Paper 2: UK geographical Issues

Revision Booklet

We have covered section B and C2 only so far.

For mock exams, you will have 2 sections-Section 1-UK’s evolving human landscape (30

marks)

Section2-Fieldwork in an urban environment(30 marks)

Section 1-UK Human Geography (including London)

• Short-answer questions • 8-mark question that uses resource

Section 2--Human fieldwork (Stratford and unseen) o Short-answer questions o 8-mark questions

What you need to know…

The UK’s Evolving Human Landscape

Differences between urban core and rural (population density and age structure, economic activities and settlement) and how UK and EU government policies have attempted to reduce them (via enterprise zones, investment in transport infrastructure, regional development).

Why national and international migration over the past 50 years has altered the population geography of the UK (numbers, distribution, age structure) and how UK and EU immigration policy has contributed to increasing ethnic and cultural diversity.

Why the decline in primary and secondary sectors and the rise of the tertiary and quaternary sectors in urban and rural areas has altered economic and employment structure in contrasting regions of the UK.

Why globalisation, free-trade polices (UK and EU) and privatisation has increased foreign direct investment (FDI) and the role of TNCs in the UK economy.

Significance of site, situation and connectivity of the city in a national (cultural and environmental), regional and global context.

The city’s structure (Central Business District (CBD), inner city, suburbs, urban-rural fringe), in terms of its functions and variations in building age and density, land-use and environmental quality.

Causes of national and international migration that influence growth and character the different parts of the city (age structure, ethnicity, housing, services, culture).

Reasons for different levels of inequality, in employment and services, education, health in the different parts of the city.

How parts of the city have experienced decline (deindustrialisation, de-population): de-centralisation (out-of-town shopping centres, retail and business parks), e-commerce, developments in transport.

How parts of the city have experienced economic and population growth (sprawl on the rural-urban fringe, financial and business services, investment by trans-national corporations, gentrification/studentification, culture and leisure).

How regeneration and rebranding of the city has positive and negative impacts on people (increased population, environmental quality and economic opportunities).

Strategies aimed at making urban living more sustainable and improving quality of life in the city (recycling, employment, green spaces, transport, affordable and energy-efficient housing).

The city and accessible rural areas are interdependent (flows of goods, services and labour), which leads to economic, social and environmental costs and benefits for both.

Why a rural area has experienced economic and social changes (counter-urbanisation, pressure on housing, increased leisure and recreation and population change) due to its links with the city.

The challenges of availability and affordability of housing, decline in primary employment, provision of healthcare and education and how they affect quality of life (IMD) for some rural groups (elderly and young people).

New income and economic opportunities are created by rural diversification (farm shops, accommodation, leisure activities) and tourism projects, but these may have environmental impacts.

London Site: flat, on River Thames estuary, fertile ground Situation: South East of England, close proximity to coastal areas, short distance to mainland Europe over English Channel or by Eurostar train, major international airports (Heathrow), motorway access via M25 orbital

Skilled migrants: from EU / USA / Australia; highly qualified for professional jobs in London; speak English fluently Unskilled migrants: from Eastern Europe / Bangladesh / West Africa; undertake low-paid jobs many British people will not

Life expectancy: Newham 77 / Richmond 92. Average income: Newham £17,000 / Richmond £46,000. Degrees: Newham 24% / Richmond 58%

Explain why many UK cities are experiencing more growth at their edges than in their centres. (4 marks) One reason for London’s growth at the edge of the city (known as suburbanisation) is because of more attractive housing. Suburbs offer more spacious housing (often with a garden) at more affordable prices. Due to transport improvements such as the London Underground it is possible to easily commute to the centre of London within 30 minutes. Another reasons for growth is the decentralisation of retail. For instance, Lakeside in Essex, is convenient to drive to and park and due to space available has a large selections of shops and restaurants.

Urban regeneration: Making economic, social and environmental improvements to an area. <Stratford before the Olympic regeneration

Making London more sustainable: 1. Congestion charge of £12.50 to reduce air pollution and increase traffic speed of 9mph, but rich can still pollute. 2. Affordable housing, like the East Village, but still need £60,000 to qualify. 3. Less than 20% of household waste recycled in Newham, leaflets have not always worked due to fact many people cannot read English.

The Olympic Legacy: •East London Tech city •Urban park •New University ( aiming at A/A* students from across the UK and beyond) •Local clubs and societies to use the facilities •Olympic village converted to 3,600 apartments (50% to be Local Authority) •Allotments reinstated (4.5 acres) •More housing and amenities to be built •Olympic museum.

Figure 11. Disposable income across the UK. (Disposable income means the money left over after paying for essentials such as housing / food / energy)

Figure 12. The top ten most deprived areas of England

Figure 13. The site of the London Olympics before (top) and after (below) the regeneration project

Figure 14. Examples of distributions of two ethnic minority groups in London

Figure 15. Life expectancy at selected tube stations across London

Figure 16. Economic change in the UK.

Figure 17. Foreign Direct Investment into the UK (top) and UK trade with the EU (bottom)

Congestion charge = fee paid to drive a personal car into central London T-charge = toxicity charge (an additional fee that is dependent on the levels of toxins in car exhausts,

drivers need to pay this to enter central London)

Figure 18. Overview of pricing for congestion charge and toxicity charge in London

Figure 19. changes in population of London (top) and protests about changes in inner city London (bottom)

Figure 20. A rural village (photograph above) in Devon (map below)

Short Answer Practice Questions The UK’s Evolving Human Landscape a) Describe the social and economic differences between the urban core and rural periphery of the UK. (4) b) Explain how the UK and EU government has attempted to reduce inequality between different regions of

the UK. (4) c) Explain one way in which immigration has impacted on the population characteristics of different areas

within the UK. (3) d) Explain one tension that high levels of immigration can contribute towards. (3) e) Explain how has changes to the economic structure led to problems for some parts of the UK. (4) f) Explain one causes of deindustrialisation in the UK. (3) g) Explain why people have different views about the impact of globalisation on the UK. (4) h) Explain how people are increasingly working from remote rural areas. (3) i) Describe the functions and regulations of the CBD. (2) j) Other than land use, describe the differences between residential area and industrial areas. (2) k) For a named city, explain how immigration levels can influence the growth and character of different parts

of the city. (4) l) Explain two reasons why immigrant groups often move to inner city areas. (4) m) Explain one reason why immigrant groups often form ‘ethnic clusters’ in urban areas. (3) n) Explain two reasons for inequality in the UK. (4) o) Define the term de-centralisation. (1) p) Explain one reason for de-centralisation. (2) q) Explain why a named inner-city area has become the focal point of regeneration. (4) r) Describe the advantages of living and working on the rural-urban fringe. (3) s) Explain how regeneration of a named area has led to social and environmental changes. (4) t) For a named inner-city location, explain why there have been different views on the success of

regeneration. (4) u) For a named city, explain one success of strategies used to make the urban area more sustainable. (3) v) For a named city, explain how strategies used to make the urban area more sustainable have not always

worked. (3)

w) Explain the interdependence between urban areas and accessible rural areas. (3) x) Explain how rural areas that are close to the city have experience social and economic changes as a result

of its proximity. (4) y) Explain one reason why inaccessible rural areas suffer from high levels of deprivation. (3) z) Define the term rural diversification. (1) aa) Explain the advantages that rural diversification can have for local communities. (3)

8-mark Practice Questions In 8-mark questions on Paper 2 you are awarded marks for: Using the resource (map, graph, photograph) = 4 marks Making a judgement (assess /evaluate) based on the information and your own knowledge and

understanding = 4 marks

Language to draw from

Figure:

As we can see from the figure… Figure X shows that… As illustrated in… This is supported by the fact that location X on the figure… This is confirms by data in Figure X that shows fact that… The fact that [insert data from Figure] suggests that… In comparison, only...

Assess language:

The most / more important factor… The least / less important factor… On balance, this factor is less significant because… Regardless of this, the main factor is… Other factors not included on the source could be… This is also influenced by… This is compounded by…

Evaluate language:

The limitation of this… On the other hand… In contrast… In comparison… There is also a counterargument… An alternative view is that… Overall… On balance… Ultimately… To conclude… Linking back to the question... Finally, … Considering all the factors, …

UK Human Geography 8-mark questions

1. Study Figure 11. Assess the causes of variations in disposable income across the UK. (8) 2. Study Figure 12. Assess the causes and consequences of deprivation in England. (8) 3. Evaluate the impact of regeneration projects such as the one shown in Figure 13. (8) 4. Assess the impacts of variations in ethnic group distribution shown in Figure 14. (8) 5. Assess the causes of differences in life expectancy shown in Figure 15. (8) 6. 16a. Study Figure 16. Assess the causes of economic change in the UK. (8)

16b. Study Figure 16. Evaluate the impact of economic change in the UK. (8) 7. Study Figure 17. Evaluate the impact of globalisation the UK economy. (8) 8. Evaluate strategies, such as those in Figure 18, used to make urban areas more sustainable. (8) 9. Study Figure 19. Evaluate the views that regenerating inner city urban areas will always lead to conflict. (8) 10. 20a. Study Figure 20. Assess the causes of growth in accessible rural areas. (8)

20b. Study Figure 20. Evaluate the impacts of growth in accessible rural areas. (8)

Section C: Human Fieldwork – Stratford, London Enquiry Question: How and why does quality of life vary in Stratford?

Aims: 1. Define quality of life 2. How does quality of life vary? 3. Why does quality of life vary? Choice of location:

• It is in close proximity to the school; meaning the investigation could be carried in one day. • The areas has varied quality of life, meaning there is opportunity to compare and judge the reasons why • The area had experienced regeneration, so it was possible to judge the success of this

Planning considerations: Accessibility and safety of the sites ensuring all students can access the sites (traffic, crime, questionnaires); Plan walk between two sites using Google Maps; to save time and keep us safe; Plan questionnaire of a suitable length, easy to record answers; completed pilot questionnaire on classmates to check it worked Secondary research: Office of National Statistics; newspaper articles; documentaries; gov. reports; social media; house prices Methodology (including sampling):

• Sampling: initial plan was to ask every 10th person (systematic) however many were reluctant to answer questions so we asked everyone we could (making the sampling random)

• Investigations required to meet the aims: o Questionnaires – to investigate residents’ perceptions on quality of life; used a 1-5 scale with various quality of life

measures such as crime; asked for one word they associate with area o Bi-polar – 6 statements judged at each site on a scale of -2 to +2; recorded onto the sheet o Land use map – on blanks map shaded each piece of land depending on its use (for example residential or retail) o Annotated field sketch – to pick out main features of an area which relate to quality of life (i.e. size and quality of

housing) with detailed notes / observations (such as number of bedrooms, age of properties) o High Street Survey – this showed this the number and range of each type of shop so we could judge the services on

offer; we used a tally system and recorded every unit for a 200m sample Results and analysis:

Questionnaires – Carpenter’s Estate majority felt quality of life based on risk of crime and litter; at East Village people rated quality of life high due to transport links, security and high quality open space (Olympic Park)

Bi-polar – in most categories East Village was considered to have a better environmental quality. For example, it was scored +2 for cleanliness, air quality, building design and greenery. In contrast, pollution and litter was considered a major issue and Carpenter’s Estate (with scores of -2)

The land use map highlighted the amount of open space and services (schools, transport and leisure) in East Village. Carpenter’s Estate was mostly residential with a lack of amenities and a high number of vacant properties.

The field sketch results showed the poor quality building design and lack of maintenance in Carpenter’s Estate. Conclusions (linked back to aims): Quality of life refers to the overall wellbeing of residents including income levels, access to services (such as health and education), quality of housing and the environment. Quality of life varies significantly in Stratford. Carpenter’s Estate has a poor quality of life compared to East Village. One reason for this was the huge amounts of investment in regenerating the area around East Village by developing on brownfield sites. In contrast, Carepenter’s Estate was neglected by the Olympic investment. East Village is largely made up from affluent ‘outsiders’ who moved to the Stratford area. Whereas Carpenter’s Estate is populated by the pre-regeneration residents who have suffered from social exclusion. (Note: Conclusions reached should be clear with references to both accuracy and reliability.) Accuracy and reliability of results: Accuracy should be assessed in terms of the appropriateness of the methodology and conduct of data collection.

For the land use map it was often difficult to record just one single land use as they were mixed uses For the high street survey not every unit fit in to a category (for example, there was a nail parlour which was also selling

wigs Reliability should be assessed in terms of how representative the data collected (however accurately) is of the larger population and what might affect this

• We did the questionnaires during the week, this meant there were lots of people employed in the area but may not be residents

• On the day we visited it was raining; this may influence people’s perceptions during word associated questionnaire and our own judgements during the environmental quality survey

• Sample size was small because many people were reluctant to answer as it was wet and they were rushing to work (Note: Neither accuracy nor reliability is likely to be perfect given the context and extent of the investigation.) Evaluation (including how to overcome limitations):

• In order to improve our reliability perhaps we could visit the site on more than one day at more than one time of the year to get a broader picture of quality of life.

• We could visit at different times to get a range of residents and workers • We could produce an online survey to try and increase the sample size • We could add more categories so there is no confusion with the high street survey

Geographical Investigations

You could be asked questions about the suitability of the sites, accuracy of the equipment used, sampling strategies, reliability and accuracy of primary and secondary data, whether enough data was collected to reach reliable and accurate conclusions. About 50% of this section is based on unseen questions and 50% is about your own investigation.

Geographical investigations: Fieldwork in a Human Environment

Investigating Dynamic Urban Areas

Sample questions set 1

1. Study the map below.

a) Explain one disadvantage or weakness of using a deprivation map like this to study urban quality of life. 2 marks

b) Explain two ways students could improve the presentation of the 2010 Index of Multiple Deprivation data to be more useful. (4)

c) Identify two areas from the deprivation map above that would be appropriate places to carry out the student’s fieldwork.

For each area explain one reason why it would be an appropriate place to carry out fieldwork. (4)

2) Evaluate the usefulness of your data collection to investigate the quality of life in your chosen areas. (8)

Sample questions set 2

1 a) Describe one primary data you collected for urban fieldwork investigation. (2)

b) Explain how you presented this data. (4)

c) Explain one problem you faced when collected this data. (2)

d) Explain one secondary data you used and how it helped with your investigation.(2)

2) A group of students chose to investigate how and why there are variations in the quality of life within Hillingdon (West London). They decided to use a questionnaire below at 3 different sites along the High street using a random sampling method for one hour on a Wednesday morning.

Age 0-16 17-30 31-47 48-60 60+

Gender Males Females

Where do you live in Hillingdon? (street)

How would you rate safety in this area? (5-being safe)

How would you rate quality of life in this area? (5-being very good)

How would you rate access to services in this area? (5-being outstanding)

How would you rate quality of houses in this area? (5-being high quality)

Questions were asked by selecting a person to interview at random as they walked past.

Assess the suitability of students’ questionnaire and sampling method to investigate the variations in the quality of life in Hillingdon. (8)

Some extra 8-mark questions:

Evaluate the reliability and accuracy of your data collection to investigate the coastal area. (seen)

Assess the importance of secondary data in your investigation of an urban area.(seen)

Evaluate the suitability of data presentation (unseen).

Assess the reliability of the conclusion of students’ data collection and findings (unseen).

Sample answer

Evaluate the reliability of your conclusion in an urban area. 8 marks

Exam tip: To write a clear response to an ‘evaluate’ question, you should:

I. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the aspect you are considering

II. Weigh up those strengths and weaknesses III. Write a conclusion that evaluates how successful the aspect is IV. Consider some data collection methods that are reliable and how

did you ensure reliability V. Make a suggestion to improve the reliability

Extra questions for fieldwork State the aims of your investigation and explain why you chose those aims. (3) Suggest two factors which should have been considered when choosing the fieldwork locations. 4 marks Explain one way you minimised the risk whilst on the fieldtrip. (2) Explain why the conclusions that you reached might be unreliable. (4) Assess the suitability of sites you chose for your investigation. (8)