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O-LevelGeographyPopulation and settlement2217/22 · Oct/Nov 2012 · Q830 Marks

Students from a town in southern Malawi wanted to do an investigation of the Central Business District (CBD) of their town. The town had a commercial centre which was unlike the CBD of a city in an MEDC. There were no high-rise buildings and few large shops. Most shops sold low order goods which people bought frequently. The students decided on the following hypotheses: Hypothesis 1: The commercial centre of the town is near to the market. Hypothesis 2: Pedestrian flows are highest in the commercial centre but vehicle flows are lowest there.

  1. (a)(i)Use the key to identify the land use of buildings 1 and 2 on Fig. 12. Building 1 Building 2[2]
  2. (a)(ii)The students classified the shops and services into groups, as shown in the key. Suggest two reasons why they did this.[2]
  3. (a)(iii)Describe the location of the wholesale shops and general stores shown in Fig. 12.[1]
  4. (a)(iv)Describe the location of the supermarkets.[1]
  5. (a)(v)Suggest two reasons why the wholesale shops and general stores are in different locations from the supermarkets.[2]
  6. (a)(vi)Does the students' land use map, Fig. 12 support Hypothesis 1: The commercial centre of the town is near to the market? Use evidence from Fig. 12 to justify your conclusion.[3]
  7. (b)(i)They decided to do the survey between 09.30 and 09.40 on two working days. Give three advantages of their decision.[3]
  8. (b)(ii)Study Fig. 13, which shows an example of a survey sheet which students used near the clinic. They counted 18 bicycles and mopeds during their survey. Use this information to complete Fig. 13, below.[2]
  9. (c)(i)On Fig. 14, complete the isoline which shows 100 pedestrians.[2]
  10. (c)(ii)On Fig. 15, shade in the area where more than 100 vehicles were recorded.[1]
  11. (c)(iii)Some students drew separate maps to show the results of bicycles and mopeds on one map and other vehicles (cars, vans and lorries) on a different map. Why might this be more useful?[2]
  12. (c)(iv)What conclusion would the students make about Hypothesis 2: Pedestrian flows are highest in the commercial centre but vehicle flows are lowest there? Support your answer with evidence from Figs 14 and 15.[3]
  13. (c)(v)Suggest three reasons for the different patterns of pedestrian and vehicle flows shown in Figs 14 and 15.[3]
  14. (d)How might the fieldwork investigation have been improved?[3]

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 (Oct/Nov 2012). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

  1. [1 + 1 = 2] 1. Hardware. 2. Professional service.
  2. [1 + 1 = 2] To simplify the map / easier to read / understand / analyse/ can compare (1) To group similar shops / services together (1) To show a pattern of shops / services on the map (1) Easier to carry out fieldwork (1)
  3. [1] Around/near the market area (1) In the market (1) South and east of market (1) Away from or west of the main road (1) NW of cemetery (1)
  4. [1] Along the main road (1) To the east of the CBD (1) On the edge of the central area/CBD / out of town (1) Close to the bus station (1) Close to petrol station (1) To east of market (1)
  5. [1 + 1 = 2] W & G located where customers can walk to these shops frequently /daily (1) Supermarkets are located for travelling shoppers / access for people in vehicles (1) Supermarket customers may use vehicles so need space for parking / for access for lorries delivering goods (1) Small shops/stores can afford rent in centre (1) Supermarkets need more space / where land is cheaper (1) Supermarkets away from centre as built later / no space in centre (1)
  6. [1HA + 2 = 3] Evidence does SUPPORT Hypothesis 1 / it is TRUE / commercial centre is near to market Shops surround market area / on three roads (1) High density of small shops in centre (1) Different types of shops and services in centre (1) Offices/professional services in centre (1) Government offices in centre (1) Bus station in centre (1)
  7. [1 + 1 + 1 = 3] Results will not be affected / distorted by people going to work / children going to school /rush hour traffic (1) 10 minutes is long enough to get valid results / not too long to get bored (1) Working days will give typical pattern of movement in week rather than weekend (1) Repeating the survey on two days to get an average / check for reliability of results (1)
  8. [1 + 1 = 2] Completion of survey sheet – tally and total for bicycles & mopeds = 18 1 mark for total of 18
  9. [1 + 1 = 2] Completion of 100 pedestrian isoline which must go: Inside 97 and between 110 and 93 on right (1) Outside 102 and between 110 and 84 on left (1)
  10. [1] Shading of area over 100 vehicles.
  11. [1 + 1 = 2] Would separate out two groups of vehicles (1) Would show when people went to different areas on different transport (1) Would show where 2/3 wheeled vehicles went compared to 4-wheel vehicles or similar (1)
  12. [1HA + 2 = 3] Hypothesis is TRUE / pedestrian flows are highest in commercial centre / vehicle flows are lowest - 1 mark Pedestrian flows are over 150 in commercial centre (1) Vehicle flows are between 25 – 50 in commercial centre (1)
  13. [1R + 1R + 1 = 3] Pedestrian flows are highest in area of market because: People walk to buy food/ household/convenience goods/go to shop (1) People come from nearby housing areas (1) Many people may not own vehicles / don't need vehicles (1) Likely to be more work in centre (1) Quicker to get round shops than with vehicle (1) Vehicle flows are highest along main road because: People travelling between other settlements/ through traffic/commuting (1) People go to supermarkets to buy in bulk (1) Vehicles lowest in centre because of narrow roads/lack of parking space (1)
  14. [1 + 1 + 1 = 3] Surveys done more frequently during the day (1) Surveys done on >two working days (1) More survey points to give greater coverage (1) Comparison with survey done on a non-work day such as weekend (1) At least three people doing survey so more checking (1) Ensure each group has watch / stopwatch (1) Use of counters / 'clickers' (1) Carry out pilot study (1)

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About this question

Topic
Population and settlement, O-Level Geography (syllabus 2217). Structured question, 30 marks.
Source
O-Level Geography, Oct/Nov 2012 Paper 2 Variant 2, question 8.

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