Pictorial & Written Material (AQA GCSE Geography): Revision Note
Exam code: 8035
Pictorial material
The command word for photographs is usually describe
This is about your observational skills and understanding what you are seeing
When describing, look for:
Physical features
Vegetation, climate, relief, drainage, distinct features (cliff, river, desert, landslide, etc.), rocky outcrops, etc.
Human features
Grouping of buildings – offices, homes, factories, etc.
Is this an urban, rural, or fringe settlement?
Are there industrial areas with transport links?
Is this a developed or developing area, and what is the general condition of features?
Is the area busy, quiet, modern, or old?
Relief
What is the height and shape of the ground surface?
Can you name any features and describe the overall appearance?
Agriculture
What types of animals are there, and how are they spread?
What is the vegetation type – grass, barren, sparse, etc.?
What is the land type – arable or pasture, ploughed or fallow, crops or harvested, etc.?
What types of farm buildings and machinery are present, and what is their condition?
Settlements
Are these rural or urban features of buildings?
What types of buildings are there, and what is their purpose?
What is the spacing between or among buildings – linear, dispersed, or nucleated?
Housing
Size and storey – bungalow, large, multi-storey, skyscraper, etc.
What is the number of windows in each building?
Are there any building plots, vacant sites on the urban fringe, or new construction projects available?
Examiner Tips and Tricks
The command word for photographs is usually describe
This means 'say what you can actually see', not 'what you think'
The 'what and why' usually comes in a later question
You will not gain extra marks for explaining but will lose out on precious time
I am looking at a photograph of a black cat and I describe it as having:
Long tail, pointed ears, long whiskers, four paws and black fur
Now I look at a photograph of my pet cat and describe her:
Jess has black fur with a little bit of white on her tummy. Her fur is soft, and she has long whiskers and a stubby tail. Jess has sharp claws and purrs a lot. Even though she has lost a tooth, she can still bite when she is annoyed.
Note the difference?
The first describes any black cat
The second description refers to a cat I know personally, but the photograph does not provide information about whether the cat has long claws, has lost a tooth, bites, purrs, or has soft fur.
Always remember to say what you can only see in the photograph.
Field sketches
A field sketch is a hand-drawn picture of a place, usually outdoors, made to capture observations and data during fieldwork
It documents features of a landscape, both natural and built, through visuals and notes
Field sketches are qualitative data and help us remember specific locations, details, and observations made during a field study
A successful field sketch should include:
The location or site number
Have a title
Show compass direction
Key features at the site
Strengths
Things can be left out of the sketch if they are not relevant to the enquiry
Helps recall of key features
Smaller important areas can be more detailed
Gives a broad overview of the features
Limitations
The scale in the sketch may be inaccurate
Important details may be missed
The sketch may contain inaccuracies which affect the analysis for example, more litter than there actually was at the site
In the exam
You may be given a photograph and asked to sketch and label key features
You do not have to be completely accurate or a good artist, but you must include important features such as rivers, coastlines, hills, etc.
Always obey the geographical rules for sketching:
Draw a box to frame the sketch and give it a title
Always draw in pencil
Use colour to highlight a feature
Use a ruler for straight lines and arrows
Arrows go to the feature, not the label
Never cross arrow lines
Write horizontally to the arrow in the pen
Worked Example
The photograph below shows a feature of a river in its upper course.
Identify the landform in the photograph [1 mark]
Sketch and label the key features of this landform [4 marks]
Answer:
The landform is a waterfall and gorge [1]
A labelled sketch of the key features of the waterfall and gorge. [4]
Example of a sketch from the photograph of High Force waterfall with labels
Written material
Many resources used in geography depend on the printed word
You need to show an understanding of any written material presented
This material can be from any secondary sources and include:
books
leaflets
posters
newspapers
journals
periodicals, etc.
You need to interpret what the material is saying at different levels
You then need to select a possible option regarding the issue
Finally, you will need to explain your choice by using details from the material to back up your response
Worked Example
We can meet the increased food supply by increasing the area of cultivation or intensifying agriculture.
Figure 1 below describes some of these methods.
In some countries, the area under irrigated agriculture has increased. There have been increased fertiliser inputs. Marshlands have been drained, and deforestation has occurred. Some steep mountain slopes have been terraced. Agriculture has been mechanised. Farmers have brought unused bushland and other natural vegetation into cultivation. Farmers have introduced improved crop varieties and improved cultivation and harvesting methods. |
Figure 1
Using only the information from Figure 1, describe:
(i) Two ways of increasing the area cultivated [2 marks]
(ii) Two ways of making agriculture more intensive [2 marks]
Answer:
(i) Using areas of bush or natural vegetation adds additional land for cultivation. [1] Deforestation clears large areas of land for cultivation. [1]
(ii) Using more fertiliser increases crop yields and can shorten growing time, allowing a possibility of two crops in a year. [1] Using improved crop varieties that are resistant to common pests and diseases can increase crop yields [1]
Marking guidance
The key word here is 'describe', not 'state'.
This means you need to briefly add how each idea has increased cultivation or how agriculture has been intensified, etc.
Mark allocation
1 mark for each valid method of increasing land for cultivation
1 mark for each valid method of agricultural intensification.
Alternative content
The answer above is just one example of a response to this question. Other information that could be used in the answer includes:
(i) Increasing the cultivated area | (ii) Making agriculture more intensive |
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Worked Example
Suggest one reason for the shift in manufacturing production shown.
[3 marks]
Answer:
Countries like China can offer car manufacturers new markets [1], which increases sales of vehicles locally (d) [1] and this increases company profits. (d) [1]
Marking guidance
The command word is 'suggest' so the response should show your knowledge and understanding and give a likely reason why.
Mark allocation
1 mark for identifying a reason.
1 mark for explaining why there is a shift in manufacturing production.
1 mark for the development of the answer.
Alternative content
The answer above is just one example of a response to this question. Other information that could be used in the answer includes:
Advances in technology allows relocation of manufacturing to overseas countries [1]; this stimulates growth of new jobs (d) [1] but also maintains the quality of the finished product (d) [1]
By-passing Mexico is due to costs of production [1] China has a larger workforce but also a cheaper one as well (d) [1] This cuts the cost of manufacturing (d) [1] and Ford is taking a decision to move to an area with one of the lowest costs to maximum profits (d) [1]
Worked Example
Read Figure 1 below:
The communist government of Vietnam is penalising couples who have more than two children. In the early 1960s it imposed a two-child limit for couples and there have been campaigns to promote contraception and abortion in the country since 1997. By 2000, the birth rate had been reduced considerably by the use of fines and confiscation of land. The original policy ended in 2003 but was revived in 2008 after an increase in the birth rate. Villagers in Thua Thien-Hue province are being fined for having more than two children under the government two-child policy. Catherine Pham Thi Thanh, 44, said that since 1996 she has been fined a total of 3800 kilograms of rice for having six children. This is a great loss for the family, which makes an annual profit of only 700 kilograms of rice from their farm. |
Figure 1
Suggest how government policies and other factors may have reduced Vietnam's birth rate.
[4 marks]
Answer:
Government restricted family size/restricted the number of children by the use of a two-child limit [1]. People were fined or had their land taken off them, which meant they lost valuable income if they did not follow the policy (d) [1].
The government ran campaigns for people to use contraception or have an abortion [1]. To help encourage this, the government made contraception cheaper and abortions more available (d) [1]
Marking guidance
The command word is 'suggest' so the response should show your knowledge and understanding and give a likely reason why.
Mark allocation
2 marks for identifying two ways Vietnam's birth rate has reduced.
2 marks for explaining how the policies or other factors may have affected Vietnam's birth rate.
Alternative content
The answer above is just one example of a response to this question. Other information that could be used in the answer includes:
Educating women to secondary levels.
People (particularly women) concentrating on careers.
Education about family planning.
Encouraging people to marry later.
Improvement of infant healthcare/lower IMR (infant mortality rate).
Introducing a pension policy so the elderly do not have to rely on their children to look after them.
With the mechanisation of farms, there is less demand for agricultural workers and more emphasis on the secondary and tertiary sectors, etc.
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