Answer one question from this section. (a) Study Fig. 1.1 (Insert), a map showing migration routes in Central America.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2025). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] Moving from/to/within/between a country/place/town/settlement/region;
2. [1] Internal migration: Mazatlan to La Paz; Mexico City to Monclova; Vera Cruz to Matamoros; South to North Mexico Etc.
3. [1] International migration: Mexico to USA; Guatemala/Honduras/Belize to Mexico; Panama/Costa Rica to Nicaragua; El Salvador to Honduras Named cities in different countries (e.g. Tegucigalpa to Mexico City) Etc.
4. Note: All places mentioned need to be labelled on Fig. 1.1
5. [1] More jobs/better/higher paid employment;
6. [1] Good/more/better education/schools/universities;
7. [1] Good/More/better health care/doctors/hospitals;
8. [1] More/better water/sanitation;
9. [1] More/better energy/electricity/gas supplies;
10. [1] More/better food supplies;
11. [1] Political/economic stability/absence of conflict/low crime rates;
12. [1] To be with family/friends; Etc.
13. [1] Finding somewhere to live/stay/housing problems/houses are expensive;
14. [1] Language barrier/cannot understand the language/have to learn language;
15. [1] Jobs are hard to obtain/unable to get jobs matching their qualifications;
16. [1] Jobs are low paid/exploitation;
17. [1] Racism/(racial/religious) discrimination/hostility;
18. [1] They miss/they are away from family/friends/home/loneliness;
19. [1] Hard to adapt to/not used to different religion/culture/traditions/culture shock;
20. [1] High cost of living/can`t afford food/schooling/healthcare, etc.;
21. [1] Threat of deportation/difficult to get legal documents/ID/citizenship; Etc.
22. [1] largest overall increase in population: Houston
23. [1] smallest increase in population of international migrants: San Antonio
24. [1] decline in the number of internal migrants: San Jose
25. [1] Benefits: Provides workers;
26. [1] Provides skills/increases skills base;
27. [1] Will accept lower pay/jobs the locals won`t do;
28. [1] Pay taxes;
29. [1] More diversity/multi-cultural society or example (e.g. learning new language);
30. [1] Establishment of services or example (e.g. Mexican restaurants in USA);
31. [1] Provides a larger market/demand for local products/services or example (e.g. schools);
32. [1] More economic development/GNP/national income/contributes to economy; Etc.
33. [1] Problems: Pressure on/need to provide more food/water/energy supplies;
34. [1] Cost of/need for providing accommodation/new housing/problems caused by street dwellers/squatter settlements develop/homelessness;
35. [1] pressure on schools/hospitals etc.;
36. [1] Unemployment/financial support/benefits/welfare for unemployed;
37. [1] Conflicts with/resentment from local population/example of increased crime;
38. [1] May reduce wage rates of local people/take jobs of local people; Etc.
39. Note: Reserve 1 mark for each of benefits/problems.
40. Levels marking
41. Level 1 (1–3 marks): Statements including limited detail which describe the problems caused by underpopulation.
42. Level 2 (4–6 marks): Uses named example. Developed statements which describe the problems caused by underpopulation. (Note: Max 5 if no named or inappropriate example.)
43. Level 3 (7 marks): Uses named example. Comprehensive and accurate statements describe the problems caused by underpopulation, including place specific reference.
44. Content Guide: Answers are likely to refer to: Difficulty of exploiting/under use of resources
45. Lack of labour
46. Lack of skills
47. Need for/expense of attracting immigrants
48. Racial/social problems due to immigration
49. Lack of market for businesses
50. Expense to government of providing social services to few people
51. Low tax base/need for individuals to pay higher taxes
52. Closure of businesses/services
53. Difficulty of attracting investment
54. Difficulty of defending country Etc.
55. Place specific reference is likely to consist of: Named places within the country
56. Specific details of consequences
57. Statistics Etc.