Geo paper 4 By Carol Dandira

1. CBD and RESIDENTIAL AREA

PAPER 4 STUFF
DISTRIBUTION: D.L.C.P. method
Density:
close together: Clustered / group / together / close to each other / next to other food places
/ unevenly distributed

Far from each other: scattered

Location:
State the places e.g. name of street/road/avenue etc the place is found. E.g if you are asked
to describe the distribution of supermarkets, state the e.g. name of streets they are located.

Cardinal points:
north, north east, north west, south east, south, south west, west.

Pattern:
Linear, nucleated, radial, dispersed

Sample answer:
Density: clustered / group / together / close to each other / next to other food places /
unevenly distributed
Location: Located on Swan Lane / Castle Meadow Lane / Orford Place / Castle St East side
Cardinal points: North, east, south
Pattern: Linear

Types of data:
primary data: obtained It directly by yourself eg, interviewing people then obtaining
information directly from them.

Secondary data: Collected from other sources/collected by others / already available / not
collected by self / second hand (1) e.g. books / internet / data table / newspaper / documents (1)
instead of interviewing people by yourself, you get the interview dialogues from
newspapers.
Sampling types:
Stratified:
Human experiments: Ask people from different age groups / male and female / socio-
economic groups. Proportionate number from each age group / gender

 Will get people from different age groups (1) Will get people from different genders (1) Will
get people from different socio-economic groups (1)

Systematic:
collecting data in an ordered or regular way, eg every 5 metres or every fifth person.

Random: no pattern in choosing people Use random number table to generate an order to ask
people

Questionnaires:
Problems faced when completing questionnaire survey: )
People refusing to answer questions / too busy / rude / aggressive
Not enough people to complete the questionnaire
Different students asking the same people
Getting an appropriate age range to make sample representative / working out age of people
People giving incorrect / too vague answer
Not enough time to complete survey
Possible answers for “other reasons” section on a questionnaire e.g. answers that
could be included in the ‘Other reason’ category for reasons for shopping in a city
centre:
Good security / safe
Accessible by public transport / good public transport links / easy to get to
Landscaping / attractive environment
Good facilities for children
Entertainment attractions e.g. cinema, restaurant
Came with friend / relatives
Near pick up point of children from school
Reasonable prices / cheap
High order goods available / big stores / specialist / high quality
Sales
Convenient opening hours / long hours
Good customer service
Accept different currencies
Banks / solicitors are there
Near to home
Near to work
Traffic-free area for shopping
Lots of parking space
Wide variety of shops
Sphere of influence experiment:
Questionnaire / interview or survey people shopping in the area / ask shoppers or customers
/ ask questions outside different shops
Tick off on questionnaire / mark on map / Question: Where do you live?
Plot locations where shoppers came from on a map
Draw desire lines / flow lines of where customers come from / flow diagram
Draw a boundary around the plots to show sphere of influence / catchment area
Reasons for pilot survey:

Opportunity to test descriptions are appropriate (1) Opportunity to test that all features are covered
in survey (1) Practise/improve methodology/know what to do (1) Check consistency of applying
scoring criteria (1)

Using a recording sheet:

Filled in/circled the location (1) Look at/observe each feature (1) Made a decision/give opinion about
the score for each category (1) Put a tick/record/give score/mark in the appropriate row/box (1) Add
up/work out total in column (1)

Organization of students for accurate results:

Work in groups (1) So other students check scores (1) Makes results less subjective /
biased/consistent/can take an average (1) Go to different areas (1) So they survey as many roads as
possible in each area (1) Gives a larger sample (1) Makes efficient use of time (1) Do surveys on same
day / at same time / under same conditions (1) So comparisons between areas more consistent (1)

WAYS OF IMPROVING PARKING IN INNER CITIES:

Create more off-road parking areas / car parks/multi-storey parking / underground parking or
garaging (1) Create permit parking system/residents reserved spaces

WAYS OF IMPROVING TRAFFIC PROBLEMS IN INNER CITIES:

Build by-pass / ring road / one way system/flyover (1) Exclude heavy vehicles from residential areas
(1) Congestion level charging at peak times of day (1) Better public transport/bus lanes (1) Odd/even
number plates on different days (1) Cycle lanes (1) Car sharing (1)

why building height varies in different areas of a city:

Value of land increases where there is limited amount Higher value land / higher price land / higher
cost of land requires higher buildings Limited amount of land / higher land price / competition for
space means buildings must grow upwards OR more space so buildings are lower. Different land uses
/ examples of two land uses

Why does land-use vary in different parts of a city?

Growth of city spatially Development of city over time Transport links – road / rail / air / river /
accessibility Competition for land / bid rent Cost of land / cheaper out of city Availability of land /
amount of space Relief / flood plain Wind direction Planning policy Close to raw material for industry
/ mining subsidence

Accuracy for land use in CBD experiment:

Bigger sample size than 6 buildings for number of storeys, More transects to cover larger area of
city ,More data collection points than 4 along each transect, Extend transect further out, Only collect
one set of building heights in CBD, Record land use in upper storeys, Have more than 5 land use
categories, Do a pilot survey, Check where there is an anomaly

FEATURES THAT COULD BE USED TO FIND THE CENTRE OF THE CBD:

Major road junction / bus station /railway station / most traffic

Peak land value point / highest land value

Historic building or site e.g. church / square / monument / oldest building

Town hall / government buildings

ADVANTAGES OF COUNTING PEDESTRIANS AT 30 POINTS FROM 9:00 TO 9:20 ON THE SAME DAY

20 minutes is long enough to give a reasonable result / fair test

Students will not get bored of longer time

Consistency / greater reliability of results because all counts done at same time

All done at once / fieldwork completed quickly

QUESTION: complete the isoline that shows 100 pedestrians. On fig 5

ANSWER: **The digits smaller than 100 should be outside the isoline, whereas those bigger should
be inside**
Question: shade the area where the number of pedestrians recorded was between 150 and 200.
Answer:

What conclusion would the students make to Hypothesis 1: Pedestrian flow decreases away from
the centre of the CBD? Support your answer with evidence from Fig. 5.

Hypothesis is true / pedestrian flow does decrease – 1 mark reserve Detailed / accurate comparison:
Over 200 at centre and less than 50 at the edge = 2 marks Over 200 at centre and 102 at 0.5km = 2
marks

The market, which is shown on Fig. 5, was closed on the day when the students did the pedestrian
count. What would be the effect of the market being open on the number of pedestrians counted
at the two survey sites nearest to the market?

Pedestrian number would increase.

reasons why the number of pedestrians may vary between different areas of the city
Reasons must link to more / many or less / few people: Shopping centre / shops / services Bus
station / railway station Tourist / entertainment attractions / historic attractions / parks Offices /
workplaces / industries / businesses Housing (e.g. high rise blocks of flats) Pedestrianised zone

why counting the number of storeys is an appropriate method of measuring the height of
buildings.

Easy / quick to count number of storey (than measure height) Difficult to measure actual height of
tall buildings Each storey is approximately same height More storeys the higher the building will be

reasons why building heights vary within an urban area.

Cost of land / higher costs = taller buildings

Competition for / availability of land for building / less space = taller buildings

Proximity to transport routes / e.g. taller buildings near motorway

Ages of buildings / historical areas are lower

New developments of high-rise offices or apartments

Building regulations / laws restricting building height

Different land uses / examples of two land uses

Accuracy when investigating Pedestrian flows:

Do survey later in the day / different times of day More survey locations Do survey on a non-work
day / weekend More students at each location to check accuracy Use of counters / ‘clickers’ Ensure
each pair has watch / stopwatch for accurate timing

Accuracy when investigating Average building heights:

More than 10 / all buildings at each sample point More data collection locations More students at
each location to check accuracy Obtain secondary data of building heights Measure height of
buildings using trigonometry

Why is it inappropriate to collect data from family members?:

Answers may be biased (1) Answers would be similar/from same area/not representative (1)
Students already know the answers (1) Inappropriate / unbalanced age/income structure (1) Would
involve least effort by student (1)

Why did their teacher also suggest that they should ask the question ‘Have you migrated to Saudi
Arabia to get a job?’ before using the questionnaire?:

Students only want to ask migrants who have come to work (1) Migrants may have moved for other
reasons than work (1) Hypothesis/questionnaire is for migrants (1) Many people they approach will
not be migrants (1) Not waste time (1) To introduce purpose of questionnaire (1)

Advantages of a flow line map:

(Arrows) shows direction of movement (1) (Width of base/start of arrow) shows number/how many
migrants move (1) Arrows taper to a point so they don’t overlap (1)

Problems of increase in population size on:

Local people: Crime/ anti-social behaviour

Traffic congestion/ lots of traffic / danger from traffic

Rise in house prices /expensive house prices / unable to buy a house locally / not enough houses

Traffic noise/ noisy residents

Decrease in community spirit Pressure on community facilities / schools / surgery etc.

Local environment: Destruction of fields / vegetation/forests / farmland Loss of habitats /reduction

in wildlife

Air pollution

Pollution of rivers /water pollution

Noise scaring animals

Litter eaten by animals

how they could use the map and carry out fieldwork to show changes to the village:

Get a new map Compare land use in (year1)/ present-day village/present-day map with (year2) map
Identify changes in building or land use/ e.g. shop or post office to housing Plot new houses /
shops /new buildings /roads on the map Label/ classify / colour-code different types of land use or
old and new buildings /overlay new map on old map Photos of new developments
 2. WEATHER PAPER 4 STUFF
Stevenson Screen: •the Stevenson Screen
•slatted sides to allow air flow
•painted white to reflect sun’s heat
•double roof to protect form sun’s heat
•raised 125cm above the ground to avoid effects of ground surface and heat
•private area so animals can’t hack the results
•open external space to avoid influence e.g heat from buildings
 Screen is painted white…so that it reflects heat or sunlight / reduces
direct heating by the sun / does not absorb sunlight Sides are made of slats / louvres / have spaces /
gaps / not solid…so that air can circulate Screen / box is made of wood...so that heat is not
conducted into it Roof is made of a double layer of wood…so that airspace provides insulation
Screen stands more than 1m / raised on legs above the ground…so that instruments are not affected
by heat from the ground

Rain gauge: •measuring rainfall

•rain gauge
•the funnel is attached to the cylinder, which fits into a larger outside container
•it’s 20cm in diameter and 50cm tall, with the bottom half buried into the grass
to prevent the sun evaporating the rain
•stands vertically to avoid splashes entering in
•any snow should be melted first
•it is checked every 24 hours at the same time, as dew may accumulate
•placed in an open space on grass so there is no runoff from trees and etc.

The rain gauge is partly-buried in the ground to ... stop it tipping

over /stop it spilling / knocked over / reduce evaporation
The rainwater is poured from... the collecting jar / rain gauge ... into ... the measuring
cylinder
To get an accurate measurement you should ... put the measuring cylinder on a flat surface /
read the measuring cylinder at eye level / read the scale
Factors to consider when choosing rain gauge site:
Clear of buildings / away from shelter / open ground / proximity of buildings / how covered
area is Clear of trees / away from interception / proximity to trees Clear of people / animals /
away from interference / how many people pass by On grass / not on concrete / type of
surface On flat land / relief / slope of land Accessible / accessibility
maximum-minimum thermometer: •measuring temperature
•Six’s thermometer
•when the temperature rises, the mercury expands and pushes the index on
the maximum side and leaves it there
 •when the temperature falls, the alcohol contracts and it’s meniscus pulls the index
along the tube
•they should be away from sunlight and above the ground
•maximum thermometer
•contains the expansion of mercury

•minimum thermometer
•contains the contraction of alcohol
How to use: Read every 24 hours / fixed period of time Indices (markers) left at / show the
minimum and maximum temperatures Read off the bottom of the index Read at eye level Magnet to
reset / button to reset

advantages of using a digital thermometer:

Easy to read/use/less chance of error (1) Quick/saves time/ instant measurement (1)
Accurate / precise/sensitive/ gives decimal point (1)
wet-and-dry bulb thermometer (hygrometer): •measuring relative humidity
•wet and dry bulb thermometers (hygrometers)
•dry-bulb is a glass thermometer which records the actual air temperature
•the wet-bulb thermometer is similar, but is enclosed in a muslin bag, which
is dipped in a bottle of water
•if the air is unsaturated, water will evaporate from the muslin, cooling the bulb
•the wet-bulb temperature is usually lower unless the relative humidity
is close to 100%
sunshine recorder: •measuring sunshine
•sunshine recorder
•this is a glass sphere partly surrounded by a metal frame
•the sun’s rays burn a trace on the card, which is divided into hours and minutes
•it should be replaced everyday

Barometer: •measuring air pressure

•mercury barometer
•as air pressure increases, mercury levels decrease
anemometer: •measuring wind speed
•anemometer
•an increase in wind speed increases the speed of the bowls
•there is a ‘threshold’ value to rotate the bowls
•above the ground so the slowing effect on the wind of friction with the ground
is minimised
•it has three cups which spin around

wind vane: •measuring wind direction

•wind vane
•shows the direction of the wind , where its coming from is where is points to
•the tail has more resistance than the small pointer, so a wind will force the tail

choosing site for wind vane:

On the roof of a building / on top of a building / top of a pole Nothing to obstruct wind
•digital weather recording instruments
•many transmit data to a computer but data may get lost if it gets wet

•types of clouds
•high clouds (5500m - 14000)
•cirrus: white filaments

•cirrocumulus: small ripple elements

•cirrostratus: a transparent sheet, with a halo

•medium clouds (2000m - 7000m)

•altocumulus: layered, ripple elements, white shading
•altostratus: a thin grey layers allowing sun to pass

•low clouds (0-2000m)

•stratocumulus: layered, a series of rounded rolls with shading (typical pic art)
•stratus: layered, uniform, grey
•nimbostratus: a thick layer with a low base, dark clouds
•cumulus: individual cells, with flat vertical towers
•cumulonimbus: large cauliflower shaped towers with anvil tops

Hint: cirro -> brush of hair

Strata -> layer
Nimbo -> foggy
Alto -> middle
Cumulus: heaped
Measuring cloud cover: Look at sky / clouds
See / estimate / work out how much sky / grid is covered
Measured in eights / oktas / percentage
Identify type of cloud from knowledge / from chart
Named example of cloud type

3. WOODLAND PAPER 4 STUFF

Safety whilst doing fieldwork in the woodland:
Keep together/stay as a group (1) Don’t get lost/stick to paths/stay in designated area (1)
Use a map/compass (1) Wear boots/ appropriate clothes/suitable clothing (1) Don’t climb
trees (1) Take a mobile phone (1) Stay away from wild animals (1) Use insect
repellent/sunblock etc. (1)
When finding similarities and differences/ or describing a picture in a diagram:
write EVERY SINGLE THING YOU SEE! You should have knowledge of contour lines just in
case you have to describe the slope. The closer the lines the steeper the slope.
Example response:

Using Fig. 1, describe two similarities and two differences between transects X and Y.
Similarities: Same length/400 metres long (1) Start at same place/height/380 metres (1) Go
from grassland into woodland/both start in grassland (1) Both downhill/sloping (1) Both
straight (1) Both cross a land-use boundary (1)
Differences: Go in different direction (1) Transect X is W-E/goes east, transect Y is
S-N/goes north (1) Transect X is gentler (1) Transect X goes down to 321/339m (in range), Y
goes down to 300m/Y goes to lower height (1) Transect X is in coniferous wood, transect Y
is in deciduous wood (1)

Sampling:
Stratified:
In the woodland: e.g. sampling by specific type of tree
Systematic:
collecting data in an ordered or regular way, eg every 5 metres
why take measurements after every e.g. 25 metres:
To get an equal distribution of sites/ fair/consistent/no bias (1)
To show how results change along transect (1)
Gap between sites is not too big to miss change in results/get a good range (1)
25 metres is an easy length with a tape measure (1)
If < 25 metres very time-consuming (1)
By using 17 sites per transect can get a lot of data (1)
Random:

4. COASTAL PAPER 4 STUFF

IMPORTANT FEATURES:
MEASURING WAVE FREQUENCY: Wave frequency is the number of waves per minute

Use marker pole / rock / person as fixed point

Count number of waves breaking in 1 minute / fixed period of time / specified time / count float
going up and down in 1 minute

Use watch / chronometer (for timing) Repeat counting / do counting more than once

HOW TO MEASURE THE PROFILE OF A BEACH:

Put tape measure on beach / poles at bottom and top of beach to create profile / transect line

Measure / mark out distance between ranging poles / every 10m Identify sections of the beach
profile / breaks of slope

Students hold poles at either end of measured distance / identified section

Make sure they are vertical / same depth / on surface

Student holds clinometers next to top / at specific height on ranging pole / rope at same height on
both poles Sight other ranging pole at top / specific height

Allow clinometers to adjust to angle / read angle / measure gradient

Repeat along transect / repeat for different sections

WHY TYPE OF WAVE AND ITS FREQUENCY CAN AFFECT THE STEEPNESS OF BEACH PROFILES.

Destructive waves create steeper profile / constructive waves create gentler profile
Steeper profile: Destructive / strong / powerful / more frequent waves take material to back of
beach / backwash takes smaller material back down beach

OR Gentler profile: Constructive / gentle / less frequent waves push material up beach / little
backwash to pull material back down

SAMPLING METHODS:

Systematic: e.g. collecting 25 pebbles from each beach.

How?: Create transect line along / up beach Measure equal / regular distances along transect /
measured distance (e.g. 20m) / equal number of paces / every 10th pebble / every 10 seconds / pick
up pebble every metre Select beach material touching tape Use quadrat to select material Sample of
pebbles within each quadrat

method to measure the size (length) of each pebble the students collected:

Use ruler / pebbleometer / callipers

Measure long axis / longest side

Investigation to compare pollution on two beaches:

Classify types of pollution / decide types of pollution / observe or see types of pollution

Create environmental index / bi-polar index

Explanation of how index is used Decide on sampling method / quadrat / transect

Count pieces of litter / estimate area of oil / sewage coverage / weigh litter / tally Photographs of
types of pollution / polluted areas

Safety near the sea:

Stay in designated area (1) Keep away from base of cliff / overhang (1) Check tide times before
setting off (1) Do fieldwork at low tide/not high tide (1) Avoid slippery rocks (1) Work in pairs /
groups / take phones / whistle (1) Wear suitable shoes/clothing/waterproofs/helmets (1) Don’t go in
the sea (1)
ADVANTAGES OF THIS METHOD:

Easy to do / no need to measure angle Needs little equipment / only needs measuring tape / ruler /
clinometers Easier to draw / construct profile Gives a lot of information/data

DISADVANTAGES OF THIS METHOD:

Measuring error/ inaccurate reading/effects of weather on measuring Hard to measure vertical

distance Measurements taken every metre may miss change in slope Complication of having to add
height difference to readings/measurements Tape might not be long enough

To measure the size of beach material the students picked up a pebble every metre along their
cross-section line. Explain one disadvantage of this method and how it could be improved.

Disadvantage: Only selecting 1 pebble every metre / sample is too small (1) Selected pebble may be
an anomaly / not representative (1) May select pebble/involve bias (1)

Improvements: Measure > one pebble/larger sample at each site and average results (1) Use a
quadrat and measure all pebbles within frame (1) Choose pebbles at shorter distance to get bigger
sample (1)

best fit line:

Negative correlation ***

reasons why the size of beach material varies across the beach:

More powerful swash/strong waves/ big waves/storm waves take all material up the beach (1) Less
powerful backwash/ water going back carries smaller material down the beach (1) Erosion more
rapid close to sea where more frequent water (1) Rockfalls from cliff provide larger material at back
of beach (1)

Longshore drift:

Incoming waves at an angle/oblique to the coast (1) Waves are driven by on-shore/prevailing/most
common winds (1) Waves/swash carries pebbles up beach at an angle (1) Backwash/waves going
back take pebbles straight down beach/ 90 degrees under gravity (1) Process is repeated with each
wave (1) Pebbles take zig-zag route up the beach (if in text) (1) Pebbles go up beach at angle and
down at 90 degrees

fieldwork investigation to prove that longshore drift is taking place along a beach:

Paint pebbles (1) Group them close to water’s edge (1) Leave them for period of time (1) Put ranging
pole where pebbles start and another at fixed distance along beach (1) Find the pebbles/see how
many moved from starting point (1) Do test several times to get an average (1)

OR Drop orange/float in to sea/at water’s edge (1) Mark starting position with ranging pole (1) Allow
orange/float to move for a period of time (1) Measure distance orange/float has moved (1) Do test
several times to get an average (1)

OR Find an area with groynes (1) Measure the height to the beach each side of the groyne (1) If
different height longshore drift is taking place (1)
 5. RIVER PAPER 4 STUFF
Methods of calculating velocity:

Method 1: Measure length of river (10m)/ divide into sections /ranging poles to mark out section/
set up start and finishing points Put orange/ dog biscuit/ float / floating object into river Time float
moving over distance Repeat and calculate average/repeat across river channel Calculate velocity by
dividing distance by time

Method 2: Put velocity meter/ propeller/ it below surface of river/ in/ into river/ in/ into the water
Propeller must be facing upstream/ nothing in front of propeller Read/ look at digital/ velocity
reading/display / speed is shown on display Take several readings over time and calculate average/
take readings across river channel and calculate average

reasons why method 1 may have produced unreliable results:

Floats got stuck in channel/ hit objects / vegetation in channel Operator error/ error in calculation
Measurements not easy to take at different points across river/ float doesn’t move in straight line
Floats affected by wind Only measures surface velocity

Measuring size of rocks:

Size: used a ruler to measure long axis / length of pebble

Measuring Roundness of rock: used information from the chart/ compared pebble with the chart

weaknesses of selecting rocks at random:

Rocks selected may not be typical of the rocks at that site/anomaly All rocks may have been taken
from same area of river bed/ not across channel/ taken from same place Not a fair/reliable sample/
students choose rock / bias

why rocks generally become smaller and more rounded downstream:

Eroded by water Attrition / pebbles crash into each other/river bed/ bank Corrosion/ solution/
dissolves rocks Smaller/rounder pebbles are moved further downstream because they are easier/
lighter to transport

method to investigate the hypothesis: The river channel becomes wider and deeper downstream.

Select / find more fieldwork sites downstream/ along the river Stretch measuring tape/rope across
channel/ from one bank to the other Record measurement of width (in metres) Rest
rule/ruler/ranging pole on river bed/ lower rock on string to river bed Make sure ruler is upright/
vertical/ make sure string is taut Measure depth at regular intervals across channel (every metre)
Read off the scale where water level reaches /where ruler is wet Record measurement of depth (in
cm/ metres)

Experiment for “Rocks on the bed of the river (bedload) become smaller and more rounded
downstream.” ways the reliability of the method could be improved:

Repeat measurement(s) to check accuracy / other student measures to check accuracy

Sample/ measure more pebbles at each site/ take more measurements at each site

Use callipers / pebbleometer/ measure weight or volume of pebbles

Systematic sampling technique/ sample rocks from inside, middle and outside

Test at more sites

Processes:

•erosion:
•hydraulic action: force of wave hits the rock; the
air is trapped by a wave in a crack and cracks it further
due to hydraulic pressure
 •abrasion: where rocks are picked by waves and
thrown against the cliff

•solution: where the rock is put into solution by

weak acids

•attrition: materials in the wave smash each

other, becoming smaller and rounder

•transportation:
•traction: where larger, heavier material that
makes up the river’s bedlam is rolled along

•saltation: where the lighter material that makes

up the river bedlam is bounced along the river bed

•suspension: where lighter material that makes

up the river’s suspended load is carried by the river

•solution: where dissolved material that makes

up the river’s solute load in solution

•deposition:
•when river lose energy, it starts to drop it’s bed-
load anywhere
•the heaviest material will be deposited
first etc.

•deposition occurs: •a decrease in gradient and

smoothness
 •a decrease in river
flow as water drains away after lots of precipitation
•the river meets a
large body of water
•the river flowing
more slowly on inside bends