RVHS 2026 Prelims 9173-02 QP

RIVER VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL General Certificate of Education Advanced Level Preliminary Examination 2026 Higher 2 GEOGRAPHY Paper 2 Additional Materials: 1 Insert READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST 9173/02 17 September 2026 3 hours An answer booklet will be provided with this question paper. You should follow the instructions on the front cover of ~he answer booklet. If you need additional answer paper ask the invigilator for a continuation booklet. Section A Answer Question 1. Section B Answer Question 2. Section C Answer one question. The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question. This document consists of 4 printed pages and 1 Insert. [Turn over

2 Answer Questions 1 and 2 and EITHER Question 3 OR Question 4 Section A Cluster 4: Fieldwork 1 A group of four 18-year-old junior college students in Singapore wanted to investigate how effective shopping mall features can be in resource conservation. After conducting research online, they chose City Square Mall as the site of their investigation. Since its opening in 2009, City Square Mall has positioned itself as the first eco-mall, designed with sustainability in mind and built with green spaces at its core. The latter includes City Green, a 49 000 square feet urban park with a Green Roof. In 2025, the mall completed a revamp which included the walls and floors containing upcycled materials and sustainability-themed murals. Prior to their fieldwork, the students conceived the following hypothesis: 'Jalan Besar residents consider the features at City Square Mall effective in resource conservation.' During the 2026 June holidays, the students carried out their fieldwork investigations over two consecutive Sundays from 2 to 6 pm. As both days had fine weather, they stationed themselves within City Green and obtained 120 responses in total to their questionnaire survey through convenience sampling. The responses came from 24 in the 10s to 20s age group, 64 in the 30s to Sos age group and 32 in those aged 60 and above. The students observed that City Green tended to be frequented by families with young children. Upon the conclusion of their fieldwork and through their post-fieldwork data analysis, the students concluded that City Square Mall is effective in resource conservation. Resource 1 shows the location of City Square Mall and its environs. Resource 2A shows City Square Mall with City Green in front, while Resource 2B shows a sustainability-themed wall mural inside the mall. Resource 3 shows the questionnaire survey used by the students in their investigation. Resource 4 shows the responses to Question 3 in the questionnaire survey. (a) Describe the strengths and limitations of the students' hypothesis. (4] (b) Using Resource 1, explain why the choice of City Square Mall as the investigation site is a suitable one. (6] ( c) Suggest how the students may reduce the impacts of their investigations. ( 4] (d) With reference to Resource 3, explain the strengths and weaknesses of the questionnaire survey used by the students. [7] (e) Using Resource 4, present the responses to Questions 3(c) and (e) using another data representation method and explain why it is better than the data representation method used in Resource 4. [SJ (f) Explain how the conduct of a pilot survey could have benefited the students' investigation. [ 4] (g) With reference to the preamble and the Resources, evaluate the validity of the students' conclusion [ 1 O]

3 Section B Cluster 3: Sustainable Future and Climate Change 2 Resource 5 shows the share of energy from fossil fuels from 1965 to 2021 for selected countries. Resource 6 shows the projected impacts of contemporary climate change on global plant diversity. Resource 7 presents data on global climate finance between 2013 and 2019. (a) Citing data from Resource 5, compare the countries' share of energy from fossil fuels between 1965 and 2021. [6] (b) Explain how human activities contribute to the enhanced greenhouse effect. [4] (c) Using Resource 6, describe the projected impacts of contemporary climate change on global plant diversity. [4] (d) Explain how changes in plant diversity caused by contemporary climate change may affect human societies. [ 4] (e) Citing data from Resource 7, describe the trends shown in climate finance from 2013 to 2019. [5] (f) On 11 February 2026, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary stated that countries need to place greater emphasis on adapting to climate impacts as efforts to reduce carbon emissions become increasingly challenging. Explain why countries such as Singapore are placing greater emphasis on adaptation strategies in responding to contemporary climate change. [7]

4 Section C Answer EITHER question 3 or question 4. Cluster 3: Sustainable Future and Climate Change 3 'The creation of liveable cities for the elderly should focus on their social well­ being.' Evaluate this statement. [20] 4 Evaluate the factors that cause the impacts of contemporary climate change to vary between different groups of people. [20]