Edexcel Geography A- Skills and Challenges Paper 1 Tuesday 13th May

Isabella~

1

Exam tomorrow :eek:

How's everyone feeling about it?

Reply 1

TheTakers

11

Not too sure how to feel. My school has only done very brief lessons on climate change, and a little bit on six figure grid references.
I've studied my revision guide and I feel fairly confident I know everything in it, but I've never done a Geography Skills paper before so I'm nervous.

Reply 2

username1118458

21

Original post by Isabella~

Exam tomorrow :eek:

How's everyone feeling about it?

There are like 3/4 threads for this same exam now. :tongue:

I'm doing higher and I feel prepared for the Challenges for the Planet Section but for Maps Skills - not prepared whatsoever!

Reply 3

TheTakers

11

Original post by yellowcopter

There are like 3/4 threads for this same exam now. :tongue:

I'm doing higher and I feel prepared for the Challenges for the Planet Section but for Maps Skills - not prepared whatsoever!

Contour lines- I feel these will be the death of me.
Challenges for the Planet feel like it ought to be common sense, some of it is fairly simple.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 4

username1118458

21

Original post by TheTakers

Contour lines- I feel these will be the death of me.
Challenges for the Planet feel like it ought to be common sense, some of it is fairly simple.

The worst OS Map questions for me are contour lines, when they ask to 'describe' a photography using the OS map (always forget the keywords) and calculating distance. The conversion of cm-km is fine since they give you the scale on the OS Map, but the mark scheme always want ridiculously accurate values. For example I did the June 2013 past paper and wrote 6km, but they wanted 4km. They should at least allow some leeway!

It really is - Challenges for the Planet is only 4/5 pages on the Edexcel revision guide. :tongue:

I revised all the pages today in only a space of 1-2hours! Didn't bother to revise the OS Map section of the revision guide because I don't think you can really revise OS Map skills anyway.

Reply 5

TheTakers

11

Original post by yellowcopter

The worst OS Map questions for me are contour lines, when they ask to 'describe' a photography using the OS map (always forget the keywords) and calculating distance. The conversion of cm-km is fine since they give you the scale on the OS Map, but the mark scheme always want ridiculously accurate values. For example I did the June 2013 past paper and wrote 6km, but they wanted 4km. They should at least allow some leeway!

It really is - Challenges for the Planet is only 4/5 pages on the Edexcel revision guide. :tongue:

I revised all the pages today in only a space of 1-2hours! Didn't bother to revise the OS Map section of the revision guide because I don't think you can really revise OS Map skills anyway.

Oh gosh, I'm going to have to take a lot of effort in making sure my answers are incredibly accurate then! They should definitely allow some leeway rather than just having one definite answer.
I intend to do some past papers now, just printing a few off.

Reply 6

username1118458

21

Original post by TheTakers

Oh gosh, I'm going to have to take a lot of effort in making sure my answers are incredibly accurate then! They should definitely allow some leeway rather than just having one definite answer.
I intend to do some past papers now, just printing a few off.

Cool, I have no ink in my printer (oops) so I'm just going to use the example questions in my revision guide for Maps practice. :tongue:

Reply 7

Isabella~

OP

1

Original post by yellowcopter

There are like 3/4 threads for this same exam now. :tongue:

I'm doing higher and I feel prepared for the Challenges for the Planet Section but for Maps Skills - not prepared whatsoever!

Wooops, haven't seen those yet...
Skills is sooo terrible! I finished revising the case studies, still a bit jerky but nothing an hour can't do!
I especially hate describe site and finding points on a OS map from a cross section graph :frown:

Reply 8

TheTakers

11

Original post by Isabella~

Wooops, haven't seen those yet...
Skills is sooo terrible! I finished revising the case studies, still a bit jerky but nothing an hour can't do!
I especially hate describe site and finding points on a OS map from a cross section graph :frown:

Describing a site is what I'm best at- I've done many past papers now and I haven't dropped a mark.
However, I can't do cross sections for the life in me. I just can't comprehend them.

Reply 9

Isabella~

OP

1

Original post by TheTakers

Describing a site is what I'm best at- I've done many past papers now and I haven't dropped a mark.
However, I can't do cross sections for the life in me. I just can't comprehend them.

Ooo could you share some tips please? :smile:

I've read how to draw a cross section, but just haven't actually done one...

Reply 10

TheTakers

11

Original post by Isabella~

Ooo could you share some tips please?
I've read how to draw a cross section, but just haven't actually done one...

Not sure whether you have the revision guide, but I've memorised the definitions that were in there. When it asks you to describe the site and shape of a settlement, make sure you don't describe what it has in it or where it is in location to other places (situation)
Memorise SAGA:
S- is the slope gentle or steep? You can tell by looking at the contour lines. If they are close together, the slope is steep.
A- how high is it above sea level? There should be a little number nearby which tells you this, but if not, use the contour lines and work it out.
G- what are the ground conditions like? The most common ground condition we are going to come across is a floodplain. However I've noticed in the markschemes that sometimes a site is just above the floodplain and they expect you to note this down.
A- which way is the site facing? Make sure you know the eight figure compass.

That's all I can say really, and make sure you know what a dispersed, nucleated and linear settlement is! I'm gonna head off for tonight, but good luck! :biggrin:

Reply 11

Isabella~

OP

1

Original post by TheTakers

Not sure whether you have the revision guide, but I've memorised the definitions that were in there. When it asks you to describe the site and shape of a settlement, make sure you don't describe what it has in it or where it is in location to other places (situation)
Memorise SAGA:
S- is the slope gentle or steep? You can tell by looking at the contour lines. If they are close together, the slope is steep.
A- how high is it above sea level? There should be a little number nearby which tells you this, but if not, use the contour lines and work it out.
G- what are the ground conditions like? The most common ground condition we are going to come across is a floodplain. However I've noticed in the markschemes that sometimes a site is just above the floodplain and they expect you to note this down.
A- which way is the site facing? Make sure you know the eight figure compass.

That's all I can say really, and make sure you know what a dispersed, nucleated and linear settlement is! I'm gonna head off for tonight, but good luck! :biggrin:

I've heard of SHAWL but not SAGA but thank you!!!
Good luck to you too :biggrin:

Reply 12

username1118458

21

Original post by TheTakers

Not sure whether you have the revision guide, but I've memorised the definitions that were in there. When it asks you to describe the site and shape of a settlement, make sure you don't describe what it has in it or where it is in location to other places (situation)
Memorise SAGA:
S- is the slope gentle or steep? You can tell by looking at the contour lines. If they are close together, the slope is steep.
A- how high is it above sea level? There should be a little number nearby which tells you this, but if not, use the contour lines and work it out.
G- what are the ground conditions like? The most common ground condition we are going to come across is a floodplain. However I've noticed in the markschemes that sometimes a site is just above the floodplain and they expect you to note this down.
A- which way is the site facing? Make sure you know the eight figure compass.

That's all I can say really, and make sure you know what a dispersed, nucleated and linear settlement is! I'm gonna head off for tonight, but good luck! :biggrin:

Thanks for this - VERY useful since I hate these type of questions.

Reply 13

suprajasivaramak

How did everyone do? Didn't we have a question, "Explain one human cause of climate change?"

Reply 14

Isabella~

OP

1

Original post by suprajasivaramak

How did everyone do? Didn't we have a question, "Explain one human cause of climate change?"

It was really hard, and time was so rushed! :frown:

How did you find it?
Yes there was- I wrote about fossil fuels and greenhouse gases

Reply 15

suprajasivaramak

Original post by Isabell~

It was really ime was so rushed! :frown:

How did you find it?
Yes there was- I wrote about fossil fuels and greenhouse gases

Yeah I rushed it as well. I wrote about deforestation and CO2. What did u put for the 6 marks on GIS and internet?

Reply 16

TheTakers

11

Original post by suprajasivaramak

Yeah I rushed it as well. I wrote about deforestation and CO2. What did u put for the 6 marks on GIS and internet?

I wrote that you could use the Internet to research places that are regularly hit by flooding and the effects such as homes damaged, total cost, loss of lives etc. I then wrote how you could use GIS to layer information onto maps to present this information. You get the idea.
I wrote about fossil fuels for the human cause of climate change.

How did you all find it? I found it slightly challenging in parts (especially being sat on a small desk with a huge map, resoure book and an answer book to navigate through), but I don't think any of it was impossible.