HKDSE Geography: Industrial Location And Urban Land Use Practice Paper

HKDSE Geography: Industrial Location and Urban Land Use Practice Paper

2026-11-03

HKDSE Geography data response

This paper covers industrial location and urban land use for S6 geography, including density, the rank size rule, material index, urban sprawl and fieldwork design.

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Paper details　HKDSE Geography, industrial location and urban land use, data response style, 75 minutes

Section A (Questions 1 to 4, 26 marks)

Read each question and write the correct answer with an explanation. Show working and units for any calculation.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
1	A district covers 24 km squared and has a population of 480 000. Find its population density, and the density within built up land if only 15 per cent of the area is built up.	Density = 480 000 divided by 24 = 20 000 people per km squared. Built up area = 24 × 0.15 = 3.6 km squared, so its density is 480 000 divided by 3.6, about 133 333 people per km squared. Marking: overall density 3, built up density 3.
2	A new town of 40 km squared has land uses of 45 per cent residential, 12 per cent commercial, 8 per cent industrial, 20 per cent transport and 15 per cent open space. Find the area of each use and explain why the percentages must total 100.	Residential 18 km squared, commercial 4.8, industrial 3.2, transport 8 and open space 6, totalling 40 km squared. The percentages are shares of the whole town, the classes do not overlap, and together they cover all the land, so they must add to 100 per cent. Marking: each area 1, explanation 1.
3	The largest city of a country has 8.0 million people and the second city has 5.2 million. Using the rank size rule, find the expected population of the second city and the primacy index, and explain what the index shows.	Expected population = 800 divided by 2 = 4.0 million. Primacy index = 800 divided by 520, about 1.54. An index above 1 means the largest city leads clearly in population, so the system is primate. Marking: expected value 2, index 3, explanation 2.
4	A factory uses 4 tonnes of raw material to make 1 tonne of product, so the material index is 4. The raw material and the market are 120 km apart, and transport costs 2.5 dollars per tonne kilometre. Find the total transport cost for a plant at the raw material site and at the market, and decide where to locate.	At the raw material site only the product moves: 1 × 120 × 2.5 = 300 dollars. At the market the raw material moves: 4 × 120 × 2.5 = 1 200 dollars. The saving is 900 dollars, so the plant should be at the raw material site, making it a material oriented industry. Marking: two costs 2 each, comparison 1, choice with type 2.

Section B (Questions 5 to 8, 32 marks)

Answer the following questions with working, units and evidence drawn from the data given.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
5	Explain what a footloose industry is, give two examples, and explain why such industries often locate near an airport.	A footloose industry has transport costs that are a small share of total costs, so location is not pulled strongly by raw materials or markets. Examples are electronics assembly, jewellery design and garment sampling. Such goods are light and valuable and often move by air, so a site near the airport shortens delivery time. Marking: definition 2, two examples 2, airport reason 2.
6	A district converts 30 hectares of farmland into an industrial estate providing 1 200 jobs. The farmland yields 4.5 tonnes of vegetables per hectare each year. Find the annual loss of output and the land per job, and comment on the advantages and disadvantages of the change.	Loss of vegetables = 30 × 4.5 = 135 tonnes per year. Land per job = 30 hectares divided by 1 200, about 0.025 hectares. Advantages are more jobs and higher tax revenue; disadvantages are less farmland, a smaller local vegetable supply and more lorry traffic. Marking: loss 2, land per job 3, both sides 1.5 each.
7	The radius of a built up area grows from 5 km to 7 km. Find the percentage increase in area. If density stays at 20 000 people per km squared, find the population before and after and the number added.	The area grows from 25 pi to 49 pi, a ratio of 1.96, which is a rise of 96 per cent. Population before = 25 × 20 000 = 500 000, after = 49 × 20 000 = 980 000, an increase of 480 000. Marking: area ratio 3, percentage rise 2, both populations 2 each.
8	Three sites have these access data: site A 20 minutes with 120 000 people in its catchment, site B 35 minutes with 260 000, site C 25 minutes with 180 000. Which site suits a large shopping mall? Support your answer with the data and give one reason against it.	A mall needs a large catchment, and site B has the most people at 260 000, so it is preferable even with a longer drive. If accessibility matters more, site C at 25 minutes and 180 000 people is a compromise. Against B: 35 minutes is inconvenient for households without a car and may overload local roads. Marking: data comparison 4, choice 2, objection 3.

Section C (Questions 9 to 12, 42 marks)

Write fuller answers using correct subject terms and support them with examples from Hong Kong or daily life.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
9	A district had 420 000 people on 21 km squared in 2016 and 483 000 in 2026 with the same area. Find the density in both years and the percentage rise, and give two reasons for the rise.	In 2016 the density was 420 000 divided by 21 = 20 000 people per km squared; in 2026 it is 483 000 divided by 21 = 23 000, a rise of 15 per cent. Reasons include more flats, more households and immigration into the district. Marking: both densities 2 each, rise 2, two reasons 1.5 each.
10	An old industrial building stands on a site of 2 000 m squared with a plot ratio of 12. Find the gross floor area. If it is rebuilt for housing at 8 m squared per person, find the capacity, and comment on two social effects.	Gross floor area = 2 000 × 12 = 24 000 m squared. Capacity = 24 000 divided by 8 = 3 000 people. Effects: housing and living conditions improve and supply rises, but sitting tenants and small workshops are displaced and local networks and jobs may be lost. Marking: floor area 3, capacity 2, two effects 2.5 each.
11	It is proposed to move local factories to the Greater Bay Area. Give three advantages, three disadvantages, and a conclusion on Hong Kong industry.	Advantages: lower production costs, larger factory space and access to the mainland market. Disadvantages: cross border management and longer delivery times, harder recruitment of skilled workers, and higher compliance and intellectual property risk. Conclusion: labour intensive processes can move north while design, quality control and high value production stay in Hong Kong. Marking: advantages 3, disadvantages 3, conclusion 3, expression 2.
12	Design a land use survey along a 5 km route with 20 observation points recording four land use classes. Find the spacing of the points, describe the sampling method, and give two factors that affect accuracy.	Spacing = 5 000 m divided by 20 = 250 m. Method: place a point every 250 m along the route and record the main land use within a 50 m radius at each point, which is systematic sampling. Factors affecting accuracy: different observers classify uses differently, the route may not represent the whole town, and shop uses change with time of day. Marking: spacing 2, method 4, two factors 2.5 each.

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