Globalisation and economic change create challenges for the chosen UK city that require long-term solutions — Edexcel GCSE Geography A
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Globalisation and economic change create challenges for the chosen UK city that require long-term solutions explained
Globalisation and economic change create challenges for the chosen UK city that require long-term solutions covers 5 specification points, including A.
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Key population characteristics of the… and B. Causes of deindustrialisation…. Open a point below for its explanation and revision guidance.
a. Key population characteristics of the chosen UK city’s that is available from the Census and reasons for population growth or decline.
This statement asks which population characteristics of your chosen city are available from the national Census, and why its population grows or declines. Typical Census characteristics include age structure, ethnicity, household type and tenure; select those your city's data supports. Population change has two parts: natural change (births minus deaths) and net migration (people moving in minus people moving out). Growth happens when births exceed deaths or net migration is positive; decline happens when deaths exceed births or net migration is negative. A student-heavy area may gain young adults through migration; an ageing district may lose people through natural change. Explain how each reason changes the characteristic you chose.
b. Causes of deindustrialisation (globalisation, de-centralisation, technological advances and developments in transport) and impacts on the chosen UK city.
This statement asks you to explain four causes of deindustrialisation and link them to impacts on your chosen UK city. Globalisation lets firms move production to countries with cheaper labour, so factories close in the UK. De-centralisation means firms relocate from city centres to out-of-town sites, leaving derelict buildings behind. Technological advances such as automation reduce the workforce needed. Developments in transport, such as cheaper freight, make distant sourcing practical. For the city, trace each cause to a named impact such as job losses, falling tax revenue or population decline, using your own case study evidence.
c. How economic change is increasing inequality in the city and the differences in quality of life.
This statement asks how economic change is increasing inequality within your chosen UK city and why quality of life differs between areas. Economic change, such as the loss of manufacturing jobs, can widen the gap between higher-earning and lower-earning groups. Some residents move into service or professional work, while others face long-term unemployment or insecure, low-paid jobs. Inequality shows up in measures such as income, housing, health and education, so compare neighbourhoods on these. Explain the mechanism: for example, job losses reduce household income, which limits access to good housing and services. Use named places from your case study to show the differences in quality of life.
d. Recent changes in retailing and their impact on the chosen UK city: decline in the Central Business District (CBD), growth of edge- and out-of-town shopping and increasing popularity of internet shopping).
This statement asks you to link recent changes in retailing to the economic character of your chosen UK city. Cover three changes: decline in the Central Business District (CBD), growth of edge- and out-of-town shopping, and increasing popularity of internet shopping. For each, describe the change and its impact on the city. For example, a declining CBD can leave vacant shop units and fewer customers, while out-of-town retail parks draw trade away from the centre and create jobs on the fringe. Internet shopping adds pressure because customers can buy without visiting the centre. Use named places and evidence from your chosen city, and show how the changes interact.
e. The range of possible strategies aimed at making urban living more sustainable and improving quality of life (recycling, employment, education, health, transport, affordable and energy-efficient housing) for the chosen UK city.
This statement asks you to identify strategies that make urban living more sustainable and improve quality of life in your chosen UK city. Cover the listed areas: recycling, employment, education, health, transport, and affordable and energy-efficient housing. Link each strategy to a goal, such as less landfill waste, local jobs, better skills, healthcare access, less car use or lower energy costs. For example, a recycling scheme reduces waste and resource use, while a new cycle network can lower traffic and emissions. Name strategies used in the chosen city, explain how each supports sustainability or quality of life, and note where strategies work together.
Your focus
- Identify at least three population characteristics that the Census provides for the chosen city.
- Define natural change and net migration accurately in words.
- Explain how natural change or net migration causes growth or decline in a named area of the city.
Show all 15 objectives
- Explain how four causes of deindustrialisation have contributed to manufacturing decline.
- Link each cause to a specific impact on a chosen UK city.
- Select accurate case study evidence for the chosen city in multiple-choice and extended responses.
- Explain how economic change can widen inequality within a UK city.
- Compare quality of life between named neighbourhoods using specific indicators.
- Justify conclusions about inequality with case study evidence in multiple-choice and extended responses.
- Name three recent changes in retailing that affect a chosen UK city.
- Describe the impact of each retailing change on the chosen city using local examples.
- Explain how decline in the CBD, out-of-town growth and internet shopping can interact.
- Name strategies in at least two listed areas that are used in a chosen UK city.
- Explain how a named strategy supports urban sustainability or quality of life.
- Identify where strategies in different areas work together in the chosen city.
Globalisation and economic change create challenges for the chosen UK city that require long-term solutions exam tips
Marking Points
- Identifies characteristics that the Census records for the chosen city, such as age structure, ethnicity or household type, and cites local data for each.
- Defines natural change as births minus deaths and net migration as people moving in minus people moving out.
- Explains growth or decline as the result of natural change, net migration, or both.
- Applies each reason to the specific characteristic, showing how change alters the age structure or ethnic mix of a named area.
- Recognises that one characteristic may be shaped by more than one reason and judges which reason has the greater effect in the chosen city.
- Names globalisation and links it to firms moving production to lower-cost countries.
- Explains de-centralisation as the relocation of firms from city centres to out-of-town or greenfield sites.
- Describes technological advances, such as automation, that reduce the number of workers needed.
- Describes developments in transport that make it cheaper or easier to move goods and relocate production.
- Links each cause to a specific impact on the chosen UK city, such as job losses or derelict land.
- Uses named case study evidence for the chosen city rather than generic statements.
- Explains how economic change widens the gap between higher-earning and lower-earning groups in the city.
- Describes how job loss or insecure work reduces household income and access to housing and services.
- Compares named neighbourhoods on indicators such as income, health, education or housing.
- Links differences in quality of life to the economic changes affecting each area.
- Uses specific case study evidence to support the explanation of inequality.
- Identifies decline in the CBD as a change in retailing and links it to a named effect on the chosen city.
- Describes growth of edge- and out-of-town shopping with a specific location in the chosen city.
- Explains internet shopping as a change that reduces demand for city-centre retail, with a reasoned impact.
- Explains the impact of each change on the chosen city rather than on retailing in general.
- Recognises how the changes interact, such as out-of-town growth occurring alongside CBD decline.
- Identifies strategies drawn from the listed areas, such as recycling or transport, rather than naming only one category.
- Links each named strategy to a sustainability or quality-of-life goal, such as reduced waste or better access to health care.
- Names the chosen UK city and gives a specific local example of a strategy.
- Explains how a strategy improves sustainability or quality of life, rather than only describing it.
- Recognises where strategies in different areas work together, such as transport and housing.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Learn the definitions of natural change and net migration precisely, because distractors often swap them.
- 💡Check whether the stem asks about growth, decline or a characteristic, and match your reasoning to that focus.
- 💡Use one named local example for each characteristic so you can recognise the option that matches your case study.
- 💡Read each option against all four causes and eliminate any option that names a cause not in the statement.
- 💡When answering, match each impact to the cause that produces it, such as relocation leading to empty buildings.
- 💡Check that your chosen city is named in the answer and that the impacts are specific rather than generic.
- 💡Identify two or three quality-of-life indicators, such as income or health, before reading the options.
- 💡In each option, check whether it gives a cause linking economic change to inequality, not just a description of inequality.
- 💡Keep answers tied to your case study by naming the city and at least two neighbourhoods where relevant.
- 💡Begin by naming your chosen UK city and the three changes, so every point you make stays focused on that place.
- 💡For each change, write one sentence on what is happening and one sentence on its impact on the city.
- 💡Use a specific local example, such as a named retail park or shopping area, to support each impact you describe.
- 💡Choose strategies from at least two of the listed areas so your answer shows the range the statement requires.
- 💡For each strategy, state the goal first and then the evidence that it is working in your chosen city.
- 💡Check that every strategy you name is linked to your chosen UK city rather than to urban areas in general.
Common Mistakes
- Lists population totals as characteristics without naming a measurable feature such as age or ethnicity; names the characteristic and the Census category it comes from.
- Treats natural change and net migration as the same thing; separates births and deaths from people moving in and out.
- Describes population decline as caused only by deaths; checks whether emigration or falling birth rates can also cause it.
- Gives reasons for growth without linking them to the chosen characteristic; ties each reason to the change in that characteristic.
- Treats deindustrialisation as a single factory closure; a correct answer defines it as a sustained decline in manufacturing jobs and output.
- Lists the four causes without linking any of them to the chosen city; each cause needs a city-specific impact.
- Describes globalisation only as growth in international trade, without explaining why production moves abroad.
- Describes inequality in general terms without naming any area of the chosen city; add named neighbourhoods.
- Treats all residents as equally affected by economic change; show which groups gain and which groups lose.
- Lists quality-of-life features without explaining how economic change causes the difference between areas.
- Describes retailing change in general terms without naming the chosen UK city; name the city and use local evidence.
- Treats the three changes as isolated facts without stating their impact; explain the consequence for the city in each case.
- Attributes all CBD decline to internet shopping; recognise that several factors, including out-of-town competition, contribute.
- Lists strategies without stating what they aim to achieve; add the sustainability or quality-of-life goal for each one.
- Describes national policy without applying it to the chosen city; name local schemes or places instead.
- Treats recycling as the only strategy; cover more than one area from the listed range.
- Confuses sustainability with economic growth alone; explain the environmental and social benefits as well.