Mini practice paper: 8 questions
Mixed-difficulty questions from across the Geography syllabus. Tap "Show answer" after each to check yourself.
Q1 · Difficulty 1/3
Which of these is a reason people choose to live near volcanoes?
- The soils are very fertile
- Earthquakes are impossible there
- The climate is always mild
- Building costs are lower
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — The soils are very fertile
Award 1 mark. Geothermal energy and tourism are also common reasons.
Q2 · Difficulty 1/3
What is the point inside the Earth where an earthquake begins called?
- The focus
- The epicentre
- The fault
- The plate margin
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — The focus
Award 1 mark. The epicentre is the point on the surface directly above it.
Q3 · Difficulty 1/3
Which type of wave is most associated with coastal erosion?
- Tidal waves
- Standing waves
- Destructive waves
- Constructive waves
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: C — Destructive waves
Destructive waves have a strong backwash and weak swash, removing material and eroding the coast. Constructive waves build beaches up through deposition.
Q4 · Difficulty 1/3
Contour lines on a map that are very close together show:
- A road
- Steep ground
- Flat ground
- A river
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Steep ground
Closely spaced contours indicate a steep gradient; widely spaced contours show gentle or flat land. Contours join points of equal height.
Q5 · Difficulty 1/3
Which strategy uses instruments such as seismometers to detect warning signs of a hazard?
- Planning
- Monitoring
- Protection
- Prediction
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Monitoring
Award 1 mark. Prediction then uses that data to forecast when an event may occur.
Q6 · Difficulty 1/3
The outward spread of an urban area into the surrounding countryside is called:
- Reforestation
- Subduction
- Longshore drift
- Urban sprawl
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: D — Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl is the uncontrolled outward growth of a city, often onto greenfield land, increasing commuting and pressure on services.
Q7 · Difficulty 1/3
Physical weathering that breaks up rock as water repeatedly freezes and thaws in cracks is called:
- Carbonation
- Longshore drift
- Subduction
- Freeze-thaw weathering
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: D — Freeze-thaw weathering
Freeze-thaw (frost shattering) occurs as water in cracks freezes, expands and widens the crack, eventually breaking off fragments. It is common in cold, glacial environments.
Q8 · Difficulty 1/3
In Paper 3, candidates receive a resource booklet BEFORE the exam so that they can:
- Avoid revising any other topics
- Copy answers from the internet
- Become familiar with a geographical issue in advance
- Memorise the exact exam questions
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: C — Become familiar with a geographical issue in advance
The pre-release resource booklet lets students study a real-world issue beforehand, so in the exam they can apply knowledge and evaluate options, not just recall facts.
AQA GCSE Geography FAQ
What does the AQA GCSE Geography exam look like?
The AQA GCSE Geography exam is structured across 3 components. Paper 1: Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 1-4 of the specification. Paper 2: Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 5-8 of the specification. Paper 3: Where applicable — e.g. Combined Science, Languages. Includes synoptic and applied questions. Total exam time: ~3 hours across two or three papers.
Can I download a free AQA GCSE Geography past paper?
Real AQA past papers are published directly by AQA on their official website. Kramizo doesn't redistribute copyrighted past papers, but we do generate free AI-written practice papers in the exact same style — same command words, same difficulty tier, same mark conventions. Use this practice paper as warm-up, then time yourself on official past papers before exam day.
How is AQA GCSE Geography graded?
Grades: 9 (highest) to 1 (lowest), with U (ungraded). A grade of 4 is a standard pass; 5 is a strong pass. Kramizo's practice questions are tagged with difficulty 1-3 mapping roughly to the lower, middle, and top grade boundaries you'll encounter in the real exam.