Cambridge IGCSE™

* 3 4 5 0 6 3 1 2 1 5 *

GEOGRAPHY 0460/42
Paper 4 Alternative to Coursework May/June 2024

1 hour 30 minutes

You must answer on the question paper.

You will need: Insert (enclosed) Ruler

Calculator
Protractor

INSTRUCTIONS
● Answer all questions.
● Use a black or dark blue pen. You may use an HB pencil for any diagrams or graphs.
● Write your name, centre number and candidate number in the boxes at the top of the page.
● Write your answer to each question in the space provided.
● Do not use an erasable pen or correction fluid.
● Do not write on any bar codes.
● If additional space is needed, you should use the lined pages at the end of this booklet; the question
number or numbers must be clearly shown.

INFORMATION
● The total mark for this paper is 60.
● The number of marks for each question or part question is shown in brackets [ ].
● The insert contains additional resources referred to in the questions.

Definitions
MEDCs – More Economically Developed Countries
LEDCs – Less Economically Developed Countries

This document has 20 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.

DC (SL/CT) 329437/3
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1 Students from Ecuador who live near the Cotopaxi volcano did some fieldwork to study changes
in vegetation cover and the infiltration rate. They visited three sites going up the lower slope of the
volcano.

(a) Before they began their fieldwork, the students assessed some hazards they may come
across and how to manage them. Their decisions are shown in Table 1.1 (Insert).

(i) Which one of the hazards did the students think would have the greatest risk?

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Suggest different ways to reduce the risk from each of the following hazards during
fieldwork:

hypothermia from getting cold and wet

...........................................................................................................................................

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uneven ground and slippery rocks

...........................................................................................................................................

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getting lost or separated from others.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................
[3]

The students investigated the following hypotheses by doing fieldwork at three sites.

Hypothesis 1: Vegetation cover decreases as altitude (height above sea level) increases.

Hypothesis 2: The rate of infiltration increases as altitude increases.

(b) To measure the amount of vegetation cover, the students used the piece of equipment shown
in Fig. 1.1 (Insert).

(i) What is this piece of equipment called? Tick (3) your answer.

tick (3)
anemometer
callipers
clinometer
quadrat
ruler
[1]

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(ii) Describe how students would use the equipment shown in Fig. 1.1 to measure the
amount of vegetation cover.

...........................................................................................................................................

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..................................................................................................................................... [3]

(iii) The students’ fieldwork results are shown in Table 1.2 (Insert). At each site they made
two measurements. Suggest why the results of the two measurements of bare soil at site
B are so different.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [2]

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(iv) Use the results to complete the pie graph for the average measurements at site B in
Fig. 1.2. [2]

Average vegetation cover at the three fieldwork sites

site A at 3700 m above sea level

0%

90 10

Key
bare rock
80 20 bare soil
sparse vegetation cover
medium vegetation cover
dense vegetation cover
70 30

60 40

50

site B at 3780 m above sea level site C at 3850 m above sea level

0% 0%

90 10 90 10

80 20 80 20

70 30 70 30

60 40 60 40

50 50

Fig. 1.2

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(v) Do the students’ results support Hypothesis 1: Vegetation cover decreases as altitude
(height above sea level) increases? Support your decision with evidence from Fig. 1.2
and Table 1.2.

...........................................................................................................................................

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..................................................................................................................................... [4]

(c) Fig. 1.3 (Insert) shows the method used to measure the rate of infiltration.

(i) Define infiltration.

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) What did the students use the following equipment for?

plastic pipe

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ruler

...........................................................................................................................................

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stopwatch

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[3]

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(iii) The students measured infiltration twice at each site. Their results are shown in Table 1.3
(Insert). At which site, A, B or C, is there evidence of a measurement which may be
unreliable? Circle your choice.

site A site B site C [1]

(iv) How do the results suggest that there is an unreliable measurement at this site?

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(v) One student plotted their average results on a bar graph. Draw a bar to show the
average fall in water level at site B on Fig. 1.4. [1]

Student’s measurements of infiltration rate

60

50

40
fall in water
30
level (mm)

20

10

0
site A at 3700 m site B at 3780 m site C at 3850 m
above sea level above sea level above sea level

measuring sites

Fig. 1.4

(vi) The students made the conclusion that their results agreed with Hypothesis 2: The rate
of infiltration increases as altitude increases. What evidence in Fig. 1.4 and Table 1.3
supports their decision?

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [2]

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(vii) Suggest two reasons why the rate of infiltration varies between the three sites.

1 ........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

2 ........................................................................................................................................

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[2]

(d) When the students returned to school, they evaluated their fieldwork methods.

Table 1.4 shows three weaknesses in methodology. For each weakness suggest a different
way to improve the method.

Table 1.4

weakness improvement
The fieldwork sites
were chosen at .........................................................................................................
random.
.........................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................
The estimates of
vegetation cover .........................................................................................................
were subjective.
.........................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................
The measurement
of infiltration was .........................................................................................................
unreliable.
.........................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................

[3]

[Total: 30]

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2 Students in the city of Hong Kong did fieldwork to compare different residential areas. Hong Kong
is divided into three residential areas by height above sea level. ‘The Peak’ is the highest area in
Hong Kong. Lower down is the area of ‘Mid-Levels’. On the lowest land surrounding the CBD is
‘Central’. The areas are shown in Fig. 2.1 (Insert). The students chose sites in each area to do
their fieldwork tasks.

One group of students investigated the following hypotheses:

Hypothesis 1: The quality of the residential environment improves from The Peak through
Mid-Levels to Central.

Hypothesis 2: The amount of traffic increases towards the CBD of the city.

(a) In order to investigate Hypothesis 1, the students did an environmental quality survey in
each residential area. Their recording sheet is shown in Fig. 2.2 (Insert).

(i) Describe how the students would use the recording sheet to do their fieldwork task.

...........................................................................................................................................

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(ii) Suggest two ways that the students could have organised their fieldwork to make sure
that their results were reliable.

Give a reason for each way you suggest.

suggestion 1 ......................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

reason ...............................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

suggestion 2 ......................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

reason ...............................................................................................................................

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[4]

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(iii) The results of the students’ survey are shown in Table 2.1 (Insert). One student plotted
their results on the graphs shown in Fig. 2.3.
Use the results in Table 2.1 to complete the graph for Mid-Levels. [2]
Results of environmental quality survey
The Peak
traffic
congestion
+2
vandalism +1
and graffiti +2 noise level
+2
+1 0
+1
0
–1 0
–1
–1
–2 –2
–2
+2 +1 0 –1 –2
amenities air quality
–2 –1 0 +1 +2
–2
–2 –2
–1
–1
0 –1
0
+1
0 +1
+2
vegetation +2 safety
+1

+2
cleanliness

Mid-Levels
traffic
congestion
+2
vandalism +1
and graffiti +2 noise level
+2
+1 0
+1
0
–1 0
–1
–1
–2 –2
–2
+2 +1 0 –1 –2
amenities air quality
–2 –1 0 +1 +2
–2
–2 –2
–1
–1
0 –1
0
+1
0 +1
+2
vegetation +2 safety
+1

+2
cleanliness
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Central
traffic
congestion
+2
vandalism +1
and graffiti +2 noise level
+2
+1 0
+1
0
–1 0
–1
–1
–2 –2
–2
+2 +1 0 –1 –2
amenities air quality
–2 –1 0 +1 +2
–2
–2 –2
–1
–1
0 –1
0
+1
0 +1
+2
vegetation +2 safety
+1

+2
cleanliness

Fig. 2.3

(iv) What conclusion would the students make about Hypothesis 1: The quality of the
residential environment improves from The Peak through Mid-Levels to Central ? Use
evidence from Fig. 2.3 and Table 2.1 to support your answer.

...........................................................................................................................................

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..................................................................................................................................... [3]

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(b) To extend this fieldwork, one student used a decibel meter app on their mobile (cell) phone
to record the noise levels in different residential areas. The results of this task are shown in
Table 2.2 (Insert).

Describe the pattern of results shown in Table 2.2. Do not use statistics in your answer.

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................. [2]

(c) To investigate Hypothesis 2: The amount of traffic increases towards the CBD of the city, the
students did a traffic count at sites in the three residential areas.

(i) Which three of the following are important features of a traffic count? Tick (3) your
choices.

feature tick (3)

Traffic must be counted moving past in both
directions.
Counting must start and finish at the same time at all
counting sites.
Students should work by themselves, so they are not
distracted by others.
The speed of each vehicle can be recorded using a
stopwatch.
A tally method can count and record vehicles in
groups of five.
Identify every fifth vehicle which passes the counting
site by make and model of vehicle.
[3]

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(ii) The results of the traffic count are shown in Table 2.3 (Insert). Plot the number of
vehicles counted at site 10 on Fig. 2.4. [1]

Results of traffic count

100

90

80

70

60
number
of 50
vehicles
40

30

20

10

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
measuring site

edge of edge of
city CBD

Fig. 2.4

(iii) What was the students’ conclusion to Hypothesis 2: The amount of traffic increases
towards the CBD of the city ? Support your decision with evidence from Fig. 2.4 and
Table 2.3.

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(d) A student extended this fieldwork task by investigating the different types of vehicles counted
at three sites. Their results are shown in Table 2.4 (Insert).

(i) Use the results to complete the graph for site 5 in Fig. 2.5. [2]

Types of vehicles at three sites

The Peak (site 1)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
%

Mid-Levels (site 5)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
%

Central (site 10)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
%

Key
vehicle category
bicycle/motorbike
car
taxi
bus/coach
van/lorry/truck

Fig. 2.5

(ii) Describe two differences between the percentage of vehicles recorded at sites 1 and 10.

1 ........................................................................................................................................

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2 ........................................................................................................................................

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[2]

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(e) To extend their fieldwork the students wanted to investigate how the height of buildings varied
between different residential areas of the city. Describe a fieldwork method they could use for
their investigation.

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............................................................................................................................................. [4]

[Total: 30]

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Additional pages

If you use the following pages to complete the answer to any question, the question number must be
clearly shown.

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at www.cambridgeinternational.org after the live examination series.

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© UCLES 2024 0460/42/M/J/24