Difficulty verdict

Overall a medium-difficulty series (3/5). Each short-answer section starts with accessible multiple choice, data completion and state/describe items, then ramps up to 8 and 12 mark case-study questions where candidates must bring place-specific detail and a judgement. Paper 3 is the most demanding because it asks students to apply skills to unseen data and then evaluate their own fieldwork.

Where the marks are

  • Extended levels-of-response questions make up about 80 of the 200 marks: the three 12-mark and 8-mark case studies in papers 1 and 2, the 8-mark energy evaluation, the 6-mark synoptic and fieldwork questions, and the 8-mark fieldwork conclusion.
  • Fieldwork is the single biggest block (33 marks) and is worth far more than any single theme chapter.
  • The six theme chapters carry 18-21 marks each, so no topic can safely be skipped.
  • Around 10 marks are multiple choice and about 6 are calculations; these are the quickest marks to secure.

Examiner pitfalls (inferred from the mark scheme)

  • Case-study answers are capped at Level 2 if the example is wrong or from the wrong context (for example a coastal example for a river basin, or an LIDC example for a UK city). Name the right place and use place-specific facts.
  • Development marks need an explicit link: identify, then say what happens to the landscape or people.
  • Do not give 'pollution' on its own, and do not describe where something is not found.
  • Calculations must show working and the right rounding (one decimal place).
  • Judgement can be implicit, but a mini-conclusion in each paragraph secures the AO3 credit.

Strategy

Aim for about one mark per minute on papers 1 and 2 and spend the saved time on the 12-mark questions. Learn one strong case study per specification case-study heading, with at least three named facts and figures. Practise graph completion, ratios, percentages and mean calculations weekly. For fieldwork, rehearse evaluating methods and judging how reliable your conclusions are.

Prediction

Topics tested at lower tariff in this series, or tested less often than their history suggests, are likelier to return with more marks. The strongest candidates are People of the Planet and Environmental threats (case-study heavy) and any Landscapes case study in river or coastal form. Revise all six chapters, but prioritise case-study evaluation technique and fieldwork.