GCSE GeographyRevision Pack

GCSE Geography

Revision Pack

Name: ………………………………………………………………………………

Contents:

p2 Revision Checklist – The Restless Earth

p3 Revision Checklist – Water on the Land

p4 Revision Checklist – The Coastal Zone

p5 Revision Checklist – The Development Gap

p6 Revision Checklist – Population Change

p7 Revision Checklist – Tourism

p8 Exam Tips

p10 Structure of the Exam

p11 Case Study for The Restless Earth: The European Alps

p12 Case Study for The Restless Earth: Eyjafjallajökull Eruption

p13 Case Study for The Restless Earth: Kobe Earthquake

p14 Case Study for The Restless Earth: Haiti Earthquake

p15 Case Study for The Restless Earth: Tohoku Tsunami

p16 Case Study for Water on the Land: Cockermouth Flood

p17 Case Study for Water on the Land: Bangladesh Flood

p18 Case Study for Water on the Land: Demand for Water in the UK

p19 Case Study for Water on the Land: Three Gorges Dam in China

p20 Case Study for The Coastal Zone: Rising Sea Level in The Maldives

p21 Case Study for The Coastal Zone: Barton-on-Sea Cliff Collapse

p22 Case Study for The Coastal Zone: Coastal Management in Minehead

p23 Case Study for The Coastal Zone: Keyhaven Marshes

p24 Case Study for The Development Gap: Hurricane Ivan

p25 Case Study for The Development Gap: Community Youth Empowerment Programme in Uganda

p26 Case Study for The Development Gap: Cahora Bassa Dam in Mozambique

p27 Case Study for The Development Gap: Bulgaria vs the Republic of Ireland

p28 Case Study for Population Change: Chinese One-Child Policy

p29 Case Study for Population Change: Transmigration in Indonesia

p30 Case Study for Population Change: France’s Ageing Population

p31 Case Study for Tourism: The Lake District

p32 Case Study for Tourism: Jamaica

p33 Case Study for Tourism: Antarctica

p34 Case Study for Tourism: Galapagos

GCSE Geography Revision Checklist: The Restless Earth

KEY AREA / SPECIFIC TOPIC / RAG / Revised
Tectonic Theory / Structure of the Earth.
Differences between oceanic and continental crust.
Processes and features associated with destructive plate boundaries.
Processes and features associated with constructive plate boundaries.
Processes and features associated with conservative plate boundaries.
Processes and features associated with collision plate boundaries.
Tectonic Landforms / Location and formation of fold mountains.
Location and formation of ocean trenches.
Location and formation of composite volcanoes.
Location and formation of shield volcanoes.
Case study: How people use a range of fold mountains (the European Alps).
Volcanic Eruptions / Characteristics of different types of volcanoes.
Case study: The causes, primary effects, secondary effects, positive impacts, negative impacts, immediate responses and long-term responses of a volcanic eruption (Eyjafjallajökull).
Characteristics of supervolcanoes.
Likely effects of a supervolcano eruption.
Earthquakes / Locations and causes of earthquakes.
Features of earthquakes (focus, epicentre, shock waves).
Measuring earthquakes (Richter Scale and Mercalli Scale).
Case study: The causes, primary effects, secondary effects, immediate responses and long-term responses of an earthquake in a richer part of the world (Kobe).
Case study: The causes, primary effects, secondary effects, immediate responses and long-term responses of an earthquake in a poorer part of the world (Haiti).
Predicting, protecting and preparing for earthquakes.
Tsunami / Case study: The causes, effects of and responses to a tsunami (Tohoku).

GCSE Geography Revision Checklist: Water on the Land

KEY AREA / SPECIFIC TOPIC / RAG / Revised
How rivers change / Types of erosion (hydraulic action, attrition, abrasion and solution).
Types of transportation (traction, saltation, suspension and solution).
Deposition.
How the long profile changes (Bradshaw’s Model).
How cross-profiles vary.
River landforms / Formation of landforms resulting from erosion (waterfalls and gorges).
Formation of landforms resulting from deposition (levées and floodplains).
Formation of landforms resulting from a combination of erosion and deposition (meanders and oxbow lakes).
Causes of flooding / Physical causes of flooding (prolonged rain, heavy rain, snowmelt, relief and rock type).
Human causes of flooding (deforestation and construction).
Bangladesh Flood / Causes of the Bangladesh flood.
Impacts of the Bangladesh flood.
Responses to the Bangladesh flood.
Cockermouth Flood / Causes of the Cockermouth flood.
Impacts of the Cockermouth flood.
Responses to the Cockermouth flood.
River management / Soft engineering methods for rivers.
Hard engineering methods for rivers.
Case study: The Three Gorges Dam.
Water supply issues / How we use water.
How the UK copes with water stress.
Case study: Demand for water in the UK.

GCSE Geography Revision Checklist: The Coastal Zone

KEY AREA / SPECIFIC TOPIC / RAG / Revised
How the coast is shaped / Weathering processes (mechanical, chemical, biological).
Mass movement (rockfall, landslide, mudflow, rotational slip).
Processes of erosion (hydraulic action, solution, abrasion, attrition).
Constructive vs destructive waves.
Processes of transportation (traction, saltation, suspension, solution, longshore drift).
Deposition and the reasons for it.
Characteristics and formation of coastal landforms / Headlands and bays.
Cliffs and wave cut platforms.
Caves, arches, stacks and stumps.
Beaches, spits and bars.
Rising sea level / Reasons for rising sea level.
Case study: The Maldives (economic, social, environmental and political impacts of coastal flooding due to rising sea level).
Cliff collapse / Case study: Barton-on-Sea (rate of coastal erosion; reasons why some areas are susceptible to undercutting and cliff collapse; how people may worsen the situation; the impact of this on people’s lives; the impact of this on the environment).
Coastal management / Costs and benefits of hard engineering.
Costs and benefits of soft engineering.
Types of hard engineering (sea walls, groynes, rock armour).
Types of soft engineering (beach nourishment, dune regeneration, marsh creation).
Managed retreat.
Case study: Minehead (why it’s at risk; how it has been managed; the costs and benefits of the management methods used).
Coastal habitat / Case study: Keyhaven Marshes (environmental characteristics; the habitat and species that inhabit it [and why they inhabit it]; strategies that ensure the environment is conserved, but also allow sustainable use of the area).

GCSE Geography Revision Checklist: The Development Gap

KEY AREA / SPECIFIC TOPIC / RAG / Revised
Measures of development (what they are, examples of them and the pros and cons of using them) / GNI per capita
Human development index
Birth rate
Death rate
Infant mortality rate
Number of doctors per 1,000 people
Literacy rate
Percentage of people with access to clean water
The Brandt Line
Quality of life
Standard of living
Factors that increase global development inequalities (what they are and how they increase inequalities) / Physical factors (i.e. landlock, climate, etc.)
Economic factors (i.e. poverty, lack of investment, etc.)
Environmental factors (i.e. overgrazing, poaching, etc.)
Social factors (i.e. education, health, etc.)
Political factors (i.e. unstable governments)
Case study: Hurricane Ivan: location; impacts on development (short and long term)
Trade (what these terms mean and the pros and cons of them) / Quotas
Import duties
Subsidies
Restricted trade
Free trade
Trade bloc (with example of the EU)
Reducing global development inequalities (what these methods involve, examples of them and the pros and cons of them) / Fair trade
Short-term aid
Long-term aid
International loans
Debt relief / debt abolition
Small-scale loans (loan solutions)
Conservation swaps
Case study: Community Youth Empowerment Programme: location; its aims; whether or not it is successful
Case study: Cahora Bassa Dam: location; why and how it was built; its positive and negative impacts (economy, environment, people); whether or not it is successful
Development in the EU / Members of the EU
Variation of life expectancy within the EU
Variation of GDP per capita within the EU
Variation of HDI within the EU
Common Agricultural Policy
European Investment Bank
Urban II funds
Structural funds
Case study: Bulgaria vs ROI: how and why development levels in these countries have changed over time and are as they are now

GCSE Geography Revision Checklist: Population Change

KEY AREA / SPECIFIC TOPIC / RAG / Revised
The world’s population is growing / Urbanisation
Emancipation of women
Mechanisation of agriculture
Demographic Transition Model / What is looks like
Reasons for why it looks as it does
Population pyramids / How they are shaped
Why they are shaped like that
How they fit with the DTM
Implications of population change / Socially
Economically
Politically
China’s One Child Policy / Why it was put in place
What it involved (pre-1990)
What it involved (post-1990)
The positive impacts of it
The negative impacts of it
Indonesia’s Transmigration Policy / Why it was put in place
What it involved (1969-1980s)
What it involved (1990s-2010 – Eastward Development Policy)
What it involved (2010-2011)
The positive impacts of it
The negative impacts of it socially
The negative impacts of it economically
The negative impacts of it politically
The negative impacts of it environmentally
Ageing populations / How they occur
Impacts of them on future development
The dependency ratio
France’s ageing population (why needed a solution)
France’s ageing population (what their solution is)
Migration / Types of migrant (economic migrant, asylum seeker/refugee)
Push and pull factors
Impacts of migration on origin countries (positive and negative)
Impacts of migration on host countries (positive and negative)
Refugee movements in the EU
Labour migration in the EU
Polish workers migrating to the UK

GCSE Geography Revision Checklist: Tourism

KEY AREA / SPECIFIC TOPIC / RAG / Revised
Growth of tourism / Reasons for global increase in tourism.
The Butler Model.
Why people are attracted to different areas (cities, mountains, coasts).
The economic importance of tourism in richer parts of the world.
The economic importance of tourism in poorer parts of the world.
Tourism in the UK / Contribution of tourism to the UK economy.
Impact of external factors (terrorism, exchange rates, the banking crisis) on tourist numbers in the UK.
Case study: The Lake District (reasons for its growth as a tourist destination; issues with having large numbers of tourists; management methods related to these issues; the effectiveness of management issues; plans to ensure the continuing success of the area).
Mass tourism / What mass tourism is.
Advantages of mass tourism.
Disadvantages of mass tourism.
Case study: Jamaica (positive and negative impacts of mass tourism on the economy; positive and negative impacts of mass tourism on the environment; strategies for maintaining tourism and limiting the negative impacts).
Tourism in extreme environments / Why people are attracted to extreme environments.
Increased demand for adventure holidays.
Case study: Antarctica (how and why tourism has grown there; the impact of tourism; how well it can cope with tourism).
Sustainability and tourism / What stewardship is and why it is needed.
What conservation is and why it is needed.
What ecotourism is and a consideration that it can contribute to sustainable development.
Case study: Galapagos (how ecotourism benefits the environment, the local economy and the lives of local people).

EXAM TIPS

  1. A 4-mark question usually, but not always, means that you are to make two points and develop each of them. For example:

Reduction of debt repayments means a country is not burdened with interest payments in addition to repayment of the actual money given as a loan (1). The advantage of this is that more of the country’s GNP can be used to the benefit of the country and its inhabitants by providing, for example, healthcare and education (+1). A conservation swap involves a rich country cancelling the debts of a poorer country in return for undertaking some form of environment project (1). In addition to protecting the country’s own environment, this could have positive global repercussions in the battle against climate change (+1).

  1. When describing something, only describe it and don’t explain. For example:

Earthquakes occur in linear clusters (1). Many occur on plate boundaries (1), especially destructive plate

boundaries (1) [for example where the Nazca Plate subducts beneath the South American Plate (1)]. There is

a clustering around the edge of the Pacific Plate (1).

  1. Case study questions (6-9 marks) are level marked. Therefore, you don’t need to make 9 points to get 9 marks, you only need to make a few points but talk about them well. For example:
  1. Read the question carefully:
  2. If it asks for impacts on a host country, only write about impacts on a host country, and not on an origin country.
  3. If a case study question asks for the responses to a natural hazard, don’t talk about the impacts or causes of the hazard, only the responses to it.
  4. It a question asks you to compare and/or contrast, make sure you do that otherwise you won’t get any marks!

STRUCTURE OF THE EXAM

You have two exams:

  • Unit 1: Physical Geography
  • Unit 2: Human Geography

Unit 1: Physical Geography

For the exam, there will be seven topics on the physical paper and you will have 90 minutes. You will only answer questions on the following three topics:

  • The Restless Earth
  • Water on the Land
  • The Coastal Zone

Unit 2: Human Geography

For the exam, there will be six topics on the human paper and you will have 90 minutes. You will only answer questions on the following three topics:

  • Population Change
  • The Development Gap
  • Tourism

What you will need

For both exams, you will need a:

  • At least two pens (black or blue).
  • A pencil.
  • A pencil sharpener.
  • A rubber.
  • A ruler.
  • A calculator (you may not need this, but it’s best to be safe than sorry).

CASE STUDY FOR THE RESTLESS EARTH:

THE EUROPEAN ALPS

Location:

  • Stretch across approximately 1,200km (750mi).
  • Go through eight countries (Austria, Switzerland, France, Liechtenstein, Italy, Slovenia, Germany and Monaco).
  • Highest peak is Mont Blanc on the French-Italian border (4,810m above sea level).
  • There are 100 peaks over 4,000m above sea level.

Formation:

  • Formed around 35 million years ago.
  • Collision boundary (African Plate moving north, Eurasian Plate moving south).
  • During a period of little tectonic movement, a geosyncline formed at the boundary.
  • The geosyncline filled with water over time (the Sea of Tethys).
  • During a later period of tectonic uplift, the plates moved together again and the crust ‘crumpled’ upwards.
  • This caused the Sea of Tethys to drain and the Alps to form.

Human Uses of the Alps:

  • Farming and forestry:
  • Most farms and commercial forests are on south-facing slopes (these are sunnier and warmer).
  • Mostly dairy farming, using a pattern called transhumance (seasonal movement of animals).
  • Cattle are taken to the high alp to graze in summer, allowing hay to be grown on the flatter and more fertile valley floors.
  • Milk would be kept in the high alp and turned into cheese and butter, which keep for longer than milk.
  • In winter, the cows are brought back to the valley floors where they are kept in sheds and fed on the hay that was grown during the summer.
  • More recently, cable cars (that were brought in for tourists) are used to send milk back down to the settlements on the valley floors during the summer.
  • Some farmers now buy in additional food for their cattle so that the herd can stay on the valley floors all year round.
  • Hydro-electric power:
  • The Alps are ideal for this due to steep slopes, high precipitation and summer melting of glaciers; all of these things cause fast-flowing rivers.
  • Narrow valleys are easy to dam.
  • There are some lakes available already to store water.
  • Much of the electricity is used by local industries such as: sawmills; electrochemical manufacture; fertiliser manufacture; and aluminium smelting.
  • The rest of the electricity is exported to other regions to provide for towns and cities.
  • Tourism:
  • All year round attractions for tourists.
  • In winter (examples of resorts are Chamonix and St Moritz):
  • Slopes and snow for skiing and other winter sports.
  • Flatter land in the high alp for building hotels, restaurants, ski lifts, etc.
  • In summer (examples of resorts are Interlaken and Garda)
  • Large glacial lakes on valley floors (scenery, water-sports, fishing, etc.)
  • Beautiful mountain scenery with snow-capped peaks.
  • There is concern that Alpine winters are becoming warmer, therefore having less snow. This means that people are skiing / boarding on worn slopes, damaging vegetation and causing soil erosion.
  • Quarrying:
  • The Alpine region is naturally rich in crystals such as amethyst and quartz.
  • There is quarrying for aggregate (fragments of loose rock), which is used for road construction.

CASE STUDY FOR THE RESTLESS EARTH:

EYJAFJALLAJÖKULL ERUPTION

Location & Causes:

  • Southern Iceland, approximately 170km southeast of Reykjavik (the capital city).
  • Constructive boundary: Eurasian Plate moving east; North American Plate west. (The Mid-Atlantic Ridge).
  • Separation of plates leaves a gap in the ocean floor, which is then filled with rising magma. The rising magma solidifies under the ocean as an ocean ridge. Where the ocean ridge protrudes above the ocean, there are islands and volcanoes, such as Iceland and Eyjafjallajökull.
  • In March 2010, magma broke out from the crust beneath the glacier atop Eyjafjallajökull, starting two months of eruptions mostly of lava.
  • On April 14th 2010, a phase of more violent eruptions of ash began. This lasted for several days.

Impacts: