This document provides exam feedback for a geography exam covering volcanic eruptions, population, and geographic skills. It analyzes student performance on each question and common mistakes. Overall, 30% did not achieve on the volcanic eruptions section due to incomplete responses. The population section had better results, though some struggled to apply concepts like sustainability. The geographic skills section had the lowest scores, with many failing to attempt the final question involving geographic concepts. The feedback aims to help students understand where to improve for future exams.

1. September
2014
EXAM FEEDBACK
1.1 ENE – VOLCANIC
ERUPTIONS

2. OVERALL RESULTS
How the year group did?
Not Achieved = 30%
Achieved = 18%
Merit = 32%
Excellence = 20%
Score range:
N = 0-7
A = 8-12
M = 13-18
E = 19-24

3. QUESTION 1
Page 2:
 Type of extreme natural event = VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
 Name of case studies e.g. Mt. Tarawera, NZ; Mt Pinatubo,
Phi l l ipines; Nevado del Ruiz, Columbia; Mt Ruapehu, NZ;
Eyjafjal lajökul l , Iceland (add in location)
Par t (a) – This was a map or diagram DESCRIBING characteristics of
your envi ronment that make i t VULNERABLE to volcanic eruptions
(could be natural or cul tural characteristics)
Par t (b) – This question asked you to FULLY EXPLAIN the natural OR
cul tural characteristics of vulnerabi l i ty. So many of you just
described the characteristics, repeating the info from par t (a). Many
also just talked about ef fects/impacts of an eruption and not the
characteristics of vulnerabi l i ty
Appl ication of concept ENVIRONMENTS for E8 – not just rewri ting the
defini tion given

4. N0 N1 N2 A3 A4 M5 M6 E7 E8
D Dp Dp + S
Or Di
Dp + Sp
Or Di
Ep + S
+ Di
Ep + Sp
+ Di
Ec + Sc
+ DiL
Ec + Sc
+ DiL +
C
QUESTION 1 OVERALL
Codes:
D – very basic description
Dp – partial description
S – specifics
Sp – partial specifics
Sc – comprehensive/integrated specifics
Ep – partial explanation
Ec – comprehensive explanation
Di – basic diagram
DiL – diagram annotated and linked to explanation
C – concept
NR – not relevant

5. QUESTION 2
Par t (a) – This question asked for annotated diagrams DESCRIBING
NATURAL PROCESSES producing volcanic eruptions. As the
concept here is PROCESS, a series of 3 diagrams would work best
to describe the natural processes. Remember the dif ference
between labels and annotations
Par t (b) – Again here you had to FULLY EXPLAIN how the natural
processes work to form a volcanic eruptions. You had to include
specifics and refer to your diagrams
Many described processes or par tially explained processes with no
reference to a specific case study at al l
Application of the concept PROCESS for E8, not just rewriting the
definition given

6. N0 N1 N2 A3 A4 M5 M6 E7 E8
D Dp Dp + S
Or Di
Dp + Sp
Or Di
Ep + S
+ Di
Ep + Sp
+ Di
Ec + Sc
+ DiA
Ec + Sc
+ DiA +
C
QUESTION 2 OVERALL
Codes:
D – very basic description
Dp – partial description
S – specifics
Sp – partial specifics
Sc – comprehensive/integrated specifics
Ep – partial explanation
Ec – comprehensive explanation
Di – basic diagram
DiA – diagram annotated and linked to explanation
C – concept
NR – not relevant

7. QUESTION 3
Even though this question was not divided into par t (a) and par t
(b) , it says you should use diagrams to suppor t your answer. This
means for Merit and Excel lence a diagram is needed.
This question is asking you to FULLY EXPLAIN ef fects of volcanic
eruptions on the cultural environment.
Annotated diagrams could be used for the DESCRIPTION of the
ef fects.
Application of concept CHANGE for E8.

8. N0 N1 N2 A3 A4 M5 M6 E7 E8
D Dp Dp + S
Or Di
Dp + Sp
Or Di
Ep + S
+ Di
Ep + Sp
+ Di
Ec + Sc
+ DiA
Ec + Sc
+ DiA +
C
QUESTION 3 OVERALL
Codes:
D – very basic description
Dp – partial description
S – specifics
Sp – partial specifics
Sc – comprehensive/integrated specifics
Ep – partial explanation
Ec – comprehensive explanation
Di – basic diagram
DiA – diagram annotated and linked to explanation
C – concept
NR – not relevant

9. TAKE NOTE….
 Diagrams and maps need to have titles that clearly state what
you are drawing and what setting/environment it is in
 Stick to ONE case study per question only. This way you can
write in depth about that par ticular case study and therefore
score higher grades
 Refer to maps and diagrams in your written explanations
 Remember the dif ference between DESCRIBE and FULLY EXPLAIN
 When using Mt Tarawera case study and ef fects on the cultural
environment, be careful when talking only about the Pink and
White Terraces – this is a natural feature. You have to careful ly
and insightfully l ink this to the tourism industry to include the
Terraces as par t of the cultural environment
 Those people who attended the revision workshops – wel l done!
Your results were definitely better than those who did not use the
oppor tunities provided

10. September
2014
EXAM FEEDBACK
1.2 POPULATION

11. OVERALL RESULTS
How the year group did?
Not Achieved = 16%
Achieved = 33%
Merit = 32%
Excellence = 19%
Score range:
N = 0-7
A = 8-13
M = 14-19
E = 20-24

12. QUESTION 1
PART A) Comparing population distribution between the Nor thern and
Southern Hemispheres, using the figures provided.
 Some people only described the Nor thern Hemisphere and made no
comparison to the Southern Hemisphere.
 Make sure you know where the hemispheres are – some people
mixed them up! !
 A key wo rd i n t h e q ue s t i o n was “describe” . Some pe o pl e wrote f ar
too much here and went into far too much detai l  this would only
be n e c e s s ar y i f i t h ad as ke d yo u to “ ful ly explain”. Th e amo un t o f
space given is also a hint!
PART B)
You MUST do the diagram! It needed to have on i t the patterns of
population distribution and annotation  evidence and suppor ting
detai l . E.g. West Bengal , showing the Ganges River flowing through
an d a l abe l s ay i n g ‘l i n e ar pat te rn ’
Th e re we re s ome f an t as t i c di ag rams but s ome t h at s t i l l do n ’t k n ow
place names in India.

13. QUESTION 1 CONT.
PART C)
 Use key words from the question
 Factors were given to you, yet some people managed to not
even answer the question. You MUST read the question
carefully to know what is required!
 1 paragraph is not enough – again look at how much space
they give you as an indication of how much to write.
 Make sure you know the di f ferences between natural and
cultural factors – accessibi lity of Kashmir is not a cultural
factor, it is natural because of the location it is in.
 CONCEPT! Include this in your writing if you are told to – state
the concept AND define it! Some people did this very wel l.
 High Merit/Excellence required al l 3 par ts done, with
suppor ting evidence and explanation for par t C) . High E =
concept used.

14. QUESTION 2
Par t A)
 One of the worst done par ts of the paper, simply because of
people not reading the question/concept.
 You needed to refer to the statement about population
increase and so why is was not SUSTAINABLE (concept) and
include specific information from India
 People who did poorly in this question fai led to l ink it to
sustainabil ity and/or India.
Par t B)
 This was done wel l by most people. For a Merit you had to say
more than 1 way and have an explanation as to why this
method was needed.
 Including the outcome i f possible was also good e.g. IR8
seeds fai l ing as farmers could not af ford the fer ti lisers to
keep them going.

15. QUESTION 3
Par t A) Describe features of the population structure:
 T h i s n e e d e d to h ave s u p p o r t in g ev i d e n c e s o s ay i n g “ h i g h l i fe
ex p e c t an c y” wa s n ’ t e n o u g h – need to say what l ife expectancy
was, perhaps that females had a higher l i fe expectancy than
males.
Par t B) Reasons for the population pyramid:
 I f you mentioned that there was a large amount of people
from 20-24 it is l ikely to be because of job oppor tunities or a
university in the town. NOT that there is a large amount of 19
year olds dying. High l i fe expectancy because of medical care
avai lable etc. This is a town in the USA, not a developing
country.

16. QUESTION 3 CONT.
PART C)
 Another question that was poorly done, with some people not
bothering to read what the question was asking!
 You needed to state how the population had changed over
time, and perhaps how it was going to change in the future.
 Those who did this question wel l referred to the Demographic
Transition Model, explaining what stage India was in now, and
how it had CHANGED to this stage and why. Also included the
s h a p e o f I n d i a ’ s p o p u l at io n py r ami d a n d h ow t h e s h a p e h a d
changed over time and why.
 T h ey me nt i o ne d t h i ng s l i ke net mi g r at io n we r e n’ t a l a r ge
factor for change in India as only 1% of the population had
immigrated to India and that internal migration was large.
 Oh a n d i f yo u h a d n ’ t fi g u re d t h e c o n c e p t wa s……… CHANGE!
 Concept was needed for an Excel lence.

17. MARKER COMMENTS
 It was not dif ficult to achieve this paper and
generally this paper was done well.
 BUT….It was dif ficult to pass without attempting all
questions.
 Those who did pass with only one or two questions
done had completed the question(s) to an excellence
level.
Missing our parts of questions impacted the overall
mark.
 It was obvious those who had revised – specific
information and statistics were used throughout
their paper.

18. WHERE TO NOW?
 For some of you this has given you
a good understanding of what is
required to do wel l in 1.2
 Go back through your paper and
choose 1 question to redo – use
the information we have just
discussed to PERFECT your
response.
 Read through and see where you
went wrong. In your book rewri te
the IDEAL answer.
 Use the key words from the
question, the concept given, your
speci fic information about India to
make i t excel lence wor thy 

19. SEPTEMBER
2014
EXAM FEEDBACK
1.4 GEOGRAPHIC SKILLS

20. OVERALL RESULTS
Not Achieved: 32%
Achieved: 42%
Merit: 20%
Excellence: 6%

21. GENERAL COMMENTS
 Students who attempted ALL THREE questions stood a better
chance of Achieving this paper
 Accuracy IS IMPORTANT when applying geographic ski l ls
 B = Basic answer
 C = Complex answer. For Meri t and Excel lence you wanted to
make sure you had lots of C answers
 This was probably the worst paper in terms of resul ts, but this
could be because people were thrown by the last question and
fai led to attempt i t.
 Remember the concept of TAONGA WILL BE IN YOUR END OF
YEAR EXAM so you MUST understand i t.

22. QUESTION ONE: MAP AND PHOTO
INTERPRETATION
ANSWER SCORE
a) RTQ, question was about LOCATION (where it is).
Needed specific evidence
B or C
b) (i) (ii) Saw milling and 56 people BOTH for B
b) (iii) Named examples needed e.g. Ulva Island Marine
Reserve, Rakiura National Park, Stewart Island
Forest Conservation Area
TWO needed for C
c) Precis mapping needs to be accurate. Roads
should be a SINGLE line and areas must be
SHADED IN. Cannot put an x for the island
See map

23. QUESTION ONE: PRECIS MAPS
 Shelter B
 Road B or C
 Ulva Island B
 Sand/mud C

24. QUESTION ONE: MAP AND PHOTO
INTERPRETATION
ANSWER SCORE
d) Most missed this question
46º55’ needed degree AND minute symbols
B
e) (i) Needed to be an OCCUPATION
e.g. teacher, police officer, DOC ranger, hotel
worker etc
TWO needed for B
(ii) 100m (had to have METRES) C
f) Advantages and disadvantages needed with
specific detail from the resource
B or C depending on level
of discussion
QUESTION ONE OVERALL
N0 N1 N2 A3 A4 M5 M6 E7 E8
1/11 2/11 3-4/11 5/11 6-7/11 8/11
with 2
C’s
9/11
with 3
C’s
10/11
with 3
C’s
10/11
with 4
C’s

25. QUESTION TWO: GRAPH, TABLES AND
ANSWER SCORE
a) MUST be a LINE GRAPH
Marked on 6 things
• Title (climate graph, NOT JUST temperature)
• Scale (must include ºC)
• Points in middle of Month
• Points joined by single line
• Line accurately touches axes on both sides
• Dip or v shape between June and August
B = 4 ticks
C = 5 ticks
b) (i) October B
(ii) 138mm MUST have mm B
(iii) March and July B (BOTH correct)
c) February or March B = month named
C = reason given
d) Comparison of climate, KEY to look at AVERAGE
rainfall vs AVERAGE temperature. Poorly done
B or C
STATISTICS

26. QUESTION TWO: GRAPH, TABLES AND
ANSWER SCORE
e) (i) 200m B
(ii) 17-18km (had to have km) B
(iii) Must talk about BOTH tracks with specifics from
the resource. Good students used the bullet
pointed list and worked their way through this.
B or C depending on
level of detail and
discussion
STATISTICS
QUESTION TWO OVERALL
N0 N1 N2 A3 A4 M5 M6 E7 E8
1/9 2/9 3/9 4/9 5/9 6/9
with
2 C’s
7/9
with 2
C’s
8/9
with 3
C’s
8/9
with 4
C’s

27. QUESTION THREE: APPLICATION OF
GEOGRAPHIC CONCEPTS
 Each of the three paragraphs are assessed using the fol lowing
codes
N: Not answered, irrelevant or insuf ficient answer
Ep: Par tial explanation (basic understanding of resource use
but l i ttle suppor ting evidence)
Ed: Detai led explanation (ful l explanation of the resource use is
shown, wi th suppor ting evidence)
 It was key here to know the di f ference between a NATURAL
resource (wind, trees, fish, water, etc. ) and a CULTURAL resource
(museum, sawmi l ls, school , stores, etc. )
 Students that used the defini tion of TAONGA which was given in
the question in thei r answer general ly scored better as i t focused
thei r response.

28. QUESTION THREE OVERALL
N0 N1 N2 A3 A4 M5 M6 E7 E8
None Answered
but no
relevant
info
1 Ep 2 Ep
OR
1 Ed
3 Ep
OR
1Ep &
1Ed
2 Ep &
1Ed
2 Ed 1 Ep &
2 Ed
3 Ed

29. NOT ACHIEVED
0-8
ACHIEVEMENT
9-13
OVERALL JUDGEMENT
ACHIEVEMENT WITH MERIT
14-18
ACHIEVEMENT WITH EXCELLENCE
19-24

30. ADVICE FOR THE END OF THE YEAR
 Generally speaking, students that attempted ALL par ts of ALL
3 questions tended to Achieve.
 Even i f you wrote SOMETHING for the last question (and it was
mostly incorrect) it would have given you 1 mark. This was the
di f ference between an ACHIEVED and a NOT ACHIEVED for
some people
 Be accurate in your précis
maps and READ THE QUESTION
 Use speci fic information from
the resource booklet but do not
copy word for word