Geography - Year 8 Revision for Common Entrance
Trial Examination in February 2016
The Year 8 Trial Examination takes place in week 6 (week beginning
22/02/16) of the Spring Term 2016.
This will be your final trial before the CE examinations in June 2016. The
Trial will consist of a full CE paper. As in the November Trial, I will narrow
down the revision you have to do (but not as much as I did for the
November Trial!). There are two main reasons for cutting the amount of
revision you have to do:1. You are still working on your CE Coursework.
2. You have yet to complete the syllabus (we have started work on
‘Population and Settlement’ this term; you will be studying ‘Industry
and Transport’ from Week 9 of the Spring Term).
This is the format of the examination: Section A asks questions about Global Location.
 Section B is based on an OS map extract and can ask questions
connected to any of the topics you have studied over the last couple of
years as well as topics you have yet to study in Year 8.
 Section C covers Thematic Studies i.e. the five main Topics studied in
Years 6, 7 and 8. Knowledge of case studies is required for Section C.
 You are required to answer all the questions
within an hour.
To start with you need to know where to find information on the topics we
have studied as well as the topics you will continue to study in Year 8. Below
is a list of sources for revision:-
 Years 6, 7 and 8 Exercise books – these contain class and prep work
on three full units of study: ‘Volcanoes and Earthquakes’, ‘Weather
and Climate’ and ‘Rivers and Coasts’ (a full list of topics is given
below). You also have some work on the fourth unit of study
‘Population and Settlement’ in your latest exercise book.

CGP Geography Revision Guide
 Essentials! sheets:Coasts – the essentials!
Earthquakes and Volcanoes – the essentials!
Economic Activity – the essentials!
Environmental Issues – the essentials!
Rivers – the essentials!
Weather and Climate – the essentials!
 Set of A4 Case Studies - For the purposes of this Trial Examination I
have given you THREE of these to revise (you can break down the
information on these further by writing key points onto cards – see
instruction sheet ‘ How to construct a Revision Card’).
 Class Folder – this contains extra information sheets on each topic as
well as CE questions/answers and Past Papers.
Here is a breakdown of each section of the paper:-
Section A of the paper
You have 10 minutes to complete Section A of the paper.
In this section you may be asked to locate the following on either a World
map, Europe map, UK map, Asia map, Africa map or a North and South
America map:- countries, cities, rivers, oceans, mountain ranges, lines of
latitude (Cancer, Equator and Capricorn), the Prime Meridian (this is zero
degrees longitude, passing through Greenwich in London) and time differences
travelling eastwards (1 hour forward) or westwards (1 hour back).
For this Trial, I want you to revise places and features in the World
as a whole, Europe and the UK.
Ensure that you revise theses places and features using an Atlas (you can book
one out from the Geography Department if you need to) or use an Online
Atlas.
Below is a list of the European places and features you may be asked about.
You will not be asked to locate anywhere that is not on this list!
Section A - Global Location
Major global physical features
Continent: Europe
Mountain ranges and upland areas: Alps, Pyrenees, Grampians, Lake
District, Pennines, Snowdonia.
Oceans and seas: Atlantic, Arctic, Irish Sea, Mediterranean Sea and North
Sea.
Rivers: Amazon, Mississippi, Nile, Rhine, Severn, Thames, Trent, Clyde,
Shannon, Mersey, Tyne and Yangtze.
UK Islands: Anglesey, Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Orkneys, Shetlands, Isle
of Wight.
Other global features
Arctic Circle, Antarctic Circle, Equator, International Dateline, North Pole,
Prime Meridian, South Pole, Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
Countries
Global: Egypt, South Africa, Mexico, Argentina and China.
Europe: Netherlands, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain,
Portugal, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.
United Kingdom: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Rep. of
Ireland.
Major cities and city states: Athens, Belfast, Newcastle, Berlin, Madrid,
Warsaw, Moscow, Paris, Rome, Beijing, Cairo, Pretoria, Mexico City, Buenos
Aries, London, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Dublin, Edinburgh,
Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Plymouth, Southampton
and Warsaw.
Section B of the paper
You have 10 minutes to complete Section B of the paper. In this section you are
required to study an OS Map extract. Make sure you know your four and six
figure grid references, directions (N, S, E and W and rest of the 8 point
compass), distances and scale as well as height on maps (spot heights and
contour lines. If you are unsure about any of these check out the map reading
section in your Revision Guide. Also, look at the information below:-
Section B - Ordnance Survey Map work
You will have to know the following: 4 and 6 figure grid references.
 Map Symbols – these come with the map! (the key) but it would be
useful to know major symbols to speed up answers in the
examination.
 Identify compass directions - 8 point.
 Identify relief features on a map e.g. a slope, a hill, a valley, a river
(waterfalls are usually labelled by name e.g. Highforce Waterfall,
Meander, Ox-bow lake, floodplain).
 Work out the straight line distance between two points as well as
being able to measure the distance along a winding road, river,
railway etc. (use the straight edge of a piece of paper for the latter).
 Work out the highest and lowest point in metres within a particular
area of a map extract (usually within a grid square)
 Work out the range of height between two points on the map using
contour lines or spot heights (usually within a grid square).
 Describe the land use of a part of the map – can be a whole host of
things including coniferous/non-coniferous woods, ind est indicating
industrial estate, housing, roads/railways, quarry, hotel, caravan and
camping etc.
 Identify reasons for the location of settlements – along a flat part of a
valley, near a river for water, near woods for fuel (early settlement
factors), near roads/railway lines/ports (settlement growth!), nodal
points (particularly for Market Towns), away from flooding from a
large river.
 Identify reasons for the location of land use such as industrial
estates, airports, sea ports, retail parks, business parks etc. – flat land
for space and expansion, near urban area for source of labour, not too
near an urban area as to cause too much disruption, near transport
routes for bringing supplies/raw materials in and transporting finished
products to other towns/cities, away from potential flooding of large
rivers etc.
 Identify different types of economic activity on a map e.g. Primary
(farm, Quarry, Coalmine, fishing port), Secondary (Industrial Estate,
works, mill, etc.) and Tertiary (Hotels, Supermarkets/Retail Parks,
Tourist facilities such as camping etc.).
 Describe the course of a river on a map from the source (where land
is higher indicated by tighter contour lines), through the middle stage
(where land becomes gentler indicated by wider contour lines) to the
final mature stage (where the land is virtually flat indicated by very
wide spacing in contour lines on a map). Please note that you may be
asked to describe the changing shape of the channel as well as the
changing shape of the valley.
 Identify which way a river is flowing on a map – look at spot
heights/contour heights along the course of the river; the river will
always flow from the higher points towards the lower points.
 Be able to work out the area of a place/land use such as woods using
the scale at the bottom of the OS map extract – Each square on a
1:50,000 map = 1 square Km.
Section C of the paper
This is the Thematic Studies section of the paper. You are required to
answer all five questions.
Each question will be based on a theme or topic studied in Years 6, 7 and 8.
These themes or topics are listed below. The questions for each theme or
topic will ask you about the key concepts. For example, the question on
Rivers and Coasts may start off by asking you about different types of
weathering and erosion. Then you might be asked to draw a diagram
explaining how a particular landform has been formed (e.g. a Meander in a
river or a Stack along the coast). The question might finish by asking you
about a case study on flooding (Somerset Floods or Bangladesh would be
your case studies).
You will have 8 minutes to answer each question. Keep it simple and
answer the questions directly – do not waffle! For example if the question
asks for impacts and responses, do not write anything about causes.
You must revise the A4 case study information sheets. There are three case
studies for you to revise for the forthcoming trial in Spring 2016: Volcanoes – The eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980.
 Flooding – Bangladesh.
 Industry and Transport – Nike.
Try to make revision cards based on the A4 case study
sheets – these will help you in the rest of your geography
examinations.
Be aware that there are less direct questions on your case studies compared
to papers in previous years. You are asked more questions on theory linked to
your case studies.
Below is a list of topics to revise for the Trial:-
 Earthquakes and Volcanoes
 The structure of the Earth – The four layers of the Earth from Inner
Core to Crust, the general temperature of each layer and what moves
the tectonic plates i.e. Convection Currents.
 The four plate boundaries – Constructive, Destructive, Conservative
and Collision. You need to be able to draw and fully annotate a
diagram showing what happens at a Destructive Plate Boundary.
 Volcanic hazards – Ash clouds, volcanic bombs, lahars and lava flows.
You need to know how each cause damage to both humans and the
environment.
 An example of a volcanic eruption to show the nature, causes,
environmental and human effects and human responses – The 1980
eruption of Mount St. Helens (Information found in your Year 6
exercise book and in the A4 case study sheet).
Weather and Climate
 Causes of temperature and rainfall variations from place to place in
the British Isles the main temperature and rainfall patterns in the
British Isles the influence of latitude (how far North and South of the
Equator), altitude (how low/high), relief (which direction a slope faces
– North colder/South warmer), prevailing (usual) winds (from the SW
in the UK bringing warm, moist air), distance from coast and the basic
impact of the North Atlantic Drift.
 Microclimate – what is it?
 Factors affecting microclimates – Aspect, surface colour, buildings
and shelter.
 Rainfall – relief, convectional, frontal. How to draw or annotate a
diagram and explain the formation of different types of rainfall.
 Rivers and Coasts
 Weathering – Biological, Chemical, Freeze thaw/frost shattering and
onion-skin weathering.
 Processes of erosion – Hydraulic Action, Abrasion, Corrosion and
Attrition.
 Processes of Transportation – Solution, Suspension, traction and
Saltation.
 Coastal Landforms and processes – How does a Spit form? You need
to be able to draw and annotate (label with some explanation) a
diagram of a Spit. How does a Stack form? Again, you have to be able
to draw and annotate a diagram.
 Causes of flooding – Human and Physical Causes.
 Flooding Case Study – You need to focus on the impacts (effects) of
and Responses to the 1998 Bangladesh Flood (see exercise book and
A4 case study sheet).
 Population and Settlement
 Population density in the UK – Where do most people in the UK live?
Reasons for dense and sparse population.
 The causes of the rise or fall of the population of an individual country
(e.g. The UK) - the meaning of birth rate, death rate, natural increase
and migration.
 Migration – What does it mean and what causes it?
 Transport and Industry
 The different types (sectors) of economic activity - primary,
secondary, tertiary, quaternary. You need to know what type of jobs
come under each sector e.g. fishermen come under the Primary
Sector.
 Reasons why green spaces, countryside areas and ocean habitats
should be preserved. You must understand what is meant by
Conserve, Manage, Sustainable Development and Stewardship.
 How economic activities operate in contrasting locations – You need
to know how a multi-national company operates both in a developed
(MEDC) and developing country (LEDC). Also, you need to know the
Positive and Negative impacts on the local area in both countries.
Your case study is Nike and its operations in the USA and Indonesia.
The list of topics above are less than what you will have to learn for the final
CE examination at the end of Year 8. This should give you a fair chance of
scoring a decent mark in the trial examination.
We will be practicing global location and map skills in the lessons leading up
to your Trial.
I have given you a past paper to do over the Spring Half-Term Holiday.
Have a go at some of the questions over the half term break.
A final note – Examinations are important and people get nervous. The best
way to approach examinations is to be well prepared. Your responses to
questions will be more effective if you are relaxed and confident.
GOOD LUCK!