Past Papers are available free of charge from the AQA Website

http://www.aqa.org.uk/qual/gcse/geo_a_assess.php

The mark schemes are on the website so you can mark them yourself. Alternatively bring them to a geography teacher and they will mark them for you.

Some of the images are missing on the website. We have the original past papers with images in the Geography Office.

When revise in you must revise the following topics:

• Geographical Skills (mapwork)
• Agriculture
• Settlement
• Managing Resources
• Rivers
• Ecosystems
• Glaciation

Any questions; ask your geography teacher!

I have found an online glaciation test at:

http://geographyfieldwork.com/TestGlaciationIntro.htm

The highest mark I have got so far is a B; if any one gets an A bring me proof and they will get a prize.

You may need to look up some of the key words in a dictionary as it is a bit more detailed than we need to know.

1. Precipitation (snow)

2. Fresh snow and ice starts to compact at the top of the glacier. Avalanches also occur at the top of the mountain.

3. Store – of ice

4. Flow – glacier moves downhill

5. Output – in the form of evaporated water or as melt water which runs off to flow into rivers / lakes etc…

Definitions:

• Moraine – material such as rocks and boulders that are transported by the glacier in the ice.
• Erratics – rocks and boulders transported by the glacier and deposited in an area of different rock. They can, therefore, easily be seen to be different from the rocks around them.

Agribusiness - farms operated by large companies, e.g. Findus, Bird’s Eye.

Appropriate Technology – technology that is appropriate to the needs, skills, knowledge and wealth of the people.

Arable – growing of crops, e.g. wheat, barely.

Biodiversity - a rich range of plants and animals.

Cash Crops – crops that are grown to be sold for profit.

Chagra  – a clearing in the Amazon rainforest.

Climate – the average weather conditions of an area.

Commercial – the sale of farm products for profit.

Double or Multiple Cropping – Where two or more crops are produced on the same land in one year.

Eutrophication – the loss of oxygen in streams and lakes, caused by chemical pollution.

Extensive Farm- Farm system with low inputs and outputs per land area, usually practised over a large total area, e.g. hill sheep farming in Wales.

Green Revolution – Large increase in food production due to the introduction of new, high-yielding varieties of seeds.

High-tech Farming – Using modern machinery and computers to farm.

High-yielding Varieties (HYV) – Crops that have been specially developed to produce very high yields, e.g. IR8 rice.

Inbye- The flatter land close to the farm in the valley floor in hill sheep areas.

Inputs – Physical and human raw materials that go into a farming system.

Intensive Farm – Farm system with high inputs and outputs per land area, usually practised on a small area of land, e.g. market gardening in Kent, rice growing in Asia.

Irrigation – The artificial watering of land, using sprinklers, canals, sprays, etc.

Mixed Farm – Single farm where crops are grown and animals also reared.

Outputs - The end products of a farm system.

Pastoral – The rearing of animals.

Processes – Activities required to turn inputs into outputs.

Relief – The height and shape of the land.

Salinization – Increase in the salt content in soils due to overuse of irrigation water.

Self-sufficient – When people can produce all the foodstuffs they need.

Soil Erosion- Loss of topsoil through erosion by wind and water.

Soil – The thin layer of weathered material and organic matter on the land surface.

Staple Crop – Main food crop, e.g. rice in Bangladesh.

It is important to know the key words for GCSE Geography; below are the words and definitions you should know for the Settlement Unit. You should use this list to create flash cards or to get someone to quiz you.

Bridging Point- Settlement located where a river is forded or bridged.

Burgess Model -A model of urban structure for towns in MEDCs.

Catchement Area - The area that is served by a particular school, shop or settlement.

Central Business District (CBD) – The heart of a city where the financial and business interests are (shops, offices, entertainment).

Commuter or Dormitory Village - Settlement on the edge of a town or city.

Comparison Goods – Goods that are expensive and bought less frequently, e.g. furniture.

Convience Goods – Goods that are cheap and bought frequently, e.g. papres, food.

Core (of the CBD) - The heart of the CBD where the large department stores are located.

Decentralisation - Outward movement of shops and offices from the CBD to the suburbs.

Dry-Point Site – Site of a settlement which avoids land that is likely to flood, e.g. a gravel mound or side of a valley.

Frame (of the CBD)- The outer area of the CBD with smaller shops and offices.

Green Belt- Land around a large town or city which is protected from development, in order to halt the expansion of the town into the country side.

Hinterland – The area surrounding a settlemtn, port, etc.

Hoyt’s Model – A model of urban structure for towns in MEDCs.

Industrial Estate – Zone of light industry often on the edge of a town.

Informal Sector - In LEDCs many people work in the informal sector as shoe-shine boys, servants, etc.

Inner City – The urban zone of MEDCs outside the CBD – a zone of mixed land use.

Megacity - City with over five million people.

Millionaiare City – City with over one million people.

Morphology – Arrangement of land uses in an urban area, usually in distinct zones.

Periferia - Housing zone in Sao Paulo where shanty towns have been upgraded.

Recreational Facilities – Sports fields, clubs and leisure complexes.

Route Focus - Where many communication routes (roads, railways) meet.

Self-Help Scheme- People in shanty towns in LEDCs are given basic services by the government, and some of the means to build their own homes.

Site- Land on which a settlement is built.

Situation - Settlement in relation to its surrounding area.

Suburb – Mainly residential area outside the innter city of an MEDC.

Urban Land Use - Use of the land in towns and ciites.

Wet-point Site - Place where a settlement is close to a water supply such as a spring on a chalk escarpment.

Zone - Area where land uses are similar.

When revise in you must revise the following topics:

• Geographical Skills (mapwork)
• Agriculture
• Settlement
• Managing Resources
• Rivers
• Ecosystems
• Glaciation

Any questions; ask your geography teacher!

This website has some revision video podcasts. These have been created specifically for GCSE Geography and are a good (and fairly painless) way to learn case study material. If you don’t have a video mp3 player your can watch them on your computer.

 This doesn’t mean you can use your Ipod in lessons though!

This blog has been set up to provide a easy way to find different resources to help you revise for your GCSE Geography Examination in June. Check back for regular updates!