Geographical enquiry test feedback

Key points (chronological)

INVESTIGATING RIVER ENVIRONMENTS
4ai Secondary rivers data –
previously collected data, map (showing geology/land use etc)
4aii
previously collected data – may not be from the same time of year/weather conditions,
map – area might have changed since map was made (maps are out of date as soon as they
are produced)
4av Other sampling methods
Advantages of systematic – provides a more accurate impression of the river as you are
accounting for the whole length at regular intervals rather than a random selection
Advantages of pragmatic/stratified – some randomly selected sites may not be accessible or
safe but sites chosen pragmatically would avoid this
4b Field sketch
Advantage – able to record the important features of an area (1) that could be used to support
quantitative data (1)
Disadvantage – difficult to produce quickly and accurately (1) which may mean that
inaccuracies contradict other findings, reducing the effectiveness of conclusions (1)
4c (note that you can use this answer for both presentation and analysis)
Geolocated data on a base map of Debden Brook
Advantages –
1) plotting proportional symbols for width/depth/velocity/sediment size on actual site
locations is better than using separate line/bar graphs as this shows the trends and
possible links between data sets over real space
2) Using GIS software e.g. ARCGIS you can plot the data accurately in place and
accurately by size of the symbol
3) By plotting data on a map you could infer the impact of other factors that are marked
on a map e.g. influence of a meander on velocity
4) By using means of data collected removes the impact of anomalies
5) Data on the map can be compared to historic data to see change over time/impact of
different weather conditions/time of year
Disadvantages –
1) Hard to plot and draw proportional symbols accurately by hand and GIS software may
not always be available/easy to use
2) Proportional symbols may be too small to see on the map or so big that they obliterate
detail underneath
3) A small data set makes drawing definitive conclusions problematic
INVESTIGATING URBAN ENVIRONMENTS
6ai primary data –
environmental quality survey, crime index, questionnaire
6aii –
results from the two sites allow us to compare the impact of the Olympics on a regenerated
and non-regenerated area
6b –
relatively local (1) so more data could be collected (1)
safe (1) mostly pedestrianised (1)
easy to compare (1) an area that has been regenerated and one that has not (1)
6c secondary data
House prices (1) – to compare the impact of regeneration in a regenerated and non-
regenerated area (1) expecting house prices to be higher in East Village (regenerated)
Newspaper articles (1) to corroborate or contradict questionnaire responses (1) to draw a
broader conclusion (1)
Previous data (1) to corroborate data collected (1) to ensure conclusion is valid (1)
Photos of the area pre-redevelopment (1) to compare and assess the impact of the scheme (1)
with the expectation that it has improved the area (1)
6d Analysis
Geolocated data on a map – located data allows us to easily compare impact of regeneration
across both areas
Pie charts of EQS data – show ranges of data of both areas, easy to compare
Comparing primary and previously collected (secondary) data allows us to see change over
time
6e Evaluating novel fieldwork
Strengths of conclusions
1. Overall conclusions are appropriate for the purpose of enquiry
Weaknesses of conclusions
1. Vague – need to be supported with data/information
Strengths of evaluations
1. 4 and 5 are valid and may have a positive impact on reaching a more reliable
conclusion
2. 6 is irrelevant
Strengths of presentation method
1. Photo shows an appropriate area with clear evidence of changing urban land use
2. Perspective allows for a large area to be analysed
Weaknesses
1. Labels are too simplistic/irrelevant and do not provide any meaningful analysis
2. Photo needs to be compared to another area (implied in conclusion 1 and 3)
To improve –
1. More photos of different areas, more detailed annotations
2. Support conclusions with data/information
3. Increase sample size
4. Compare student EQS results to others (locals?)