Going places
Teacher at Yeats College, Waterford Derek Deane shares his insights and tips to help you reach your full potential in the Geography exam
The Higher Level Leaving Cert Geography exam is worth 400 marks. There are five sections within the exam, each one is worth 80 marks. The exam is 2 hours and 50 minutes long.
The Ordinary Level exam is also worth 400 marks. There are four sections in this exam, each one is worth 100 marks.
The Geographical Investigation is to be completed and submitted by Friday, 27 April 2018. This is worth 100 marks, i.e. 20% of the overall total.
LAYOUT – HIGHER LEVEL PAPER
Part One - Short-answer questions (80 marks) There are 12 short questions.
Answer all 12 questions and your 10 best marks will used. Do not leave anything blank as there is no penalty for incorrect answers.
Each question is worth 8 marks.
Do not spend more than 25 minutes on this section.
Part Two - Structured and essay questions (320 marks)
You must do one whole question from each of the sections: Physical Geography (80 marks)
Regional Geography (80 marks)
Electives; Economic Activities or The Human Environment (8o marks)
Options (80 marks)
Part One – Short questions
There will be 12 short questions. Generally about five or six questions are taken from the Physical Geography part of the course. Four or five questions will be aimed at examining geographical skills such as interpreting graphs, maps, aerial photographs and satellite imagery. One or two questions may be taken from the Regional Geography section and tend to ask you to classify a list of regions
Part Two – Structured and essay questions PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY (80 marks)
Questions 1, 2 and 3 are on physical geography. You must do one of these three questions. Each question is divided into three parts.
Part A is worth 20 marks. 5 minutes is the most you should spend on this.
Parts B and C are both 30-mark essays. You should allow 15 minutes for each essay.
The following topics tend to be examined in the 20-mark questions:
➤ Sketch maps from Ordnance Survey maps and aerial photographs.
➤ The processes by which rivers, glaciers, the sea, mass movement and weathering alter the landscape, and the landforms formed by these processes.
➤ The rock cycle.
➤ Identifying tectonic plates and plate boundaries.
➤ The effects of folding and faulting.
Parts B and C
These are 30-mark essays. You should aim to write about 11/12 pages and allow 15 minutes for each essay. There’s no need for any general introductory comments or summary at the end of your essay. What earns marks is good, accurate, factual information that shows that you can use the correct terminology to describe the various processes at work in shaping the landscape. As you come across new and unfamiliar words while studying Geography, these are the words to focus on until you become confident in being able to use them in an exam situation. Answer: The formation of a delta.
1. When a river flows into a standing body of water, such as a lake or ocean, flow velocity is reduced. This causes a reduction in the stream competence and stream capacity.
2. Stream competence refers to the maximum size particle that the river can transport. Stream capacity refers to the total volume of load that the river can transport. 3. Sediments being transported by the river will then begin to settle out, with the largest particles being deposited first close to the river mouth, and the finer sediments being deposited further out.
4. A prodelta develops as sediments build up below the level of the lake or sea.
5. A delta plain develops where sediments accumulate until they protrude above the water level.
6. Deltas only form where the river carries a large volume of sediments, where the lake or sea bed is not very deep, and where waves, currents and tides are not strong enough to transport away all the sediments deposited around the river’s mouth.
7. As deposits of alluvium build up, distributaries develop at the mouth as the river begins to branch off in several directions.
8. A bird’s foot delta may develop when the volume of sediment is so large that the delta grows far out into the body of water. One such delta is formed where the Mississippi flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
9. The Nile has an arcuate delta. This is triangular in shape as its seaward edge has been shaped by waves and tides. 10.A lacustrine delta may develop where a river flows into a lake. An Irish example can be seen where the Glenealo river flows into the Upper Lake at Glendalough, Co Wicklow.
11. Due to the richness of the alluvial soil and the availability of moisture, vegetation develops quickly on a delta. Roots help to secure the delta against erosion. Natural levees may also form along the distributaries.
THE ROCK CYCLE
Topics within this aspect of physical geography include igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, how limestone is chemically weathered to produce karst landscapes and how humans interact with the rock cycle.
2010 Question 2C
Humans interact with the rock cycle in many ways. Discuss this with reference to any one human interaction that you have studied. (30m)
Answer: Geothermal energy in Iceland.
1. Geothermal energy is produced by using heat within the earth’s crust to generate hot water and electricity. The earth’s core is 5000°C.
2. Convection currents in the mantle transfer this heat towards the earth’s crust.
3. Where the earth’s crust is thin, such as at divergent plate boundaries or over hotspots (e.g Hawaii), huge sources of heat are close enough to the surface to be of great use to humans.
4. Iceland is a volcanic island that was formed along the MidAtlantic Ridge where the Eurasian and North American plates are diverging at an average rate of 2.5cm per year. 5. Iceland’s thin crust allows for the generation of 25% of its electricity needs from geothermal energy.
6. Iceland has seven geothermal power plants and geothermal energy is used to provide hot water for 90% of Iceland’s housing.
7. Because this source of energy is so cheap and plentiful the footpaths in Reykjavik are heated to prevent frost and ice. 8. Hot water is also pumped into greenhouses in Iceland where fruits and vegetables can be grown.
9. Iceland has developed a major aluminium smelting industry. This is a very energy intensive process so
aluminium smelting plants are only built where there is a plentiful supply of cheap energy available locally.
10. Iceland plans to export electricity generated from geothermal energy via undersea cables which will connect Iceland to the UK.
11. Geothermal energy acts as a tourist attraction in Iceland. A geothermal power plant pumps 40°C water into a nearby lake to produce mineral rich bathing water. A hotel complex has been developed at this site known as ‘The Blue Lagoon’.
12.The Geysir area is famous for its mudpools, hotsprings and geysers and is one of Iceland’s major tourist attractions.
13.Geothermal energy is a renewable form of energy. By using geothermal energy sources the use of fossil fuels is reduced, thereby reducing the amount of CO2 and other harmful greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere.
2009 exam paper: Examine, with reference to Irish examples, the formation of sedimentary rocks. [30m] SANDSTONE
1. The Caledonian Orogeny happened 450 m.y.a and created a huge chain of fold mountains called the Caledonides.
2. As these mountains were weathered and eroded the weathered material was deposited within sedimentary
basins. Around 400 m.y.a Ireland was at a latitude of 300 South and in a desert climate.
3. As sand accumulated within the basins, compaction happened whereby air and water were expelled from the pore space within the sand.
4. Cementation occurred as the loose sediments were bonded together. Lithification is the term given to the process whereby loose sediments are turned in solid rock thanks to compaction and cementation.
5. Sandstone contains iron oxide which gives it a red, rusty colour. It is a porous rock which is quite resistant to weathering.
6. It is classified as a clastic sedimentary rock, which means the sediments were fragments of rock.
7. Old Red Sandstone can be seen in the Comeragh
Mountains and the Caha Mountains.
LIMESTONE
1. During the carboniferous period 350 m.y.a most of Ireland was submerged beneath a shallow, warm tropical sea close to the equator.
2. This sea teemed with life. As corals, plankton, shell fish and fish died, their calcium rich bodies and shells accumulated on the sea floor and were buried within fine muds and silts. 3. Cementation and compaction occurred leading to lithification whereby carboniferous limestone was formed. It is classified as an organic sedimentary rock. 4. Carboniferous limestone is a stratified, porous rock. It contains horizontal bedding planes and vertical joints along which water can pass.
5. It is made primarily of calcium carbonate CaCO3. It is soluble in acidic water and when it is exposed at the surface it gives rise to a karst landscape.
6. The Burren in Co Clare is a karst landscape that contains carboniferous limestone.
REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY (80 marks)
Questions 4, 5 and 6 are on regional geography. You must do one of these three questions. Each question is divided into three parts.
Part A is worth 20 marks. 5 minutes is the most you should spend on this.
Parts B and C are both 30-mark essays. You should allow 15 minutes for each essay.
The following topics tend to be examined in the 20-mark questions:
➤ Sketch maps of Irish, European and sub-continental regions.
➤ Interpreting data presented in graphs.
➤ Identifying the various classifications by which regions can
be defined.
TOURISM 2013 Question 6b
Discuss the factors that influence the development of one tertiary economic activity in an Irish region that you have studied. [30m] Tourism in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) Factor 1: The GDA has good transport links 1. International tourism is dependent on good transport facilities. Dublin Airport is central to the region’s tourism industry. Transatlantic flights bring tourists from North
America.
2. Plans to connect the airport to the city centre by a metro line have been abandoned. Dublin Bus runs a bus service between Busarus and the airport.
3. Ryanair had a revolutionary impact on the Irish air industry and subsequently the region’s tourism. Cheap air fares have resulted in Dublin becoming one of Europe’s top five city-break destinations.
4. Dublin Port and Dun Laoighire provide ferry services to Holyhead and Liverpool. Tourists from the UK can travel with their cars or as foot passengers.
5. Tourists from within Ireland are also a valuable source of income for the region’s tourism sector. Dublin is at the hub of Ireland’s motorway network, with roads such as the M1, M4, M7 and M11 all converging on Dublin. The motorways have greatly reduced the journey times to Dublin. 6. Within Dublin, rail services such as the DART and LUAS allow tourists to see the various tourist attractions.
Factor 2: The GDA offers a wide variety of entertainment
7. Dublin is famous for its lively nightlife. Temple Bar has many pubs and restaurants and is very popular with British stag and hen parties.
8. Lansdowne Road is home to the Irish rugby and soccer teams. The 6 Nations competition in the Spring brings English, Welsh, Scottish, French and Italian rugby fans to Dublin. 9. Croke Park is the headquarters of the GAA. The All-Ireland final weekends in September are a huge boost to Dublin’s tourism industry.
10.Dublin is the cultural capital of Ireland and has a wide variety of theatres, galleries and museums. The Book of Kells in Trinity College is a major tourist attraction.
11. Dublin Zoo is the most visited paying tourist attraction in Ireland. It is located in the Phoenix Park which was set aside as a recreational area in Dublin.
12.There are some small seaside resorts on the east coast that have developed along sandy beaches, such as Brittas Bay in Co Wicklow and Laytown in Co Meath.
EUROPEAN UNION 2014 Question 4b
Examine how enlargement of the European Union (EU) impacts on existing member states. (30 marks) 1. The accession of eight new states into the EU in 2004 had a major impact on Ireland. This enlargement added 74
million people to the EU, a population increase of 20%. 2. This increased the size of the single market to which Irish businesses have tariff-free access to.
3. Sweden, the UK and Ireland were the only EU member states not to restrict immigration from the new ‘accession
states’. As a result Ireland was one of the major destinations for Polish migrants.
4. The 2016 census showed 122,000 Poles to be living in Ireland, making them the largest non-Irish population here. 5. This large Polish presence can be seen reflected in the Irish streetscape. ‘Polski skleps’ are a familiar sight. These shops cater for the Polish immigrant population.
6. The influx of Polish children into the Irish school system required an extra investment in language resources. The increased numbers put pressure on school places and the Government has invested in a major school building programme.
7. During the Celtic Tiger era, migrants from the accession states filled gaps in the labour market which allowed rapid economic growth to continue. Many migrants found work as agricultural labourers, within the hospitality sector and road haulage where knowledge of English was not essential. 8. Most Polish migrants tend to be young adults. This influx of young adults has reduced Ireland’s dependency ratio. 9. Polish migrants often send money earned in Ireland back to Poland in the form of remittances. This is a loss of money to the Irish economy.
10.Poland now competes with Ireland for foreign direct investment (FDI). American multinationals that locate manufacturing plants within the EU can sell their produce within the EU’s single market.
11. In 2009 Dell closed its manufacturing plant in Limerick. It relocated its European manufacturing plant to Lodz in Poland. The wage levels in Lodz were one third the level of wages in Limerick.
12.This is an example of ‘branch plant dependency’. There were 1,900 redundancies at Dell and up to 9,500 indirect jobs were lost in the Limerick area as a result of the closure of Dell.
13.In 2009 Waterford Crystal closed its factory in Waterford with 1,000 redundancies. Waterford Crystal is now manufactured in lower-cost EU member states such as Slovenia, Hungary and the Czech Republic. 14.Immigrants compete with working-class Irish people for
low-wage jobs. This has a deflationary effect on wages.
ELECTIVES (80 marks)
Section 2 of the exam relates to the electives. These are questions 7 to 12. You must answer ONE question from either:
• Patterns and processes in economic activities
OR
• Patterns and processes in the human environment
You must do one of the three questions from within your chosen elective. Each question is divided into three parts.
Part A is worth 20 marks. 5 minutes is the most you should spend on this.
Parts B and C are both 30-mark essays. You should allow 15 minutes for each essay.
The following topics tend to be examined in the 20 mark questions:
➤ Drawing sketch maps from Ordnance Survey maps and
aerial photographs.
➤ Presenting data in a graph.
➤ Interpreting data presented in graphs.
PATTERNS AND PROCESSES IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES EU POLICY 2010 Question 9b: Examine how any one major policy of the EU has influenced Ireland’s economic development. (30m)
Answer: 1. When it joined the EEC in 1973 Ireland surrendered sovereignty over its fish resources and they were pooled within the EEC. The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) was introduced in 1983. 2. Conservation and management of fish stocks are the main focus of the CFP. Zones of exclusion were established around Ireland with a 22km total exclusion zone for all non-Irish fishing fleets and a 370km exclusion zone for non-European fleets. 3. TACs (total allowable catches) were established under the CFP, which meant Irish fishermen had to adhere to quotas of fish allowed to be caught.
4. This was done to protect species, such as cod, that were being over-fished. The EU also established minimum net
sizes that were allowable in trawlers to let smaller fish pass through them.
5. This lowered the amount of fish trawlers could catch and some fishermen were forced to leave the industry or fish only on a part-time basis.
6. The Irish Box extends from Waterford Harbour to Slyne Head in Connemara. Fishing is severely restricted in this area as it is an important spawning ground.
7. Port facilities in Irish ports, e.g. Killybegs, were improved with the help of funding from the CFP and the European
Regional Development Fund.
8. There are currently about 2,000 Irish trawlers. Some skippers have taken up offers of pensions paid under the CFP if they decommissioned their trawlers.
9. The fishing industry provides employment for 13,000 people. Migrants from Poland and Lithuania are very prominent within the industry.
10.The fish processing sector has expanded alongside the increased access to the European Single Market. Brexit could hinder access to an important market for the sector. 11. The number of days allowable at sea for trawlers and the number of boats on the water have also been restricted.
12.Drift net fishing was banned in 2007 and it is hoped that levels of salmon and sea-trout in Irish rivers will improve as a result. This should boost angling tourism. 13.Aquaculture is a growing sector within the fishing
industry. Fish farms in sheltered bays, such as Killary Harbour, provide jobs to peripheral areas along the western seaboard.
COLONIALISM 2015 Question 7c: Examine the impact of colonialism on an economy in the developing world that you have studied. (30m)
1. Colonialism can be defined as “The formal economic and political domination of one country by another”.
European colonial powers expanded from the 16th century. 2. The British East India Company (BEIC) was granted a monopoly to trade spices between Britain and the ‘Indies’. The British navy enforced this.
3. The British increased their presence in India after their victory in the Battle of Plassey in 1757. The BEIC administered the British Raj until 1858 when the India Office took over the governance of the Raj.
4. Before colonisation India had the world’s most advanced textile industry. Britain banned the import of Indian cotton calicoes.
5. The Industrial Revolution in Britain meant Indian textiles could not compete against cheaper British textiles. This caused great poverty in India.
6. Peasants who could no longer earn extra income through textiles then had to earn cash to pay taxes imposed by the British. 7. Cash crops such as jute, cotton, indium and opium were grown for sale on the market, rather than to feed the local population. Famines become more common as a result. 8. Tea was introduced from China and was grown on plantations. Sugarcane was also grown on plantations. India was the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the British empire. 9. The Indian craft industry declined as the Mughal court disappeared. There was a drain of wealth from India to Britain as the terms of trade favoured Britain.
10.India became an important market for British manufactured goods and was a source of raw materials for the British manufacturing industry.
11. The British made major investments in India’s transport
infrastructure as they built railways, roads, ports, and installed telegram cables necessary to facilitate trade and administration.
12.The education system was modernised and universities such as the University of Calcutta were founded during the colonial period.
13.English became a widely spoken language. This has enabled India to become an important location for call
centres in the modern era. 14.The modernising impact of colonialism lessened the role of the traditional caste system. Barbaric customs such as
sati, where widows were burned on their husbands’ funeral pyres were outlawed.
15.A sense of common Indian identity and nationality was forged during the shared experience of the British colonial period.
PATTERNS AND PROCESSES IN THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT
2008: Study the aerial photograph of part of Galway that accompanies this paper. Examine any three functions of the city, using evidence to support your answer. (30m)
1. Galway serves a residential function
• There is a semi-detached housing estate in the rightbackground. This style of housing is popular with families because there is extra storage space and a garden for children to play in.
• There is terraced housing in the centre middleground. This kind of housing is often inhabited by old people and these older houses often have poor insulation.
• There is a modern apartment complex in the left middleground. Such apartments tend to be popular with young professionals who like living close to the central business district where they work.
2. Galway serves a transport function
• The city was built around a natural bridging point at the mouth of the River Corrib. A bridge can be seen spanning a narrow part of the river in the centre middleground.
• There is a quay area on the river in the right middleground. The river can be used to transport goods from the city either upstream or along the coast.
• There is off-street car-parking in the right foreground. This allows consumers and business people to access services available in the city by car.
3. Galway acts as a service centre
• There is a large church in the centre-middleground. People can use the church for religious ceremonies such as mass and funerals.
• There is a large college in the right background. Students can attend this college and do degrees.
• There is a retail street in the centre-middleground. Consumers can visit here to purchase goods such as clothes and groceries.
OPTIONS - 80 marks
Those taking the Ordinary Level paper will not be examined on this part of the course.
Higher Level students are required to study one of the following four options:
➤ Global interdependence
➤ Geoecology
➤ Culture and identity
➤ The atmosphere-ocean environment
Within each option there are three essay questions and you must do one of them. You should allow 35 minutes for this question. The structure of your essay is very important. At the beginning of your answer set out what the three or four ‘aspects’ of your answer are going to be. It’s best to try to identify four aspects within your answer. Think of each aspect as a mini-essay within the larger essay. If you have identified four aspects then you will need to provide six SRPs for each of your four aspects to gain full marks. If you have identified three aspects then you will need to provide eight SRPs for each of these aspects in order to secure full marks.
2010 Question 16 - Geoecology option Examine the influence of climate on the characteristics of one biome that you have studied. (80m)
ASPECT 1: Soils in the hot desert biome are very dry because rainfall rates in these high pressure areas are below 250mm per annum.
1. The surface of the soils are baked into a hard crust by the
sun. Aridsols are a pale colour as the scarcity of vegetation means there is a low humus content in these soils.
2. Aridsols are affected by the process of calcification where the high rates of evaporation lead to a build-up of calcium carbonate at the surface of the soil.
3. In Death Valley, California, a lake formed during the Ice Age and later evaporated away leaving behind an infertile salt pan.
4. In the Sahel Region in Africa fertile soils are being turned barren in the process of desertification. Where farmers use irrigation in this hot climate evaporation draws salts into the O horizon turning them infertile through the process of soil salinization.
5. Soils are very thin as the scarcity of water means chemical
weathering of the bedrock is very slow since water is needed as a solution for chemical reactions to take place. 6. When rains do fall they tend to be thundery downpours. Flash flooding along river valleys can lead to gully erosion of soils.
ASPECT 2: Plants have adapted to survive in this biome where temperatures average 28˚C.
1. The cactus uses its trunk to store water after rainfall. It has grooves that allow it to expand and contract.
2. The cactus has shallow radial roots that spread over a large area to capture as much moisture as possible.
3. To retain moisture the cactus has a waxy surface to reduce moisture loss through transpiration.
4. Its seeds have a hard coating that allows them survive years without water. After rainfall the seeds then germinate. 5. The creosote bush has deep tap roots that can access water in ground aquifers. Its tar acts as a fire retardant. 6. Ephemerals such as the Desert Daisy have a very short life cycle to coincide with times of rain. They produce hardy seeds that can lay dormant until the next wet period.
ASPECT 3: Animals in this biome have adapted to the arid climate where diurnal temperature range can be up to 25˚C. 1. The jack rabbit has large ears which it uses to cool its body temperature when in the shade.
2. The camel stores fat in its humps and can drink 200 litres of water in 3 minutes. This allows it to go without food or water for weeks.
3. The camel can close its nostrils and has long eyelashes and an extra eyelid that it can use to remove sand from its eye. These adaptations allow camels to survive sandstorms. 4. The camel has thick pads on its feet that allow it to walk on the hot desert sands. Its coat is a light colour to reflect sunlight. Its long legs keep its body as far as possible from the ground where temperatures are highest. 5. Rattlesnakes secrete pellets of uric acid as a way of preserving scarce water within their bodies. 6. Roadrunners secrete excess salt through a gland near their eye; this conserves water by reducing the production of urine.
7. Desert toads burrow under the ground. The shade allows them to avoid the hot temperatures under the daytime sun. Many desert animals are nocturnal, this allows them to avoid the high daytime temperatures.