Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) Geography Syllabus

What is a population pyramid and what do its shape tell you?

A population pyramid is a bar graph showing the age and sex structure of a population. A wide base and narrow top (triangular) indicates a high birth rate and short life expectancy (developing country); straighter sides indicate low birth rate and ageing population (developed country).

Define birth rate, death rate and natural increase.

Birth rate is the number of live births per 1000 people per year. Death rate is the number of deaths per 1000 people per year. Natural increase is the difference: $$\text{Natural increase} = \text{birth rate} - \text{death rate}$$ (expressed per 1000 or as a percentage).

What is population density and how is it calculated?

Population density is the average number of people per unit area, usually per square kilometre: $$\text{Density} = \frac{\text{Total population}}{\text{Area}}$$ Units are people per $\mathrm{km^{2}}$.

Outline the five stages of the Demographic Transition Model (DTM).

Stage 1: high fluctuating (high birth and death rates, low growth). Stage 2: early expanding (death rate falls, birth rate high, rapid growth). Stage 3: late expanding (birth rate falls, growth slows). Stage 4: low fluctuating (low birth and death rates, stable). Stage 5: declining (death rate exceeds birth rate, population falls).

What is the difference between push and pull factors in migration? Give an example of each.

Push factors drive people away from an area (e.g. unemployment, war, poor services). Pull factors attract people to a new area (e.g. jobs, better wages, safety, good schools). Migration usually results from a combination of both.

Distinguish between a site and a situation of a settlement.

Site is the actual land on which a settlement is built and its physical characteristics (e.g. wet point, dry point, flat land, defence). Situation is the position of a settlement in relation to surrounding features such as other towns, rivers and routes.

Name three original reasons (functions) for the location of early settlements.

Examples include: wet-point sites (reliable water supply), dry-point sites (above flood level), defensive sites (hilltops or river meanders), bridging points, gap towns, and sites with shelter, fuel, building materials or fertile farmland.

Describe the typical land-use zones in the Burgess concentric model of a city.

From the centre outwards: 1) Central Business District (CBD), 2) inner city / older industry and high-density housing (zone of transition), 3) inner suburbs of older terraced housing, 4) outer suburbs of newer semi-detached housing, 5) rural-urban fringe / commuters.

What is the difference between the primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary sectors of industry?

Primary — extracting raw materials (farming, mining, fishing). Secondary — manufacturing/processing into products (factories). Tertiary — providing services (retail, health, education). Quaternary — knowledge/research and information technology (R&D, IT).

Name four factors that influence the location of an industry.

Examples: raw materials, energy/power supply, labour supply, transport/communications, market, land availability and cost, capital, and government policy/incentives.

What is the difference between footloose industry and a raw-material-oriented (bulk-reducing) industry?

A footloose industry (e.g. electronics, IT) is not tied to a particular location because its inputs are light and it depends on skilled labour and good communications. A raw-material-oriented industry locates near bulky/heavy raw materials to cut transport costs (e.g. steelmaking near coal/iron ore).

What are the inputs, processes and outputs of an industrial system?

Inputs are what goes in (raw materials, labour, capital, energy). Processes are the operations carried out (manufacturing, assembly). Outputs are the results (finished products, profit, waste). It is a system with feedback (e.g. profit reinvested).

Distinguish between arable, pastoral and mixed farming.

Arable farming grows crops. Pastoral farming rears animals/livestock. Mixed farming combines both crops and livestock on the same farm.

What is the difference between intensive and extensive, and between subsistence and commercial farming?

Intensive farming has high inputs/outputs per unit area (small area, high yield); extensive uses a large area with lower inputs per hectare. Subsistence farming produces food for the farmer's own family; commercial farming produces crops/livestock for sale and profit.

Describe a farm as a system using inputs, processes and outputs.

Inputs: physical (climate, soil, relief) and human (labour, machinery, seeds, fertiliser, capital). Processes: ploughing, sowing, weeding, harvesting, milking. Outputs: crops, livestock products, profit and waste. Profit can be reinvested as feedback.

Which countries make up the British Isles, and how does this differ from the United Kingdom?

The British Isles is a group of islands including the whole of Ireland and Great Britain. The United Kingdom comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — it does NOT include the Republic of Ireland, which is an independent country.

Contrast the relief of highland (north and west) and lowland (south and east) Britain.

Highland Britain (north and west, e.g. Scottish Highlands, Lake District, Wales) is made of older, harder rocks forming mountains and uplands. Lowland Britain (south and east) is made of younger, softer rocks forming low hills and flat plains with more fertile farmland.

What characteristics define an economically developed (MEDC / HIC) region?

High GDP/GNI per capita, high levels of industrialisation and tertiary employment, good infrastructure and services, high literacy and life expectancy, low birth and death rates, and a high Human Development Index (HDI).

What does GDP per capita measure, and how is it calculated?

GDP per capita measures the average economic output (wealth) per person and is used to compare development. It is calculated as: $$\text{GDP per capita} = \frac{\text{Gross Domestic Product}}{\text{Total population}}$$

What is the Human Development Index (HDI) and which three measures make it up?

HDI is a composite measure of development scored between 0 and 1. It combines life expectancy (health), education (mean and expected years of schooling) and GNI per capita (standard of living). A score closer to 1 indicates more developed.

List four characteristics typical of a developing (LEDC / LIC) region.

Low GDP per capita, high proportion employed in primary sector (farming), high birth and death rates and rapid population growth, lower life expectancy and literacy, poorer infrastructure and services, and a low HDI.

What is the difference between economic and social indicators of development? Give an example of each.

Economic indicators measure wealth and the economy (e.g. GDP per capita, % employed in agriculture). Social indicators measure quality of life and wellbeing (e.g. literacy rate, life expectancy, infant mortality, people per doctor).

Define infant mortality rate and life expectancy.

Infant mortality rate is the number of deaths of children under one year old per 1000 live births per year. Life expectancy is the average number of years a person is expected to live from birth. Both are key indicators of a country's development.

What is the difference between visible and invisible trade?

Visible trade is the import and export of physical goods (e.g. cars, food, machinery). Invisible trade is the import and export of services (e.g. tourism, banking, insurance).

What is the balance of trade, and what do a surplus and a deficit mean?

Balance of trade is the difference between the value of a country's exports and imports: $$\text{Balance of trade} = \text{exports} - \text{imports}$$ A surplus means exports exceed imports (positive); a deficit means imports exceed exports (negative).

Why does trade between developed and developing countries often create interdependence and inequality?

Developing countries often export low-value primary products (raw materials) and import high-value manufactured goods, while developed countries add value through manufacturing. This makes developing countries dependent on volatile commodity prices and creates an unequal, interdependent relationship.

On an Ordnance Survey map, how is a four-figure grid reference read, and how is a six-figure one read?

Always read eastings (along the bottom) before northings (up the side) — 'along the corridor then up the stairs'. A four-figure reference gives a 1 km square; a six-figure reference divides each square into tenths to pinpoint a location within it (e.g. 123456).

How do you calculate true distance on a map using its scale? Give the rule for a 1:50 000 map.

Measure the map distance, then multiply by the scale factor. On a 1:50 000 map, 1 cm on the map represents 50 000 cm (0.5 km) on the ground, so $$\text{Ground distance} = \text{map distance (cm)} \times 0.5\ \text{km}$$

What do contour lines show, and how can you tell a steep slope from a gentle one?

Contour lines join points of equal height above sea level. Contours close together indicate a steep slope; contours far apart indicate a gentle slope. The interval between them is the vertical height difference.

What is the difference between a compass bearing and a direction, and how many degrees is each compass point apart on the 8-point compass?

A direction uses points such as N, NE, E (qualitative). A bearing is a precise angle measured clockwise from north in degrees ($0^{\circ}$ to $360^{\circ}$). On the 8-point compass each point is $45^{\circ}$ apart (N $=0^{\circ}$, E $=90^{\circ}$, S $=180^{\circ}$, W $=270^{\circ}$).

What are the stages of a geographical fieldwork enquiry?

1) Form a question/hypothesis (aim); 2) plan the methods and data collection; 3) collect primary and secondary data; 4) present the data (graphs, maps); 5) analyse and interpret the results; 6) reach a conclusion linked to the hypothesis; 7) evaluate the enquiry.

What is the difference between primary and secondary data, and between quantitative and qualitative data?

Primary data is collected first-hand by the investigator (e.g. field measurements, surveys). Secondary data comes from existing sources (e.g. census, internet). Quantitative data is numerical/measurable; qualitative data is descriptive (opinions, photos, descriptions).

What is the difference between systematic, random and stratified sampling?

Random sampling — sites chosen by chance (e.g. random numbers), avoiding bias. Systematic sampling — sites chosen at regular intervals (e.g. every 10 m). Stratified sampling — the sample is divided into groups proportional to known characteristics to ensure all groups are represented.

Which graph type best shows: (a) proportions of a whole, (b) change over time, and (c) the relationship between two variables?

(a) A pie chart (or divided bar) shows proportions of a whole; (b) a line graph shows change over time/continuous data; (c) a scatter graph shows the relationship/correlation between two variables, with a best-fit line.

On a scatter graph, what is the difference between positive, negative and no correlation?

Positive correlation — as one variable increases the other increases (best-fit line slopes up). Negative correlation — as one increases the other decreases (line slopes down). No correlation — points are scattered with no pattern, showing no relationship.