Issue evaluation and UK geographical investigations

10.1 · Free notes

Issue evaluation: working through an AQA Paper 3 pre-release resource booklet

Key points

• AQA Paper 3 (Geographical applications) lasts 1 hour 15 minutes and is worth 76 marks. Section A: Issue evaluation is worth 37 marks and Section B: Fieldwork is worth 39 marks.
• The pre-release resource booklet is issued about 12 weeks before the exam. You may research and annotate it beforehand, but you cannot take annotated copies in. A clean copy is given in the exam.
• The booklet is built around one geographical issue, such as a development, a management scheme or a conflict over land use. It always has a place, a scale and a choice between options.
• Resources include OS and location maps, photographs, graphs, tables, satellite images and text extracts with stakeholder opinions. Work out what each figure shows and what it cannot show.
• Before the exam, make a one-page summary: the issue, the places, the key figures with units, each stakeholder's view and the pros and cons of each option. Do not memorise a fixed answer, because the questions are new each year.
• The early questions test skills: grid references, scale (1:25,000 means 4 cm = 1 km), percentage change = (change ÷ original) × 100, mean, median, range, and describing graphs and anomalies. Always quote data with units.
• Stakeholders include residents, councils, businesses, conservation groups and national agencies. Check whether a source may show bias, for example a developer's promotional leaflet.
• Command words matter: describe (what), explain (why), assess/evaluate (weigh up and judge), and justify (give evidence for a choice). Match the depth of your answer to the marks available.
• The final 9-mark question asks you to make a justified decision between options. A top-level answer gives a clear decision, uses specific evidence from several resources, and weighs costs and benefits for different groups. It also explains why alternatives were rejected and ends with a conclusion.
• Add depth by linking to your course knowledge, such as sustainability, management strategies and named case studies. The decision must still rest on the booklet evidence.
• Timing: with 76 marks in 75 minutes, aim for about one minute per mark. Spend about 9–12 minutes on the final question, and plan with a quick table of option, evidence and who gains or loses.
• Show evaluation with phrases such as 'however', 'the most significant factor is' and 'this evidence is limited because'. Limitations include small samples, old data, one-sided sources and missing costs.

In more detail

• Worked preparation: list each figure in the booklet with one key fact, and learn its place names, figures and stakeholders.
• Worked command words: "assess" means weigh up importance; "justify" means give reasons for your choice, backed by evidence.
• Worked 9-mark plan: choose an option → reason 1 with evidence from the booklet → reason 2 → a counter-argument and why your choice still wins → a clear conclusion.
• Worked linking: if the issue is a new dam, link it to water security, displacement of people and sustainability from your course.
• Worked timing: 76 marks in 75 minutes is about a minute per mark.