IGCSE Geography / Exam technique
The 6 mark assess question
Edexcel International GCSE Geography (4GE1), chapter 12: Exam technique, specification point CW, P2. Free lesson.
Read the revision notes · IGCSE Geography past papers
An assess answer weighs up factors using evidence, then ranks them and explains which matters most. In Paper Two, Section C, a clear judgement is needed to reach the top level.
What assess asks you to do
To assess means to weigh up how much each factor matters, using evidence, and decide which is most important. A factor is one cause. You need a judgement that ranks the factors and gives a reason, not just a description of each one. A six-mark assess question does not need six separate points. The answer is marked in levels, not point by point. A list of short points with no judgement stays in the bottom level.
How the six marks are awarded
The question appears in Section C of Paper Two. It is worth six marks and comes with a figure. Your whole answer is placed in one of two levels. Explaining every factor well is not enough for full marks if you leave out the judgement. Level 1: 1 to 3 marks. Factors are listed with brief comments. Evidence may be copied from the figure or not used, and there may be no judgement or no reason for it. Level 2: 4 to 6 marks. Two or three factors are explained, with data from the figure supporting each point. The factors are ranked and the answer explains why.
Plan around two or three factors
Use the figure to choose two or three useful factors, rather than trying to include every bar. Explain what each activity does and support the point with its figure data. For a question about the enhanced greenhouse effect, the focus is extra warming caused by gases that people add to the air. In made-up Country X, energy produces 38% of emissions. Power stations burn coal, oil and gas. Industry produces 24%. Factories burn fuel, and making cement releases carbon dioxide. Transport produces 20%, because vehicles burn petrol and diesel. Farming produces 18%. Cattle and flooded rice fields…
Build an answer with a judgement
Open by answering the command word. Then explain and compare your chosen factors, using figures and reasons. Finish by ranking them overall. This makes your judgement clear at the start and confirms it at the end. Energy production is the most important cause in Country X. Energy accounts for 38%, the largest share, because power stations burn fossil fuels. In 2025, fossil fuels supplied about 86% of the world's energy. Transport accounts for 20%, about half of energy's share. It matters less, although vehicles also burn fossil fuels. Farming has the smallest share at 18%, but methane traps…
Make the final ranking explicit
The final judgement should use the evidence already discussed. Energy ranks first because it has the largest share. Transport ranks second because it also burns fossil fuels, while farming ranks third by its share, although methane increases its importance. A list with no judgement stays in Level 1. Using data from the figure to support each explanation helps build a Level 2 answer.