Geographical Applications: Issue Evaluation — AQA GCSE Geography
The Issue Evaluation is part of Paper 3. It assesses your ability to apply knowledge and skills to an unseen geographical issue using a pre-released resource booklet.
What it involves
Before the exam, AQA releases a resources booklet about a real geographical issue (for example, a development project, a hazard or an environmental challenge). You should study it in advance, but you may not take an annotated copy into the exam.
The booklet contains a range of sources: maps, graphs, photographs, data tables, written extracts and sketches about the issue.
Skills assessed
In the exam you will:
- interpret and analyse the sources (describe patterns, read data, compare viewpoints),
- apply your own geographical knowledge from across the course,
- consider different viewpoints (social, economic, environmental) of stakeholders, and
- reach a justified decision about the best option, supporting it with evidence from the resources and explaining why you rejected the alternatives.
How to do well
- Use evidence from the booklet — refer to specific sources, figures and places.
- Consider all the options fairly before deciding.
- Make a clear decision and justify it with reasons (social, economic and environmental).
- Acknowledge the drawbacks of your chosen option and why it is still the best.
Exam tips
- Study the pre-released booklet thoroughly beforehand.
- Always back up points with evidence from the sources.
- Weigh social, economic and environmental factors and different stakeholders' views.
- Give a clear, justified decision — examiners reward reasoning, not just the choice.