Past Paper Questions and Answers

Changing populations

  1. Explain two factors other than GDP per capita that can cause a change in total fertility rate [2+2]
    • pro- and anti-natalist policies
    • war
    • migration
    • women empowerment
    • disease
    • falling infant mortality
    • Education: increased female mortality, so women have less children
      • they know that most of the children will survive
      • they understand birth control and its advantages; it’s more easily accessible
      • they are more career-minded, so they want to start a career before a family
    • shift away from subsistence farming
    • Location of residence
    • Religion
    • Ambition and need for children
  2. Identify and explain the positive effects of migration [6]
    • Increase in economically active population (reduce dependency ratio)
    • Perform unskilled and low-paid work
    • Fill gaps in the skilled jobs market (nurses, doctors from abroad)
    • Increase tax revenues and boost local economies through spending
    • Increase the birth rates for countries with an aging population
    • Reduce unemployment levels in the country of origin
    • Remittances sent home by countries
    • Increase the variety of cultures in hosting country
  3. Explain factors that affect the potential mobility of voluntary migrants [3]
    • Age
    • Gender
    • Education levels
    • National and international policies on, and obstacles to, migration
    • Economic factors
    • Social and cultural factors
    • Accessibility/transport infrastructures
  4. Suggest reasons for the gender imbalance [6]
    • males outnumber females starting from ages (x–y) because
    • more male babies born, or female infanticide because males are favored
    • lack of females from 20–65 (working age) due to high rates of maternal mortality
      • worsened by poor nutrition
      • diseases (HIV/AIDS) cause high mortality rates among females more than in mass
      • High rates of maternal mortality
    • in age groups above, more females survive as they (generally) have higher life expectancy than males
      • males could have been lost through migration though war
      • Males are more likely to have jobs which decrease the lifespan, such as construction
  5. Explain three economic impacts of a disease you studied [6]
    • disease: HIV/AIDS in Botswana, Namibia in Southern Africa, which is the worst affected region
      • Sub-Saharan Africa has 11% of the world’s people, but carries 24% of the global disease burden
      • Less than 1% of global health expenditure
      • Religious practices are against safe-sex campaigns in Sub-Saharan Africa, and people follow them due to lower levels of education
    • loss of people in the working age: increasing dependency ratio and reducing economic output, and this reduces the overall GDP of the country
    • reduced productivity of farmers and industry workers, leading to a reduction in economic output and reduce in GDP
    • increased burden on individuals and family finances owing to the cost of medical care, pharmaceutical care, and funerals
    • early entry of children into the workforce (who were orphaned by disease)
  6. Explain why men generally have a lower life expectancy than women [2+2]
    • Men tend to engage in more risky occupations (mining, construction) thereby increasing their mortality rate
    • High-risk behaviors/lifestyle choices (smoking, drinking, diet)
    • Biological makeup of men different compared to women
    • Crime related factors

  1. This question is about birth control
    1. Suggest two reasons why the percentage of women using some types of birth control is low in some countries [2+2]
      • Religious/cultural reasons
      • Poverty: cannot afford birth control
      • Access: many women live in remote regions and do not have access to contraceptives
      • Lack of gender empowerment: could be low priority that contraceptives not there
    2. Explain two reasons why the crude death rate is falling in most LICs [2+2]
      • Vaccination programmes
      • Water and sanitation
      • Increased wealth in some nations: more hospitals, better health care
      • Improving food security measures
      • Education, especially of women makes healthier families
      • Diet, improving due to better access and distribution

  1. Examine the problems that result from high dependency ratios [E]
    • Dependency ratio: the ratio of the dependent population (those aged below 15 and above 64) to the economically active population (population aged 15–64)
    • High demand on health services and healthcare costs due to large elderly population
    • public/private pension schemes not being able to support the elderly population
    • Strain on educational facilities in countries with a high birth rate
    • Small working population left not being able to support the dependent population
    • Limited tax revenues generated, only allowing limited investment in infrastructure and services

Global climate: vulnerability and resilience

  1. Describe the change in albedo as ice melts and is replaced by soil/bare rock [2]
    • the ice melts and is replaced by rock so there is a change in the color and hence the albedo created as ice reflects more heat
    • the dark surface of the rock absorbs more insulation, leading to a rise in temperature
    • there is also a positive feedback loop: melting ice reduces albedo, so less reflection, and more energy is absorbed and hence an increase in temperature
  2. Differentiate between the greenhouse effect and global warming [2]
    • the greenhouse effect is a natural effect in which certain gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and CFCs) allow SWR from the sun to pass through the atmosphere and heat up the path, but trap an increasing proportion of LWR from the earth
    • this radiation leads to the warming of the atmosphere, and is essential for our survival
    • in contrast, global warming is an increase in temperature around the world, that started in the 1960s, and has been going on most likely because of human activity
  3. Distinguish between global climate change and enhanced greenhouse effect [4]
    • Global climate (GCC) change is the change in global patterns of climate (precipitation, temperature, wind, pressure systems)
    • Enhanced greenhouse (EGE) effect is the increasing amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as a result of human activities
    • GCC can have natural causes whereas the EGG is anthropogenic
    • GCC can relate to any aspect of climate whereas the EGE specifically impacts upon temperature
    • GCC can involve cooling periods whereas EGE is associated with global warming
    • EGE is a major cause of GCC
  4. Explain how deforestation may contribute to global warming [3]
    • deforestation releases carbon dioxide are removes a valuable carbon sink
    • this increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
    • carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas linked to global warming as it helps raise the quantity of heat retained by the atmosphere

  1. This question is about soil degradation
    1. State likely causes of soil degradation
      • overgrazing, agriculture, overexploitation of vegetation for fuelwood deforestation, salinization, urban growth, industrialization
    2. Explain socio-economic consequences of soil degradation
      • loss of agriculture productivity of land acts as push factors to migration
      • loss of agriculture productivity, food shortages, famine, push factor, farmers too weak to work, other farmers discouraged from farming, less farmers so even less food
      • reduced aquifer recharge damages farmers’ incomes and water access
      • loss of employment, increased poverty in an area
      • creates environmental refugees, problems of displaced populations
  2. This question is about the climate change of an increase in 2ÂșC in sub-Saharan Africa
  3. Outline the likely changes in crop production in sub-Saharan Africa, if there is a temperature increase of 2ÂșC [2]
    • 40–80% of maize, millet, and sorghum crops lost
    • reduction in crop production of wheat, maize, and sorghum (change in agriculture patterns)
  4. Suggest reasons for the changes outlined in (a) [2]
    • increased temperature causes an increase in evaporation, which causes a reduction in moisture levels, and hence an increase in erosivity (so less plants grown)
    • because of droughts due to high evaporation and less moisture, the soil loses important nutrients for plant growth and hence reduces the fertile content of the soil
    • the decrease in crop productivity discourages farmers from farming, so in the future there will be less farmers, and hence an even lower crop productivity
    • because of human population growth, more farmland must be used for buildings and other infrastructural development; agricultural land is used up
    • there can also be extreme heat waves in the summer making soil drier than normal with less water and nutrients
  5. Explain why there could be a decrease in biodiversity
    • there are less plants due to the increase in moistures and decrease in nutrients from the soil, so herbivores are affected; there could be a loss in grazing land
    • because herbivores are lower in number because of less food, food webs are affected and even carnivores are reduced in population
    • an increase in temperature causes an increase in drought conditions
    • decertification and desert migration takes place––desert migration reduces the fertile content of the soil (there is an increase in silica, making the soil less fertile)
    • this desertification causes a loss of Savanna, which is a more suitable habitat for many plants and animals than the desert
  6. Explain one social problem that court result from climate change in sub-Saharan Africa [2]
    • climate changes in sub-Saharan Africa may cause many farmers to stop farming and migrate to urban areas
    • farmers will produce less food and receive less money and become impoverished; they might look for alternative employment in urban areas
    • climate change may lead to malnutrition, especially in farmers who get too weak to work
    • malnourished mothers will give birth to underweight children, and they could have mental problems, so their life chances are badly affected

Global resource consumption and security

  1. Explain how demand for energy resources is changing [3]
    • Geographical pattern of demand is projected to shift from the OECD region to NICs
    • Demand for and use of energy resources by NICs has been rapidly increasing, although HICs are major consumers
    • Energy resources are used in large quantities for manufacturing and transporting in MICs and NICs
    • LICs and MICs continue to grow faster than HICs but their consumption remains low by comparison
  2. Explain why the ecological footprint of HICs is greater than that of LICs [6]
    • Smaller rates of resource consumption in LICs
    • In HICs people have more disposable income, so they have a higher consumption and demand for energy resources
    • HIC resource use is often more wasteful and they produce more pollution
    • People in LICs have less to spend on consumption, and the informal economy is responsible for recycling many resources
    • HICs have a meat-eating diet; 30% of the diet may be based on animal protein, and this way only a small amount of energy is transported to the people
    • Greenhouse gas emissions affect the footprint; HICs import and export more which leads to more transport which releases greenhouse gases
  3. Explain food security [2]
    • The availability and access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food
    • To meet the dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life
  4. Explain the limitations of recycling as a strategy to reduce global resource consumption [3]
    • Energy still consumed in transportation (import and export) of waste to recycling centers
    • Energy used for recycling process
    • Some materials can’t be recycled or are too expensive
    • Recycling not available at a large enough scale to deal with all the waste
    • There may be better alternatives: substitution, lower consumption
    • Desire for economic growth greater than desire for sustainability

  1. This question is about malthus and other theories
    1. Explain the neo-Malthusian view of the relationship between population size and resource consumption. [4]
      • Neo = contemporary supporters of views of Malthus
      • Human population has a carrying capacity
      • Because it increases geometrically while resources increase arithmetically
      • Leading to check (positive or preventive), or a need for anti-natalist policies
    2. Explain the anti-Malthusian view of the relationship between population and resources [6]
      • Resources will keep pace with population growth, and carrying capacity will increase as human population increases
      • The use of technological fixes (in agriculture to achieve higher yields, GMO)
      • Resource substitution overcome resource depletion
      • Recycling allows conservation of existing resources
  2. This question is about food and hunger
    1. Briefly describe the difference between malnutrition and undernutrition [3]
      • Undernutrition is defined as the shortage of food/insufficient calorie intake and/or protein intake (refers to quantity)
      • Malnutrition is an imbalance of food such as vitamins, fats, carbohydrates (refers to quality of food, or deficiency)
      • Malnutrition takes place in MEDCs (obesity) and undernutrition takes place in LEDCs (protein deficiency)
    2. Using examples, explain why food aid does not always alleviate hunger [8]
      • Food aid helps as emergency short term response for the immediate alleviation of hunger, decreasing mortality and controlling disease
      • It has detrimental effects: lowering food production in receiving country, increased dependency, increasing levels of corruption (food not distributed equally)
  3. This question is about the sustainable development goals
    1. Explain why they might be difficult to achieve
      • They are so ambitious in their aims
      • Population continues to grow, and standards of living are rising
      • The concept of sustainability is an intergenerational one and will never be found/end
      • Many political and terrorist organizations for which sustainable development is not their main focus
    2. Outline the main inequalities in gender identified by them
      • G10: reduce inequalities in gender; G8: eradicate human trafficking and forced labor, which targets many womens
      • G3: good health and well being focuses in improving reproductive and maternal health
      • G4 and G5: quality education aims to improve education and training for women too

Leisure, tourism, and sport

  1. Describe the characteristics of the leisure hierarchy [2+2]
    • Many sports fields for junior/student teams for a particular sport in a city than there are sports fields for professional teams in the same city
    • While student team fields will have only a relatively small catchment area, the catchment area of the professional fields will be much larger
  2. Explain geographical factors that might influence decision-makers in choosing a host city for an international sports events [2+2+2]
    • Pre-existing venues for reducing construction costs (ex: Rio de Janeiro hosting the 2016 Olympics using venues developed for the World Cup)
    • Good international transport links such as airports for increasing accessibility
    • Good local transport infrastructure to increase accessibility
    • Available accommodation, for participants and supporters
    • corruption/money/politics
  3. Give evidence that the perceptual carrying capacity has been exceeded (image description) [3]
    • Crowded car park
    • Congestion in narrow streets
    • Noise pollution from vehicles and people
  4. Explain three reasons for the changes in international tourist arrivals [2+2+2]
    • Cost of air travel has reduced in recent years, so that more tourists can travel cheaply (Europe to Asia has been made much cheaper)
    • Increases tourism advertising in Africa has been heavily promoted in the media, so that tourists are increasingly attracted to new/more exotic destinations (The Gambia from China)
    • Increased affluence and leisure time for travel; changing employment patterns as people demand more paid holidays and tourism lets them stay motivated and productive
    • Growth of package holidays/TNCs such as Thomas Cook Group
    • Development of tourist infrastructure at destinations (Hamad airport in Qatar)
    • Credit cards/Visa Cash makes travel and payments easier
    • Online booking and the Internet make booking easier
  5. Explain three political factors that affect participation and success in international sport
    • Government spending on specific/internationally-oriented sport facilities such as swimming pools and stadiums, thereby increasing chance of success in Olympic Games
    • The government’s role hosting of an international sporting events, such as the Olympics, which promotes national pride and encourages people to participate more widely in the sport
    • The government’s role promoting sport in education (national curricula to promote sport in schools and colleges enables elite athletes to reach global potential
    • Political initiatives to promote sport/government advertising with emphasis on “world-beating” potential
    • Government support in the hosting of an international sporting events
    • Specific political values may encourage or deter participation (Islamic states’ attitudes to female participation)
  6. Using photographic evidence, suggest why the perceptual carrying capacity of this site might have been reached. [2]
    • Large number of visitors shown
    • Some may be experiencing stress due to congestion and noise
  7. Explain two possible reasons why not all international arrivals can be classified as tourists [2]
    • transit/short-term passengers, not staying at least one night
    • refugees/asylum seekers
    • Business people
    • Long-term voluntary migrants
    • Research scientists
    • Returning residents

  1. This question is about ecotourism
    1. Outline what is meant by ecotourism
      • Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment
      • Sustains the well-being of local people
      • Involves interpretation and education
    2. Outline what is meant by heritage tourism
      • Tourism based on historic legacy as its major attraction
      • Relates to travel to experience the place, artefacts, historic sites, and indigenous people of an area
    3. Explain one strength and one weakness of ecotourism for local communities [2+2]
      • Strength: responsible ecotourism provides jobs for local people (guides in Kenya)
      • Weakness: limited potential for growth, because likely commercialization of traditional culture

  1. Using one or more examples, evaluate the strategies designed to manage tourism in rural areas [E]
    • Designation of areas as National Parks or protected zones
    • Restrictions on the use of cars in sensitive areas (Orchard Road on weekends)
    • Encouragement of cycling by provision of bike hire and cycleways
    • Improvement of local public transport
    • Improved education and signage; education and information centers
    • Increased focus on ecotourism
    • Limiting tourist numbers
    • Redistributing tourists from honeypot sites
  2. Evaluate the use of tourism as a development strategy in some low-income countries [E]
    • Tourism is a rapid growth industry and many-low income countries see its promotion as a development strategy
    • The benefits include
      • Creation of jobs in the tertiary sector (hotels, tourist guides) and stimulates multiplier effect
      • Generating income for the country through tourist expenditure and taxes
      • Improvements in infrastructure
      • Developing new skills and technology
    • The disadvantages include
      • Creating dependency on one industry which might be a problem if tourists stop visiting because of natural disaster or political unrest
      • Unequal development and growth of tourist enclaves
      • Economic leakages as profits go overseas (by international tourism agencies)
      • Worker exploitation: much employment is unskilled and low-paid while better-paid, more-skilled jobs go to foreign workers
      • Increase rural-urban migration and development of shanty towns and the informal sector
  3. Examine the extent to which sustainable tourism might be successfully implemented in different environments [E]
    • Protection of the natural environment through tourism (formation of National Parks)
    • Managing resources to prevent depletion
    • Reducing the ecological footprint of tourism
    • Managing visitor numbers
    • Involvement of local people in the tourist activities
    • Development of infrastructure

Food and health

  1. Briefly outline “food security” [2]
    • Access to food
    • Sufficient amount
    • Safety
    • Nutritional quality
  2. Outline ways in which the health of a pollution can be affected by chronic hunger [2]
    • Long-term under-nutrition resulting in stunting/body weight loss
    • Increased vulnerability to diseases due to weaker immune system
    • High maternal/infant mortality rate due to lack of nutritious food
  3. Explain three geographic impacts at a national scale of one named water-borne or sexually transmitted disease [6]
    • HIV in Switzerland currently affects around 20,000 people currently, with 542 new cases in 2016
    • HIV has impacted Switzerland’s GDP due to lost working hours and lower productivity, leading to many impacts
    • High death rates/infant mortality rates
    • Cost of health care
    • Decrease in tourism
    • Cost of prevention policies
  4. Explain health improvements that have led to an increase in life expectancy in many LICs in recent years [6]
    • Improved access to save water resulting in a reduction of waterborne diseases such as cholera and diarrhea
    • Vector-borne diseases (malaria) reduced by strategies such as bed nets, spraying, cleaning stagnant water
    • Reduction in STDs, such as HIV/AIDS, due to better education and use of condoms
    • Rollout of antiretroviral therapies (ARTs) has increased life expectancy of people with HIV
    • Improvements in medical care, number of doctors/health professionals; vaccinations
    • Improvement In food supply, reduced incidence of death from malnutrition

  1. Examine the strengths and limitations of the energy efficiency ratio as an indicator of sustainable agriculture. [E]
    • Energy efficiency ratio is a measure of the amount of energy input into a farming system compared with the energy outputs. A ration of greater than 1 is considered efficient, as outputs will be greater than inputs
    • Inputs into the system include labor, machinery, fertilizers, irrigation, and fuel, while outputs refer to the quantity/yield of food that is produced
    • Energy efficiency ratios differ for many farmer systems around the world, capital-intensive systems, such as irrigated rice farming, are likely to have high inputs and high yields, and might be considered as efficient
    • Subsistence farming systems with high inputs of labor, might also be regarded as efficient if the outputs are high
    • Energy efficiency ratios differ for many farming systems around the world. Capital-intensive systems, such as irrigated rice farming, are likely to have high inputs and high yields, and might be considered as efficient. Subsistence farming systems, with high inputs of labour, might also be regarded as efficient if the outputs are high.
    • Farming systems differ in their EERs and their relative sustainability. EER might be a good indicator of the efficiency of a farming system, but it neglects the wider environmental and social impacts of farming. Agricultural systems that have a high EER might produce plentiful food supplies, but they are not necessarily sustainable. The farming system might have an adverse impact on the land or water – for example, irrigation might lead to salinization and depletion of groundwater; pesticides might result in eutrophication, and soil quality might be degraded.

Other skills

  1. Graph describing questions
    • Are all lines increasing/decreasing
    • Quantification (use of data)
    • Which one is always the highest
    • Are there steep increases
    • Are there high relative increases
    • Are there any anomalies?