PJC_H2_GEO_P1_MarkingGuide

2018 Preliminary Exams H2 Geography Paper 1 Marking Guide All essays to be marked according to these generic level descriptors:

2 Section A – Tropical Environments Answer one question from this section. 1 (a) Explain how and why the flows in a drainage basin differ in tropical rainforest (Af) and sub-tropical steppe (BSh) climates. Indicative content: • Candidates to show understanding in the differences in characteristics of the various flows and stores in Af and BSh as their rainfall and temperature patterns differ. Factors such as soil, geology and vegetation can also be discussed. • Higher level responses will acknowledge the temporal aspect of how the flows change in the year and able to use the water balance equation to illustrate how flows can vary. Levels marked using H2 generic level descriptors for 12m SEQ sub-part (a) [12] (b) To what extent do you agree that sediment regime is the dominant factor in influencing channel patterns? Indicative content: • Candidates to make the links that sediment regime (load size and volume) can influence the channel patterns, braided and meandering along the river’s long profile • There is a need to consider other factors (external and internal) such as climate, vegetation cover, channel discharge, which can influence channel pattern, i.e. at the different formation stages. • Higher level responses should apply a set of clear criteria to assess the factors involved, e.g. scale, temporal, in the different contexts of how channel patterns are formed. Levels marked using H2 generic level descriptors for 20m SEQ sub-part (b) [20] 2 (a) Explain the role of climate in causing mass movements in the tropics. Indicative content: • Candidates to show understanding of the different climatic characteristics in the humid and dry topics accounting for different processes thus leading to different types of mass movement. • Humid tropics would be dominated by chemical and biochemical weathering and dry tropics would be largely physical weathering • Hence humid tropics would have mass movement that have higher water content, higher speed and failed landmass of smaller rock particles such as landslide, mudflow, slump, in contrast, dry tropics would have mass movement that have lower water content, higher speed (due to size of failed landmass) such as rockslide, rockfall and soil creep. • Higher level responses will acknowledge the spatial variations in tropics and how it can influence mass movements. [12] Levels marked using H2 generic level descriptors for 12m SEQ sub-part (a)

3 (b) ‘The issue of deforestation can only be resolved with international action.’ To what extent do you agree with this statement? Indicative content: • Candidates to show understanding of the various strategies to resolve deforestation at the different levels: global, regional and local • There is a need to address international ac tion