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Edexcel A level Geography - Unit 3 Pre-release topic

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anyone doing cold environments? i think me and my two mates are the only ones
Original post by Tabers
I did unit 4 in January...I did culture then. I take it you're doing it this week...good luck!


and how did it go? any tips? thank you! i'll need it! hahaha
Reply 482
Original post by copito1993
and how did it go? any tips? thank you! i'll need it! hahaha


Keep an eye on the time, that's really hard to do.
Make sure that you link everything to the question...don't just put case studies in and not link them.
Sometimes you can be too over-prepared, do too much research, have too much to put in and miss the actual points you want to make.
Umm...If I think of any more I'll put them on here but at the min I can't think of any more.
Original post by ShootingStars18
I'm also doing culture! Yeah the pre-release looks straight forward. What case studies have you done?


I've got
-Global Media Corporations
-Mcdonaldisation
-North Korea
-Cultural diversity in world cities
-Japan
-The E.U. Open Door Policies
-Brazil and FUNAI (governments stopping globalisation on certain Amazon tribes to promote cultural diversity, not in any textbook)

Yours similar?
Reply 484
Original post by GeorgieGee
So relieved to see your post, used the same case studys for water conflicts :smile:

Can I just ask how you worked out the percentage you need for a grade overall - I've seen loads of people do this, but I don't know where to begin without a grade :/


My friend created a website that i could input my data in to to find out what i need.. www.ucal.co.uk so he sort of did it for me, it only works with ums though
Original post by snowlo18
My friend created a website that i could input my data in to to find out what i need.. www.ucal.co.uk so he sort of did it for me, it only works with ums though



does it make an estimate or the real thing?
i mean... grade boundaries vary from year to year
Reply 486
Original post by street.lovin'
I thought it was awful too! :frown:
The questions are so unexpected! Especially the super power questions about the theories. I read and I was like 'CRAP!'.

I managed to finish the whole paper but many bits that I wrote I didn't even know what I was talking about. :frown:


Tbh, I read about World Systems theory this morning (I remembered the other theory) and even if I did remember it I doubt I would have been able to do it properly.
Although it was funny in the exam hall, all 3 of us (Small class!) started mumbling swear words :')
Fingers crossed we did well! :smile:

Original post by street.lovin'
Hmm, I am planning to do similar case studies to yours.

Desertification - Sahel, Australia (focused on dryland salinity) and USA (The American Desert).
Other causes of Food Insecurity - Darfur (Conflicts), Kalahandi in India (Poverty), Haiti (Natural Hazard)

Do you think thats enough? My teacher said that 6 case studies included in the report would put me in a safe place, however, she actually recommend us to put about 10-15 case studies in.. I basically 'politely' told her to **** off. -_-

I got a B in the mock. So I hope it will be ok. At least I am doing the right thing.


I went crazy on case studies and my teacher told me not to and the powerpoint from edexcel also said don't overload on case studies.
You did a mock? We've barely done anything on unit 4 tbh, and the better teacher is away all week!
Original post by Louzilla
Tbh, I read about World Systems theory this morning (I remembered the other theory) and even if I did remember it I doubt I would have been able to do it properly.
Although it was funny in the exam hall, all 3 of us (Small class!) started mumbling swear words :')
Fingers crossed we did well! :smile:


Lol. I think I messed up that question. The dependency theory was basically about the core and peripheral stuffs, right? I wrote that down but said it was part of the world system theory because somehow I could relate the term 'system' to 'core' and 'peripheral'. LOL I then put down some random ramblings about modernisation and linked it to capitaist and communist beliefs and explained how they kind of change the pattern of the power. The conclusion was rubbish. I didn't know what I was talking about at all! :frown: Might get like 5/15...... :cry:

Original post by Louzilla
I went crazy on case studies and my teacher told me not to and the powerpoint from edexcel also said don't overload on case studies.
You did a mock? We've barely done anything on unit 4 tbh, and the better teacher is away all week!


Yeah I am only planning to do 6-7 case studies in a reasonable details.
Yes we did a mock in the last week before half term. I didn't exactly finish the paper because I got like 5 mins left. (Spent too much time on the introduction :P) But then my teacher could have been generous to me. I just hope to get a really nice examiners. LOOOL
Original post by snowlo18
I did, I think I used colorado river, israel and syria, and turkey GAP scheme for water then gene banks and marine protected areas for biodiversity.. dont think i did too well but luckily i only need 56% to get an A overall..


I think i repeated myself a bit for section a on the water conflicts >.< I also used colorado river! Wasnt sure if it was right and also the aral sea...my mind went totally blank :frown:
I liked the biodiversity question! I thought the graph was quite simple and then did about conservation and restoration. Also the maghreb was alright, apart from the last question. I was so gutted i forgot a few points to mention, which i only remembered on my way home...:frown:

Oooh nice! Best of luck :smile:
Original post by Tabers
I did both of them.
For biodiversity I talked about ex situ conservation and used Giant Pandas in China and the Breeding programme, the seed bank up in the Arctic, lions in Africa and Monkeys, and then in situ conservation and I talked about UNESCO protection, maintaining habitats and paper legislations where I mentioned how poaching rhinos and transporting products (CITES) still goes on even though it isn't meant to.

For water I used the Aral Sea, Euphrates River, Middle East, Nile, San Joaquin Delta and California.

I don't know if I did the right thing especially in the biodiversity section but here's to hoping. I feel a bit more confident though after what other people have put on here as at least its kind of the same.


Yeah seeing what everyone else has put has made me feel more confident too!
I did exactly the same with ex situ conservation & Giant panda! and then also about restoration.
I wasn't sure about the Aral Sea but i did that too along with the Colorado basin.

Looking back, i wish i had wrote a bit more :frown: But nothing i can do about it now! :frown:
Reply 490
Original post by Charlottieee
Yeah seeing what everyone else has put has made me feel more confident too!
I did exactly the same with ex situ conservation & Giant panda! and then also about restoration.
I wasn't sure about the Aral Sea but i did that too along with the Colorado basin.

Looking back, i wish i had wrote a bit more :frown: But nothing i can do about it now! :frown:


I put at the beginning of the bit about the Aral sea that although it isn't a source of drinking water due to the salinity that it has problems. I'm hoping that makes it seem better. I think as long as you don't talking about drinking water but other effects it should be ok...well fingers crossed.

I nearly did about restoration and I was going to talk about landfill sites like the one that they are at on Springwatch but I changed my mind at the last minute. I had a horrible feeling when I first saw it that it would be all that technogarden and adapting mosaic stuff but we didn't really do it in class and all we did was look at a diagram so I did panic at first. But it looks like no one else has put that so it makes it seem so much better.
Reply 491
Original post by copito1993
and how did it go? any tips? thank you! i'll need it! hahaha


make sure you keep quoting where you got your information from. take a look at the mark scheme to help you. the last criteria (i think its the conclusion part) let me down in january, so make sure you tick all the boxes for the conclusion.
Reply 492
Original post by mischka_tay
does it make an estimate or the real thing?
i mean... grade boundaries vary from year to year


I think its just an estimate, with generic boundaries of 90% A* 80% A etc
Original post by Tabers
I put at the beginning of the bit about the Aral sea that although it isn't a source of drinking water due to the salinity that it has problems. I'm hoping that makes it seem better. I think as long as you don't talking about drinking water but other effects it should be ok...well fingers crossed.

I nearly did about restoration and I was going to talk about landfill sites like the one that they are at on Springwatch but I changed my mind at the last minute. I had a horrible feeling when I first saw it that it would be all that technogarden and adapting mosaic stuff but we didn't really do it in class and all we did was look at a diagram so I did panic at first. But it looks like no one else has put that so it makes it seem so much better.


Oh yeah dont think i mentioned it as a drinking suppy but i also kept relating it back to the question about how it affected the environment and people so hopefully it made some sense!

Ah yes i could picture all the management strategies in my revision notes, it did cross my mind about the technogarden stuff but im glad i stuck with my original thought, yeah seems like everyone else did :smile:

Indeed fingers crossed for us all :smile:
Original post by snowlo18
I think its just an estimate, with generic boundaries of 90% A* 80% A etc


Not quite sure where this estimate has come from...

Jan 11- A=66/90, B=59/90
June 10- A= 63/90, B= 57/90.

So it should be around 72% for an A, and 64% for a B (average of the last two papers).
Original post by angelic03
make sure you keep quoting where you got your information from. take a look at the mark scheme to help you. the last criteria (i think its the conclusion part) let me down in january, so make sure you tick all the boxes for the conclusion.


Thank you so much! will make sure! its on friday so I will go over the mark scheme tomorrow :biggrin: Good luck with the rest of your exams!
Reply 496
Original post by street.lovin'
Lol. I think I messed up that question. The dependency theory was basically about the core and peripheral stuffs, right? I wrote that down but said it was part of the world system theory because somehow I could relate the term 'system' to 'core' and 'peripheral'. LOL I then put down some random ramblings about modernisation and linked it to capitaist and communist beliefs and explained how they kind of change the pattern of the power. The conclusion was rubbish. I didn't know what I was talking about at all! :frown: Might get like 5/15...... :cry:


Nope, that sounds like you nailed it. I would have said something similar tbh although it was a dodgy question! World Systems theory is core periphery, Western Europe, USA/Cananda & Australia are core, BRIC's & OPECS - Semi-periphery and the rest (Mainly Africa xD) Periphery

Yeah I am only planning to do 6-7 case studies in a reasonable details.
Yes we did a mock in the last week before half term. I didn't exactly finish the paper because I got like 5 mins left. (Spent too much time on the introduction :P) But then my teacher could have been generous to me. I just hope to get a really nice examiners. LOOOL


Sounds like a good plan.
Yeah, can you give me any tips on the introduction? My teacher showed us the breakdown of the 70 marks but the intro is the worst bit for me. Damn psychology has made everything concise and I need to waffle!
It's a nightmare tbh, I've got geo in the morning and a psych re-take in the afternoon and I've barely revised for either so I think tonight I'm just going to cram both and not procrastinate.
Original post by Charlottieee
I think i repeated myself a bit for section a on the water conflicts >.< I also used colorado river! Wasnt sure if it was right and also the aral sea...my mind went totally blank :frown:
I liked the biodiversity question! I thought the graph was quite simple and then did about conservation and restoration. Also the maghreb was alright, apart from the last question. I was so gutted i forgot a few points to mention, which i only remembered on my way home...:frown:

Oooh nice! Best of luck :smile:


Yeah pretty dissapointed with what I put for the water one...the question was good but I was tricked and thought and wrote specifically about the impacts of using water from transboundary sources rather than conflicts as well. I used Turkey and GAP but forgot the detail, Colorado and because it was assess I think I tried to be clever (:redface:) and put Danube basin which goes accross many many countries, and talked about the WF water framework between the European nations and how it could bring integration and benefit the env as each country had to do their own bit to take care of the river.

But was too short...the first part was rubbish due to nervousness :frown:
Reply 498
Thankyou everyone on this forum! :smile:
I'm hoping the exam went well, i think it went better than last time, although i did get an E :P
I think the 10 markers went better than 12 and in section b, c was a tough one!
I'm doing tectonic hazards for this unit, is there a forum for that one? :smile:
I hope grade boundaries for the unit 3 would be like last summer (63/90) or lower =P nt like this jan

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