GCSE Geography Paper 3 Geographical Applications

Examination Details: GCSE Geography (Paper 3 Geographical applications). Dated Friday 14 June 2024, Morning session.
Time Allowed: $1\,hour\,30\,minutes$ .
Total Available Marks: $76$ marks.
Assessment of Quality: Spelling, punctuation, grammar (SPaG), and specialist terminology are specifically assessed in Questions 03 and 05.4.
Required Materials: Pre-release resources booklet, OS key insert, pencil, rubber, ruler, and a calculator.
Standard Definitions used in the paper:
- HIC: Higher Income Country.
- LIC: Lower Income Country.
- NEE: Newly Emerging Economy.

Housing Demand and Supply (2018):
- Comparison based on Figure 1: The National Housing Federation (NHF) set a housing demand figure of $340\,000$ homes.
- Examination of the difference between this demand and the actual supply for that year is required.
- Options provided: $A..100\,000$ , $B..110\,000$ , $C..120\,000$ , or $D..130\,000$ .
Economic Relationship (2019):
- Analysis of the trend between average house prices and average household income across England.
Brownfield Development:
- Definition/Function: Using previously developed land (often vacant or derelict) for new construction.
- Role in Regeneration: Analysis of how developing these sites can revitalize urban centers, utilize existing infrastructure, and reduce the need for Greenfield development.
Urban Sprawl Impacts:
- Definition: The unplanned, outwards expansion of urban areas into the surrounding countryside.
- Environmental Damages: Documentation of at least two negative impacts, such as loss of biodiversity, increased car dependency/emissions, or destruction of agricultural land.
Complexity of the Housing Challenge:
- Discussion point: "The housing challenge in England is not just about building more houses."
- Considerations: Affordability, quality of existing stock, infrastructure requirements, and social factors beyond simple supply volume.

Spatial Analysis (Figure 2):
- Location: Paddock Wood position relative to Tudeley Village (Directional options: East, North, South, West).
- Accessibility: Straight-line distance between Tonbridge railway station and the proposed Tudeley Village railway station (Options: $2\,km$ , $4\,km$ , $6\,km$ , $8\,km$ ).
Physical Geography Analysis:
- Local Relief: The elevation and shape of the land north of the Tonbridge to Paddock Wood railway line.
- Drainage: Features of water runoff and river systems in the specified area.
Development Attraction factors:
- Factors attracting residents: Proximity to transport (train stations), availability of green space, new build quality, or local employment opportunities.
Sustainability Evaluation (Figure 3):
- Definition of Sustainability: Living in a way that meets current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.
- Key perspectives: Analysis of social, economic, and environmental impacts of building a new large-scale settlement like Tudeley Village.

Investigation Hypothesis: "The cost of fares is the most important factor in encouraging the use of local bus services."
Data Sample: Interview results from $50$ local residents.
Customer Satisfaction Statistics (Figure 4):
- Cost of fares: Very poor: $16$ ; Poor: $21$ ; Reasonable: $13$ ; Good: $0$ ; Very good: $0$ .
- Availability: Very poor: $7$ ; Poor: $25$ ; Reasonable: $13$ ; Good: $5$ ; Very good: $0$ .
- Punctuality: Very poor: $16$ ; Poor: $13$ ; Reasonable: $17$ ; Good: $4$ ; Very good: $0$ .
- Cleanliness: Very poor: $0$ ; Poor: $8$ ; Reasonable: $29$ ; Good: $9$ ; Very good: $4$ .
Primary Motivations for Use:
- Cheaper fares: $23$ people.
- Increased frequency: $14$ people.
- Shorter journey times: $11$ people.
- Increased parking charges (for cars): $2$ people.
Methodology & Presentation:
- Statistical Calculation: Percentage of people rating cleanliness as "reasonable" is $\frac{29}{50} \times 100 = 58\%$ .
- Alternative Visualization Techniques: Options include Dispersion graphs, Divided bar charts, Line graphs, and Scattergraphs.

Functions Comparison (Figure 5):
- Old Industrial Estate: Includes car repairs/spraying, metal workshop, sand/gravel distribution, oil/coal distribution, wood workshop, and furniture retailer.
- Modern Business Park: Includes gym, computer services, business finance center, design center, parcel distribution, business call center, and secure storage.
Environmental Quality Survey (EQS) Scoring (0 to 5):
- Old Industrial Estate Scores: Attractiveness ( $2$ ), Maintenance ( $2$ ), Litter ( $2$ ), Vandalism ( $3$ ), Water Pollution ( $2$ ), Landscaping ( $1$ ). Total Score: $12$ . Mean Score: $2$ .
- Business Park Scores: Attractiveness ( $4$ ), Maintenance ( $4$ ), Litter ( $4$ ), Vandalism ( $3$ ), Water Pollution ( $4$ ), Landscaping ( $5$ ).
- Business Park Total: $4 + 4 + 4 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 24$ .
- Business Park Mean: $\frac{24}{6} = 4$ .
Data Presentation: Use of land use maps to represent spatial distribution of functions.

Investigation Hypothesis: "The velocity (speed) of a river increases downstream."
Methodology: Testing at three sites (A, B, and C) located $1\,km$ apart using the "floating ball" method over a $10\,m$ distance with $5$ repeats per site.
Raw Data Results (Time in seconds to travel $10\,m$ ):
- Site A (Upstream): $26$ , $24$ , $22$ , $24$ , $25$ .
- Site B: $22$ , $23$ , $18$ , $20$ , $24$ .
- Site C (Downstream): $20$ , $18$ , $20$ , $18$ , $19$ .
Velocity Calculation Formula:
- $\text{Average velocity (m/s)} = \frac{\text{Distance (10 m)}}{\text{Average time taken (s)}}$ .
Critique of Method: Floating a ball on the surface only measures surface velocity and ignores friction at the bed and banks; flow meters offer more accurate readings of total channel velocity.

Risk Assessment: Essential for identifying potential hazards (e.g., traffic, weather, water depth) and establishing mitigation strategies to ensure student safety.
Data Presentation Justification: Explaining why specific formats (e.g., proportional symbols, choropleth maps, or pie charts) are the most effective for illustrating specific geographical trends.
Data Collection Effectiveness: Critical assessment of whether the methods chosen (e.g., questionnaires, sediment sampling, or flow measurements) provided reliable and valid data.
Conclusion and Hypothesis Testing: Analyzing to what extent the gathered results support or refute the initial inquiry question based on the geographical evidence collected.