1 Edexcel A2 Geography Unit 3: Contested PlanetCameron Dunn Chief Examiner

2 SECTION A Question popularityEnergy security and water conflicts by far the most popular Bridging the Development Gap selected by stronger candidates? most polarised was The Technological Fix? – tended to be very good or very weak . Candidates - read ‘a’ and ‘b’ together; evidence that some ‘ran out of steam’ when they got to the ‘b’ 15 mark question.

3 Data stimulus – the 10 mark ‘a’ questionsSeveral issues to note: Some spent 60% of their time on the 10 mark ‘a’ and 40% of their time on the 15 mark ‘b’ never a good strategy. Overall, data stimulus skills were not very strong Important to recognise the skills required

4 Data stimulus issues Case studies and examples, rather than explaining the information on the Figure. Only explaining one part of the Figure, therefore a narrow and unbalanced response Describing rather than explaining (all 5 had ‘explain’ as the command). Long-winded introductions rather than getting on with the job. Too much time planning; extensive ‘Unit 4’ style plans Missing a key word e.g. environmental only in Q1a

5 Introductions? “As many nations in the world are reaching peak oil, such as Oman in 2000, it seems necessary to begin exploring and mining oil in environmentally sensitive areas to achieve global energy security. However to gain a reliable, affordable and stable energy supply of this sort there will be huge environmental and economic costs. “ Nice, but does it gain any marks? As context for a 15 mark part ‘b’ it would be good for a data stimulus it will waste time for many candidates. Add in description rather than explanation, and a long conclusion, and there is very little meat in the sandwich!

6 Section A - the 15 mark ‘b’ questions:Plan? Potentially a good idea in the ‘b’s. The example here is very simple but at least identifies a range of examples crucially the candidate has spotted the need to ‘evaluate success’.

7 Key tips for the ‘b’s Be prepared for ‘assess’ and ‘evaluate’; be balanced Address key words such as ‘global’ in Question 4b and ‘large scale’ in Question 2b 5-6 line summary that returns, directly, to the question. Use own ideas, examples and case studies. Range of examples i.e. two or more, rather than 1 big CS Don’t list 4 or 5 examples / case studies in descriptive fashion – “Another case study is…..”.

8 Specific questions: Q1 Energy securityIs there an expectation that every area on Figure 1 would be referred to? No, but there needs to be coverage sufficient to meet the demands of the question:

9 Answer space for Q1a Other issues:Answer grid From the question: From Figure 1 Environmental costs Economic costs Light oil / deep water Details of sensitive Arctic ecosystems; perhaps the ANWR High offshore costs in Shetland / Brazil; investment in rigs; access problems Heavy / unconventional Details of recovery methods for Canadian oil sands; water and gas use; impact of boreal forests High costs in Puntland – unstable area; very little infrastructure Other issues: Global warming – not really; the question does say ‘in the areas shown’ ‘My ANWR case study’ approach – often very good but a partial response Benefits e.g. for TNCs and ‘locals’ – read the question! Similar issues with political disputes in the Arctic (this could be made economic, but only with care) Please see Example 1, Q1a and 1b

10 Water conflicts The very popular water conflicts part ‘a’ was not always done well: ‘variations’ was often missed; only one class of area was discussed tendency to go straight into case study mode – usually California – rather than focus on map variations. Physical – always discussed but the factors were often human, not climate, related Economic water scarcity – always discussed, usually quite well No water scarcity – rarely discussed (even though its easy to explain) Future water scarcity – discussed by better candidates and related to climate change, por management, rising populations / demand “Figure 2 shows us water scarcity Figures from around the world, it can be seen by the figure 2 diagram that most physical water scarcity occurs near the equator”

11 Biodiveristy under threatAnswered fairly well but often in ‘a’: Patchy coverage of Figure – one column or one row picking issues from across Figure 3 was the best approach Drift from ecosystems into ‘water’ and ‘air pollution’ Goods understood better than services

12 In 3b many struggled to get global examples e.g. CITES “A second global action to protect biodiversity is the Debt for Nature programme. This allows developing countries to have some of their debt paid off by developed counties in return for them protecting their ecosytems e.g. rainforests in Brazil. The advantages of the debt for nature swap is that it allows countries to have a choice of cancelling their debt which will also help their economy. Another advantage is that it provides an incentive for countries who’s first priority may not be to protect their biodiversity. The disadvantage is that governments may mot use the debt cancellation for the reason it has been provided. It is hard to enforce. In conclusion it is evident that there are global actions in place to protect biodiversity, that have both advantages and disadvantages. The global action which has the most success of protecting biodiversity is the debt for nature swap as it is actually protecting biodiversity now and is trying to improve the situation, whereas the global seed bank on Svalbard will only be of use once biodiversity has degraded past the point of protection.” In ‘b’ the issue was one that also appeared in Q4b – the global focus of the question. In 3b many struggled to get global examples e.g. CITES World Heritage sites Biosphere reserves /Biodiversity action plans Hotspots / ecoregions Many answers were very local (Korup, SMMA, GBR) and there was no attempt to put these local examples in a global context. Also needed a focus on success.

13 Bridging the development gapA common style of answer to 4a (part): “These indicators are mostly powered by money, backed up by the USA placed highly. Kenyans have significantly lower life expectancy, not breaking 60, primarily due to a lower quality of healthcare and working conditions. Farming and other labour work is very common, a reason why Kenya is low on the HDI as work takes priority over schooling and isn’t a very good earner. However, in terms of income equality Kenya are in the average bracket due to a large proportion of working in the lower end jobs. This prevents as big of a fluctuation when the higher earners are taken into account”

14 4b: Unpick the question: Example (part)“Another type of global organisation that can make a difference are TNCs These massive, multi-billion pound companies (e.g. Nike, Toyota, HSBC) can provide many economic and social improvements. The FDI and investment that TNCs bring to developing countries can help to improve trade and production in countries. Also, they create employment on a large scale. Despite this, TNCs are very footloose and could leave at any time, which means development may not be sustainable in the long-term. Also they are seen as exploitative, giving workers poor pay, conditions and long hours. Despite this, due to rules, regulation and overall improvements due to consumer pressure TNCs are becoming more ethical and as a results could provide sustainable, decent paid work which creates a positive multiplier and helps narrow the gap. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are another type of global organisation that are key players. Global NGOs such as Oxfam provide aid that is directly invested into the people, rather than through corrupt governments. This is often aid aimed at helping local people, rather than the whole country. However this aid is only on a small scale and will not get whole countries out of a cycle of poverty. Also some corrupt governments do not even let charities and aid groups into their country, for example Zimbabwe. In conclusion, there are many global groups with different levels of power that can help to close the development gap. However they can also hinder developments and create dependency, which mean not all organisations are ideal to close the gap.”

15 The Technological Fix? The L3 mark scheme band could be achieved by only covering some two of the three technologies in Figure 5 and some used of own knowledge E.g. G.R. technology could have been details of environmental issues such as eutrophication

16 5a answer space Human Wellbeing Ecosystem wellbeing Organic+ Possible health benefits; employment - Low yields – can it ‘feed the world’? + Low or no farm chemical input therefore the best for surrounding biodiversity GM + High yields (or perhaps not?) - Health risk (unproven) - Monoculture; eutrophication; debate over ‘gene jumping’ Hydroponic + High yields, therefore potential to feed people - High set up costs – not suitable for developing world? + Low water input therefore reduced water stress - High energy inputs; implications for fossil fuel use Green Revolution (own knowledge) + Increased food production; has allowed food supply to keep pace - Socio-economic polarization - Environmental issues similar to GM; especially high water demand and associated issues. Please see Example 2, Q5a and 5b

17 Unit 3 Contested Planet - SECTION BSynopticity in Geography is often not very well understood by students. It means: Making links between different topics within a Unit, and between Units Using the three Unit 3 themes – players, actions and futures. Linking a situation to a global theme such as climate change, globalisation or the development gap. Using models and theories Comparing one situation to another – sometimes called using parallel examples. It’s very important to use the pre-release phase to prepare students to enable them to do this in the exam

18 The dangers of under preparationCovered in slums and shanty towns: Seconds away from imminent destruction: Equatorial Sandy, like Oxwich There is a danger of over-preparation of course………

19 Preparation activitiesTeacher led Understanding key words and Figures in the Resources Booklet Adding some geographical background and context Explaining key concepts; links to models and theories Group work Theme’ and ‘issue’ spotting (eco / soc / env / pol); Players, actions and futures Links to other areas of the course (esp Unit 1 and 3) – spider diagrams Views analysis, conflict matrices, comparing options in tables Individual Exploring the websites Researching parallel examples Contextual reading on the locations, issues, management styles etc Please look at the Jan 2010 resources

20 Being synoptic: …through research: 6b)“Research on UAEinteract.com showed that government policy on coastal development in Dubai and Abu Dhabi is to split the coast into four zones, once of which is an area where developments will always be allowed, and one where development is strictly prohibited. Even with this compromise the environment will suffer greatly from urbanisation of coastal areas. “ 6b) “Dubai is currently building 11 new golf courses. Each course will require 1,000,000 cubic metres of water per year, this in turn creates water demand in an area of increasing water scarcity.”

21 Being synoptic …by linking to another Unit: 6b)…by linking to another Unit: 6b) “Rising sea levels predicted by the IPCC would affect the coastal environment of the UAE because so much of the recent development of marinas and housing has been done on the low lying coast.” ..by linking to a global theme: 6a) “The UAE in particular has benefitted from the trend towards a shrinking world and increased global connections, which has quickened in the last few years due to much faster, bigger aircraft like the A380 and the development of the internet. Developments like this have allowed the region to become a global hub.”

22 Being synoptic …by linking to a view or concept:….by using a parallel example: 6a) “Free trade zones were also a very important factor in China’s development since they were first opened in the Pearl River delta in The UAE may be trying to learn from China’s rapid economic growth and copyist ideas.” …by linking to a view or concept: 6c) “In conclusion growing economic power will lead to greater political and social tensions in the small gulf states. With neo-liberalist economic views dominating, the region is not taking into account the social effects of economic power expansion.” 6a) “The Gulf States have tried to follow the Rostow development model by breaking free of just exporting oil and gas and moving towards a high mass consumption economy. They have done with by investing in infrastructure (to achieve take-off) to attract TNCs in technology, business and leisure and tourism to diversify their economies.”

23 Dangers? Too much synopticity can be a problem very occasionally an answer was seen which made almost no reference to the Small Gulf States / Resource booklet. These answers tended to focus on Russia and China and take the ‘parallel example’ idea too far. Some examples used to try and be synoptic are ‘forced’ and not convincing such as ‘The UAE are very similar to Ainsdale sand dunes in many ways…..” Burj Khalifa Ainsdale sand dunes

24 Planning A good idea for Section B because:The questions may not be as expected Key words such as factors, impacts, consequences – are important time needs to be spent structuring an answer. There are likely to be questions where balance is important e.g. ‘social and political’ and a plan gives candidates a chance to spot this

25 Jan 2010 questions