Hong Kong Geography Day 2001
How to tackle the Geography A-L Exam?
Common misconceptions faced by students
in A-level Geography Curriculum
By Mr. Ip Kim Wai & Mr. Wong Kam Fai
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
isconception
onfusion
ifficulties
課程範圍頗大，
不知從何入手？
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
範圍太大
Curriculum 課程
Teaching 施教
教學深度
過時模型
個案/例子
超出範圍
Examination
(Evaluation) 考試
…
…
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
Who are you？
S6 ?
S7 ?
Teachers?
S1 – S5 ?
Primary ?
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
Students’ comments on the A-L exam
電子龍門，射極唔入
範圍太廣，讀極唔完
課題艱深，基本唔明
吹水拉布，舉例作case
題目outsyl，貼極唔中
Paper I老作，Paper II死吹
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
考好A-L Geog要靠……
A. 正料好筆記
B. 命正好運氣
C. 自信好學養
D. 負責好老師
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
必殺技
1. 以準確的學科語言 (概念) 回答問題
-知彼
2. 擴展學習技藝
-知己
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
以準確的學科語言 (概念) 回答問題
地理人的三大基本問題
地理課程的三個組構概念
學習內容的概念架構
地理現象的空間差異
A-L 考試錦囊
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
地理人的三大基本問題
地理人的問題：
1. 世貿中心在哪裏？
911 ……
2. 為甚麼選世貿中心？
3. 事件帶來甚麼影響？
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
地理人的三大基本問題
地理人的三大基本問題：
1. 世貿中心在哪裏？
Where?
描述事物的空間區位 (位置)
2. 為甚麼選世貿中心？
Why?
解釋它們的空間分布型態
3. 事件帶來甚麼影響？
So what?
探討其空間轉變過程及影響
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
地理人的三大基本問題
S6 ~ 7 景觀、系統、人地關係
自然、農業、城市及工業景觀
S4 ~ 5 主題研習
人地關係
S1 ~ 3 議題為本
探究學習
Where?
Why?
So what?
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
地理課程的三個組構概念
(Organising concepts)
Natural
Landscape
Agricultural
Urban & industrial
Process-response
System
Ecological
Economic
Impact on the environment
Man-land relationship
Environmental conservation
Survival & development
Sustainable development, globalization,
etc.
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
1. Landscape
-The term refers to an area comprising a distinct
association of forms, both natural and cultural.
-Landscape elements include physical and biological
features (landforms, vegetation .....) and cultural features
(houses, roads, crops .....). They are woven into a system
by processes resulting from the activities of man and
nature, or form the interplay of the two.
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
2. System
-A system is an interacting set of components where a change
in one component will lead to changes throughout the system.
-Ecosystems are particular types of system. They can be
viewed as a functioning interacting system of living organisms
and their effective environment.
-As such the idea of ecosystem is of value both as a specific
concept in biogeography and as organizing ideas in many
man-environment situations.
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
3. Man-land system
-This expresses the way in which man interacts with the
cultural and physical environment.
-It expresses the way in which man is able to organize the
environment for his use with resultant landscape changes
on one hand, and be restricted by environmental
constraints on the other.
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
學習內容的概念架構
(Concept framework)
e.g. Agroecosystem
Structure
Function
Biotic
Abiotic
Nutrient
cycle
Producer
Inputs from:
Uptaken by plants
Photosynthesis
Consumer
Atmosphere,
Litter/Biomass
Respiration
Decomposer
Hydrosphere,
Decomposition
Food chain/web
Lithosphere
Leaching
Subsidized energy
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
Energy
flow
學習內容的概念架構
(Concept framework)
Perception of environmental stress
Hazard Response
Awareness
threshold
Accept or absorb loss
Modify event
Action
threshold
Intolerance
threshold
Adjustment
Reduce vulnerability
Distribute loss
Change use or location
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
地理現象的空間差異
(Spatial differentiation/Regional examples)
e.g.
Different hazard response between LDCs & MDCs
Urban land use pattern in western & non-western cities
Farming as an agroecosystem in
 Plantation
 Shifting cultivation
 Rice farming in S. China
 Dairy farming in Denmark
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
Tackling A-L Geography questions
Regional example/Case study
With reference to XXX,
describe and explain XXXX.
Theme
Assess (Discuss/Evaluate/Examine) how XXXXX.
Directive
terms
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
Tackling A-L Geography questions
A generalization (may be incorrect
or subject to condition)
“XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.”
Theme
Describe and explain XXXX. DiscussXXXXX.
Illustrate with XXXXXX.
Directive
terms
Regional example/Case study
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
Points to note in examinations
Answer plan
Directive terms
Generalization
[General concept/Theory]
Vs
Specification
[Example/Illustration]
Things to avoid / to do
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
AL exam - Paper II
Examples of skills required in essay questions
A generalization (may be incorrect
or subject to condition)
Theme
96-#5
Monoculture is a risky farming system in both ecological and economic
terms. However, there are still many examples of monoculture today.
Explain why monoculture is a common practice today and describe the
ecological and economic risks it faces. How far can crop diversification
minimize these risks? Use suitable examples to illustrate your answer.
(25 marks)
Directive
terms
Regional example/Case study
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
AL exam - Paper II
Directive terms and marks allocation
Describe: give the examiner a visual impression of ……
Explain: to make known in detail – facts are most important
Account for: state the reasons for ……
Discuss: write about the various opinions and ideas about the subject ……
Examine: divide into parts and analyze each part or investigate each part
Assess: estimate the value of ……
Evaluate: how value is it? – it requires a value judgement
Evaluate the validity of a statement: this is a warning to the student that the
statement may, or may not, be accurate or complete
(Adapted from ‘Developing and implementing a geography curriculum in Hong Kong’, HKED,
1979)
Explanation
Description
Evaluation
Examples
Marks allocation
6
6
8
5
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
AL exam - Paper II
Organization of concepts and themes - 1
Explanation
 In some harsh environments, only one or a few types of crops can be grown,
e.g. wheat in marginal lands, cotton in saline sandy soil.
 Farming systems practising monoculture will enjoy some economies of
specialization, e.g. mass purchase of farming inputs, extensive use of farm
machines. To gain such cost saving, some farmers would like to bear the
economic and ecological risks.
 Farmers can reduce the risks of soil erosion by vigorous soil conservation
measures, e.g. the Australian wheat farmers may practise green manuring,
crop rotation and fallowing to maintain the nitrate content of the soil.
 Farmers can maintain the stability of a simplified agroecosystem by heavy
input of energy subsidies, e.g. use of irrigation and drainage in the control of
moisture content, the use of pesticide in the control of pest hazards.
 Some governments can adopt guaranteed price policy to give the farmers a
more stable income, i.e. surplus buying in times of overproduction.
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
AL exam - Paper II
Organization of concepts and themes - 2
Description
Ecological risks:
 A simplified ecosystem will suffer from great loss of biomass in times of
climatic abnormalities or pest hazards.
 There is potential danger of soil depletion, e.g. shortage of nitrate for
monoculture of wheat.
Economic risks:
 Price fluctuation – overproduction will lead to a drop of farmers’ income.
 Shortage of farm labour during sowing and harvesting seasons. Surplus
labour during slack session.
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
AL exam - Paper II
Organization of concepts and themes - 3
Evaluation
Advantages of crop diversification:
 There are more species in the agroecosystem. The loss in times of natural
hazards can be minimized.
 Crop rotation can be practised. There may be times for soil replenishment,
e.g. growth of legume after the growth of wheat may help to recover the
nitrate content of the soil.
 The stubble of the crops be used as fodder crops, whereas the manure of the
animals can be useful natural fertilizers. There is a closed nutrient cycling
within the agroecosystem.
 The impact of overproduction of one particular crop is reduced as the
farmers have other sources of income.
 Farm labour may work more efficiently. As the amount of land given to one
particular crop becomes smaller, labour shortage during sowing and
harvesting seasons is unlikely to occur. Labour can be used to handle the
livestock or other crops in the slack season of one particular crop.
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
AL exam - Paper II
Organization of concepts and themes - 4
Problems to implement:
 Practising crop diversification would mean a loss of some economies of
specialisation. There may be some additional costs in the purchase of
different farm machines or various framing inputs.
 For crop diversification to take place, the natural environment must be
suitable for the growth of a combination of crops or livestock.
Appropriate examples
_____________
MAXIMUM 25
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
AL exam - Paper II
Points to remember
 ‘Candidates were good at describing the ecological and economic risks of
monoculture, but were less capable of explaining why it is a common practice.
 While the advantages of crop diversification were adequately addressed, very
few candidates were able to point out its limitations.
 Many wrong examples were give, e.g. market gardening as a monoculture in
Hong Kong and shifting cultivation as a diversified farming system.’
(Adapted from Comments on AL-Geography 1996)
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
AL exam - Paper II
Answer plan
Question
Directive terms
Concepts & themes
Example
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
AL exam - Paper I
General format of structured questions
Part
1
2
3
Requirement
 Knowledge
 Graphic / statistical
skills
 Explanation
 Application and
evaluation
Details






Read from graph, simple calculation, definition etc.
Graph drawing, transfer data from one form to another
Infer conclusion from graphs /tables / data
Explain concepts and patterns related to Part 1
Apply concepts and patterns in the real world
Assess such patterns
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
AL exam - Paper I
Skills required
Example
Knowledge and skills in
(2 marks)
extracting information from 87-Q9 (a) What does an Energy Ratio (Er) of 10 mean?
the graph
The use of statistical
(b) State, giving reasons, whether 'average precipitation' or
techniques e.g. mean,
88-Q6
'medium precipitation' is the best summary measure of July
median, Spearman's Rank
rainfall in this year.
(4 marks)
Correlation Coefficient etc.
Transform data from one
(a) (i) Draw a scatter diagram to show the relationship between
form to another
population density and the average farm labour input of
96-Q6
e.g. data in table to line
the districts.
(3 marks)
graph
(a) (i) Draw a bar chart to show the deviations of the local
rainfall from the long-run mean annual rainfall of area A
99-Q6
in this period.
(3 marks)
(ii) Draw two lines to mark the tolerant range of the crop.
(1 mark)
Infer conclusion from data,
(a) (i) Draw a statistical chart to show the trend of the amount
graph etc.
of cultivated land and the proportion of secondary and
tertiary industries in Guangdong.
(4 marks)
98-Q7
(ii) Describe and explain the relationship between the
amount of cultivated land and the proportion of
secondary and tertiary industries.
(7 marks)
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
AL exam
- General guidelines
Paper I
 Wider
 Organization framework of
themes, seeking for relationship
between topics in the syllabus,
Focus
concepts have to be illustrated
with examples
 Simple calculation, graphic and
 Essay writing skills, able to
statistical techniques, able to
organized and discuss concepts
Skills needed
answer questions in precise and
and themes systematically, know
clear writing
how to elaborate with examples
 Know how to read and interpret
 Concept / mind map for revision,
common graphs, grasp some
some useful figures, place names,
Examination
statistical skills
sketches and diagrams
techniques  Understand the meaning of some common directive terms used in setting
questions
Scope
 Narrower
 In-depth meaning and the
application of individual theme
and concept
Paper II
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
擴展學習技藝
1. Do and learn
2. Magic seven
3. 學習集中時間
4. BEM
5. Context Vs Content
6. 學習VAK
7. Mnemonics
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
How much can we learn?
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we both see and hear
60% of what we write
70% of what we discuss with others
80% of what we experience
90% of what we teach
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
Magic Seven
Points that can be remembered at one time:
More-able students  7 + 2
Average  7
Below average  5
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
學習集中時間
= (年歲) + 2 分鐘
18 歲的青少年：
= 18 + 2 = 20 分鐘
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
BEM
Beginning & Ending Memory
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
Context Vs Content
Concept map / Mind map
Flood
Ecological
Drought
Economic
Hazard
System
Farming
Impact
Rural land use
Rural population
Farm production
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
Model
Von Thunen
Sinclair
Farming as an ecological system
Biotic
Abiotic
Atmosphere
• sunlight
• water
Consumers
Producers
Lithosphere
• land
• soil
• nutrients
Decomposers
Losses
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
Energy
Nutrients
學習VAK
isual 視覺型
uditory 聽覺型
inaesthetic 感覺型
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
Mnemonics
 字母記憶法
 歌訣記憶法
 記圖法
 聯想法
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?
小貼士
上課留心勿大意
重組資料問問題
How to tackle the A-level Geography Examination?