quartz)
o Joint pattern: joints in limestone find their origin in the bedding planes of this
sedimentary rock whereas the joints found in granite are the result of the
cooling of magma, pressure release, or from tensional forces
o Rock hardness: Granite is generally harder than limestone
o Prone to chemical weathering: but limestone weathered primarily by
carbonation while granite chemically weathered primarily by hydrolysis

b) Show how these characteristics affect the weathering and erosion of the rocks to
produce different types of landforms. [16]

Level 1
• Student does not make links to part (a) of the question
• Merely lists the different weathering processes that affect the different rocks but
does not demonstrate how rock characteristics affect weathering and erosion of
rocks and to produce different landforms
• Essay is poorly organised and incoherent overall

Level 2
• Student only makes some links from part (a)
• Provides an in-depth explanation of how characteristics of one rock affects
weathering and erosion that leads to landforms
• Link from weathering and erosion to landform not that clear
• Essay is sufficiently organised and clear

Level 3
• Student is able to make clear and relevant links between rock characteristics and
weathering, erosion, and related landforms
• Essay is in-depth and the weathering and erosion processes that lead to the
various landforms for both granite and limestone are well-explained
• Essay is well organised and coherent

OR
a) Explain the factors that influence slope stability. [9]
• Geological structure

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o Angle and direction of dip – steep angle leads to slope instability. In
addition, the direction of dip matters too. If the rock layers dip
o Bedding planes – presence of bedding planes facilitate movement of rock
layers
o Complexity of rock structure – slopes comprising different rock layers are
most prone to major landslides
• Rock type and characteristics
o Vulnerability to weathering that breaks down rock into weaker materials
o Presence of joints that enable water to infiltrate into the rock and increase
water content
• Climate
o Climate’s influence on slope stability is linked primarily to the availability of
water in the soil and vegetation growth, which can determine either a slope
holds or fails
• Man’s activities
o Can either make slope more stable or unstable
o Removing vegetation in areas or undercutting of slope sides serve to
increase slope instability
o Man can also improve slope stability by employing measures to do so.
• Vegetation
o Vegetation is effective in reducing smaller scale mass movements but it is
doubtful if vegetation can prevent or slow down larger scale movements,
e.g. grass cover can do little to prevent movement on unstable rock

b) Briefly describe the effects of mass movements and discuss the strategies employed
to modify the event and the vulnerability to life and property. [16]

Level 1
• Student is neither able to describe the effects of mass movements nor discuss the
strategies used to modify the event and vulnerability
• Essay is shallow and brief with no attempt to discuss the strategies
• Discussion is haphazard and does not present clearly the strategies employed
• No examples given

Level 2
• Student is able to describe the effects but does not adequately discuss the
strategies, e.g. only discusses the role of reducing shear stress but leaves out
strategies pertaining to increasing shear strength
• Some examples of strategies used are given but does not contain sufficient detail

Level 3
• Student describes in detail with sufficient brevity the effects of mass movements
• Able to discuss the various strategies, providing a balanced discussion on their
impact on modifying the event and vulnerability with the help of relevant examples
• Well-organised essay that provides a clear flow in the discussion

Hydrologic Processes, Hazards and Management

6 EITHER

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a) Briefly describe the differences between a meander river and a braided river. [9]
• Meandering river is single thread but braided river is multiple threads
• Meandering river usually has mixed sediment load but braided river has primarily
bedload
• Meandering river occurs mostly on alluvial material where it is able to hold its
shape on low but not high discharge but braided river occurs mostly on
sand/gravel material which is highly erodable
• Meandering river has low width to depth ratio whereas braided river has high width
to depth ratio
• Meandering river usually not as steep as compared to braided river for a given
discharge
• Depositional behaviour for meandering river is in point bar formation whereas for
braided river it is mid-channel bars
• Meandering river’s discharge constant but braided river discharge highly seasonal

b) To what extent can human activities increase the occurrence and effects of river
floods? [16]

Level 1
• Student makes no attempt to evaluate the role of human activities in increasing
occurrence and effects of river floods
• Discusses either occurrence or effects but not both aspects of river floods
• Only lists the causes of floods (both natural and anthropogenic causes)
• Does not discuss human activities but instead discusses the role of natural causes

Level 2
• Cursory attempt to evaluate and makes a stand on how human activities can
increase occurrence and effects of river floods
• Explanation is not in-depth and rudimentary in nature though some examples are
provided
• Essay as a whole is not that well organised

Level 3
• Able to present a thorough evaluation of how human activities can increase the
occurrence and effects of river floods with good use of examples
• Takes into account the possible natural causes that may lead to increasing
occurrence and effects of river floods, i.e. global climate change
• Well organised essay that is coherent and in-depth in explanation

OR
a) With the aid of a diagram, explain how rivers transport their load. [9]
• River has three different types of loads – bedload, suspended load, and dissolved
load.
• Rivers transport their load by
o Traction and saltation for bedload
o Suspension for suspended load
o In solution for dissolved load
• Diagram accounts for 3 marks

b) With reference to examples, discuss how catchment management schemes can

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reduce the risk of flooding but can also create problems and conflicts of interests. [16]

Level 1
• Student does not address the question completely but merely in part, e.g. only
discusses how risk of flooding can be reduced but does not deal with the conflict of
interest
• No examples are referred to in the course of the essay
• Merely listing of points with no discussion
• Poorly structured and incoherent

Level 2
• Provides a superficial explanation of relationship between catchment management
schemes and flooding
• Student only discusses in brief the problems and conflicts of interests created
• Provides only one example that is described in sufficient detail

Level 3
• In-depth and balanced discussion of the relevant points for the reduction in risk of
flooding and the related problems and conflicts caused
• Student is able to present a variety of examples to substantiate the points raised in
the course of the essay
• Essay is well-structured as a whole and well organised

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Section C Human Geography
Answer one question in this section

The Globalisation of Economic Activity

7 EITHER
a) Outline the main features of the new international division of labour. [9]
• Definition of NIDL (spatial division of labour at the global scale)

• Answer must take into account spatial division of different components of industrial
production (i.e. mining, manufacturing, assembly, administration and R & D)
according to costs and local considerations.

• Deskilling – the process whereby jobs are broken down into a series of separate,
simple tasks, with each task demanding less skill of the operative than the original
job.

b) Assess the view that the emergence of transnational corporations have brought about
economic development and narrowed the disparities between the developed countries
(DCs) and less developed countries (LDCs). [16]

Level 1:
- Weak or no stand at all
- Did not account for both economic development and disparities between DCs and
LDCs
- Unstructured series of thoughts
- No use of specific examples

Level 2:
- Lots of details but evaluation of examples are not explicit
- Structured but somewhat limited argument
- Totally agrees with the view or totally disagrees with the view without providing a
balanced perspective (at most 8 marks)

Level 3:
- Strong stand taken throughout essay and in the conclusion
- Evaluation provided throughout the essay, demonstrating higher-level thinking
- Use of detailed and specific examples of TNCs, DCs and LDCs
- Good essay structure with clear presentation of ideas

OR
a) Describe how governments attract foreign direct investments (FDI) to their countries.
[9]
• At least 3 points required.
• With no examples, at most 7 marks.

• Productive well-educated, well-skilled labour force

• Cheap, abundant labour force
• Government macoeconomic policy
• Establishment of Export Processing Zones (EPZs), Business Park, Science Park
• Transparency and stability of government

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• Free Trade Areas / Trading Blocs

b) With reference to specific examples, evaluate the effectiveness of the state in

promoting economic growth. [16]
Level 1:
• An approach which tends to be a series of thoughts produced in an unstructured
way.
• Weak or no stand at all on the effectiveness of the role of state in economic
development.

Level 2:
• There is a structured but somewhat limited argument.
• There is plenty of material but evaluation of examples is not explicit.

Level 3:
• There is discussion and evaluation throughout.
• Range of strategies adopted by the states are considered and evaluated in terms
of their effectiveness in economic development
• A strong stand is maintained throughout the essay or in the conclusion
• Provide strong comparison between states
• Presents problems that countries face but attempts to explain how they overcame
them

Points to note:
• Effectiveness ≠ Importance
• It has to be important before it can be effective.
• Effectiveness  Show results

Urban Issues and Challenges

8 EITHER
a) Outline the factors causing socio-economic polarization in urban areas in DCs. [9]
• If no examples are given to support the answer, at most 7 marks.
• Students must focus on DCs, and not LDCs.
• Migration (ethnic minorities)
• Economic restructuring
• Education
• Age
• Gender

b) With reference to specific examples, compare the extent of the severity of the
problems arising from socio-economic polarization in the urban areas of LDCs and
DCs. [16]
Level 1
- Little knowledge of socio-economic polarization
- Discussion of either just LDCs or DCs, and not both (no comparison)
- Poor usage of examples to support discussion
- Content is too brief to support an adequate argument
- Merely states superficial problems
- Unstructured discussion

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Level 2
- Some attempt at comparison between LDCs and DCs
- Use of examples beyond country names
- Structured but somewhat limited discussion

Level 3
- Discussion and evaluation throughout
- Provides strong comparison between LDCs and DCs
- Provides strong stand throughout and in the conclusion
- Detailed discussion with the use of specific examples to support answer

OR
a) With the aid of a diagram, show how Alonso’s bid-rent theory helps explain urban
zoning. [9]
• Diagram without labeling (1/2 mark)
• Diagram with labels – retail, industrial, housing, agriculture (up to 3 marks)

• Description of Bid-rent theory

• Explanation of how bid-rent theory works
• Explain the different functions of urban zoning (i.e. retail, industrial, housing,
agriculture)
• If no specific urban zoning is discussed, at most 6m.

• The different land use patterns in a city are the result of attempts to maximize
profits
o Generally retailing and office cluster in city centres
o Industry and transport functions tend to locate further out
o Housing is less competitive  Pushed further from the city centre
o Agriculture with the lowest bid rent is found in the urban fringe and beyond

b) Evaluate the assertion that re-imaging of the urban area is always successful. [16]
Level 1:
- Poor understanding of reimaging
- No examples used
- Mere reference to country names
- Content is too brief to establish an adequate argument
- One-sided argument showing that re-imaging is totally successful or unsuccessful

Level 2:
- Answers the question by taking a stand and establishing an adequate argument
- Reference to specific examples (either city examples or strategies used within the
city can be accepted)

Level 3:
- Good analysis demonstrated
- In-depth explanations which shows higher-level thinking
- Specific, detailed examples used to substantiate stand
- Clear essay structure and presentation of points

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