GCSE Environmental Science

Transcription

1 GCSE Environmental Science 44401/F Report on the Examination 4440 June 2014 Version: 1.0

2 Further copies of this Report are available from aqa.org.uk Copyright 2014 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for internal use within the centre.

3 General Some students handwriting was so poor that it was very difficult for the examiner to read. Schools should consider using scribes for these students. There was a significant number of multi-choice questions that students failed to answer. Students should be encouraged to attempt all questions. Centres should ensure all students have access to a calculator and a ruler, and that rulers are used when students are required to use a line to connect responses. Question 1 (i) This question was very well answered with the majority of students gaining all three available marks. (ii) Any answer was accepted here with the exception of tidal, but solar was by far the most popular response. (iii) There were some good descriptions of solar use but occasionally marks were lost for only describing the equipment and not how it is used or visa-versa. Few students who chose geothermal could explain how it could be used in the home. Care should be taken by students with the use of the term energy, solar panels do not create energy for use in the home. (i) Some very good answers, but students need to be made aware that giving opposites such as American consumption dropped quickly while EU consumption dropped slowly, is one difference not two. (ii) A significant number of students gave responses which explained why we are using less fuel overall, rather than why the actual fuel consumption of cars has fallen. Those that did give an appropriate answer sited the development of hybrid cars as their most common response. (iii) A well answered question but students should be advised that using general terms such as causes pollution would not be enough to gain the mark. A common misconception was that carbon dioxide damages the ozone layer. (iv) Some good examples but students should know that electricity is not a fuel. Question 2 While the majority of students gained all three available marks, a significant number did not gain any. Of the sources of these greenhouse gasses, nitrogen oxides was least well known. Students should be encouraged to draw a straight line for this type of question. Also drawing two lines to different responses does not gain credit. Some students ignored the fact that the question was about British wildlife; there were a few melting icecaps and polar bears in the answers. More than half the students gained no mark. 3 of 7

4 This question was also very poorly answered. Question 3 This question was very well answered. (i) A simple maths question but a surprising number got this one wrong through incorrect addition. A calculator may have helped. (ii) The vast majority of students correctly identified clover. A few students gave incorrect responses involving quadrat numbers. (f) (g) (h) (i) Most students had a reasonable idea of how to carry out a quadrat survey with some excellent descriptions of random placing involving grids and random numbers rather than throwing it over your shoulder. Points frequently missed were how to identify species and how to analyse the results. This question was well answered with most students identifying ways to prevent extinction of species. Again less than half the students correctly identified Natural England as the correct response. The topic of this question was even less well known by students. Some students ignored the nature reserves in the question and wrote about zoos and captive breeding. Other answers were far too general eg they protect wildlife. A challenging question but a good number of students identified the greater chance of breeding and less chance of inbreeding as a suitable correct response. A common misconception was to look at the advantages for the people who manage the reserve rather than for the wildlife. Students had no issues with this question. Question 4 While the vast majority of students who attempted this question answered it correctly, a surprising number did not attempt what is essentially a multiple-choice question. Most students were able to give at least two good reasons. China s one child policy seems well known. A few students mistakenly gave reasons why the population had increased in some countries. A very well answered question with most students gaining two marks. A very common incorrect answer was improved medical care without further explanation such as reduced infant mortality leading to families having fewer babies. The Brundtland report was not well known. 4 of 7

5 (f) (g) (h) It seems many students did not understand the term ecological footprint. Energy consumption was the most frequently given answer although, unfortunately, repeated for all three responses. Saving energy, not needing to extract more raw materials and reducing landfill were all acceptable suggested answers. A few students simply repeated the question or simply defined recycling, better responses included examples. Energy used to recycle or transport wastes were the most popular answers. Many students simply rephrased the question. Question 5 Most students were only able to give one correct answer. A good number of students were able to gain all four available marks. This question was well answered with examples or recreation uses being the most frequently given answers. A few students gave uses of water rather than the reservoir itself. This question was well answered. The biggest misconception was that water meters physically restrict the amount of water consumers can use. The uses of grey water were not well known, with watering gardens or car washing being the most common of the correct responses. Question 6 A few students lost marks through their poor use of language, saying for example, secondary schools use more plastic rather than produce more plastic waste. As with the other maths questions many did not attempt this question, but those that did coped well with the simple calculation. (i) A slightly more challenging maths question. In a two mark question such as this, students should be encouraged to show their calculations as marks are awarded for partially correct responses. (ii) Most students correctly suggested that the waste could be composted. Many students found this question challenging, but simple answers such as burning the waste as a source of heat were acceptable. (i) There was some careless reading of the graph which lost students simple marks. (ii) Aerosols not being used in primary schools, or being used more in secondary schools because teenagers sweat more were the most frequently given answers. A common misconception was that a greater percentage was recycled because secondary schools are bigger. 5 of 7

6 Question 7 (i) Many students explained what the information showed rather than suggesting how this could benefit the environment. (ii) Students needed to mention both that people would choose less polluting cars and that was because they wanted to pay less tax. Students frequently lost one mark by stating a second example that was simply the converse of their first example, for example cars frequently stop and start in town but don t when out of town. Most identified several control variables but did not explain how they would measure the fuel consumption. Question 8 This question was very poorly answered. This question was not well understood. It was clear many students did not understand what an aquifer is. Few students stated that the nutrients have to dissolve into the rain water to be carried into the aquifer. Question 9 Several students got the food links the wrong way around. There was some excellent suggestions in response to this question, with most students gaining some of the available marks. Most students could not recognise the correct definition of quota. A number of students gave answers which were versions of quota and therefore did not gain marks, or gave answers which were nothing to do with the fishing process. Question 10 Most gained a single mark for increased building but few could give two other reasons for the loss of food producing land. This question was well answered. Most students did not identify that the genes were transferred between different species. A significant number of students failed to understand what the question was asking merely rephrasing the question as a response. Better students explained the roles of agro-chemicals and machinery in increasing yields. 6 of 7

7 Mark Ranges and Award of Grades Grade boundaries and cumulative percentage grades are available on the Results Statistics page of the AQA Website. Converting Marks into UMS marks Convert raw marks into Uniform Mark Scale (UMS) marks by using the link below. UMS conversion calculator 7 of 7