GCSE Mock Exam

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GCSE Mock Exam

• Paper 1 exemplar answers

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Question 1

• 2 key points needed
• - The area of land at the edge of the city,
  where the city meets the countryside.
• - Usually contains a variety of both urban
  and rural land uses (possibly give examples).

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• b) i) - Must mention ALL 4 types of developments
  (Housing, Industry, Shopping and Leisure).
• - Should include DESCRIPTIONS and EXAMPLES
  of these developments
• E.g. New housing developments are taking place
  within the rural-urban fringe. These are often
  low cost or family housing estates such as at
  Clifton in York.

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• ii) Must describe and explain AT LEAST 3
  reasons
• E.g. Need for more housing due to social
  changes in the way people live (e.g. higher
  divorce rates, more single parent families, more
  independent young people living alone etc) and an
  increase in population caused by increased
  immigration from other European Union countries.
  (Also Quote stats from figure 1)
• - Other reasons may include Land is cheaper
  than in the city more open land available
  greater accessibility more pleasant environment
  therefore popular place to live.

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• iii) MUST refer to a VARIETY of environmental
  pressures/impacts and USE CASE STUDIES!
• E.g. In the case of the proposed Germany Beck
  housing development, located at the south side of
  Yorks rural-urban fringe, it has been argued
  that both the physical and human environment of
  the locality will be put under great pressure in
  many ways. Firstly the area is rich farmland
  containing many hedges and fallow fields which
  provide a habitat for a variety of wildlife
  species. These habitats and species will be
  destroyed with the building of a housing estate.
  The building process itself, by the use of heavy
  machinery, will cause noise (engine noise) and
  air (nitrous and sulphur dioxides) pollution and
  arguably the end result could be interpreted as
  visual pollution when comparing it to the open
  fields that currently occupy the area. Roads will
  become more congested due the increase in local
  population and facilities/amenities, such as the
  school, may be placed under increased pressure to
  provide for the extra inhabitants.

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Question 2

• a) Refer at least 3 changes and Give GRID
  REFERENCES!!!
• E.g. Villages such as Mickle Trafford (44,69)
  have grown in size, probably becoming more of a
  commuter village for Chester. The motorway which
  ended in 43,68 in 1985 has been extended by
  building a dual carriageway (A55 (T)) through
  43,68 43,67 43,66 and 43,65. New developments
  such as the hotel (43,68) have taken place in the
  Rural-Urban fringe.

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• b) i) 1 As the population becomes increasingly
  wealthy and mobile many people seek to live in
  larger houses within more pleasant environments
  in rural villages, this is called
  counter- urbanisation.
• 2 Due to overcrowding and a lack of space in
  the city new houses need to be built outside the
  city, this is called urban sprawl.

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• ii) State that many different groups of people
  make up the residents of rural villages
  undergoing growth and then refer to SPECIFIC
  groups, giving reasons for their varying
  viewpoints
• E.g. Teenagers who live in rural villages may
  be very happy about the growth of their village
  due to the possible increase in local amenities
  and other young people. Elderly residents

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Question 3

• a) 2 key points needed
• - Located around the edge of large urban areas
  at the Rural-Urban fringe.
• - Aim is to limit urban sprawl by restricting
  new developments through the use of tight
  planning controls.

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• b) 1 Costs are too high (rents, security etc)
  and space is too restricted when compared to land
  at the edge of the city.
• 2 Traffic congestion in the city causes access
  problems for deliveries.

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• c) Any 3 correctly stated ads
• E.g. Redeveloping brownfield sites prevents
  urban sprawl by re-using empty sites in the city
  instead of building on Greenfield sites.
• Any 3 correctly stated disads
• E.g. Redeveloping brownfield sites is very
  expensive as often a lot of work has to be done
  to prepare the area before developing it and also
  there may be complicated planning restrictions
  on how to develop it.

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Question 4

• a) i) 921,925
• ii) East
• iii) 6km
• b) PHYSICAL features NOT HUMAN!!!
• - Refer to the river, relief and woodland and
  explain the difficulties they present.

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Question 5

• 1-3 marks Simply lists the advantages of their
  chosen option (copies the info from figure 5, no
  interpretation).
• 4-6 marks Starts to interpret some of the
  advantages i.e. describe why they are advantages
  and gives some reasons why the other options are
  not as good.
• 7-9 marks Fully interprets the advantages, maybe
  dismisses some of the disadvantages by stating
  how they could be overcome, explains in detail
  why the other options are poorer (doesnt just
  copy disads!), comes to a justified conclusion.