Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Elect Geog MS 2026

1 KCPSS 2026/Sec 4E5NA/Prelim/Humanities (Geography) SECONDARY 4 EXPRESS / 5 NORMAL (ACADEMIC) PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 2026 HUMANITIES: GEOGRAPHY ELECTIVE (2260/02) MARK SCHEME Section A Answer Question 1 and Question 2. 1 Cluster 1: Geography in Everyday Life (a) (i) Study Fig. 1.1 (Insert), which shows the Anchorvale and Compassvale neighbourhoods in Sengkang. Anchorvale and Compassvale neighbourhoods in Sengkang Fig. 1.1 Using Fig. 1.1, compare the facilities and services found in Anchorvale and Compassvale. Award 1m for each comparison. Award 1 additional mark for further development of each comparison. Differences: • There is a wider variety of facilities and services located in Compassvale compared to Anchorvale [1 mark]. There are facilities such as a police station, a polyclinic and a library in Compassvale, but not in Anchorvale [1 additional mark]. N

2 KCPSS 2026/Sec 4E5NA/Prelim/Humanities (Geography) • Anchorvale has a hawker centre while Compassvale does not [1 mark]. • Compassvale has both major and minor rail nodes such as the North East Line and Seng Kang LRT , while Anchorvale only has a minor rail node Seng Kang LRT [1 mark]. Similarities: • Both neighbourhoods have supermarkets / Seng Kang LRT stations that are located at regular intervals [1 mark]. • Both neighbourhoods have education institutes [1 mark]. There are 4 primary schools in Anchorvale and 3 primary schools in Compassvale [1 additional mark]. AO2 [3] (ii) With the help of Fig. 1.1, explain why some facilities and services can be found in one neighbourhood but not in the other. Award 1m for each explanation. Award 1 additional mark for further development of explanation. • [Concept explained: Sphere of influence] Facilities which provide more specialised services need not be in every neighbourhood as they have a larger sphere of influence which serve a wider geographic boundary beyond a single neighbourhood [1 mark]. • [Concept explained: Nested hierarchies] Some facilities and services are only located at the town level and not in every neighbourhood, as they require a high enough population density to ensure consistent demand [1 mark]. • For example, the library and polyclinic provide more specialised services that residents would be willing to travel longer distances for , as such, they are fewer of them located within a town , and may not be found in all neighbourhoods [1 additional mark]. AO2 [2]

3 KCPSS 2026/Sec 4E5NA/Prelim/Humanities (Geography) (b) Study Fig. 1.2 (Insert), which shows residents of the Tiong Bahru estate tending to the plants at their community garden. Residents of Tiong Bahru estate tending to plants at their community garden Fig. 1.2 Using Fig. 1.2, describe the ecosystem services provided by community gardens. Award 1m for each description. Award 1 additional mark for further development of each description. Accept any other plausible responses. Provisioning ecosystem services: • Ecosystems provide tangible resources such as food [1 mark]. • Residents can harvest the vegetables from the community garden for personal consumption [1 additional mark]. Cultural ecosystem services: • Ecosystems can provide intangible benefits such as educational opportunities [1 mark]. Residents can participate in educational gardening workshops and nature-based programmes to learn about the variety of crops grown [1 additional mark]. • Residents can gain aesthetic experiences from natural objects in urban neighbourhoods such as community gardens [1 mark]. AO2 [3]

4 KCPSS 2026/Sec 4E5NA/Prelim/Humanities (Geography) (c) A group of students conducted a geographical investigation to explore how different urban neighbourhoods varied in terms of sustainability. Their hypothesis was: Neighbourhoods with higher population density are more sustainable than neighbourhoods with lower population density. To test this hypothesis, the students c onducted a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews at two neighbourhoods with different population densities. Tables 1.1 and 1.2 (Insert) show the results of the questionnaire survey and Fig. 1.3 (Insert) shows abstracts from the semi-structured interviews. Table 1.1 Results for questionnaire survey a high-density neighbourhood Statements Scale 1 – Strongly Disagree, 5 – Strongly Agree 1 2 3 4 5 Public transport is convenient. 0 1 3 18 28 I can reach essential services easily. 0 1 3 14 32 Recycling facilities are easily accessible. 2 4 10 20 14 There are enough recreational spaces nearby. 4 10 18 12 6 I often interact with people in my neighbourhood. 1 3 8 20 18 Table 1.2 Results for questionnaire survey at a low-density neighbourhood Statements Scale 1 – Strongly Disagree, 5 – Strongly Agree 1 2 3 4 5 Public transport is convenient. 2 6 14 18 10 I can reach essential services easily. 2 6 18 16 8 Recycling facilities are easily accessible. 1 3 10 18 18 There are enough recreational spaces nearby. 1 3 8 18 20 I often interact with people in my neighbourhood. 6 1 3 10 30

5 KCPSS 2026/Sec 4E5NA/Prelim/Humanities (Geography) Abstracts from the semi-structured interview Resident A at high-density neighbourhood Question: How often do you meet or talk to people in your neighbourhood? Response: I do meet people quite often, especially in lifts or at the MRT station. Question: When you talk to people in your neighbourhood, what are the topics of conversations usually about? Response: Most of the time it’s just short chats, like saying hello in the lift or making a quick comment about the neighbourhood. The conversations are usually very brief. Resident B at low-density neighbourhood Question: How often do you meet or talk to people in your neighbourhood? Response: Not very often, but when I do, we usually stop and talk for a while, especially near the park or common areas. Question: When you talk to people in your neighbourhood, what are th e topics of conversations usually about? Response: We talk about everyday things. For example, when I’m at the park with my child or when someone’s walking their dog, we might chat about the kids playing, our pets, or upcoming community events that our families can participate in. Fig. 1.3 Using Tables 1.1, 1.2, and Fig. 1.3, evaluate whether you would agree with the students’ hypothesis. Award 1m for each evaluation. Award 1 additional mark for further development of each evaluation. Agree: • The high-density neighbourhood is more economically sustainable as residents are able to obtain essential services easily, suggesting lower transport costs [1 mark]. From the questionnaire survey, 32 out of 50 respondents from the high - density neighbourhood strongly agree that essential services are

6 KCPSS 2026/Sec 4E5NA/Prelim/Humanities (Geography) easy to reach compared to a smaller number of only 8 out of 50 in the low-density neighbourhood [1 additional mark]. Disagree: • The low-density neighbourhood is more socially sustainable with more frequent interaction among neighbours [1 mark]. From the questionnaire survey, 30 out of 50 respondents from the low -density neighbourhood indicated ‘strongly agree’ when asked whether they often interact with their neighbours, compared to only 18 out of 50 respondents from the high-density neighbourhood [1 additional mark]. • There w ere also more meaningful and sustained social interactions in the low-density neighbourhood, which help to develop social sustainability [1 mark]. From the semi-structured interviews, t