OCR A-level Geography Paper 2 - 22nd May 2025 [Exam Chat]

1.

How flows of people, ideas, technology and resources can shape the identity of a place over time.

2.

Explain the complexities that exist when trying to define place vs space → This could be a 6 or 16 marker.

3.

How sexuality, religion, and role can influence how and why people perceive places in different ways → Though I think this is not as likely to come up, as last year there was a 6-mark question on gender.

4.

Formal vs informal agencies. It hasn’t come up in a while.

5.

I don’t think social inequalities will come up. It was an 8-mark question in 2023 and a 16-marker in 2024.

6.

Global connections and globalisation in structural economic change (the idea of deindustrialisation and the rise of the service sector) → You can bring in the case study of Birmingham here.

7.

How structural economic change impacts patterns of social opportunities and inequality for people and places.

8.

Definitely, definitely the role of government in reducing, reinforcing and creating patterns of social inequality in places. It has never been asked before. So the idea of subsidies, taxation, education, planning. This could 100% be a 16 marker so it’s worth revising this – it’s never been asked.

9.

I would definitely revise structural economic change – the case study (Birmingham):

•

Socio-economic, demographic, cultural and environmental characteristics of the place before the economic change

•

The economic change/changes that took place and the role of players involved in driving the change

•

Socio-economic, demographic, cultural and environmental impacts on people and place

1.

The role of players in economic change, NOT structural economic change, just general economic change (local, national governments, TNCs, etc.)

2.

Placemaking processes and how governments and organisations attempt to present places to the wider world to attract inward investment and regeneration.

3.

How architects and planners attempt to create meaningful and authentic places through design, such as places that encourage mixed community use or the 24-hour city → Could be a 6 marker explaining the concept of the 24-hour city.

4.

How local community groups shape the place they live, such as residents' associations, heritage associations and social media → Again, could easily be a 6-mark question. Talk about online forums, social media, neighbourhood watch, digital placemaking.

1.

Why places rebrand through reimaging and regeneration to construct a different place meaning.

2.

Strategies used to rebrand places, such as sport, art, heritage, retail, architecture and food.

3.

I think this could be a 6 marker so it’s worth revising this: Using a case study of a place that has undergone rebranding, how and why some groups of people contest efforts to rebrand a place (6).

4.

Other things for rebranding could be:

•

Why the place needed to rebrand

•

Strategy/strategies involved in the rebranding of the place

•

How the rebranding has altered people’s perception of that place

•

The relative success of the rebranding

1.

I can’t really predict the figure questions — they could be on anything ranging from OS maps to flowline maps, literally anything. The questions for these could be on any of the above.

1.

How flows of people, ideas, technology and resources can shape the identity of a place over time.

2.

Explain the complexities that exist when trying to define place vs space → This could be a 6 or 16 marker.

3.

How sexuality, religion, and role can influence how and why people perceive places in different ways → Though I think this is not as likely to come up, as last year there was a 6-mark question on gender.

4.

Formal vs informal agencies. It hasn’t come up in a while.

5.

I don’t think social inequalities will come up. It was an 8-mark question in 2023 and a 16-marker in 2024.

6.

Global connections and globalisation in structural economic change (the idea of deindustrialisation and the rise of the service sector) → You can bring in the case study of Birmingham here.

7.

How structural economic change impacts patterns of social opportunities and inequality for people and places.

8.

Definitely, definitely the role of government in reducing, reinforcing and creating patterns of social inequality in places. It has never been asked before. So the idea of subsidies, taxation, education, planning. This could 100% be a 16 marker so it’s worth revising this – it’s never been asked.

9.

I would definitely revise structural economic change – the case study (Birmingham):

•

Socio-economic, demographic, cultural and environmental characteristics of the place before the economic change

•

The economic change/changes that took place and the role of players involved in driving the change

•

Socio-economic, demographic, cultural and environmental impacts on people and place

1.

The role of players in economic change, NOT structural economic change, just general economic change (local, national governments, TNCs, etc.)

2.

Placemaking processes and how governments and organisations attempt to present places to the wider world to attract inward investment and regeneration.

3.

How architects and planners attempt to create meaningful and authentic places through design, such as places that encourage mixed community use or the 24-hour city → Could be a 6 marker explaining the concept of the 24-hour city.

4.

How local community groups shape the place they live, such as residents' associations, heritage associations and social media → Again, could easily be a 6-mark question. Talk about online forums, social media, neighbourhood watch, digital placemaking.

1.

Why places rebrand through reimaging and regeneration to construct a different place meaning.

2.

Strategies used to rebrand places, such as sport, art, heritage, retail, architecture and food.

3.

I think this could be a 6 marker so it’s worth revising this: Using a case study of a place that has undergone rebranding, how and why some groups of people contest efforts to rebrand a place (6).

4.

Other things for rebranding could be:

•

Why the place needed to rebrand

•

Strategy/strategies involved in the rebranding of the place

•

How the rebranding has altered people’s perception of that place

•

The relative success of the rebranding

1.

I can’t really predict the figure questions — they could be on anything ranging from OS maps to flowline maps, literally anything. The questions for these could be on any of the above.