Exam skills: Paper 3

Paper 3

Paper 3, Geographical applications, takes 1 hour 30 minutes and is worth 76 marks, 30% of the GCSE, including 6 for SPaG. Answer every question.

Section	Marks	What
	37	Questions on the pre-release booklet, ending with a decision
	39	Questions on unfamiliar fieldwork, then on your own two enquiries

Allow about a minute and a bit per mark. The longest answers:

Question	Marks	AOs	Time
The decision	9 + 3 SPaG	AO3, AO4	about 15 minutes
Unfamiliar fieldwork	6	AO3, AO4	about 8 minutes
Your fieldwork	6	AO3, AO4	about 8 minutes
Your fieldwork, "to what extent"	9 + 3 SPaG	AO3	about 13 minutes

Key terms

The decision question

Practice booklet, written for this app: an energy company wants to build wind turbines on Harrow Fell, an invented upland area popular with walkers. Three options:

12 turbines on the ridge, enough for thousands of homes.
Option 2: 6 smaller turbines, away from the viewpoint.
Option 3: no turbines; solar panels on village roofs instead.

The booklet shows that tourism employs half the valley's workers, and that a farmer would earn rent from the turbines. A conservation group opposes building on the ridge.

Question: Which option do you think is best? Use evidence from the booklet and your own understanding. [9 marks + 3 SPaG]

Key terms

A model answer

Model paragraph (written for this app):

I think is best, because it balances renewable energy with the valley's tourism. The booklet shows that tourism employs half the valley's workers, so turbines that spoil the view from the ridge could cost jobs, as visitors come for the scenery. Six smaller turbines, away from the viewpoint, would still cut carbon emissions and earn the farmer rent, helping a rural economy where farm incomes are often low. Option 3 protects the landscape, but village roofs could supply far less energy. Option 1 produces the most, but the conservation group's objection shows it would cause most conflict. So Option 2 is the most , socially, economically and environmentally.

To reach the top level, a detailed and well-balanced answer uses evidence throughout, considers the other options, and reaches a clear, justified conclusion.

Key terms

Questions on fieldwork

the paper shows someone else's enquiry: its question, methods and data. You may be asked to:

read and complete a graph or table, or calculate a median or IQR;
suggest why a method or sampling strategy was suitable, or not;
analyse the data, or say whether it supports a hypothesis.

you write your enquiry titles in the paper. Questions ask you to a method, explain how you presented data, or evaluate how far your conclusions were reliable. Use specific details from your own enquiry: places, numbers and results.

Exam tip

Learn each of your two enquiries: its title, , location, methods, results and .

Key terms

Exam practice

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

6 marks · about 6 minutes

For one of your fieldwork enquiries, justify one method of primary data collection you used.

Justify means: Give reasons and evidence to support a choice or a decision.

Level 1 (Basic)· 2/6 marks (band 1–2)

We did an environmental quality survey. We gave each place a score. It was a good method.

Why this level: Names a method but doesn't explain how it was done or why it suited the enquiry. To reach Level 2: describe the method and link it to the hypothesis. In the exam, use the details of your own enquiry.

Level 2 (Clear)· 4/6 marks (band 3–4)

We used an environmental quality survey, scoring ten things, such as litter, noise and green space, from 1 to 5 at each of 22 sites. It suited our hypothesis, that quality improves away from the town centre, because it turned each site into a score out of 50 that could be compared.

Why this level: Clear description of the method, linked to the hypothesis. To reach Level 3: explain how it was made reliable and include a limitation. In the exam, use the details of your own enquiry.

Level 3 (Detailed)· 6/6 marks (band 5–6)

We used an environmental quality survey, scoring ten things, such as litter, noise, traffic and green space, from 1 to 5 at each of 22 sites along a line out of the town centre. It suited our hypothesis, that environmental quality improves away from the town centre, because it turned each site into a score out of 50, so sites could be compared and plotted against distance. Using the same survey sheet and criteria at every site made it fair, so the scores could be compared. However, scoring is subjective, so two people might score the same site differently, and it only shows the site at the time of the visit.

Why this level: Detailed description of the method, a clear justification linked to the hypothesis, steps for reliability and a limitation. This is Level 3. In the exam, use the details of your own enquiry.

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