2023 EJC J1 MYE Ans Key

JC1 H2 GEOGRAPHY MID-YEAR EXAMINATION 2023 MARKING SCHEME Section A Cluster 4: Fieldwork (15 marks) 1 A group of 25 Geography students undertook an investigation about the flood risk along the Pekan River in Pekan, Malaysia which experiences a tropical monsoon (Am) climate. The students have decided to conduct the study at five sites which are selected at 500 -metre intervals – Sites A, B C, D and E. They decided to collect the data on a weekday in June at 10am. The students were divided into five teams of five to collect data. At each site, the team gathered the primary data on channel cross-sectional area and river velocity with the following equipment: • 1 x Unweighted tape measure • 1 x Metre rule • 1 x Stopwatch • 1 x Orange (as floating device) • 2 x Ranging pole However, at Site A, the team lost their orange and used a leaf found at the river bank as a floating device instead. Furthermore, during the fieldwork a heavy rain occurred. All teams had to halt their fieldwork and only managed to measure for river velocity once at each site. Resource 1 shows a map of the Sites A, B, C, D and E along Pekan River. Resource 2 shows a photograph of Site A. (a) With reference to Resource 1, suggest a research question for the geographical investigation. Explain your choice of research question. [4] Possible RQs: • How will the level of urbanization along the Pekan River affect the channel discharge at each site? • How will channel discharge influence the level of flood risk at Sites A,B and C along the Pekan River? Explanation for choice of RQ: • [Suitable scale] The area of study only covers 2km stretch along the Pekan River which is a suitable spatial scale for students to investigate. There is also sufficient manpower to collect data from all five sites in a single day (i.e. 5 students per team/site). • [Capable of being researched] Students possess the equipment needed to collect primary data on channel discharge at all three sites. • [Clearly defined] Research question is clearly defined, seeking to investigate the relationship between landuse type and channel discharge / channel discharge and flood risk.

(b) With reference to Resource 1, identify the sampling method used in selecting the sites for data collection and explain two benefits of this sampling method. [3] Identification of sampling method: • Systematic sampling was used as the sites were selected at regular intervals of 500m. Benefits of sampling method: • Complete spatial coverage of Pekan River, thus allowing for comprehensive investigation of flood risk variability along the river • Ensures validity of the data collected as it can better capture spatial differences along the Pekan River, as compared to other sampling methods like random sampling. (c) With reference to Resource 2, suggest how the students could minimize potential risks during data collection. [4] Award 1 mark for each suggest