Pre Leaving Cert Geography

Preparation 2014 Mrs Kenneally

Exam Paper

Section A – Short Q …Answer 10/12

Section B – Core 1 – Physical Geography – Answer 1/3 Full Question A+B+C

Section C – Core 2 – Regional Geography - Answer 1/3 Full Question A+B+C

**Do not attempt a Q that refers to Continental Sub continental

Section D – Elective – Human Processes - Answer 1/3 Full Question A+B+C

Section E – Option – Geoecology ¼ 80 marks

Timing

Bring the following to the Exam

Ruler, Pencil, Coloured Pencils, Rubber, Graph Paper ..

Core 1 Key Topics

A.Plate Tectonics

  • Name Plates
  • Type of Boundaries at Plate Margins
  • Theories
  • Explaining what happens at Plate Margins

***Topics linked to Plate Tectonics – Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Deformation

B. Rocks

  • The Rock Cycle
  • Formation of Rocks – Igneous, Metamorphic, Sedimentary
  • Know General Formation
  • Give examples of each and explain how within each rock type there are subcategories e.g Granite and Basalt
  • Certain rock types produce distinctive landscapes.. explain this and outline formations associated with such landscapes e.g. Karst Landscapes
  • Economic Use of Rock or Human interaction with the rock cycle –“Geothermal Energy”

C. Landforms

  • Denudation – Weathering and Erosion
  • Weathering – Physical and Chemical
  • Erosion – River – Hydraulic Action, Abrasion, Attrition, Solution
  • Referring to and OS Map
  • Sketch Map
  • Select Physical landforms and explain their formation
  • Man’s Interference with the systems.. e.g. River Rhine

Core 2 Key Topics

Drawing Maps: You will possibly be asked to draw a map of Ireland or Europe.

You will need to be able to locate the following on this map

  • Region you have studied
  • An example of a physical feature.. Mountain, river, lake
  • Key Road
  • Urban area

Another skill you may be required to show would be to interpret information from a graph or table by answering a series of questions.

You could be asked to draw a graph from a table they have given to you

You have studied

Regions: This is where you learned about different types of regions.

In most cases you had examples of Ireland and Europe.

Your Irish examples included

  • Climate – Cool Temperate Oceanic
  • Culture/Language – The Gaeltacht
  • Physical Region – The Burren
  • Administrative – County Councils and Regional Authorities

Your European examples included

  • Physical Region – The Paris Basin
  • Culture/Language – Belgium
  • Administrative – France
  • Economic Regions – Core – Paris, Periphery – The Mezzogiorno, Regions of industrial decline – Belgium, Underdeveloped Regions – Newly joined EU countries of Eastern Europe
  • Urban Region – Paris

Contrasting Regions: There are two sets of contrasting regions. They are Contrasting Irish Regions – BMW and Dublin Region – and Contrasting European Regions – Paris Basin and Mezzogiorno

You have studied these regions under the following headings

Physical Processes

Primary Activities

Secondary Activities

Tertiary Activities

Human Processes

Urban regions

If you go through past papers you will see that these are generally the types of questions that can be asked in this section

  • The development of Primary or Secondary Economic activities in the region.
  • To outline the link between physical processes and Primary activities
  • Comment on the development of primary or secondary or tertiary economic activities in two contrasting regions
  • Discuss human processes in one of these regions
  • Refer to one urban area in these regions and outline its development or problems.

EU – You will need to consider impact of enlargement on the a member state

Elective Key Topics

There are two halves to this course – A. Population B. Settlement

Population Topics

  • Population Distribution – Where are people distributed around the world and why?
  • Population Density – No of people per sq km. Why are some regions densely populated while others are not? Give examples
  • Population growth – Demographic Transition Model – 5 stages – give examples of countries that are in each stage
  • Population Pyramids – Characteristics of the population – How many children aged 0-4 and how many males over 84 are question that can be answered by studying population pyramids. The more triangular a pyramid is the less developed the country.. the more rectangular the more developed the country.
  • Overpopulation – causes
  • Overuse of resources – Sahel and Aral Sea
  • Culture – Bangladesh
  • Income
  • Technology – The Green Revolution
  • Migration
  • Rural Urban migration – Impact different developing/developed countries
  • Migration policies – EU
  • Migration issues Donor vs Receiver Countries
  • Issues arise from Migration – Turban Issue, School Issue

Settlement Topics

  • You must be able to draw a sketch map of an OS Map and Aerial Photo for this section.
  • Rural Settlement Patterns
  • Historic Settlement
  • Urban Settlement
  • Why did town develop at this location
  • Function of the Town
  • Change in functions – Case study needed
  • Site Situation Function
  • Land use zones within the modern city – CBD, Commercial, Industrial, Recreational, Residential..
  • Changes in land use and planning issues that arise – case studies – Dublin Dockland Development, Ballymun
  • Land values in cities and social stratification – Concentric zone theory, Sector theory, Multi nuclei theory
  • The expansion of cities and the pressures on rural land use – Case study Dublin
  • Urban problems of traffic movement and congestion
  • Urban decay and urban sprawl and the absenceof community
  • Heritage issues in urban areas
  • Environmental quality
  • The effectiveness of urban planning strategies andurban renewal in solving urban problems - Singapore
  • The expansion and problems in developingworld cities
  • The future of urbanism. Issues related to the citiesof the future.

Option - Key Topics

  • The general composition of all soil types with reference to mineral matter, organic matter, water and air
  • Soil characteristics: e.g. texture, colour, structure, water content, organic content, water retention properties etc.
  • The global pattern of soils
  • Soil processes including weathering, soil erosion, leaching, humidification, podzolisation, laterisation, calcification
  • Human interference with soil characteristics including: –over-cropping and over-grazing – desertification and conservation.
  • One major biome, in detail, by examining climatic and soil characteristics and related patterns of animal and vegetation distribution.
  • Biomes have been altered by human activities. Students should study the impact of early settlement and clearing of forests the felling of tropical rain forests intensive agricultural practices industrial development.

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