Volume 29, Number 3, February 2016
Exam links
Using this issue for AQA AS and
A2 geography
David Redfern
Article
Page
numbers
Tsunamis: is Britain at risk?
2–5
Plate tectonics and
associated hazards
(Physical option)
Question and answer
Superpower geographies
6–10
Development and
globalisation (Human
option)
Down under Cities under
strain
11–13
World cities (Human option)
Measuring poverty: a case
study from Asia
14–16
Conflicts and challenges
and Development and
globalisation (Human
options)
Prospects What to expect at
university
17–19
Centrepiece Peat slides
20–21
Chichester harbour: case
study of a coastal system
22–26
Building on the basics
Globalisation
27–29
Development and
globalisation (Human
option)
Water stewardship: is the big
business approach
sustainable?
30–32
Links to Development and
globalisation (Human
option)
Development update Water
shortages in Sao Paulo
33–35
World Cities and
Development and
globalisation (Human
options)
The Great Barrier Reef: an
ecosystem under pressure
36–38
Ecosystems: change and
challenge (Physical option)
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AS
A2
All university applicants
Coastal environments
(Physical option)
www.hoddereducation.co.uk/geographyreview
Geographical skills Using
GIS with census data
39–41
The big picture Plastic–bag
footballs in Tanzania
42
Unit 2
Unit 4A
Development and
globalisation (Human
option)
Tsunamis: is Britain at risk?

From the title it is clear that this article will be of interest to students of the A2 physical option
Plate tectonics and associated hazards.
The main context of the article, the islands of Britain, may be a little unusual for students of this option.
The article begins with some useful information on the characteristics of tsunamis, together with a brief
resumé of two of the most significant tsunamis in recent years – the Asian tsunami of 2004 and the
Tohoku tsunami in 2011. It then considers the extent to which Britain is at risk from either earthquakeinduced tsunamis or those resulting from submarine landslides. Itrefers to an example of the latter
type that affected Britain over 8,000 years ago — the Storegga event in the North Sea.
The article examines how evidence of this event and possible other tsunami events can be examined
in the field and concludes by reviewing the possibility of further tsunami events affecting the UK in the
future. It seems that scientists are keen to link their future occurrence with climate change, an idea
that may stimulate debate. This is an interesting article which will add to students’ knowledge and
understanding of this topic.
Question and answer Superpower geographies

This piece provides useful reading for students of the A2 human option Development and
globalisation.
Although the actual question does not come from an AQA paper, its context has some relevance to
the AQA specification, with its references to the BRICs and other economically important countries.
Furthermore, the range of tasks is similar to that of the AQA specification. There is a data-stimulus
question and an extended prose task that requires deeper understanding of the topic area — in this
case the increasing economic and political influence of the major nations in the world. It is also worthy
of note that the task is ‘open-ended’, with no ‘right’ answer. This question is similar in style to the 40mark essay on the AQA examination paper. Students should take heed of the excellent advice offered
here when addressing such questions.
Down under Cities under strain

This interesting piece will be of direct use to A2 students of the human option World cities.
Students of this option are required to examine key concepts such as urban growth, suburbanisation
and transport sustainability. This article provides a set of different and interesting contexts for these
concepts, namely the rising populations and physical growth of Australia’s state capitals, most of
which house well over half of their respective state populations. Several geopolitical influences are
discussed at a local scale, with some detailed case-study information provided. This should therefore
be essential reading for many A2 students.
Philip Allan Publishers © 2016
www.hoddereducation.co.uk/geographyreview
Measuring poverty: a case study from Asia.

This piece will be of direct interest to A2 students of the human options Development and
globalisation and Contemporary conflicts and challenges. Indeed for the latter, there is a clear
requirement to study the global distribution of poverty, the causes of poverty and strategies to
address poverty.
This article looks at the concept of ‘absolute’ poverty, and in particular at how it has been and can be
measured. The author raises the issues of where to draw the line in financial terms when measuring
poverty, and whether other factors should be considered in this process such as cost of living and the
different contexts of poverty. He asks whether we should focus more on internal national inequality,
rather than absolute poverty based on an external measurement. Across the world, inequalities within
countries have widened, which means that rates of relative poverty may well have increased, even
though national economies have grown. Should we therefore consider ‘relative’ poverty instead of
‘absolute’ poverty? If this is the case then other aspects of a society need to be considered such as
wellbeing, power and independence. This is a complex topic, and this excellent article should
stimulate both thought and debate.
Prospects What to expect at university
This article is another in the general series relating to university application, study and life. This piece
concentrates on what makes university study different from that in the school environment. Study at
university presents a much greater range of theoretical contexts and activities and also offers the
potential for many more opportunities both academically and geographically. Being aware of all of
these at the outset, and at the interview stage, should enhance both your application and chances of
success. It is essential reading for all potential university applicants.
Centrepiece Peat bogs in motion
Although not seemingly of direct interest to students of the AS and A2 courses, many students may
find this Centrepiece of general interest, and some students of the A2 physical option Ecosystems:
change and challenge may want to supplement their understanding of the fragility of ecosystems with
this material.
Teachers of A-level geography are advised to file this centrespread as it may become of use in their
work on the carbon cycle under the new specifications.
Chichester Harbour: case study of a coastal system

This excellent article will be of direct use to students of the AS physical option Coastal
environments.
They are required to study ‘the coastal system’ as identified in the specification and to understand
coastal geomorphology terminology such as fetch, sediment sources and cells, longshore drift and
tides. The author takes the concept of a coastal system to a relatively small scale by examining how
Chichester Harbour illustrates the features of such a system at a micro-level.
Philip Allan Publishers © 2016
www.hoddereducation.co.uk/geographyreview
A key strength of the article is that it adopts a systems approach, examining inputs, processes,
outputs, stores and feedback mechanisms in some detail theoretically, and in the context of
Chichester Harbour. These are developed even further by a detailed examination of a coastal spit,
East Head, within the Harbour area. Within this section, aspects of salt-marsh development, coastal
management and how they impact on human activities are also discussed.
This is a highly detailed and informative article that should be essential reading for students of this
option. It will also provide useful support for the next generation of A-level specifications in which an
understanding and application of the systems approach to the study of landscapes is more explicit.
Building on the basics Globalisation: what are the
causes?

As can be gathered from the title, this column will be of most use to the students of the A2
human option Development and globalisation.
It presents an overview of the main drivers of globalisation: trade blocs, the World Trade Organization,
TNCs, foreign-direct investment (FDI), increasing levels (spread and sophistication) of technology, and
the role of consumers within global marketing and media strategies. These are all important features
of the global economic system.
The author concludes by reiterating the fact that the study of globalisation is complex, and that within
the examination context, the degree of complexity and interconnectivity of the various factors will vary
according to development context and geographical location. For such a complicated area of study,
this is a useful summary and should be essential reading for students of this option.
Water stewardship: is the big business approach
sustainable?

Although not directly applicable to any part of the AQA specification, this article may provide a
general discussion point for all students of A-level geography with an interest in environmental
matters including climate change. It will also have some relevance to the study of the impact
of TNCs within the A2 human option Development and globalisation.
Elements of the piece provide information on the activities of well-known TNCs such as Coca Cola,
Nestlé, Unilever, Pepsi and MillerCoors, most of which are associated with food and drinks. The
authors tend to paint the activities of these TNCs in a somewhat positive light, which may provide an
alternative to some of the reports from other sources used by geography teachers. They do however
question whether the business approach of these companies is truly sustainable.
Development update Water shortages in São Paulo

As with the previous article, the topics of water resources and water management are not
directly referenced in the current AQA specification. However, aspects of this article could be
very useful, certainly in a case-study context, for two of the A2 human options: World cities
and Development and globalisation.
The author provides detail of the background to Brazil’s economic growth and dependency on water
resources, with a focus on the state and city of São Paulo. Since 2013, this region has suffered an
Philip Allan Publishers © 2016
www.hoddereducation.co.uk/geographyreview
unprecedented drought, and the article examines in detail the causes, impacts, consequences and
possible management strategies for dealing with it. It is clear that governance, at both a local and
national scale, has impacted on the water crisis, and its aftermath.
The article illustrates perfectly how economic growth, the environment, the social conditions of people
and political influences all interact, and hence provides an excellent example of synopticity. Finally, the
security of water resources features in many of the next generation of A-level specifications, and
teachers will be well-advised to file this article as a resource for teaching in the near future.
The Great Barrier Reef: an ecosystem under
pressure

This interesting piece will be of most use to A2 students of the physical option Ecosystems:
change and challenge, particularly for the section examining the management of fragile
environments. Students are required to study two such areas in detail, and this article provides
the basis for one of them.
The article provides information on the characteristics and formation of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR),
together with an overview of the pressures on it from tourism and industrial activity, and the means by
which its protection is being managed. One particular threat, the port expansions of Gladstone
Harbour and Abbot Point, are examined in more detail. The issues of exploitation, development and
conservation are well illustrated by this article, and it should be essential reading for students of this
option.
Geographical skills Using GIS with census data.
This column follows on from the previous one in Vol. 29, No.2 about the use of the 2011 UK census in
a fieldwork context. It considers the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in analysing the
data. As stated previously in these notes, the use of GIS in AS and A2 fieldwork is currently lacking.
The reasons could be the lack of suitable expertise and equipment (or access to it) in schools, or a
lack of confidence by teachers and students in applying GIS to their studies.
This column provides an excellent example which students and teachers alike could replicate in their
study of population. Thorough guidance is provided on how to access the desired information, to
process it, to group it and to present it. Useful links to online sources of free GIS resources based on
census data are also provided. Once again teachers are recommended to keep this article for future
use when the requirement to analyse ‘big data’ such as census data becomes more explicit.
The big picture Plastic-bag footballs in Tanzania.
This Big Picture provides an interesting insight into a seemingly ordinary item — a football — that
young people play with around the world, in many different scenarios. For many in the developing
world, a plastic-bag football is the chosen format, for reasons which many of us in the developed world
will not have appreciated. The piece may provoke some debate regarding technology, circumstance
and attitude — all synoptic themes in the current A-levels.
This resource is part of GEOGRAPHY REVIEW, a magazine written for A-level students by
subject experts. To subscribe to the full magazine go
to: http://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/geographyreview
Philip Allan Publishers © 2016
www.hoddereducation.co.uk/geographyreview