Geography questions

sternn

It has come to my attention that I constantly do not get enough SRP's in most of my questions, even using the book and other notes!!! Is this a problem with anyone else??
I seem to be always lacking just 1 or 2, which automatically takes away 2 marks for overall cohesian....so what is an A answer ends up being a B because Im lacking that final point. How do you guys do when it comes to getting the SRP's? Is there any specific method you have to getting the right SRP's?
Sometimes I dont even know when I have written one....but one big problem I will have for the exam is TIMING!!!

analyse this

relate each point to the question. always bring it back to what the question is asking you to answer.

sternn

I usually do relate to the question...

Here's an example of 1 of my questions.

Q: Examine how humans interact with the rock cycle in the case of one of the following...mining, quarrying, oil/gas exploration etc.... (30 Marks)

A: Quarrying is the process whereby rock is blasted from quarry faces or excavated from the ground and prepaired for the construction industry. Most buildings are made from rock such as limestone, granite or sandstone. Rocks are also used in rock compounds such as concrete blocks or clay bricks. There are different types of methods by which rocks are excavated. The plug and feather method is drilling holes in huge rocks using steel rods to split the rock into skibs. To remove huge masses of rock, they use explosives to separate the rock from rock faces. This rock is then cut into the sizes necessary for use.
The use of rocks goes all the way back to the Stone Agge. The people of that time (Neolithic, Paledithic, Mesolithic) used stone tools such as axes, chizzels and grinders. The iron age people used stone as their foundation for their forts and lake-side crannog settlements. They also extracted metal from stone to manufacture their weapons of iron. This shows that some form of quarrying has been happening for thousands of years.
Ireland currently has over 200 active pits and quarrys. The two main quarrying companies in Ireland anre Roadstone (Co. Clare) and ReadyMix (Co. Offaly). Quarrying has a huge economic impact on Ireland, as there is a requirement for rocks for the construction of over 40,000 houses a year on average. The construction industry directly emplys 90,000 people. However, there are also negative impacts. Airborn dust from quarrys can affect nearby homes and farmland. It also can cause silt to enter rivers which could affect water quality and fish spawning grounds.

I got 22 for this...any pointers? (if your bothered to read it!!)

boger

when your in ure exam just work out in your head how many srps you nned e.g 30mks = 13 srps and 4 mks for cohesion,

sternn

We have been told to do 12 srp's and 6 for oc....

spurious

Is your teacher an experienced corrector?

The number of SRPs required for each q is clearly set out in the marking schemes, available on the SEC's site.

sternn

Just checked it now...all the 30 mark questions have 6 for oc...so my teacher is right then!
I just sometimes find it difficult to get the right amount of points.

genericgoon

Write more loads more! WHile in truth you probably can fit all your SRPs into a couple of paragraphs theres no harm in making sure and adding a couple of extra points in just in case.

analyse this

Aim for 13 points for a thirty mark question, even though you only need 12 relevant points. For a thirty mark question you should spend no longer than thirteen minutes at it. For a 20 mark question- 8 mins.

looloo27

You said wtite loads more but you only have 12 minutes max for those 30 marks question. How long should it be. i'd say 1 1/2 to 2 a4 pages but im not really sure

blondie07

someone tell me if this is totally insane: iv decided that for the physical geography question, to just do rivers, coasts, and glaciers. iv had a look over the rest of the unit to cover me for the short questions but is this a really big gamble to take? id just prefer to concentrate on my option and elective since it seems fairly likely that there will be a question on surface processes. comments?

estebancambias

Yeah, that's what im doing only im concentrating on volcanos. In my opinion, unless you have worked throughout the 2 years, gambling on questions is the only policy.

sternn

blondie07 wrote:

someone tell me if this is totally insane: iv decided that for the physical geography question, to just do rivers, coasts, and glaciers. iv had a look over the rest of the unit to cover me for the short questions but is this a really big gamble to take? id just prefer to concentrate on my option and elective since it seems fairly likely that there will be a question on surface processes. comments?

Im not taking ANY gambles to be honest in the exam. However, only doing rivers, coasts and glaciers is a huge gamble.
Firstly: You are only required to study 1 of those in detail for the exam
Secondly: Its not written in stone that 1 of these will come up as a full question, but it did in 2006 Q2. Unlikely to happen this time round.

So honestly, i dont think it is advisable...but at this stage you may have no other option