Mark Scheme

Section A — Structured Questions

1. (a) (up to 2) Coastal erosion = the wearing away and removal of rock/land along the coast by the sea (through processes such as hydraulic power, abrasion and attrition). [2] (b) (up to 4) Where a coast has alternating hard and soft rock, the softer rock is eroded faster, forming bays; the more resistant hard rock is left jutting out as headlands. Clear link between rock type and landform. [4] (c) (up to 4) Waves approach the beach at an angle (due to the prevailing wind), carrying material up the beach in the swash; the backwash returns straight down under gravity; this produces a zig-zag movement that transports material along the coast. [4]

2. (a) 6,000 ÷ 500 = 12 times more expensive (M1 A1). [2] (b) (up to 4) Advantage — a sea wall is very effective/durable (long lifespan, strong protection, can act as a promenade); Disadvantage — it is very expensive to build and maintain, can look unnatural, and may increase erosion elsewhere. 1 + 1 development each. [4] (c) (up to 4) Soft engineering (e.g. beach nourishment) is cheaper, looks more natural, and works with natural processes, causing less damage to the environment than hard structures — though it may need repeating. Advantage + development. [4]

3. (a) (up to 2) The urban population increased (more than doubled), from 30% in 1980 to 66% in 2020 — a rise of 36 percentage points. Use of data. [2] (b) (up to 4) Two reasons (push/pull): more jobs/higher wages in cities (pull); better services (education, healthcare); lack of work or poor conditions in rural areas (push); drought/farming problems. 1 + 1 development each. [4] (c) (up to 6) Two problems developed: housing shortages/slums as people arrive faster than housing is built; traffic congestion and pollution; pressure on services (water, sanitation, schools); unemployment/inequality. 3 marks per problem (statement + explanation + consequence). [6]

4. (a) (up to 2) Development = the progress/improvement in a country's standard of living and quality of life (economic and social progress). [2] (b) (up to 4) Two reasons: historical factors (colonialism); lack of investment/industry; debt; poor climate/natural hazards; limited education/healthcare; reliance on low-value exports. 1 + 1 development each. [4] (c) (up to 6) Sustainable resource use explained with example: e.g. for water — reduce leaks, recycle/reuse water, use efficient irrigation, educate people to save water; for energy — use renewables (solar, wind), improve efficiency, reduce waste. Explain how this meets present needs without harming the future. Developed points. [6]

Section B — Extended Response

5. (16 marks) Levels-marked discussion of the benefits and problems of urban growth, with examples and a conclusion.

• Benefits: more jobs and economic growth; better access to services (education, healthcare); centres of innovation; can lift people out of poverty.
• Problems: housing shortages/slums; congestion and air pollution; pressure on services and infrastructure; inequality; environmental damage.
• Level 4 (13–16): developed, balanced discussion with examples and a justified conclusion; Level 3 (9–12): both sides with some development; Level 2 (5–8): limited/one-sided; Level 1 (1–4): basic. Credit a supported conclusion either way. Indicative content: reference to real cities/examples of both opportunities (jobs, services) and challenges (slums, congestion, pollution) strengthens the answer.

Sample Answers with Examiner Commentary

Question 1(b) — Sample Answers

Grade A response. "Headlands and bays form along a coastline where there are alternating bands of hard rock and soft rock running at right angles to the coast. The sea erodes the softer, less resistant rock more quickly, using processes like hydraulic power and abrasion, and this creates inlets called bays. The harder, more resistant rock is eroded much more slowly, so it is left sticking out into the sea as a headland. Over time this produces a coastline of headlands and bays."

Mark: 4/4. Examiner commentary: A full-mark answer built on the essential idea — different rates of erosion for different rock types. The candidate clearly links the soft rock eroding faster to the formation of bays, and the resistant hard rock being left as headlands, and even names erosion processes. Explaining the cause (differential erosion) rather than just describing the shapes is what secures all four marks.

Grade C response. "A headland is a bit of land that sticks out into the sea and a bay is a curved bit that goes inland. They form because of erosion by the waves over a long time."

Mark: 2/4. Examiner commentary: The candidate correctly describes what headlands and bays look like and knows erosion is involved, which earns two marks. However, the answer does not explain why they form in this pattern — the key idea, that the coast is made of alternating hard and soft rock and that the soft rock erodes faster to form bays while the hard rock is left as headlands, is missing. "Erosion... over a long time" applies to almost any coastal landform; the marks here are for the differential-erosion explanation.

Question 3(c) — Sample Answers

Grade A response. "One problem caused by the rapid growth of cities is a shortage of housing. People often move to cities faster than new homes can be built, so many end up living in overcrowded, poor-quality housing or informal settlements (slums) that lack clean water and sanitation, which can lead to the spread of disease. A second problem is traffic congestion and pollution. As more people live and work in the city, the number of vehicles rises, causing traffic jams that waste time and produce air pollution, which harms people's health and the environment."

Mark: 6/6. Examiner commentary: Both problems are fully developed to the three-mark standard the question requires: each is stated, explained (why it happens), and taken through to a consequence (disease from poor sanitation; health and environmental harm from pollution). The two problems are genuinely distinct, and the answer uses appropriate geographical terms such as "informal settlements". This is a model structure for a six-mark "explain two" question — a common one to lose marks on by describing problems without developing their consequences.

Question 4(c) — Sample Answers

Grade A response. "The use of water can be made more sustainable in several ways. Sustainability means meeting people's needs today without using up the resource so that future generations cannot meet their own needs. One way is to reduce the amount of water wasted: for example, repairing leaking pipes so that clean water is not lost before it reaches homes, and encouraging people to use water-efficient appliances and to turn off taps. Another way is to recycle and reuse water — for instance, treating 'greywater' from washing so it can be used again for irrigation, and collecting rainwater. In farming, using efficient irrigation such as drip systems delivers water straight to the roots and wastes far less than flooding fields. Together these measures mean the same water source can keep supplying people for much longer, which is what makes its use sustainable."

Mark: 6/6. Examiner commentary: A full-mark answer. The candidate begins by showing they understand what "sustainable" actually means — meeting present needs without harming the future — which frames the whole answer. They then give several developed methods (reducing leaks and waste, recycling greywater, efficient irrigation) and, crucially, explain how each one conserves the resource for the future rather than just listing them. Linking every practical measure back to the idea of long-term supply is exactly what lifts this to the top of the mark range.

Grade C response. "People should use less water so it does not run out. They could have shorter showers and not waste it. This is more sustainable because there is more left."

Mark: 3/6. Examiner commentary: The candidate has the right general idea — using less water to avoid it running out — and gives a sensible example (shorter showers), earning about half the marks. To reach the top, the answer needs more developed methods (repairing leaks, recycling/reusing water, efficient irrigation) and a clearer explanation of sustainability: meeting present needs without preventing future generations from meeting theirs. "There is more left" hints at this but does not develop it. Adding two or three explained methods and linking them to protecting the resource for the future would gain the remaining marks.