GCSE Geography Syllabus

What is urban sprawl, and what problem is often associated with it?

Urban sprawl is the unplanned outward spread of a city onto surrounding rural land. It causes loss of countryside/greenfield sites, longer commutes, and increased traffic and pollution.

Define a sustainable city and give three features of one.

A city that meets the needs of present residents without compromising future generations. Features: water/energy conservation, waste recycling, green space, and efficient public transport.

What is the informal sector of employment, common in NEE cities?

Work that is not officially recognised, taxed or regulated by the government (e.g. street vending, waste picking). It is often insecure, low-paid and lacks legal protection.

State the five sectors of economic activity.

Primary (raw materials), secondary (manufacturing), tertiary (services), quaternary (research/information), and quinary (senior decision-making) — GCSE usually focuses on the first four, chiefly primary–tertiary.

How does the employment structure of a country typically change as it develops?

Primary sector employment falls, secondary rises then falls, and tertiary (and quaternary) sectors grow to dominate as the country develops.

Name four measures used to indicate a country's level of development.

GNI per capita, HDI, infant mortality rate, life expectancy, literacy rate, and people per doctor (any four).

What does HDI stand for and which three components make it up?

Human Development Index — a composite of life expectancy, education (years of schooling), and income (GNI per capita).

Describe the Demographic Transition Model (DTM) Stage 2, including birth and death rates.

Stage 2: death rate falls rapidly (better healthcare, sanitation, food) while birth rate stays high, so total population grows rapidly. Natural increase is high.

What is the development gap?

The difference in levels of development and quality of life between the world's richest (HICs) and poorest (LICs) countries/regions.

Define TNC and state one advantage and one disadvantage for a host NEE.

A Transnational Corporation operates in more than one country. Advantage: creates jobs and brings investment/technology. Disadvantage: profits may be repatriated, wages/conditions can be poor, and it can cause environmental damage.

What is meant by 'aid', and distinguish short-term (emergency) from long-term (development) aid.

Aid is help (money, goods, skills) given by one country/organisation to another. Short-term/emergency aid provides immediate relief after a disaster; long-term/development aid funds sustainable projects (e.g. schools, wells) to improve living standards over time.

What is the Rostow model of economic development, in brief?

A model proposing that countries pass through five stages of growth: traditional society, preconditions for take-off, take-off, drive to maturity, and high mass consumption.

How can you calculate the percentage change in a country's GDP or population?

$$\text{Percentage change} = \frac{\text{new value} - \text{original value}}{\text{original value}} \times 100$$

Distinguish between renewable and non-renewable resources, with an example of each.

Renewable resources can be replenished naturally within a human timescale (e.g. solar, wind, timber). Non-renewable resources are finite and cannot be replaced once used (e.g. coal, oil, natural gas).

What is food security, and name two threats to it.

Food security is when all people at all times have access to enough safe, nutritious food. Threats include climate change/drought, rising population, water scarcity, conflict, and land degradation.

State three strategies to increase food supply sustainably.

Irrigation, aeroponics/hydroponics, the green revolution (high-yield varieties), biotechnology, appropriate technology, and permaculture (any three).

Define water stress and water scarcity.

Water stress occurs when annual water supply falls below $1700\,\mathrm{m^{3}}$ per person. Water scarcity is when supply falls below $1000\,\mathrm{m^{3}}$ per person per year (physical or economic).

What is the difference between physical and economic water scarcity?

Physical water scarcity is where there is not enough water to meet demand. Economic water scarcity is where water exists but people lack the money or infrastructure to access it.

State the energy mix trend and two strategies to increase energy supply sustainably.

Countries are shifting from fossil fuels toward renewables. Sustainable strategies: developing renewables (wind, solar, HEP, geothermal) and improving energy efficiency/conservation to reduce demand.

How do you calculate the four-figure and six-figure grid references?

Four-figure: read the eastings (along the corridor) first, then northings (up the stairs), giving the bottom-left corner of a grid square. Six-figure: add a tenth division to each — eastings then northings — to pinpoint a location within the square.

What is the difference between contour lines that are close together and far apart on an OS map?

Close-together contour lines indicate a steep slope; contours far apart indicate a gentle/flat slope. Contours join points of equal height (the interval is usually $10\,\mathrm{m}$).

How do you calculate real ground distance from a map using its scale?

Measure the map distance, then multiply by the scale. On a $1{:}50\,000$ map, $1\,\mathrm{cm}$ represents $50\,000\,\mathrm{cm} = 0.5\,\mathrm{km}$, so $$\text{ground distance} = \text{map distance (cm)} \times \frac{50\,000}{100\,000}\,\mathrm{km}.$$

What are the eight compass points used to give direction on a map?

North, North-East, East, South-East, South, South-West, West, and North-West.

How do you calculate the gradient of a slope from a map?

$$\text{Gradient} = \frac{\text{vertical rise (height difference)}}{\text{horizontal distance}}$$ expressed as a ratio (e.g. $1{:}20$) using the same units for both.

Distinguish between primary and secondary data in fieldwork.

Primary data is collected first-hand by the investigator (e.g. river measurements, questionnaires). Secondary data is obtained from existing sources produced by others (e.g. census data, maps, published statistics).

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

Random: every point has an equal chance of selection (unbiased). Systematic: samples taken at regular intervals (e.g. every $10\,\mathrm{m}$). Stratified: samples divided in proportion to known sub-groups of the population.

Distinguish between qualitative and quantitative data.

Quantitative data is numerical and measurable (e.g. river velocity, pedestrian counts). Qualitative data describes qualities/opinions in words or images (e.g. interview responses, field sketches).

How do you calculate the mean, median and mode of a data set?

Mean = $\frac{\sum x}{n}$ (sum divided by number of values). Median = the middle value when data are ranked in order. Mode = the most frequently occurring value.

What is the interquartile range (IQR) and how is it calculated?

The IQR measures the spread of the middle $50\%$ of ranked data: $$\text{IQR} = Q_{3} - Q_{1}$$ where $Q_{1}$ is the lower quartile and $Q_{3}$ is the upper quartile.

Which graph type best displays each of the following: proportions of a whole, data over continuous time, and two variables' relationship?

Proportions of a whole — pie chart; continuous data over time — line graph; relationship between two variables — scatter graph (with a line of best fit to show correlation).

What do positive, negative and zero correlation look like on a scatter graph?

Positive correlation: points trend upward (as $x$ increases, $y$ increases). Negative correlation: points trend downward (as $x$ increases, $y$ decreases). Zero/no correlation: points show no clear pattern or trend.