Questions on a figure: using the evidence revision notes

Edexcel International GCSE Geography (4GE1), chapter 12: Exam technique, specification point CW, P2, G2. Free lesson.

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Figure questions reward you for using evidence from the figure as well as your own understanding. Read the figure carefully, then match your answer to the command word and support each reason with evidence.

How to read a figure

Before answering, check what the figure shows and look for useful evidence. Figure 1 shows the percentage of people living in towns and cities in each region of Country X in 2020. Read the title to find out what is shown, where and when. Check the axes and units. Here, the values are percentages of people living in urban areas, meaning towns and cities. Find the highest and lowest values. The south is highest at 74%, while the north is lowest at 26%. Look for labels too. The south has the capital city and main port; the north has mountains and few roads.

How to describe a pattern

A pattern describes how values vary across more than one place. Use compass directions to show where values are higher or lower, then support the pattern with figures and their units. One region on its own is not a pattern. For Figure 1, the urban share is highest in the south and west, and lowest in the north. The south has 74% urban population, compared with 26% in the north, almost three times as high. For a two-mark describe question, give the pattern and then data. Do not add reasons when asked only to describe.

How to develop a reason using evidence

A suggest question needs evidence from the figure, followed by your own understanding. Explain how the evidence could cause the outcome. Each reason needs its own evidence and development. A two-mark photo or map question asking for one reason needs something visible, then a reason. A three-mark suggest one reason question needs evidence followed by two developments. A four-mark suggest two reasons question needs evidence and development twice.

Using evidence to explain regional differences

The south has the highest urban population, at 74%. The figure labels the capital city and main port there. These details support two developed reasons. The capital city is in the south. Government offices and company headquarters offer jobs, so people migrate there from rural areas. The main port is also in the south. Factories locate near ports to import materials and export goods, creating jobs and attracting migrants. For the north, the figure gives 26% and labels it as mountains with few roads. Steep land is difficult to build on and reach, so few firms locate there, which means…

Photographs and avoiding lost marks

With a photograph, describe what you can see before explaining it. A ground photograph is taken at street level; an aerial photograph is taken from above. Both need visible evidence first, then a reason. In a city-centre ground photograph, tall office towers stand close together. Expensive central land can lead developers to build upwards to fit more floor space on a small plot. General reasons without figure evidence do not earn those evidence marks. On a four-mark suggest question, no evidence means two marks at most. Copying words from the figure scores nothing.