Exam-style questions by topic — Edexcel GCSE Geography B
One verified question for each of 63 topics. These are written for this specification and checked by MasteryMind. They are not past-paper questions, and they are not from Pearson Edexcel.
Topic 1: 1.1 The atmosphere operates as a global system which transfers heat around the Earth
How do ocean currents help to redistribute heat energy around the Earth?
Practise Topic 1: 1.1 The atmosphere operates as a global system which transfers heat around the EarthTopic 1: 1.2 Climate has changed in the past through natural causes on timescales ranging from hundreds to millions of years
About 66 million years ago a huge asteroid struck what is now Mexico, and global temperatures fell afterwards. Which process explains this cooling?
Practise Topic 1: 1.2 Climate has changed in the past through natural causes on timescales ranging from hundreds to millions of yearsTopic 1: 1.3 Global climate is now changing as a result of human activity, and there is uncertainty about future climates
Arctic sea ice is shrinking as the climate warms, and this feedback makes future temperature projections harder to pin down. Which statement correctly explains the feedback?
Practise Topic 1: 1.3 Global climate is now changing as a result of human activity, and there is uncertainty about future climatesTopic 1: 1.4 Tropical cyclones are caused by particular meteorological conditions
One tropical cyclone forms over the Bay of Bengal in the northern hemisphere. Another forms over the Coral Sea off Queensland in the southern hemisphere. Which row correctly gives the direction in which each storm rotates when viewed from above?
Practise Topic 1: 1.4 Tropical cyclones are caused by particular meteorological conditionsTopic 1: 1.5 Tropical cyclones present major natural hazards to people and places
A tropical cyclone's storm surge reaches a low-lying coast at the same time as a high spring tide. Why does this timing make the coastal flooding more severe?
Practise Topic 1: 1.5 Tropical cyclones present major natural hazards to people and placesTopic 1: 1.6 The impacts of tropical cyclones are linked to a country’s ability to prepare and respond to them
A low-income coastal region receives accurate cyclone warnings by radio 48 hours before landfall, and villagers understand them. However, the nearest building able to withstand the winds and surge is 15 km away along roads that flood early, so many people stay at home. Which single improvement would most directly reduce deaths in this region?
Practise Topic 1: 1.6 The impacts of tropical cyclones are linked to a country’s ability to prepare and respond to themTopic 1: 1.7 Earth’s layered structure, and physical properties is key to plate tectonics
A model of one mantle convection cell has hot material rising at point X, flowing sideways beneath the plates, then cooling and sinking at point Y, several thousand kilometres away. What happens to the plates above the cell?
Practise Topic 1: 1.7 Earth’s layered structure, and physical properties is key to plate tectonicsTopic 1: 1.8 There are different plate boundaries, each with characteristic volcanic and earthquake hazards
Eruptions along a constructive plate boundary are generally gentler than eruptions at a destructive boundary. Which statement explains this difference in explosivity?
Practise Topic 1: 1.8 There are different plate boundaries, each with characteristic volcanic and earthquake hazardsTopic 1: 1.9 Tectonic hazards affect people, and are managed, differently at contrasting locations
An emerging country has a limited budget. Several villages sit in a valley below an active volcano that is already monitored. Which action would be most effective at reducing deaths before the next eruption?
Practise Topic 1: 1.9 Tectonic hazards affect people, and are managed, differently at contrasting locationsTopic 2: 2.1 There are different ways of defining and measuring development
A researcher wants to compare how widespread bribery and abuse of public office are seen to be in several countries. Which index is designed to show this political measure of development?
Practise Topic 2: 2.1 There are different ways of defining and measuring developmentTopic 2: 2.2 There is global inequality in development and different theories in how it can be reduced
A low-income country exports unprocessed cocoa to Europe. Foreign transnational corporations own most of its plantations and send the profits overseas, and the country imports expensive chocolate products. Which theory best explains why the country is not developing, and why?
Practise Topic 2: 2.2 There is global inequality in development and different theories in how it can be reducedTopic 2: 2.3 Approaches to development vary in type and success
A charity pays for hand-pumped wells in a rural village. Villagers choose where the wells go, are trained to maintain the pumps, and use locally available parts. Which classification and reason is correct?
Practise Topic 2: 2.3 Approaches to development vary in type and successTopic 2: 2.4 Development of the emerging country is influenced by its location and context in the world
Country Z is an emerging country. Its main ports lie on a busy international shipping route linking two oceans, and roads and railways connect those ports to its capital and to neighbouring countries. Which statement best explains the regional and global significance of Country Z's situation and connectivity?
Practise Topic 2: 2.4 Development of the emerging country is influenced by its location and context in the worldTopic 2: 2.5 Globalisation causes rapid economic change in the emerging country
In 2020 an emerging country had a gross national income (GNI) of $1,500 billion and a population of 1,250 million. Calculate its per capita GNI.
Practise Topic 2: 2.5 Globalisation causes rapid economic change in the emerging countryTopic 2: 2.6 Rapid economic growth results in significant positive and negative impacts on people and environment in the emerging country
Intensive farming expands in an emerging country to feed a growing urban population, and fertiliser runs off fields into a river. Which sequence correctly explains the effect on the river's ecosystem?
Practise Topic 2: 2.6 Rapid economic growth results in significant positive and negative impacts on people and environment in the emerging countryTopic 2: 2.7 Rapid economic development has changed the international role of the emerging country
Country X has become a major electronics exporter after TNCs set up factories there. Supporters say this has increased its influence in international organisations. Critics say its economy now depends on decisions made by TNC head offices overseas. Which assessment best weighs both views?
Practise Topic 2: 2.7 Rapid economic development has changed the international role of the emerging countryTopic 3: 3.1 The world is becoming increasingly urbanised
Geographers classify some very large urban areas as megacities. What is the minimum population an urban area needs to be classed as a megacity?
Practise Topic 3: 3.1 The world is becoming increasingly urbanisedTopic 3: 3.2 Urbanisation is a result of socio-economic processes and change
Employment data for three cities are shown. City X: informal 8%, primary 1%, secondary 14%, tertiary and quaternary 85%. City Y: informal 42%, primary 7%, secondary 38%, tertiary and quaternary 55%. City Z: informal 65%, primary 12%, secondary 18%, tertiary and quaternary 70%. Which pairing correctly matches the cities to a developed, an emerging and a low-income developing country?
Practise Topic 3: 3.2 Urbanisation is a result of socio-economic processes and changeTopic 3: 3.3 Cities change over time and this is reflected in changing land use
A developer owns a cleared former factory site in an inner-city area. The council has zoned the site for housing and refuses permission for new shops. The developer builds flats. Which factor most directly explains this land-use outcome?
Practise Topic 3: 3.3 Cities change over time and this is reflected in changing land useTopic 3: 3.4 The location and context of the chosen megacity influences its growth, function and structure
Mumbai is India's main financial centre. Which feature of its site creates a recurring environmental risk to this national role?
Practise Topic 3: 3.4 The location and context of the chosen megacity influences its growth, function and structureTopic 3: 3.5 The megacity in the chosen country is growing rapidly
Foreign companies build large manufacturing plants and call centres in a megacity in an emerging economy. How does this economic investment lead to further rapid population growth in the city?
Practise Topic 3: 3.5 The megacity in the chosen country is growing rapidlyTopic 3: 3.6 Rapid population growth creates opportunities and challenges for people living in the chosen megacity
Which chain of reasoning best explains how greater access to education in a megacity can create employment opportunities for its residents?
Practise Topic 3: 3.6 Rapid population growth creates opportunities and challenges for people living in the chosen megacityTopic 3: 3.7 Quality of life in the chosen megacity can be improved by different strategies for achieving sustainability
A megacity government creates a low-emission zone and charges older, more polluting vehicles to enter it. Which is a disadvantage of this top-down air quality strategy?
Practise Topic 3: 3.7 Quality of life in the chosen megacity can be improved by different strategies for achieving sustainabilityTopic 4: 4.1 Geology and past processes have influenced the physical landscape of the UK
Which statement best describes the general distribution of the UK's main rock types in relation to its upland and lowland areas?
Practise Topic 4: 4.1 Geology and past processes have influenced the physical landscape of the UKTopic 4: 4.2 A number of physical and human processes work together to create distinct UK landscapes
Compared with lowland areas of southern England, UK uplands such as the Lake District have steeper slopes and thinner soils. Which explanation correctly links climate to weathering and slope processes?
Practise Topic 4: 4.2 A number of physical and human processes work together to create distinct UK landscapesTopic 4: 4.3 Distinctive coastal landscapes are influenced by geology interacting with physical processes
Sub-aerial processes help to wear back cliffs without direct wave action. Which of the following is a sub-aerial process?
Practise Topic 4: 4.3 Distinctive coastal landscapes are influenced by geology interacting with physical processesTopic 4: 4.4 Distinctive coastal landscapes are modified by human activity interacting with physical processes
A port company dredges a deep shipping channel through an estuary so that larger cargo ships can reach its docks. What is a direct effect of the dredging on the coastal landscape?
Practise Topic 4: 4.4 Distinctive coastal landscapes are modified by human activity interacting with physical processesTopic 4: 4.5 The interaction of human and physical processes present challenges along coastlines and there are a variety of management options
A low-lying coastal community now floods several times a decade because of rising sea level and more frequent storm surges. Which explanation best shows why this threatens the community's long-term livelihoods?
Practise Topic 4: 4.5 The interaction of human and physical processes present challenges along coastlines and there are a variety of management optionsTopic 4: 4.6 Distinctive river landscapes have different characteristics formed by interacting physical processes
Fine clay and silt particles in a lowland river are held up within the flowing water, giving it a muddy appearance. Which transport process is this?
Practise Topic 4: 4.6 Distinctive river landscapes have different characteristics formed by interacting physical processesTopic 4: 4.7 River landscapes are influenced by human activity interacting with physical processes
A council changes the land use on a bare, grazed hillside in the upper catchment of a river by planting dense woodland. Which change to the storm hydrograph is expected in later years?
Practise Topic 4: 4.7 River landscapes are influenced by human activity interacting with physical processesTopic 4: 4.8 Some rivers are more prone to flood than others and there is a variety of river management options
A town sits on a narrow valley floor with houses and shops built right up to the river, leaving no spare land beside the channel. Which is the strongest reason for choosing flood walls rather than flood plain retention here?
Practise Topic 4: 4.8 Some rivers are more prone to flood than others and there is a variety of river management optionsTopic 5: 5.1 Population, economic activities and settlements are key elements of the human landscape
Many remote rural districts in the UK have a higher proportion of residents aged over 65 than the nearest large city has. Which explanation accounts for this difference in age structure?
Practise Topic 5: 5.1 Population, economic activities and settlements are key elements of the human landscapeTopic 5: 5.2 The UK economy and society is increasingly linked and shaped by the wider world
After the UK joined the EU single market, Japanese car makers built factories in north-east England. Which feature of free trade within the single market best explains why this foreign direct investment increased?
Practise Topic 5: 5.2 The UK economy and society is increasingly linked and shaped by the wider worldTopic 5: 5.3 The context of the city influences its functions and structure
Zone X has Victorian terraces, converted factories, 1960s tower blocks, derelict plots and about 70 dwellings per hectare, with heavy traffic and litter. Zone Y has 1930s semi-detached houses and 1980s cul-de-sacs, about 25 dwellings per hectare, private gardens, tree-lined streets and small parades of local shops. Which pair of zones fits X and Y?
Practise Topic 5: 5.3 The context of the city influences its functions and structureTopic 5: 5.4 The city changes through employment, services and the movement of people
In one city, 28% of pupils in an inner-city ward achieve grade 4 or above in GCSE English and mathematics, compared with 68% in a suburban ward. The inner-city ward has high child poverty, overcrowded housing and difficulty recruiting experienced teachers. Which explanation best links these conditions to the attainment gap?
Practise Topic 5: 5.4 The city changes through employment, services and the movement of peopleTopic 5: 5.5 The changing city creates challenges and opportunities
Several streets of run-down Victorian terraces in an inner-city area are bought by young professionals, who renovate the houses. Which change is most likely to follow in this area?
Practise Topic 5: 5.5 The changing city creates challenges and opportunitiesTopic 5: 5.6 Ways of life in the city can be improved by different strategies
A council regenerates a former docklands area in a UK city. Which of the following is a positive impact on economic opportunities for local people?
Practise Topic 5: 5.6 Ways of life in the city can be improved by different strategiesTopic 5: 5.7 The city is interdependent with rural areas, leading to changes in rural areas
In a village where many newcomers commute daily to a nearby city, house prices have risen well above local rural wages. Which is the most likely social outcome for the village community?
Practise Topic 5: 5.7 The city is interdependent with rural areas, leading to changes in rural areasTopic 5: 5.8 The changing rural area creates challenges and opportunities
Over twenty years, farms around a village have bought larger machinery and now employ far fewer workers. What is the most likely effect of this decline in primary employment on the village's young adults?
Practise Topic 5: 5.8 The changing rural area creates challenges and opportunitiesTopic 6: Fieldwork enquiry stage 1 - Understanding of questions and enquiry processes
A class is planning an enquiry into how beach pebble size changes along a stretch of coast. Which sequence of planning steps is the most logical order for the enquiry process?
Practise Topic 6: Fieldwork enquiry stage 1 - Understanding of questions and enquiry processesTopic 6: Fieldwork enquiry stage 2 - Fieldwork techniques and methods
During a river investigation, students want to measure the width of the channel directly at one site. Which piece of equipment should they use?
Practise Topic 6: Fieldwork enquiry stage 2 - Fieldwork techniques and methodsTopic 6: Fieldwork enquiry stage 3 - Processing and presenting fieldwork data
Students draw a hand-drawn cross-section of a river channel 4.0 m wide. Depths measured at 1.0 m intervals across the channel are 0.2 m, 0.5 m, 0.7 m, 0.4 m and 0.1 m (at 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 m). Using the trapezium method with four 1.0 m wide strips, what is the cross-sectional area?
Practise Topic 6: Fieldwork enquiry stage 3 - Processing and presenting fieldwork dataTopic 6: Fieldwork enquiry stage 4 - Analysing and explaining fieldwork data
A student sampled pebbles at three sites, A, B and C, a few hundred metres apart on the same beach. The sites lie in that order in the direction of longshore drift. The mean pebble length was 12 mm at A, 8 mm at B and 5 mm at C. The pebbles were also noticeably more rounded at C than at A. Which statement best explains this data using coastal processes?
Practise Topic 6: Fieldwork enquiry stage 4 - Analysing and explaining fieldwork dataTopic 6: Fieldwork enquiry stage 5 - Drawing evidenced conclusions
A fieldwork transcript contains the note: 'Pebbles at the upper site felt smooth and rounded; at the lower site they were small and rounded.' Which summary is fully supported by this note?
Practise Topic 6: Fieldwork enquiry stage 5 - Drawing evidenced conclusionsTopic 6: Fieldwork enquiry stage 6 - Critical reflection
After a fieldwork enquiry into pedestrian flows in a town centre, four pupils wrote comments. Which comment reflects on the geographical knowledge gained?
Practise Topic 6: Fieldwork enquiry stage 6 - Critical reflectionTopic 6: Investigating changing rural areas
A student investigating a changing rural village uses census figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Why are these figures classed as secondary data?
Practise Topic 6: Investigating changing rural areasTopic 6: Investigating coastal change and conflict
A group is comparing sediment on two sides of a groyne. Which method collects quantitative data on a sediment characteristic?
Practise Topic 6: Investigating coastal change and conflictTopic 6: Investigating dynamic urban areas
A student drafts the enquiry question 'Is urban life good?' for fieldwork in their study area. Their teacher says it is too vague to investigate. Which revision best makes it a focused question that fieldwork in the study area could answer?
Practise Topic 6: Investigating dynamic urban areasTopic 6: Investigating river processes and pressures
Which method would collect qualitative data on factors that might influence flood risk in a town beside a river?
Practise Topic 6: Investigating river processes and pressuresTopic 7: 7.1 The Earth is home to a number of very large ecosystems (biomes) the distribution of which is affected by climate and other factors
Within a temperate deciduous woodland region, an outcrop of limestone supports open grassland rather than woodland. Which explanation best links the abiotic conditions on the limestone to the change in plant life?
Practise Topic 7: 7.1 The Earth is home to a number of very large ecosystems (biomes) the distribution of which is affected by climate and other factorsTopic 7: 7.2 The biosphere is a vital life- support system for people as it provides both goods and services
What is the name of the process by which plants release water vapour from their leaves into the atmosphere as part of the hydrological cycle?
Practise Topic 7: 7.2 The biosphere is a vital life- support system for people as it provides both goods and servicesTopic 8: 8.1 The structure, functioning and adaptations of the tropical rainforest* reflect the equatorial climate
The floor of a mature tropical rainforest has sparse shrubs and few young plants, even though the climate is warm and wet. Which sequence best links the climate to this feature?
Practise Topic 8: 8.1 The structure, functioning and adaptations of the tropical rainforest* reflect the equatorial climateTopic 8: 8.2 The taiga shows different characteristics, reflecting the more extreme and highly seasonal climate
Which sequence best explains how the abiotic characteristics of the taiga influence its plant life, showing biotic and abiotic interdependence?
Practise Topic 8: 8.2 The taiga shows different characteristics, reflecting the more extreme and highly seasonal climateTopic 8: 8.3 Tropical rainforests are threatened directly by deforestation and indirectly by climate change
Which is an example of ecosystem stress in a tropical rainforest caused indirectly by climate change?
Practise Topic 8: 8.3 Tropical rainforests are threatened directly by deforestation and indirectly by climate changeTopic 8: 8.4 The taiga is increasingly threatened by commercial development
Which pair of products is made from timber harvested by commercial logging in the taiga?
Practise Topic 8: 8.4 The taiga is increasingly threatened by commercial developmentTopic 8: 8.5 Conservation and sustainable management of tropical rain forests is vital if goods and services are not to be lost for future generations
A lodge in one rainforest reserve welcomes 2000 visitors a year and employs local guides. Villages 40 km away have no road access and gain nothing, and they still clear forest for farmland. Which statement best explains why ecotourism alone does not stop deforestation here?
Practise Topic 8: 8.5 Conservation and sustainable management of tropical rain forests is vital if goods and services are not to be lost for future generationsTopic 8: 8.6 The taiga wilderness areas need to be protected from over- exploitation
Which of the following is a challenge of maintaining a protected wilderness area in the taiga once it has been created?
Practise Topic 8: 8.6 The taiga wilderness areas need to be protected from over- exploitationTopic 9: 9.1 Energy resources can be classified in different ways and their extraction and use has environmental consequences
A power station burns pellets made from fast-growing trees grown on plantations, and the trees are replanted after each harvest. How is this energy resource classified?
Practise Topic 9: 9.1 Energy resources can be classified in different ways and their extraction and use has environmental consequencesTopic 9: 9.2 Access to energy resources is not evenly distributed which has implications for people
Which statement best describes the global pattern of energy use per capita (the average amount of energy used by each person)?
Practise Topic 9: 9.2 Access to energy resources is not evenly distributed which has implications for peopleTopic 9: 9.3 The global demand for oil is increasing, but supplies are unevenly available
Several large oil producers increase their output sharply, while global demand for oil stays the same. What is the most likely effect on the oil price?
Practise Topic 9: 9.3 The global demand for oil is increasing, but supplies are unevenly availableTopic 9: 9.4 The world’s continuing reliance of fossil fuels increases pressure to exploit new areas
A remote Arctic field produces 150,000 barrels a day. Production and transport cost $58 per barrel there. The oil sold for $70 per barrel, but the price has now fallen to $55 per barrel. What is the new daily outcome, and what does it show?
Practise Topic 9: 9.4 The world’s continuing reliance of fossil fuels increases pressure to exploit new areasTopic 9: 9.5 Reducing reliance on fossil fuels presents major technical challenges
Car A uses 6 litres of petrol per 100 km and car B uses 4 litres per 100 km. A driver travels 15,000 km a year, and burning one litre of petrol releases 2.3 kg of carbon dioxide. How much carbon dioxide is saved each year by switching from car A to car B?
Practise Topic 9: 9.5 Reducing reliance on fossil fuels presents major technical challengesTopic 9: 9.6 Attitudes to energy and environmental issues are changing
In developed countries, why are wealthier households often better placed to reduce their carbon footprints than poorer households?
Practise Topic 9: 9.6 Attitudes to energy and environmental issues are changing
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