How to achieve success in the 40-mark essay questions in AQA GEOG3

Transcription

1 Online April 2012 AQA SPECIAL 12 How to achieve success in the 40-mark essay questions in AQA GEOG3 The AQA Geog3 examination paper requires you to write one long essay that carries 40 marks. You are advised to spend 60 minutes on the writing of this essay. However, this does not mean that you should write continuously for 60 minutes part of that time should be spent on interpreting the precise demands of the task that is set, and thereby providing evidence of planning, structure and a sense of focus. Some initial advice The first task you should undertake is to choose the essay title that will allow you to fulfil your potential to its best. Depending on how many options you have studied, you will have a choice of at least one from two essays, and many of you will have a wider choice available. Make sure you use that choice wisely. You should appreciate that the essay titles have been written so as to encourage broader synoptic thinking and critical understanding you will be assessed on these aspects more than on what you know (knowledge). Recognise the command words used Assess, Evaluate, Discuss, To what extent and understand what they mean (Figure 1). Ask yourself these questions: Which essay title will best allow me to demonstrate my understanding of the complexity of geography? Which essay title will allow me to put across my own opinions, or those of others? Imagine three pots each containing different colours of paint one representing knowledge, and the other two synthesis and critical understanding and an empty canvas. The latter two colours should dominate the finished canvas, though of course there should be lots of merging of colours. Having chosen your essay title, plan your answer to it. Write a brief plan it may be a collection of words and headings, or a spider diagram, or a table. Add the names of case studies you may want to use, but don t give any details here. Write Figure 1: The common essay command words and their meaning A2 Command word Discuss Analyse Assess Evaluate To what extent the plan on your examination paper, or on a separate piece of paper, and don t cross it out. If it is in the examination paper, or tagged on as an extra sheet, examiners will look at it. Don t make it so long that it becomes a shortened version of the real thing. Be prepared to write at length make sure you practise the ability to write between 800 and 1250 words within the time frame. Write to a structure this means providing an introduction, separate paragraphs each developing a theme, idea or case study, and a conclusion that responds to the demands of the title. Essay writing is not an Olympic event testing stamina essays are not weighed. Writing too much can undermine the quality of the overall response, as the thread of the argument can be lost, but equally, writing too little will result in superficiality. Finally, you should be aware that your essay will be assessed in its totality as a whole. Therefore you must finish it. You should decide when within the examination timescale you will complete this task at the beginning, in the middle, or as your last activity. This will depend on your ability to manage time effectively. The essay mark scheme the design The essay mark scheme operates as follows. Your essay is read from start to finish, and then the examiner will make a judgement on David Redfern Meaning Give both sides of an argument (for and against, strengths and weaknesses), and come to a conclusion. Break down the content of a topic, or issue, into its constituent parts in order to provide an in-depth account. Weigh up several options or arguments and come to a conclusion about their effectiveness based on criteria. Weigh up several options or arguments and come to a conclusion about their importance/success based on criteria. Say how far you agree with a statement option after examining both sides of the argument. the essay according to five criteria and award a level (from Level 1 to Level 4) for each criterion. Each of these can also be fine tuned to be higher/lower/mid-point within that criterion. Examiners will often label certain aspects of the criteria as they see them in the answer, as this will facilitate their summative judgement in that criterion. At the end of the answer, the examiner then awards a Level for each criterion, for example: Knowledge (K) 3, Critical Understanding (C/U) 2; Use of case studies (CS) 3; Synopticity (S) 3 ; Quality of argument (Q) 3 The arrows indicate whether the student is in either the lower or upper part of that Level. The overall Level is then calculated by observing the dominant number in the above case, Level 3. The mid-point for Level 3 is 26 marks. But, in the above case, there is a Level 2 for C/U, and there is net one arrow within Level 3. So, the examiner would award a mark of 23/24 as this is lower than the midpoint. The mark scheme is provided in Figure 2, on the last page of this unit. The essay mark scheme application The rest of this Geofile seeks to explain the meaning of each of the separate elements of the mark

2 scheme from an assessment point of view. Obviously all of these elements are interconnected, yet examiners have found that to use the five criteria in the mark scheme assists in the formulation of the overall worth of an essay. It has proved to be very successful in its outcomes. Brief exemplars will be given from student responses as illustration. In order to understand the context of the exemplars, the essay titles used are as follows. They will not be reproduced in the commentary, but simply referred to as Essay 1, 2 and so on. Essay 1 (June 2010) The hazards presented by volcanic and seismic events have the greatest impact on the world s poorest people. To what extent do you agree with this view? Essay 2 (January 2011) Up and down, up and down that is how temperature and climate have always gone in the past and there is no proof they are not still doing exactly the same thing now. In other words, climate change is an entirely natural phenomenon, nothing to do with the burning of fossil fuels. (David Bellamy) Discuss the extent to which you agree with this statement. Essay 3 (June 2011) Maintaining biodiversity at its present level is impossible if people are going to achieve a reasonable standard of living in the near future. Discuss this statement with reference to a tropical biome you have studied. Essay 4 (June 2011) With reference to examples, assess the degree to which the level of economic development of a country affects planning and management in urban areas. Essay 5 (June 2011) Newly industrialised countries have been, and continue to be, the driving force of globalisation. To what extent do you agree with this statement? Essay 6 (June 2011) Discuss the issue: No development without security and no security without development. The Introduction All essays should begin with a sound introduction. This should not be too long a few sentences should suffice. It may define the terms in the question, set the scene for what is to follow, or provide a brief statement of the discussion or viewpoint you are going to develop in the main body of your essay. Here are two examples of good introductions, one for Essay 1, and one for Essay 6. Essay 1 Tectonic hazards such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur across the surface of the globe, but many argue that they have the greatest impact on the poorest people the inhabitants of LEDCs. However, there are many different factors which contribute to the severity of a tectonic event, both physical and human. Although very brief, the student has immediately recognised what the question is asking, and given a brief indication that the statement in the question is more complex than it originally appears. Essay 6 Security can be defined as the safety of a person or population from attack from itself or from a disaster. It refers to the existence of a defence system such as the military. It also refers to the creation and up keeping of laws by a trusted government and police force. Development can be defined as steady sustainable movement and advancement in infrastructure, education, health care and presence of equality. Afghanistan is a country that has found itself in the middle of this issue as to whether there is no development without security and no security without development. This is longer, and has defined key terms in the question. The student has also indicated that these key terms have an element of complexity to them. Finally, the context of the essay to come, Afghanistan, is clearly stated. Knowledge of content, ideas and concepts This is probably the easiest element of an essay to satisfy to a high level. As you can see from the mark scheme in Figure 2, you will be judged on how relevant, detailed, thorough and accurate you are. At the outset avoid sweeping generalisations and be prepared to give precise statements of content. Every essay will have a body of knowledge or theory that underpins it. Examiners will judge how strong this knowledge is. However, do not give content for content sake do not venture into areas which are irrelevant be selective. Here is an example of relevant and strong knowledge in relation to Essay 2. The Middle Ages the period between about 500 and 1400AD experienced a very warm period. Great Britain s climate more resembled that of a Mediterranean climate of Greece or Italy today. We know this from historical records such as the increase in the practice of wine cultivation in Britain in this period which can only lead to the fact that we had a warmer climate. Similarly, in the years from around 1650 to 1750 AD much of northern Europe experienced a mini ice age where it was common for the river Thames and river Rhine to freeze in London and Germany respectively. This led to the frequency of fairs on the ice every winter and ice skating events taking place. And for Essay 5, Since the 1960s NICs have begun to develop. To the east, there are the Asian Tigers of Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea. These countries developed rapidly between the 1960s and the dawn of the new millennium though in more recent times they have been usurped in terms of their growth records, particularly by China the fastest growing industrialising nation in the world, and Brazil expected to break into the world s top 5 richest countries by In each case, the information given is accurate, pertinent and sufficiently detailed to support the point being made. Critical understanding of the above This takes the level of knowledge into a higher intellectual skill where the student demonstrates how the knowledge base given links to the question set, and whether or not it helps in addressing the question. Examiners are looking for some degree of commentary from you it may be a sentence, or a phrase where you are putting your own spin on that knowledge. Examiners are NOT looking for paragraphs here they are looking for (sometimes brief) evidence of critical application. This can be what you

3 think, or it can be what others think. Here are two good examples that follow on from the extracts above. Essay 2 These extreme changes over such a short period of time makes David Bellamy s statements ring true. Essay 5 What cannot be doubted though is the role of NICs in the new world economy. China is the world s second largest economy, second only to that of the USA, though it is expected to dwarf it within the next half century at the most. Additionally, Brazil as a nation is rapidly on the rise despite not more than 200 years ago being described by some as not having developed much since the Stone Age. Now link the two sections (Knowledge and Critical Understanding) together for each of the above extracts. You should be able to see how the student has taken a body of knowledge, applied it to the context of the question and along the way demonstrated application by commenting on it. Note the use of the words and phrases extreme, such a short period of time, ring true, dwarf, rapidly on the rise and described by some. These are the words of commentary and are evidence of critical understanding. Use of examples/case studies to support the argument An important element of an essay is that examples and/or case studies should be used to support the point being made. However this section of the mark scheme is not giving you carte blanche to write all you know about a case study and hope that some of it is applicable to the question set. Too many students take the opportunity to write at great length about the case studies they have learnt and giving what is known as a case study dump. You must USE the case study as a support. As you can see from the mark scheme, the case studies used must be developed (ie have some accurate detail), appropriate and, overall within the essay, balanced. Over-emphasis on one case study is not sufficient. The best answers will integrate their case studies as the argument progresses elements of the case studies are cherry-picked to suit the purposes of the point being made. Here are two examples of the good use of case study information, one for Essay 3 and one for Essay 4. The material given is detailed, and specific to the areas named. Furthermore, if you read the sections carefully, you will see that there is also some evidence of critical understanding in each. Essay 3 One reason why I believe the Serengeti s unique biodiversity will stay close to the levels at the moment is the importance it has for tourism and the income that it brings to the country of Tanzania. There are 4 lodges and 20 campsites in the park run by either TANAPA or private tourism organisations and there are many hotels and mobile campsites. The area has a network of access roads and there is high security on site, in terms of well-equipped anti-poaching teams that conserve wildlife. The earnings from tourism make up 16% of Tanzania s GDP and 60% of its annual export earnings. Essay 4 Another example took place in Cairo the capital of Egypt, the city built close to the River Nile and home to over 5 million people. Many of these people live in inappropriate places the City of the Dead, and old mausoleums. There is also Manshiet Nasser the largest area of squalor, home to about half a million people. A total of 35% of the city have no access to sewerage and 55% of the polluted water reaches the sea untreated. Note that in this section of the mark scheme there is reference to maps and diagrams. There is no requirement to draw either a map or diagram but some students prefer to use these techniques to put across their ideas. The great majority of students do not use a diagram. However, if you do choose to draw a map/diagram it must be effective and integrated into your answer not bolt-on. Evidence of synopticity All of the essays set are by definition synoptic they invite you to write in a manner that should enable you to provide some evidence of synopticity. As you can see from the mark scheme, examiners look for evidence of synopticity in two ways. You should aim to satisfy both elements, but do not try to do this in an artificial manner (by, for example, writing a synoptic paragraph ) if you answer the question correctly and to A level standard, you will satisfy the requirement automatically. One meaning of synopticity is to demonstrate your understanding of the connections that exist between different aspects of the subject. Geography is a naturally synoptic subject it has the interconnection between Human and Physical Geography. Physical Geography influences how humans live their lives, and equally humans can try to counteract, or modify, the influence of the natural environment. There are several areas within the specification where this interrelationship shows itself for example, volcanic and seismic hazards, urban climates, climate change, urban ecosystems and the management of fragile environments. Geography is also synoptic in the human area of study for any human activity there are social influences and impacts, as well as economic, demographic, cultural, environmental influences and so on. Each of these elements interacts with each other. The subject is rich in synopticity. In addition to this type of synopticity, there is also the required ability to think like a geographer, and again you are expected to show some evidence of this in your answer. This refers to the fact that geographers recognise that people influence or are influenced by natural or human events in a manner that depends on their values and attitudes. These are often influenced in turn by their culture, their position in society, their wealth and by the decisions that they or others take. Individuals make decisions, or react to events, as do groups of people such as governments, local, national and international. Recognising such complex influences is another form of synopticity. Read the following extract from an answer to Essay 1 it is littered with all aspects of synopticity (and critical understanding): The next major difference between LEDCs and MEDCs in their response to natural disasters is their ability to give aid. In the 2008 Mount Etna eruptions 5.6 million in tax breaks was granted by the Italian government and in the

4 L Aquila earthquake emergency crews were at the scene within minutes and international aid arrived within 24 hours. By contrast, LEDCs are almost completely dependent on foreign aid to respond to tectonic hazards. The foreign aid given for the 2004 tsunami was $7 billion but this pales into insignificance next to the aid given for natural disasters by MEDC governments when they have occurred in MEDCs (eg Hurricane Katrina in the USA $62.3 billion). In Montserrat aid took several days to come and when it did some was inappropriate. It was reported that some organisations refused local knowledge and the sums given out were uneconomically small. The water supply and sewage disposal was also inadequate and so gastrointestinal disease spread. In this way, poorer people in LEDCS suffer more from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because foreign aid so often is not enough and is substandard. This extract contains so much good material. In terms of synopticity, there are references to the impact of aid, water supply and disease, as well as clear statements of the role of decision makers. Furthermore there is evidence of critical understanding note the words and phrases completely dependent on, pales into insignificance, inappropriate, substandard. The use of case study is also precise and specific. This is an excellent paragraph. Here is another extract from an answer to Essay 6. See if you can identify the evidence of both synopticity and critical understanding. The argument of no security without development can also be observed in Afghanistan as the Taliban brought a regime of inequality to the country by stopping females from being entitled to an education and health care and this brought strong opposition by both women and men. This crippled the country s development and brought uncertainty. Without proper healthcare nobody can feel safe as there is no way they will survive if they are injured. Health care in Afghanistan is terribly low in standard but since British troops have been present to provide health care, the population s well-being has thrived. Quality of argument The final criterion for the assessment of your essay is the quality of argument the degree to which your argument has been constructed, developed and concluded. This is meant to be a discursive essay, and there should be a logical flow to it. It should be structured into paragraphs each developing a theme, and your ideas should be clearly expressed. A good technique is to make sure that within each paragraph there is some explicit link back to the question, though do not do this in such as way that is always the last sentence in the paragraph this can appear a little manufactured. The essay should be purposeful, and focused on the task. In addition to these standard elements, answers at the highest level should have something which makes them stand out this could be an element of flair, or some deeper insight, possibly something that has happened very recently, or you have read recently. The key feature however that identifies a very strong, Level 4, answer is the level of maturity and/or confidence of expression. You should strive to put this across in your answer. Both of the examples given above exemplify these traits. The Conclusion You should make sure that you end your essay with a clear conclusion. This should draw together all of your ideas and end with a summative statement, or a set of summative statements, in response to the question set. Do not introduce any new ideas at this stage. Some conclusions can be short, as given for Essays 3 and 5 below, and others can have a little more length, as with Essay 4 below. In each case there is a clear link back to the task, and argument appears to be complete. Many people suggest that you should write in the third person, and in most cases this is desirable. However, if you have been asked to discuss the extent to which you agree with something, then you are entitled to write in the first person and this is perfectly acceptable. Essay 3 However given these pressures, Tanzania is committed to preserving the majority of its heritage ecosystem and to improving conservation, regardless of development pressures. The government here understands that amongst the conflicting interests of human groups, preservation of the ecosystem is important and it will always be safe from harm. So, in answer to the statement, I think it is possible to maintain biodiversity in the process of developing a country you just need the right management and will to see it through. Essay 5 However, having summed up a number of factors and points, it seems that the main driving force behind globalisation remain the traditional global elites with their economic and political prowess, though such nations may soon be usurped by the ever intriguing China and the inconspicuous but rapidly rising Brazil both of which are NICs. Essay 4 I think that a country s economic development has a huge impact on the way it is able to plan and manage urban areas. The examples of Dharavi and Cairo show how LEDCs struggle when it comes to management of their urban areas. India s attempt was successful but it wasn t on a grand scale. Cairo s management was funded almost entirely by foreign aid. However, an anomaly came in the form of Curitiba. The city became one of the most functional in the world despite Brazil s fairly moderate level of economic development. This could easily have been an MEDC development in the way in which it was carried out and managed. This shows the managers almost have the biggest impact, and not just the level of development. They were almost on a par with the New Islington development in Manchester in terms of offering much more beyond the basic human needs, whilst also creating a sustainable environment. However, it is clear from these examples that MEDCs have a much easier time when it comes to the planning and management of urban areas. AQA examination questions are reproduced by permission of the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance.

5 April 2012 no.667 How to achieve success in the 40-mark essay questions in GEOG3 Figure 2: The essay mark scheme Assessment criteria Level (midpoint 6) Level (midpoint 16) Level (midpoint 26) Level (midpoint 36) Knowledge of content, ideas and concepts Basic grasp of concepts and ideas; points lack development or depth. The answer is relevant and accurate. Reasonable knowledge. Imbalanced theories Sound and frequent evidence of thorough, detailed and accurate knowledge Strong evidence of thorough, detailed and accurate knowledge Critical understanding of the above Incomplete, basic. Reasonable critical understanding of concepts and principles with some use of specialist vocabulary. Sound and frequent evidence of critical understanding of concepts and principles, and of specialist vocabulary. Strong evidence of critical understanding of concepts and principles and of specialist vocabulary. Use of examples/ case studies to support argument Superficial Examples show imbalances and/or lack depth and detail Examples are developed, balanced and support the argument. Examples are well developed and integrated. Maps/Diagrams None Ineffective Effective Fully integrated Evidence of synopticity: No evidence Limited. Strong Full Connections between different aspects of the subject Some ability to identify, interpret and synthesise some of the material. Some ability to identify, interpret and synthesise a range of material. There is a high level of insight, and an ability to identify, interpret and synthesise a wide range of material with creativity. Thinking like a geographer Limited ability to understand the roles of values, attitudes Some ability to understand the roles of values, attitudes Evidence of maturity in understanding the role of values, attitudes Quality of argument the degree to which an argument is constructed, developed and concluded Language is basic; arguments are partial, over simplified and lacking clarity. Little or no sense of focus of task. Arguments are not fully developed nor expressed clearly, and the organisation of ideas is simple and shows imbalances. Some sense of focus of task. Explanations, arguments and assessments or evaluations are accurate, direct, logical, purposeful, expressed with clarity and generally balanced. Clear sense of focus of task. Explanations, arguments and assessments or evaluations are direct, focused, logical, perceptive, mature, purposeful, and are expressed coherently and confidently, and show both balance and flair. Geofile Online Nelson Thornes 2012