Geography 2024 HSC exam pack (archive)

Students should:

• read the question carefully to ensure that they do not miss important components of the question
• have a clear understanding of key words in the question and recognise the intent of the question and its requirements
• use the first page of the answer booklet for an extended response to develop a plan to assist in the logical sequencing of information
• engage with what the question is asking rather than presenting a pre-prepared response
• relate to the question throughout the response rather than just at the beginning
• sustain their judgements, where appropriate, throughout the response with a clear connection to the question
• communicate ideas and information using geographical terms and concepts appropriately
• refer to case studies, illustrative examples and the Stimulus Booklet where appropriate
• present a sustained, logical and cohesive response that addresses the question
• review their response to ensure that it addresses question requirements.

Question 21

 In better responses, students were able to: 

• use Source D of the Stimulus Booklet to correctly complete the cross-section of Aogashima Island (a)
• identify the different scales for the vertical (1:2500) and horizontal (1:20 000) scales (b)
• clearly show all relevant working (b)
• correctly use the vertical exaggeration formula (b).

Areas for students to improve include: 

• understanding that a cross section requires the correct use of the contour lines between point B and point C
• expressing the vertical exaggeration correctly 8 times (b)
• writing the different scales as fractions, 1/2500 and 1/20 000 (b)
• ensuring all relevant working is shown in questions involving calculations (b).

Question 22

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify one human feature in Source D and its grid reference, for example, helipad 497919, jetty 495896 (a)
• provide a valid geographical inquiry question that a student could investigate on a field trip to Aogashima Island. For example, ‘How do birdwatchers and photographers affect Aogashima Island’s bird population?’ (b)
• provide two reasons why it is important to protect ecosystems on Aogashima Island, for example, utility values, intrinsic values (c)
• make appropriate use of Sources D and G. For example, referring to the need to protect ecosystems for the maintenance of genetic diversity for populations of threatened bird species such as the Japanese Woodpigeon (c)
• demonstrate an understanding of the biogeographical process of succession shown in the diagrams (d).

Areas for students to improve include:

• expressing grid references correctly using 6-digits, for example, 496895, rather than using a 4-digit figure which is an area reference (a)
• proposing a question rather than making a statement, for example, ‘What bird species are present on Aogashima Island and what are the approximate populations?’ (b)
• using the sources stated when giving two reasons to protect ecosystems on Aogashima Island. For example, in Source G it states that Aogashima Island is an important bird area (IBA) because it supports populations of several bird species such as the Japanese Woodpigeon (c)
• demonstrating understanding of biogeographical processes.

Question 23

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly describe internal linkages between people within the enterprise, for example, the cellar door manager tells the wine maker which wine variety is experiencing the greatest demand (a)
• clearly explain how market preferences have changed the nature of the economic activity and show the effect of this (b)
• clearly understand the social impacts of an economic activity, for example, labour exploitation, cultural integration, addressing both positive and negative impacts (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• demonstrating understanding of internal linkages rather than referencing external linkages such as guests, customers, suppliers (a)
• understanding that internal linkages relate to people rather than goods, services and ideas (a)
• understanding how market preferences can lead to a change in the nature of an economic activity (b)
• recognising the difference between social impacts and environmental or economic impacts (c).

Question 24

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly describe the influence of global networks with an example of a global network such as, financial, transport, communication, transnational corporation headquarters (a)
• demonstrate a thorough understanding of an urban dynamic in a large city of the developed world and how it has influenced the location of residential land (b)
• provide reasons for the change in role of regional centres, for example, the demise of the small town, government decisions, decentralisation, the sponge effect, exurbanisation (c).

Areas for students to improve include:

• recognising global networks (a)
• focusing on an urban dynamic of change not a result of the dynamic, for example, urban sprawl or gentrification (b)
• identifying a large city in the developed world not a single suburb of a city
• engaging with and integrating stimulus and sources, rather than just repeating them (c).

Question 25

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of a local enterprise, for example, winery (viticulture), zoo (tourism), ski resort (tourism)
• provide a detailed examination of how changes can affect ONE local economic enterprise
• show the locational changes, for example, latitudinal range for viticulture, proximity to major urban centres for tourism, transport connections for agricultural products and tourism links
• show environmental changes, for example, environmental constraints for viticulture such as drought and bushfires, climate change for local alpine tourism areas, pollution in rivers and oceans for aquaculture
• show global changes, for example, the impacts of tariffs on exported viticulture products, how climate change influences tourism enterprises, how change in consumer preferences and demand for sustainability influences agricultural production
• provide clear, well-structured responses that address each aspect of the question in detail
• integrate specific and explicit case studies/examples with explicit data or statistics to support the examination.

Areas for students to improve include:

• ensuring they address the local economic enterprise not the global economic activity
• addressing all aspects of the question: locational, environmental and global changes
• providing more supporting case studies/examples with explicit data or statistics to support the examination
• addressing the effect of each change on the specific enterprise, for example, reduced number of visitors resulting in a drop in profits, global warming changing environmental conditions and resulting in loss of production.

Question 26

In better responses, students were able to:

• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of a range of ecosystem management strategies. Management strategies could include but are not limited to: 
  • seasonal occupation 
  • fire stick farming 
  • custodianship of land and multi-generational knowledge
  • rehabilitation
  • pest/weed management
  • zoning
  • legislation
  • leveraging technology
• demonstrate a clear understanding of ecological sustainability
• compare the effectiveness of different strategies for achieving ecological sustainability in terms of intragenerational equity, the precautionary approach and biological diversity
• make connections between management strategies and the principles of ecological sustainability
• provide nuanced comparisons of the similarities and differences of management strategies and make a judgement about which strategies are more likely to achieve ecological sustainability and why.

Areas for students to improve include: 

• answering the question more directly by focusing on comparing strategies used to manage ecosystems in terms of their ecological sustainability 
• supporting arguments with illustrative examples, factual detail and evidence
• writing in a more objective manner and improving the clarity and structure of their responses.

Question 27

In better responses, students were able to: 

• demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the character of megacities such as Dhaka, Manila, Mumbai, Mexico City, Lagos. This could include, but is not limited to:
  • high and dense populations of more than 10 million people
  • rapid growth that outstrips housing availability
  • the emergence of informal housing settlements
  • high crime rates and social inequality
  • limited available government revenue
  • widespread poverty
  • lack of adequate water and power supplies
• show how relevant facets of character influence responses to the challenges of living in megacities, such as government, NGO and community self-help initiatives
• support their responses through case studies, statistical evidence and the stimulus booklet (Source J)
• make sustained and accurate links to the character of mega cities, for example, how having high population density or rapid rural to urban migration results in NGOs needing to implement programs to overcome the limited capabilities of the national government
• use a range of examples of megacities.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing clear links to how the character of megacities influences the ways the cities respond to the challenges. For example, Mumbai has a high rate of rural to urban migration which influences the large number of people in the informal economy; Mexico City is the primate city of Mexico and hosts a high proportion of Mexico’s manufacturing industry leading to large numbers of people in the informal economy
• providing supporting evidence with illustrative examples and case studies using formal and factual expression, rather than colloquial expression or general description.