Belmont

Mill Hill Preparatory School

Year 8 Mock Common Entrance

Geography Revision 2015

The Exam Paper Will Consist of: Examination 60 minutes long

Section A: Total 15 marks

This section will contain questions on global location. Pupils might be asked to
identify continents & oceans, countries, cities and geographical features (rivers,
deserts, mountain ranges & rainforests) as well as important lines of latitude &
longitude on given maps of the British Isles, Europe or the World.

Pupils should:
 Spend 8 - 10 minutes on this section
Section B: Total 15 marks
This section will compromise questions on Ordnance Survey mapwork. A 1:25,00
or 1:50,00 map will be provided on which the pupils might have to give 4 or 6
figure grid references, measure distances, identify symbols, work out direction,
estimate area and interpret contour lines or relief. They may need to understand
site, situation and shape of settlement. They may also be asked to annotate simple
sketch sections or describe routes.

Pupils should:
 Spend 8 - 10 minutes on this section
Section C: Total 50 marks
In this section the pupils will be tested on their knowledge of the thematic studies
they have covered in geography lessons including: rivers & coasts, earthquakes &
volcanoes, weather & climate, economic activity and environmental issues. Graphs,
photos, maps and diagrams may be used as stimulus material. Questions may
include a mix of data response, multiple choice, short or more extended answers.
Pupils should:
 Spend 35 - 45 minutes on this section

Equipment you will need for the exam:

Pupils will need to bring a pen, pencil and ruler to the exam. String will be provided
for you.

Year 8 Geography Revision Guide Nov 2015

Topics you should know:
GLOBAL LOCATION
Major global physical features
Continents: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Oceania, Europe, North and South America
Mountain ranges: Alps, Andes, Himalayas, Pyrenees, Rockies
Desert: Sahara
Oceans: Arctic, Indian, Atlantic, Pacific
Rivers: Amazon, Mississippi, Nile, Rhine, Yangtze
Other global features
Arctic Circle, Antarctic Circle, Equator, International Dateline, North Pole, Prime
Meridian,
South Pole, Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn
British Isles
Countries: The countries of the UK and the Republic of Ireland
Sea areas: English Channel, Irish Sea, North Sea
Rivers: Severn, Thames, Trent, Clyde, Shannon
Hills: Grampians, Lake District, Pennines, Snowdonia
Major cities: Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool,
London, Manchester, Newcastle
Countries
Europe: France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Ukraine
Africa: Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa
Americas: Brazil, Canada, Mexico, USA
Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Pakistan,
Russia,
Saudi Arabia
Oceania: Australia, New Zealand
Major cities and city states
Beijing, Berlin, Cairo, Delhi, Los Angeles, Madrid, Mexico City, Moscow, New York,
Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Sydney, Tokyo, Warsaw, Washington DC

See blank and labelled maps on the school website under academic revision
downloads Yr 6 and Yr 8.

Year 8 Geography Revision Guide Nov 2015

ORDNANCE SURVEY MAP WORK
 Points of the compass – direction, (read question carefully – from where to
where)
 Grid square (4 figure) grid reference (6 figure) (remember along the
corridor and up the stairs) to the right of the line along the bottom and
above the line as you go up the page
 Northings are the horizontal line on a map and Eastings are the vertical
lines.
 How height is shown on maps (look for spot heights, Triangulation pillars &
contour lines)
 How contours show relief –(the shape of the land, steep slopes have contour
lines close together and flat areas have few or widely spread contours)
 Scale, distance & routes (check scale of map, for measuring use string; use
road names, physical features, direction distance to describe route)
 Decision making exercises (e.g. what determines the location of factories -
transport, raw materials, power supply, labour, market, flat land)
 Settlement pattern (linear, nucleated, dispersed)
 Position of settlements (near fresh water, shelter, building materials
defensive positions, flat land, fertile soil, transport links, trade routes (cross
roads), bridging points and natural resources) (see diagram)
 Land use patterns in towns (Central Business District, inner city, inner
suburb & outer suburb, Green Belt) location of different land uses and house
types (offices in centre of town, residential in the suburbs and hypermarkets
at the city outskirts) (see diagram)
 Area - size of town in km2 (each grid square is 1 km2)
 Identify Ordnance Survey symbols (use key)
 Identifying economic types of activities (Primary – farming + collection of
raw materials; Secondary – manufacturing making products in factories
(Wks on map means factories); Tertiary – offering a service often related to
leisure + tourism – usually blue symbols e.g. information centres)
 Identify the C.B.D. (look for railway station, town hall, information centres,
cathedral)

Ask for an O.S. help guide if you are still struggling with this area of the curriculum

Year 8 Geography Revision Guide Nov 2015

EARTHQUAKES & VOLCANOES
 What are plates and what are plate boundaries? Thick rock slabs that are
moving around on the Earth’s surface either Oceanic or Continental
 What states can a volcano be in? active – currently erupting, dormant –
sleeping but may erupt again in the future, extinct – will never erupt again
 Know the structure of the Earth and its different layers: Crust, Mantle, Outer
Core and Inner Core

WEATHER & CLIMATE

 What is the difference between weather & climate? Weather is the day to day
atmospheric conditions whereas climate is the average over a period of time.
 What is microclimate? The climate in a small area
 What factors affect climate? Latitude – how close or far you are from the
Equator, altitude – how high up you are above sea level, distance from sea –
the water is an insulator, prevailing wind – direction the main wind comes
from affect temperature and rainfall, ocean currents – North Atlantic Drift
bring warmth to UK

RIVERS & COASTS

 What is the difference between weathering and erosion? (weathering is the
breakdown of rock in-situ (without movement); erosion the wearing away
and removal of rock); Types of erosion CASH - Corrosion, Attrition, Solution
Hydraulic Action
 Types of weathering (freeze-thaw – scree slopes, onion-skin, biological &
chemical) be able to label a DIAGRAM, remember process is repeated over
time and the location they occur (see diagram)
 Deposition landforms – where it occurs and why (floodplains - alluvium +
silt and spits)
 Erosional landform (waterfall formation - plunge pools, gorge) Meanders
(cross-sections with labels, river cliff, river beach, fastest + slowest flow) be
able to label a DIAGRAM (see diagram)
 Coasts, headland formation (cracks, caves, arch, stacks & stumps) be able to
label a DIAGRAM, wave structure – swash/backwash, Long shore drift –
forming spits (see diagram)

Year 8 Geography Revision Guide Nov 2015

ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
 Primary industries – collection and use of raw materials + farming,
Secondary industry – manufacturing, Tertiary industry – services,
Quaternary – consultancy, research & development (be able to identify
examples of each from an OS map)
 Factors affecting location of factories (power supply – national grid,
transport – motorway / port / railway, raw materials – mine/quarry/forest,
site – cheap land, flat land, market – big + rich + nearby, skilled & cheap
local labour force); inputs – raw materials, throughputs – labour +
machinery, outputs - product.

POPULATION & SETTLEMENT

 What is migration? The movement of people from one area or country to

another
 What are push and pull factors? These are what forces people to move e.g.
war, famine, drought or what encourage people to a new place e.g. jobs,
healthcare and education
 What is bright light syndrome? Moving to the city think life will be better
there
 Why do more live in some places rather than others population distribution?
Some areas in the world are too hot or cold, other have no food, some areas
have no resources others have plenty

TRANSPORT & INDUSTRY

 How has transport changed over time? From trains to cars and planes
 What is the best sort of transport for moving people and what would be used
for bulk? People travel in cars and planes, cargo moves in boats unless small
and valuable
 Know about the reasons for sweatshop location – it’s all about the profit –
cheap labour, plentiful resources, building costs low, fewer taxes, etc.
 Know a type of transport issue that is causing conflict at the moment. HS2
the pros and cons, cost, environmental damage, location population
dispersed verses potential jobs and economic development

All diagrams on the school website under academic revision downloads Yr 6, Yr

7 and Yr 8.

Year 8 Geography Revision Guide Nov 2015

EXAMINATION TECHNIQUE
 Do NOT PANIC – PMA positive mental attitude
 Read the question – look for key words
 Do not rush
 If the question is hard leave it and return to it at the end
 With longer/higher mark questions plan your answer
 Look how many marks the question is worth
 Answer the question – check how many marks are allocated and answer
accordingly
 Give examples to illustrate your point – actual locations studied
 Use graphs, diagrams + information provided – it is there to help not
confuse you
 Draw clear illustration and label when requested - these will get you as
many marks as written text, do not repeat in text what you have put in
diagrammatical form
 Watch the time – write in note form if running out of time
 Have a go at everything you might get something a blank sheet will get
nothing
 Do not write the question out again in the answer – it is a waste of space +
time
 Use geographical terminology / words wherever possible
 Check your work at the end if you have time
 Draw simple diagrams it is the labels that get the marks
 Write clearly if they cannot read it they will not mark it

Year 8 Geography Revision Guide Nov 2015

REVISION TECHNIQUE
 Read and understand 30%, (2) Summarise and memorise 60%, (3) test and
review 80% (get Mum or Dad to do this)
 List key words, Make revision cards, practice drawing and labelling
diagrams, Create Spider diagrams, use highlighters
 Create a revision timetable - Set goals for each revision session
 Eat & drink properly the brain needs fuel!
 Work in the morning as much as possible – your brain is more alert then
 Sit upright, have good lighting, good ventilation (leave window open)
 Take breaks regularly
 If you listen to music make sure it is CD or MP3 not the radio
 Keep each subject in a separate folder
 Have your own space (a desk / table) somewhere that you will not be
disturbed continually

For the exam itself:

It’s natural to feel some exam nerves prior to starting the exam, but getting
excessively nervous is counterproductive as you will not be able to think as clearly.

The quickest way to eliminating feeling of stress and panic is to close your eyes and
take long, slow deep breaths. Breathing is a way to calm your whole nervous system.
Simultaneously you can give yourself some mental pep-talk by repeating “I am calm
and relaxed” or “I know I will do well”

If your mind goes blank, don’t panic! Panicking will just make it harder for you to
recall information. Instead, focus on deep breathing for about a minute. If you still
can’t remember the information, move onto another question and return to this
question later.

After the exam don’t spend endless time criticising yourself for where you think you
went wrong. Often our self assessment is far too harsh. Congratulate yourself for the
thing you did right, learn for the bits which you know you could have done better,
and then move on.

Year 8 Geography Revision Guide Nov 2015

General Exam Stress-Busting Tips:

Believe in yourself: You wouldn’t have been given a place on the course if you
didn’t have the ability to do it. Therefore, if you prepare for the exams properly you
should do fine, meaning that there is no need to worry excessively.

Don’t try to be perfect: It’s great to succeed and reach for the stars. But keep
things in balance. If you think that “anything less than A+ means I’ve failed” then
you are creating mountains of unnecessary stress for yourself. Aim to do your best
but recognise that none of us can be perfect all of the time.

Take steps to overcome problems: If you find that you don’t understand some
of your course material, getting stressed won’t help. Instead, take action to address
the problem directly by seeing your course tutor or getting help from your class
mates.

Don’t keep thing bottled up: Confiding in someone you trust and who will be
supportive is a great way of alleviating stress and worry

Keep thing in perspective: The exams might seem like the most crucial thing
right now, but in the grander scheme of your whole life they are only a small part.

References:

Revision website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/

C.G.P. key stage 3 Geography study book

http://www.belmontschool.com/academic/revision.html look at the Yr 6, Yr 7 and

Yr 8 PowerPoint presentations for each topic

Year 8 Geography Revision Guide Nov 2015

Exam Style Questions To Help You Revise

Locational knowledge:
Practice putting countries, capital cities, rivers, mountain ranges, rainforests, lines
of latitude and longitude on a world map

O.S. Map section:

1. Name an erosional landform and a depositional landform
2. List 5 reasons for a factory to locate in a particular area
3. List 5 reasons for a settlement being located in a particular site
4. List the five land zones in a city
5. Describe what housing is to be found there
6. List services found only in a city and not a hamlet or village

Earthquakes & Volcanoes

1. What are plate and what are plate boundaries?
2. What states can a volcano be in?
3. Know the structure of the Earth and its different layers

Weather & Climate

1. What is the difference between weather & climate?
2. What is microclimate?
3. What factors affect climate?

River & Coasts:

1. List the four types of erosion CASH
2. Label a diagram of an erosional landform found either on a coastal or along
a river and describe how it is formed
3. Label freeze-thaw (frost shattering) weathering

Population & Settlement

1. What is migration?
2. What are push and pull factors?
3. What is bright light syndrome?
4. Why do more live in some places rather than others?

Transport & industry

1. How has transport changed over time?
2. What is the best sort of transport for moving people and what would be used
for bulk?
3. Know about the reasons for sweatshop location
4. Know a type of transport issue that is causing conflict at the moment

Year 8 Geography Revision Guide Nov 2015