Issue evaluation

The pre-release booklet

Section A of Paper 3 is an : a real geographical issue, such as whether a new reservoir or housing estate should be built.

AQA sends your school a about the issue 12 weeks before the exam. It has maps, photos, data, news articles and people's views.
You study it in class. In the exam, you get a clean copy: you can't take your own notes in.
The questions test what you can do with the booklet, and link it to topics you have studied.

The real booklet is confidential until the exam, so this app never shows it. Instead, it gives you practice booklets written for this app, to learn the method.

Key terms

A 12-week plan

Weeks	What to do
1–2	Read every figure. Note what each shows, and look up any new words
3–4	, the people and groups involved, and what each thinks, and why
5–6	Link each part to the specification: which topics (such as rivers, urban change or energy) does it draw on? Revise them
7–8	, with the advantages and disadvantages of each, for people, the economy and the environment
9–10	Practise each question style: reading figures, short answers and 6-mark answers
11–12	Practise the decision question in timed conditions, and decide which option you would choose

Key terms

Weighing options and deciding

There is no right answer: the marks are for how well you your decision.

Choose one option clearly, and say so at the start.
Support it with evidence from the booklet: quote figures, data and views ("Figure 4 shows…").
Add your own knowledge, from topics and case studies you have studied.
who gains and who loses?
social, economic and environmental effects, now and in the future.
, using evidence.
Conclude: sum up why your choice is the best.

Key terms

Exam practice

Plan your own answer first, then open the model answers to see what each level looks like.

4 marks · about 4 minutes

Explain why stakeholders often disagree about a proposed development.

Explain means: Give the reasons why something happens, developing each point with "because" or "so".

Level 1 (Basic)· 2/4 marks (band 1–2)

People disagree because they want different things. Some people want jobs and others want to protect nature.

Why this level: A correct basic idea with a simple example. To reach Level 2: explain why stakeholders' interests differ, including who gains and who loses, and short-term v long-term views.

Level 2 (Clear)· 4/4 marks (band 3–4)

Stakeholders want different things: a business owner may want the jobs and trade a development brings, while a conservation group wants to protect wildlife and the landscape. The gains and losses also fall on different people, so those who would lose their land, homes or view oppose a scheme that benefits others. Some care most about the short term, such as jobs now, and others about the long term, such as the environment.

Why this level: Clear, developed reasons for disagreement, each with an example. Full marks.

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