Revision help every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

Due to overwhelming popular demand, I will be in W122 after school on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday after school to help with revision. Starts at 3.15pm, so I can grab a cup of tea after Period 5. Any case studies you don't understand...come and ask!

Keep repeating your 'cause/effect/response' spider graphs...the idea is to build a range of ideas for each part of the topic. It doesn't work for each subject, but you can adapt it...here's an example:

'Explain how large-scale river management schemes can affect the environment'

Why do we build dams?: control the river flow; store fresh water in a reservoir; produce hydro-electric power; irrigate crops for increasing population
How do we build dams?: find a deep narrow valley; evacuate people living in the valley; block the river channel; let the reservoir fill up behind the dam
What is the effect of building dams?: farmland and property is lost as the reservoir fills up; thousands of people are displaced; silt is trapped behind the dam so soil fertility decreases downstream; erosion increases downstream because less silt is being deposited

What if you get stuck on a question?
This will almost certainly happen at some stage: re-read the question and identify the key words. The whole course is about how people respond to change...so if the question is about employment, for example, just think how jobs & work have changed: more MNCs, more tertiary jobs in MEDCs, more secondary jobs as countries industrialise, LEDCs still stuck mainly with primary jobs. Then think how people respond to those changes: campaigning for Fair Trade, replacing old factories in MEDCs with retail parks and city centre shopping centres, MNCs move to where workers can be paid less, and so on.

Not long to go...remember GCSEs are about numbers: aim to get 8-10 GCSEs A*-C and then you'll stand out from all the other students leaving Year 11 this summer around the country.

Mr G.

Problems downloading?

A few of you have experienced problems downloading information from this blog. I am now in the process of putting all the files onto the school shared area as well...just save/print them off, or email them to yourself.
You can also look at past papers on the Edexcel website. Follow the links on screen. Our syllabus is Geography GCSE Edexcel 'B'; our centre number is 10654. Any problems, see me.
Hope all is going well. Try to read a topic every day, no more than 30 minutes at a time I suggest. Try to buddy up with someone else in the class, as you can test each other.
Revision classes every Thursday after school.

Case studies you need to know about

Some students have asked for a list of the case studies you need, so here it is. Some are new, because I think they will be easier to use (e.g.: the new pollution case study has more causes, effects, responses than the old Aral Sea one).

1. Responding to rising birth rates in LEDCs = Kerala, India
2. Responding to ageing populations in MEDCs = UK
3. Thermal energy source in an MEDC = UK coal or UK nuclear
4. Small-scale renewable energy source in an LEDC = biogas in India
5. Large-scale river management scheme to improve water supply= Aswan Dam on the River Nile
6. Pollution in a river or fresh water lake = Huangpu River, China
7. A city in an LEDC = Sao Paulo, Brazil
8. Waste or traffic management in a named city = London congestion charge
9. A transnational corporation = Coca Cola, or Nike
10. A campaign against unfair trade = FairTrade
11. Changing employment in an MEDC city = Reading, UK
12. Coastal processes and management = Barton-on-Sea, south coast of England
13. Earthquake = Kobe 1995
14. River flood in an MEDC = Mississippi River, USA 1993
15. River flood in an LEDC = Bangladesh, 1995
16. A National Park in the EU = Lake District, England
17. Ecotourism in an LEDC = CAMPFIRE project in Zimbabwe

Hope this helps. Remember revision classes are in W122 every week after school on Thursday, 3.15-4pm. Mr G.

Water unit

http://rapidshare.com/files/105551625/Water_revision_sheet.doc.html

http://rapidshare.com/files/105552058/Use_and_abuse_of_the_environment_assessment.doc.html

Two sheets here to help you with the water unit: you have to understand why there are water shortages in different places, and what we can do about it. Two case studies: a large-scale water management scheme (Aswan Dam) and a river pollution example (Huangpu River, Shanghai).

Water pollution case study

http://rapidshare.com/files/105548839/Polluted_rivers_case_study_Huangpu.doc.html

Here's an excellent example of pollution for you to remember. The question will ask you about pollution in a river or freshwater lake: use this example, the Huangpu River in Shanghai, China. You need to know cause, effect and response!

Specimen exam paper and mark scheme

http://rapidshare.com/files/105546960/Specimen_Paper_2_Higher.pdf.html

http://rapidshare.com/files/105547212/Specimen_Paper_2_Foundation.pdf.html

Here are two specimen exams: choose your tier and have a go. The mark schemes are included in each PDF file...perhaps you can buddy up with someone and mark each other's papers.

Coasts: specimen questions

http://rapidshare.com/files/105545966/Specimen_DME_Higher_coasts.pdf.html

http://rapidshare.com/files/105546259/Specimen_DME_Foundation_coasts.pdf.html

Select your tier and have a go at this Edexcel specimen DME about coasts.