O-LevelGeographyThe natural environment2217/22 · May/June 2013 · Q730 Marks

Some students decided to find out more about a river flood which had occurred in their town. First they looked up some data about the rainfall for the month in which the flood occurred.

(a)(i)Fig. 7 (Insert) shows the daily rainfall in October 2000. On which four dates did most rain fall?[1]
(a)(ii)What instrument would be used to measure rainfall?[1]
(a)(iii)One student made entries in a diary on the days leading up to the river flood. This is shown in Fig. 8 (Insert). Explain why the river flooding occurred later than the heaviest rainfall.[2]
(b)(i)To investigate Hypothesis 1 the students searched the internet for information. Which one of the following is the correct description for this type of information used in fieldwork? Circle your answer below. Primary Secondary Tertiary[1]
(b)(ii)The students found two maps of the area, one from 1957 and the other from 2001. These maps are shown in Fig. 9 (Insert). Identify two changes that occurred between 1957 and 2001 in the area shown by the maps.[2]
(c)(i)The students found another map which showed the area affected by the river flood (floodplain) in 2000. This is shown in Fig. 10 (Insert). Suggest two reasons why many buildings have been built on the river floodplain.[2]
(c)(ii)Compare the distribution of the residential and manufacturing buildings in the area affected by flooding shown on Fig. 10.[2]
(c)(iii)Table 3 (Insert) shows the different uses of the buildings which were located on the floodplain in 2000. Use the data in Table 3 to complete the pie graph, Fig. 11 below.[2]
(c)(iv)What conclusion would the students make about Hypothesis 1: The main use of buildings on the floodplain in 2000 was manufacturing? Support your decision with evidence from Table 3 and Fig. 11.[3]
(d)(i)The results of Question 1 from the questionnaire are shown in Table 4 below. Plot this information on the divided bar graph below. Include a scale on your graph.[2]
(d)(ii)The results of Question 2 in the questionnaire are shown in Table 5 below. Use this information to complete the graph, Fig. 13 below.[1]
(d)(iii)The students decided that Hypothesis 2: Businesses located on the floodplain were badly affected by flooding was correct. Use the results from Questions 1 and 2 in the questionnaire to support their conclusion.[3]
(e)Table 3 (Insert) shows that only 20 residential properties were affected by flooding. In some countries, however, many thousands of people live on river floodplains. Give two opportunities and two problems of living on a floodplain.[4]
(f)What can be done to prevent further flooding on a river floodplain?[4]

This question uses a diagram from the original paper, which isn't shown here. Open the full paper from the past papers archive to see it.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2013). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

[1] 9,10,11,12 (October) or 9–12th; dates can be in any order.
[1] Rain gauge
[1 + 1] [2] Examples – look for two causes of time lags Rain does not fall directly into river (1) Rainwater needs time to drain into the river (1) River level continues to rise after the rain stops/during rainfall (1) River is not full/at bankfull discharge (1) Interception by trees/vegetation (1) Rain stored in rocks/soil (1)
[1] Secondary
[1+1] [2] Examples (Can compare either way between years) More built-up / urban area is larger (1) Buildings constructed near river / on floodplain (1) By-pass / road constructed (1) Railway lines do not continue/destroyed/cut off (1) Less woodland area (1) Parkland in different places (1) River route different (1)
[1+1] [2] Examples Open space/expansion for buildings (1) Flat land (1) Cheap land (1) Water for transport/cooling/manufacturing/power (1 max for refs to water)
[2] Examples: must be a comparison Residential buildings are east/NE but manufacturing are west (1) Manufacturing buildings are more/further downstream than residential (1) Manufacturing buildings are nearer the river/residential are further away (1) Both are on same side/north of river (1)
[1+1] [2] Completion of pie graph – manufacturing (12%) and public buildings (4%) 1 mark for correct line; must be within 5% of vertical (should be 4%); 1 mark for correct shading using the key.
[1HA + 2] [3] Hypothesis is false / incorrect / not true Most / majority / mainly/ over half /55%/ 73/133 of building use is for shopping (1) Only 16 out of 133/ 12% buildings are for manufacturing (1) More buildings are for residential / office use than manufacturing (1)
[1+1] [2] Completion of divided bar graph 1 mark for correct line at 15 from either direction (1) 1 mark for YES/NO in bars or appropriate key is clear (1)
[1] Completion of bar graph 1 mark for plot at 64; no credit for shading.
[1+1+1] [3] Examples: Can give reverse for credit (NB NO HYPOTHESIS MARK) Most or 95/110 or 86% had no warning (1) OR only 15/110 or 14% had warning (1) All or 100% or 110/110 businesses had increase in insurance costs (1) Most or 101/110 or 92% businesses were affected by loss of customers OR only 9/110 or 8% were not affected by loss of customers (1) Most or 99/110 or 90% businesses had repair costs (1) Credit data to 1 mark max but not a reserve mark
[2+2] [4] Examples of Opportunities: Fertile soil/good for farming (1) Water for irrigation /crops/drinking/bathing etc (1 max for refs to water) Can use river for transport (1) Flat land for building roads / railways (1) River is source of fish for food (1) Examples of Problems: Farmland/crops/livestock can be flooded (1) Food stores can be damaged by flood (1) Foundations of homes are made unstable / homes are washed away (1) People are drowned / swept away (1) Flooding makes travel impossible (1) Water-borne diseases/contamination/water pollution (1) High insurance costs / cost of rebuilding (1) Dangerous wildlife e.g. crocodiles/mosquitos/malaria (1)
[1+1+1+1] [4] Increase size / depth of river channel (1) Afforestation in catchment area (1) Construct a dam / creates a reservoir (1) Build embankments / levees / walls / barriers (1) Straighten river course / remove meanders (1) Dig a flood relief channel / divert river (1) Dredging river / removing debris (1) Build a drainage system/ditches (1) Dyke (1)