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1.
2. • TO BE ABLE TO INTEPRET OS MAPS AT 1:25 000 & 1:50 000
• TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND 3 & 4 FIGURE GRID REFERENCES
• TO BE ABLE TO CALCULATE DISTANCES FROM SCALE
• TO BE ABLE TO DESCRIBE ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LAND
USE ON A MAP
• TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND PATTERNS AND DISTRIBUTIONS ON
MAPS
(CHOROPLETH, DOT MAPS)
• TO BE ABLE TO INTERPRET PHOTOGRAPHS & SKETCHES
(INCLUDING SATELLITE & AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS)
3. Don’t forget you must answer all questions in
section A. There is normally 3 parts to section A
IT WILL BE A LOCATION IN THE UK
Section A is worth 25 marks and tests your
OS map skills and other skills. There are
also some other skills marks in the other
questions on both exam papers.
5. Points to remember about OS maps
• You will always have a either a 1:25 000 or a 1:50 000
scale map.
• The one in front of you is 1:50 000 scale
• 1:25 000 means that 1cm on the map is equal to 25 000
cm in real life. This means 1cm is equal to 250m on the
ground or 4cm is equal to 1km
• 1:50 000 means 1cm is equal to 500m on the ground or
2cm is equal to 1km
• The top of an OS map is always North
• You will always be given an OS key for that map it
includes the scale as a bar to help you work out
distances
6. Ordnance survey maps use a series of symbols to indicate
features of the landscape.
In the examination you will be given a key to the symbols.
This is exactly the same as the one you now have in front
of you.
Study this lots at home. You are not expected to know it
off be heart but a good general understanding of some of
the key features will help you save time in the exam.
Take care with the following symbols that are often
confused.
8. WINDMILL &
WINDPUMP
CONIFEROUS WOOD
& NON CONIFEROUS
Use the following web site to help you
http://www.geograph.org.uk/article/Ordnance-Survey-Map-Symbols
This presentation and links to other sites can be found at
www.gorgeousgeography.co.uk (look under GCSE Revision)
14. The minimum you
should know is
the eight point
compass although
it would be better
to know the 16
point compass
shown here.
15. You can do this using two different methods.
3. Use your ruler to pivot and add up the centimetres as you
travel along the line then calculate using the scale line.
4. Use a piece of paper to make marks on it as you twist it.
REMEMBER WHICH EVER WAY YOU USE YOU MUST
USE THE SCALE TO WORK OUT THE DISTANCE IN
KILOMETRES (FOR A 1:50,000 MEASURE IN CM AND
THEN DIVIDE BY 2 AS 1 KM IS EQUAL TO 2CM)
16. On the paper's edge
• Another method of measuring
distance is to take a sheet of
paper and place the corner of
a straight edge on your starting
point. Now pivot the paper until
the edge follows the route that
you want to take.
• Step 1
• Every time the route
disappears or moves away
from the straight edge of your
paper, make a small mark on
the edge and pivot the paper
so the edge is back on course.
18. Step 3
You should be left with
a series of marks
along the edge of your
paper. You can now
place the sheet
against the scale bar
on your map.
The last mark you
made will tell you the
real distance you need
to travel
20. My goodness, I am quite
RELIEVED I got to the
top
Relief means the height and
shape of the land. I like to
remember it by thinking
about how relieved I am
when I get to the top. – This
associates it with land height
and shape. Take care with
the spelling though.
21. This is the surface
water features such
as:-
Rivers – drawn as
blue line but not to
be confused with
motorways!!!
Lakes – Looks like
a large blue puddle
Marsh-
22. This includes the
obvious green
wooded areas but
look out for
which means rough
grassland.
On the OS 1:25 000
map vegetation is
shown in more
detail – check the
symbols key
carefully
Rough
Grassland
Coniferous
Trees
Non
Coniferous
Trees
25. When asked what
the land use is you
must explain what
the land is USED
for.
In this case
depending on which
grid square you can
see a variety of land
uses e.g. a golf
course, residential
areas, lakes used
for recreation,
Roads, Allotments
and many more.
26. This includes:-
Its location – Where
is it?
Its shape – (linear,
star shaped,
nucleated)
Its pattern –
(nucleated,
dispersed or evenly
spread)
33. COMPARE
The word COMPARE in an exam means you must do
the following
3. Don’t list the features of each grid square
5. You must compare so use words like the ones below
HIGHER STEEPER DENSER SPARSER
Use connectives such as WHERE AS, HOWEVER,
IN CONTRAST, BUT, SIMILAR TO, DIFFERENT
FROM – as this will force you to compare
3. Use figures to COMPARE e.g. site one is 3m higher
than site 2 for example.
35. ANSWER
LEVEL 1:
May be listed, and separate accounts, and imbalanced, i.e.
land use or relief only, e.g. in 7877 school, telephone, railway,
houses main road, low land, two contours 40 and 50 metres,
etc. In 6677 river, transmission line, road, woodland, sloping
land, 40 – 90 metres. May be only 2 simple points.
IF YOU WANT TO GET MORE THAN 2 POINTS YOU MUST
COMPARE
LEVEL 2: (3 – 4 marks)
Clear contrasts made; reference to land use and relief, e.g.
6677 has much steeper land, heights vary from below 40
metres to over 90 metres, max height of 110 metres, whereas
in 7877 the relief is lower, from below 40 metres to over 50
metres. In 6677 there is only a minor road whereas in 7877
there is a main road. Max 3 if only Relief described. 4 marks
36. AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS
Example Question
Study Figure 1, the ordnance survey
map extract and Figure 2, on the next
page, an aerial photograph of reading
(d) Name the land uses shown at X, Y and Z
on the aerial photograph
37. As well as Ordnance Survey
maps you will also be given
a photograph of part of the
area shown on an OS map.
The first thing to do is make
sure you orientate your
photograph correctly so you
know exactly which part of
the map is shown.
Lets do this now for Reading
What are the key points to
look at?
38. Y
XZ
Look for key features on the
map to find out where it is on
the OS map then use the OS
map to identify the features.
For this example the stadium is
easy to see as is the roads and
shape of the fields
39. ANSWERS
Study Figure 1, the ordnance survey map extract and
Figure 2, on the next page, an aerial photograph of
reading
(c) Name the land uses shown at X, Y and Z on the aerial
photograph
(3 marks)
X = Train track, Track, Railway
Y = Gravel Pit, Lake, Water Reservoir
Z = Trees, Wood, Woodland, Forest, Non-coniferous
wood, deciduous woodland. 3 marks
IN THE EXAM IT WILL BE IN COLOUR AND EASIER
TO SEE
40.
41. Includes settlement, vegetation and
communications but also industry,
recreational areas and agriculture
Site – height, slope, landform, water
supply, resources
Situation – relate site to relief and
drainage and other settlements
Route focus, bridging point
Shape – linear or star shaped, dispersed,
nucleated
Land UseSettlement
Types, Direction
Landforms followed or avoided
Influence of settlement
Woodland – location, amount, plantations
or natural woodland
Rough Pasture – location, amount
CommunicationsVegetation
Number of rivers
Direction of flow
Width
Straight or winding
Tributaries
Human influence – straightening
Lakes, marshes or floodplains
Contour patterns
Landforms
Steepness of slopes
Heights (general height, maximum,
lowers)
Valleys – number, shape, gradient,
DrainageRelief
42.
43. Dot Maps
Dot maps show the distribution of actual numbers of items. In
geography they are Mainly used to show population distribution.
Above one dot equals 1 million people. The map overall gives a
good impression of the world population distributions but it is
difficult to obtain accurate figures.
44. Rules of the
Choropleth map
1. Only use one
colour to show
differences in
intensity or density
This is a good
example however it is
very difficult to carry it
so one alternative
may be hatching
45.
46. QUESTION 3
Figures 3a and 3b show the percentage of people living in
areas of Reading who were born outside the UK
• On Figure 3b, complete the key for a choropleth
(density shading)
(2 marks)
• Using Figure 3a, and your key from Figure 3b, shade
the areas to complete the map.
( 3 marks)
47. Try Cross
Hatching
If you don’t have
3 different colour
blues varying
greatly in shade
from dark to light
use the cross
hatching
technique to show
density
DON’T
FORGET THE
KEY IT’S
WORTH 2
MARKS!
48. QUESTION 3C
• Using Figure 3b, describe the pattern of people born
outside the UK in Reading.
(4 marks)
WHAT SHOULD YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN DESCRIBING
PATTERNS?
GROUP PLACES TOGETHER AND GIVE LOCATIONAL
EXAMPLES EITHER USING COMPASS DIRECTIONS OR
USING LANGUAGE SUCH AS IN THE CBD, OUTSKIRTS OR
EDGE. USE THE EVIDENCE (FIGURES) FROM THE MAPS
EG. THE AREAS WITH THE HIGH PERCENTAGES ARE…
IF IT ASKS FOR A DESCRIPTION THEN ONLY GIVE A
DESCRIPTION DON’T WASTE TIME ON AN EXPLANATION
49. ANSWERS
Level 1: (1 – 2 marks)
Basic – may only cover individual wards e.g. the % are
lowest in Whitley or Tilehurst, highest in Park or Redlands.
Level 2: (3 – 4 marks)
Clear – reference to pattern by grouping of wards and or
clear locational information, e.g. wards with the lowest % -
e.g. Whitley and Tilehurst are on the outskirts / to the far
west and south. Wards with the high % include Park and
Redlands on the edge of Reading/ in the east, etc. Accept
description of pattern produced by candidate. 4 marks
50.
51. 13 QUESTIONS
2. What is a Choropleth map?
3. What words can you use to make you compare?
4. What does 1:50 000 actually mean?
5. What two ways can you measure distance on a map?
6. What does relief mean?
7. How is relief shown on a map (3 ways)
8. What is Land Use?
9. Name the points starting at North and working
clockwise on a 16 point compass.
10. What 3 ways can settlement be described on a map?
11. How are communications shown on a map?
12. What is hatching?
13. What can you use to describe patterns from maps?
14. What does a dot map show?
