Topic 5: 5.4 The city changes through employment, services and the movement of people — Edexcel GCSE Geography B
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Topic 5: 5.4 The city changes through employment, services and the movement of people explained
Topic 5: 5.4 The city changes through employment, services and the movement of people covers 2 specification points, including A.
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Causes of national and international… and B. Reasons for different levels of inequality,…. Open a point below for its explanation and revision guidance.
a. Causes of national and international migration that influence growth and character the different parts of the city (age structure, ethnicity, housing, services, culture).
This statement asks you to explain why people move within and into a country, and how these moves change parts of a city. National migration includes moves from rural areas or other towns for jobs, education or retirement, while international migration includes people arriving for work, study, family reunion or as refugees. Migrants change the city by altering its age structure, for example through young adults in inner-city student or rented housing, and its ethnic mix. They also affect housing demand, the range of shops and services such as places of worship or language support, and local culture, including festivals and food. Link each cause to one effect in a named city area.
b. Reasons for different levels of inequality, in employment and services, education, health in the different parts of the city.
This statement asks why inequality differs across a city and how it shows in employment and services, education and health. Inequality means uneven access to jobs, services and life chances. Reasons include the location of jobs and transport links, historical investment, residents' income and decisions by councils and private firms. For example, an area that has lost manufacturing jobs may have fewer local jobs, weaker services, lower educational attainment and poorer health. Compare different parts of the city, such as inner suburbs and outer estates, and give a reason for each difference. Distinguish causes from outcomes and avoid treating one factor as the only explanation.
Your focus
- Distinguish between national and international migration and give one cause of each.
- Identify how migration changes the age structure, ethnicity, housing, services or culture of a city area.
- Select the correct effect of migration on a named part of the city in an MCQ.
Show all 6 objectives
- Identify at least two reasons for inequality in employment and services in different parts of a city.
- Explain how education and health inequality can arise from linked factors.
- Select the most accurate answer to multiple-choice questions on urban inequality by checking each option against the named dimensions.
Topic 5: 5.4 The city changes through employment, services and the movement of people exam tips
Marking Points
- Identifies national migration as movement within the country, such as rural-urban movement for jobs or retirement moves.
- Identifies international migration as movement across national borders, such as for work, study, family reunion or asylum.
- Links migration to changes in age structure in a named part of the city, such as young adults in inner-city rented housing.
- Explains how ethnic mix, housing demand, services and culture change as migrants settle in particular areas.
- Gives a specific service or cultural feature, such as places of worship, language support or food shops, linked to a part of the city.
- Identifies a reason for unequal employment or service provision, such as the location of jobs, transport access or past investment.
- Links education inequality to a specific cause, such as differences in school resources, household income or local deprivation.
- Explains health inequality as the result of linked factors, such as income, housing quality, environment or access to healthcare.
- Applies each reason to at least two named parts of the city rather than describing one area in isolation.
- Uses accurate terms such as deprivation, socio-economic status or life expectancy in context.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Make a two-column table of national and international causes, then add one city effect for each.
- 💡In MCQs, eliminate options that describe a city effect with no causal link to migration.
- 💡Use neutral, evidence-based language about migration and avoid generalisations about any group of people.
- 💡Refer to a named city area in each answer so that your point is grounded in a specific place.
- 💡Before selecting an option, check whether it matches the named dimension: employment and services, education or health.
- 💡When an option names a cause, test whether it explains the difference between parts of the city rather than just describing it.
- 💡Plan a chain of cause and effect for each dimension so that every answer you choose is supported by a reason.
Common Mistakes
- Treats all migration as international; correct it by distinguishing national movement within the country from movement across borders.
- Describes migration causes without linking them to a named part of the city; correct it by stating the effect on age, ethnicity, housing, services or culture in that area.
- Assumes migration produces the same pattern in every city; correct it by recognising that effects depend on local housing, employment and history.
- Confuses the reasons for migrating with the effects on the city; correct it by separating the cause from the resulting change.
- Describes differences between areas without giving a reason, so the answer never explains why the inequality exists; add a cause for each difference.
- Treats one factor as the sole cause of inequality, so the explanation ignores how several factors interact; show how two or more factors combine.
- Makes generalised claims about the whole city without locating them, so the answer cannot show variation between parts; name the area and its features.
- Confuses inequality with poverty alone, so the answer omits unequal outcomes in education and health; cover all the named dimensions.