Section A Answer one question from this section. (a) Study Fig. 1, which shows densely and sparsely populated areas in the world. [Figure 1.0]

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2011). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] (a) (i) An area where many people live in a small area/per square kilometre/over 50 people per square kilometre;
2. [1] (ii) A. Europe, France, NE USA/Eastern USA, Japan, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, California etc.
3. [1] B. Indonesia, Eastern China, Japan, India, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines etc.
4. [1] (iii) Ideas such as: e.g. Area X it is an area of desert/there are inadequate water supplies;
5. [1] food cannot be grown/crops can't be grown;
6. [1] many parts are isolated/poor communications/inaccessible/no roads;
7. [1] there are few resources;
8. [1] there is little employment/no jobs; etc.
9. [1] e.g. Area Y temperatures are low/very cold for much of year/long winters/short summers;
10. [1] food cannot be grown/crops can't be grown;
11. [1] difficult to get to/remote/inaccessible/seas are frozen for several months;
12. [1] there are few resources;
13. [1] there is little employment/no jobs;
14. [1] snow/ice covered; etc.
15. [1] (b) (i) Ideas such as: flood plain/it might flood;
16. [1] marshy land/swampy;
17. [1] people do not want their homes/settlements/crops flooded;
18. [1] land likely to be used for rice/irrigated/farmland;
19. [1] (ii) Ideas such as: relief is high/steep/mountainous/hilly/hills/no flat land;
20. [1] it is difficult to build homes/settlement/expensive to build;
21. [1] roads will be hard to construct/difficult to get to/inaccessible;
22. [1] low temperatures;
23. [1] high precipitation/wet;
24. [1] windy;
25. [1] mud/land slides;
26. [1] would need to build terraces to grow crops; etc.
27. [1] (iii) Ideas such as: fertile soils/so crops yield is good; (DEV)
28. [1] availability of water for drinking/cleaning/washing/domestic use;
29. [1] water for irrigation/agricultural idea/livestock;
30. [1] communications by river/travel;
31. [1] easy to build road/railway line;
32. [1] river is source of fish/go fishing;
33. [1] flat building land/easy to build settlements;(or DEV)
34. [1] fast flowing water for HEP;
35. [1] defence from meander;
36. [1] bridging point;
37. [1] renewable energy/clean energy; etc.
38. [1-3] (c) Level 1 (1–3 marks) Statements including limited detail which describe and/or explain in population distribution. (e.g. south is more densely populated than north, more water supply, more jobs, not enough food produced in north, better communications in south etc.)
39. [4-6] Level 2 (4–6 marks) Uses named example. More developed statements which describe and/or explain population distribution. (e.g. south is more densely populated than north in the main river valleys, more water supply for agriculture in the south so more food produced, more jobs in south where most towns and cities are located, better communications including airport in south etc.) (NB Max 5 if no named example)
40. [7] Level 3 (7 marks) Uses named example (e.g. Niger). Which describe and explain population distribution. Must have sparse and dense areas with description and explanation. Comprehensive and accurate statements including some place specific reference. (e.g. the south has more water than the north therefore lack of domestic/agricultural water supply in north; the valley of the river Niger is densely populated as it is an attractive area to settle as it offers the best land to build settlements/communications/most fertile land; densely populated areas in south are better served by communications/airport at Bamako; southern parts are closer to boundaries of more countries e.g. Guinea/Ivory Coast thus more opportunities for trade etc.)