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 Examination Guidance

Always make sure that you write inside the answer the box and use a black pen. Anything outside of this area will simply not be seen and therefore marked by the examiner. You can not use pencil or coloured pens either, only black. 

Paper 1 - Core Units

Paper one examines all of the core IB units:
  1. Populations in transition
  2. Disparities in wealth and development
  3. Patterns in environmental quality and sustainability
  4. Patterns in resource consumption
Examination Structure


Length of the Examination: 1 hour 30 minutes
Section A
  • Short answer questions focusing on A01, A02 and A04 skill set (see Syllabus guidance).
  • 4 sets of questions one on each of the core units (compulsory you need to answer all of them).
  • Spend no longer than 45 min on this section that means approximately 10-12 min for each question.
Section B
  • Essay based section
  • You will need to answer one 15 mark essay from a choice of 3.
  • You will need a good 45 min to plan and write this essay.
  • I suggest answering the essay first as you can possibly write in bullet points in Section A and not lose too many marks (only do this if you run out of time as it will cost you marks and it is not recommended)
  • Case Study facts are a must for the answer.
  • You get marks for content, analysis, evaluation and structure (ensure that you therefore practice these often, see Essay Planning template)
How to maximise your marks
Do not ignore any of the commands that are written in bold. If you do so you run the risk of getting no marks for that question. 


Example:
The phrase 'given on the diagram' is written in bold and it means that if you explain a factor not give on the diagram you will receive no marks even if it is correctly explained and possibly valid to the topic.
Describe questions are extremely easy to get full mark providing you answer them in a sensible fashion.


Example:
In this question the marks are attributed:
  1. Two descriptive/comparative statements worth 1 mark each eg. The base of the pyramid is narrowing.
  2. You also get 1 mark from showing that you can read the data. Therefore, you need to provide actual evidence/data with the correct units.
Always look at the marks each question is worth. These provide you with guidance on how to structure your answer and what you need to write. 

Example:
The [2x2] means that each reason is worth 2 marks. To achieve 2 out of 2 you will need to:
  1. Give a valid reason - worth 1 mark
  2. Explain, exemplify or expand on your reason -  worth the 1 mark
WARNING:
If the two reasons are too similar you will only be credited with a maximum of 2 marks from 4 so ensure that you pick completely different reasons.
In all essays you will need to:
  • Give your opinion
  • Address both sides of the issues
  • Give an indication of scale/importance
  • Provide factual evidence (case studies)

Example
If you agree with this statement or disagree with it is immaterial but you should not do so 100%. If you go down this route it is impossible to get all marks because you will not show any evaluation. Remember that there is always a 'however' - an alternative view.  

Paper 2 - Optional Themes

Paper 2 examines the Optional Themes that you have chosen to study. 
For Standard Level (SL) you will study two themes during the IB course and for Higher Level (HL) you will study three themes. 

A. Freshwater—issues and conflicts
B. Oceans and their coastal margins
C. Extreme environments
D. Hazards and disasters—risk assessment and response
E. Leisure, sport and tourism
F. The geography of food and health
G. Urban environments
Examination Structure

Length of Examination: 1 hour 20 min (SL) 2 hours (HL)
You will be examined on every one of the themes that you have studied - 2 for SL and 3 for HL
In the examination there will be two questions for each theme, each question will be worth 20 marks and you will have to choose one question per theme for all the themes you have studied. 

Timing: 40 min per theme/question

Each question will be broken into two parts:
  1. Short answer questions (usually 3 to 4 questions) worth 10 marks combined - spend 15 min on this section. 
  2. Essay question worth 10 marks - spend 25 min on this section.
How to maximise your marks
Do not over complicate the short answer questions and spend too long in this section. This part is only designed to test skills A01, A02 and A04. 

Example: 
This question really is as simple as it looks. 'Identify' in this case means literally look at the source and find two words that answer the question. 
Answer: 
Emergence
Deposition 
(as simple as that)
Even thought he Essay is worth only 10 marks you will need to include evaluation and case study facts.

Example:
Structure these questions exactly like the 15 mark essays in 
Core 1 but you will not have time to write the same quantity. (see case study on sustainable fisheries in Canada)
Ensure that you have revised Map Skills as it is possible that one of these questions will involve you reading and interpreting a Map.

Example: 
The IB like to give you obscure maps, do not be scared by them. The trick with these questions is to be very familiar with mapping techniques and to not rush your interpretation. They are not hard but require attention to detail and most important of all evidence from the map.

Time pressure is intense in this paper so ensure that you have chose your questions after the 5 min reading time you will be given before the IB examination fully starts. 

Paper 3 - Global Interactions (HL)

Paper 3 will only be taken if you are studying IB Higher Level content. It consists of 7 units with common theme of Globalisation. All units are compulsory for the examination. 
  1. Measuring global interactions
  2. Changing space—the shrinking world
  3. Economic interactions and flows
  4. Environmental change
  5. Sociocultural exchanges
  6. Political outcomes
  7. Global interactions at the local level
Examination Structure


Length of Examination: 1 hour

You will have a choice of 1 question out of a possible 3. Each question contains 2 parts:
a. Essay worth 10 marks (20 minutes)
b. Essay worth 15 marks (40 minutes)

Warning
There is no logic in how they chose the essays and no link to the combination of topics that they cover so it is impossible to strategically avoid revising or preparing one of the 7 HL units. 
How to maximize your marks
For the 10 mark question - this is the only essay in the entire IB Geography examination where you should not evaluate. It only examines A01 and A02 skills.

Example: 
All you are being asked do do is to explain a concept. Do not over complicate the question you will not have time to do so. Try to cover as many ideas as you can but ensure that they follow a logical progression and structure.
For the 15 mark question - this essay is written using exactly the same skills as the 15 mark Paper 1 questions. 
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