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
What is the correct formula for calculating population density?
- Total population ÷ Total land area
- Total land area ÷ Total population
- Birth rate − Death rate
- Total population × Total land area
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — Total population ÷ Total land area
Award 1 mark for identifying the correct formula. B is incorrect — this would give area per person, not people per unit area. C is incorrect — this calculates natural increase, not density. D is incorrect — multiplication would not produce a meaningful population measure.
Q2 · Difficulty 1/3
What is the name of the instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure?
- Anemometer
- Barometer
- Hygrometer
- Thermometer
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Barometer
Award 1 mark for identifying barometer as the instrument that measures atmospheric pressure. A is incorrect — an anemometer measures wind speed. C is incorrect — a hygrometer measures humidity. D is incorrect — a thermometer measures temperature.
Q3 · Difficulty 1/3
What is the term used to describe the area of land drained by a river and its tributaries?
- Watershed
- Drainage basin
- Floodplain
- River channel
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Drainage basin
Award 1 mark for identifying drainage basin as the area of land drained by a river and its tributaries. A is incorrect — watershed refers to the boundary (ridge of high land) between drainage basins, not the area itself. C is incorrect — a floodplain is the flat area adjacent to a river that floods periodically. D is incorrect — the river channel is only the course where water flows, not the entire drainage area.
Q4 · Difficulty 2/3
A flood management scheme in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, includes warning systems, evacuation plans, and community education programmes. These measures are examples of:
- Hard engineering strategies
- Soft engineering strategies
- River restoration
- Channelisation
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Soft engineering strategies
Award 1 mark for identifying these as soft engineering. Warning systems, evacuation plans, and education are non-structural approaches that work with natural processes and do not involve physical construction. A is incorrect — hard engineering involves structures like dams and levees. C is incorrect — river restoration returns rivers to natural states. D is incorrect — channelisation is hard engineering involving straightening or deepening channels.
Q5 · Difficulty 2/3
The diagram below shows a coastal landform.
[Diagram shows: An arch formation with collapsed roof material at its base]
Which landform will this feature eventually become?
- Cave
- Stack
- Wave-cut platform
- Geo
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Stack
Award 1 mark for recognising that when an arch roof collapses, it leaves an isolated pillar of rock called a stack. A is incorrect — a cave forms before an arch, not after. C is incorrect — a wave-cut platform forms from cliff retreat, not arch collapse. D is incorrect — a geo is a narrow inlet formed by wave erosion along a fault line.
Q6 · Difficulty 2/3
A geographer studying urban change in Detroit, USA, noted that between 1950 and 2020, the city's population declined from 1.8 million to under 640,000. Many factories closed and residential areas were abandoned.
What process does this describe?
- Urbanisation
- Suburbanisation
- Urban decline/deindustrialisation
- Urban sprawl
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: C — Urban decline/deindustrialisation
Award 1 mark for identifying the correct process. Detroit experienced severe population loss due to factory closures and job losses in manufacturing. A is incorrect — urbanisation involves population growth in cities. B is incorrect — suburbanisation is movement to the urban fringe, not population loss. D is incorrect — urban sprawl refers to physical expansion, not decline.
Q7 · Difficulty 2/3
Students investigated microclimate variations in a school compound in Singapore. They measured temperature at 10 different locations at the same time of day. The results showed temperatures ranged from 28°C to 35°C. Which factor would best explain the highest temperature reading?
- The location was in deep shade under dense tree cover
- The location was on dark-coloured tarmac in direct sunlight
- The location was next to a pond with open water
- The location was on grass with high soil moisture content
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — The location was on dark-coloured tarmac in direct sunlight
Award 1 mark for identifying that dark surfaces absorb more solar radiation and re-radiate heat, combined with direct sunlight exposure. A is incorrect — shade would produce lower temperatures. C is incorrect — water has high specific heat capacity and moderates temperatures. D is incorrect — evapotranspiration from moist grass produces cooling.
Q8 · Difficulty 2/3
The River Ganges in Bangladesh frequently floods, affecting millions of people. Which of the following is a soft engineering method used to manage flooding on large rivers like the Ganges?
- Construction of concrete levees
- Building a dam upstream
- Floodplain zoning
- Channel straightening
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: C — Floodplain zoning
Award 1 mark for identifying floodplain zoning as a soft engineering method. This involves planning restrictions on land use in flood-prone areas. A is incorrect — levees are hard engineering structures. B is incorrect — dams are hard engineering. D is incorrect — channel straightening is hard engineering involving physical modification of the river.
CIE IGCSE Geography FAQ
What does the CIE IGCSE Geography exam look like?
The CIE IGCSE Geography exam is structured across 3 components. Paper 1 (Multiple Choice): 40 multiple-choice questions, 1 mark each. 45 minutes. Tests breadth of knowledge. Paper 2 (Core) / Paper 4 (Extended): Structured written paper. 1 hour 30 minutes (Core) or 1 hour 45 minutes (Extended). Tests depth of understanding and application. Paper 6 (Alternative to Practical): Written paper assessing practical skills for candidates without lab access. 1 hour. Worth ~20% of the total. Total exam time: ~3 hours, depending on tier (Core vs Extended).
Can I download a free CIE IGCSE Geography past paper?
Real CIE past papers are published directly by CIE 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 CIE IGCSE Geography graded?
Grades: A* (highest) to G (lowest), with U (ungraded). Most universities require C or above. 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.