IB Geography SL Paper 2 Practice Paper | 10 Human Geography Questions, 100 Marks

Table 1 shows the age structure of a country in 2025: 1,560,000 people aged 0 to 14, 8,640,000 aged 15 to 64, 1,800,000 aged 65 or above, and a mid-year population of 12,000,000. (a) Calculate the total dependency ratio, showing the formula and giving the answer as a percentage to one decimal place. (b) State two pressures this age structure places on government spending on health care and pensions.

Answer: (a) Total dependency ratio = (population aged 0 to 14 + population aged 65 or above) / population aged 15 to 64 x 100 = (1,560,000 + 1,800,000) / 8,640,000 x 100 = 38.9 per cent. Formula 2 marks, answer 1 mark. (b) With 1.8 million people aged 65 or above, one in six residents is elderly, so spending on public hospitals, long-term care and drug subsidies rises; pension and old-age allowance claims also grow while only 8.64 million people are of working age, so each taxpayer supports more dependants and the fiscal burden deepens. 2.5 marks per pressure.

The same country recorded 156,000 births and 108,000 deaths in 2025 with a mid-year population of 12,000,000. (a) Calculate the natural increase rate per thousand, to one decimal place. (b) Use the rule of 70 to estimate the doubling time. (c) Explain how the age structure will change if death rates keep falling while birth rates stay unchanged.

Answer: (a) Natural increase rate = (births – deaths) / mid-year population x 1000 = (156,000 – 108,000) / 12,000,000 x 1000 = 4.0 per thousand. Formula 2 marks, answer 1 mark. (b) Doubling time = 70 / 4.0 = 17.5 years. (c) Falling death rates lengthen life expectancy, so the share of people aged 65 or above rises, the top of the population pyramid widens while the base narrows and population ageing sets in; the dependency ratio rises, the working-age share falls and demand for medical and elderly services grows, so the government must respond with immigration, a higher retirement age or pronatalist incentives. 3 to 4 marks per part.

The population grew from 12,000,000 to 12,480,000, of whom 11,232,000 live in urban areas and 1,248,000 in rural areas. (a) Calculate the level of urbanisation to one decimal place. (b) Describe two housing or transport problems that appear once urbanisation reaches this level, and suggest one management measure for each.

Answer: (a) Urbanisation = urban population / total population x 100 = 11,232,000 / 12,480,000 x 100 = 90.0 per cent. (b) Housing: in-migration pushes rents up and produces squatter huts, subdivided flats and overcrowding, with poor air quality and sanitation; measures include public housing, minimum living space standards and urban renewal. Transport: longer commutes and saturated arterial roads raise roadside pollutant concentrations; measures include rail extension, electronic road pricing and bus-rail interchanges. 3 marks for the calculation, 4.5 marks per problem and measure.

An offshore wind farm has 4 turbines of 2.5 MW capacity each and an annual capacity factor of 35 per cent. Assume 8,760 hours per year and average household use of 3,000 kWh per year. (a) Calculate the annual output in MWh. (b) Estimate the number of households it can supply. (c) State one environmental advantage and one limitation of wind power compared with coal-fired power.

Answer: (a) Annual output = 4 x 2.5 MW x 8,760 hours x 0.35 = 30,660 MWh. (b) Households supplied = 30,660 x 1,000 / 3,000 = 10,220 households. (c) Advantage: no fuel is burnt in operation, so no sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides or carbon dioxide are emitted, improving air quality and slowing climate change; limitation: output depends on variable wind speed and the low capacity factor means back-up plants or storage are needed, while turbine noise and visual intrusion provoke local opposition. 3 marks per calculation, 2 marks each.

An island state received 2,400,000 visitor arrivals in 2020 and 3,120,000 in 2025. Arrivals cluster in July and August, when hotel occupancy reaches 95 per cent, and residents complain of crowded beaches and fresh water shortages. (a) Calculate the growth rate of arrivals from 2020 to 2025 to one decimal place. (b) Explain two pressures that seasonal concentration places on local resources. (c) Suggest two sustainable tourism management strategies and explain their effectiveness.

Answer: (a) Growth rate = (3,120,000 – 2,400,000) / 2,400,000 x 100 = 30.0 per cent. Formula 2 marks, answer 1 mark. (b) At 95 per cent occupancy hotels and guesthouses draw heavily on fresh water in the peak season; beaches, piers and roads are congested, and waste and sewage plants are overloaded, while rents and prices rise for residents. (c) Strategy one: a peak-season surcharge funding sewage treatment and desalination, which spreads demand into the shoulder season and pays for environmental costs; strategy two: a daily visitor cap with protected no-entry zones, which directly limits ecological pressure, combined with community guides so revenue stays local. 3 marks per strategy.

Two farms grow the same crop: farm A covers 6 hectares and yields 4,800 kg; farm B covers 9 hectares and yields 6,300 kg. (a) Calculate the yield per hectare for each farm. (b) Calculate by what percentage farm A out-yields farm B, to one decimal place. (c) Suggest three agricultural techniques that raise yield per hectare and explain each.

Answer: (a) Farm A = 4,800 / 6 = 800 kg per hectare; farm B = 6,300 / 9 = 700 kg per hectare. (b) Difference = (800 – 700) / 700 x 100 = 14.3 per cent. (c) Rotation and intercropping with legumes fix nitrogen and slow nutrient depletion; drip irrigation under mulch supplies water on demand and cuts evaporation in dry areas; high-yield varieties with soil testing allow precise fertiliser application, avoiding excess or deficiency. 2 marks per technique.

A city needs 850 million cubic metres of water a year, while reservoirs and imported water supply 720 million cubic metres. (a) Calculate the supply gap in million cubic metres and as a percentage of demand, to one decimal place. (b) Explain how urbanisation and rising living standards increase per capita water use. (c) Suggest two demand management measures and explain how each narrows the gap.

Answer: (a) Gap = 850 – 720 = 130 million cubic metres, which is 130 / 850 x 100 = 15.3 per cent of demand. (b) More urban residents are connected to piped supply; higher incomes bring more water-using appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers and private pools, plus landscape irrigation and cooling, so per capita use rises with income. (c) Tiered tariffs with a household quota raise the marginal price for heavy users and encourage efficient fixtures; replacing old mains and fitting smart meters cuts leakage and detects bursts early, reducing non-revenue water. 3 marks for the calculation, 3.5 per measure.

A drinks manufacturer must choose between site X, 120 km from the raw material source, and site Y, 45 km away. Raw material transport costs $2.5 per tonne-kilometre and labour and land costs are identical. (a) Calculate the transport cost per tonne of raw material at each site. (b) Calculate the saving per tonne from choosing site Y. (c) Apart from transport cost, state two other factors affecting the location of such a factory and explain them.

Answer: (a) Site X = 120 x $2.5 = $300 per tonne; site Y = 45 x $2.5 = $112.5 per tonne. (b) Saving = $300 – $112.5 = $187.5 per tonne. (c) Market distance: drinks are bulky, heavy and perishable, so a site near the market lowers delivery cost and shortens restocking time; water supply and quality: production needs large volumes of clean water, and quality affects product safety and treatment cost; energy reliability, effluent facilities and tax incentives also count. 2 marks per factor.

A coastal city is redeveloping an old container terminal into housing and commercial space. Fishermen still unload their catch at the pier and low-income households live in temporary structures nearby. (a) Describe two possible land use conflicts in the area. (b) Explain why urban renewal often displaces existing low-income residents. (c) Suggest one planning measure that could reduce these conflicts.

Answer: (a) Residents and businesses expect a quiet, clean environment while fishermen generate noise, fish odour and lorry traffic, so the two uses interfere; the waterfront and berths are taken by private development, cutting public access to the shore and squeezing fishing space against residents need for recreation. (b) Land values and rents rise after renewal so original households cannot afford new rents; landlords redevelop older blocks and weak tenancy protection forces short-notice moves; compensation based on old building values is not enough to rehouse in the same district, pushing residents to the urban fringe. (c) Adopt mixed development that reserves a fishing working area and social housing, using plot ratio bonuses to oblige developers to provide rehousing units, and phase relocation so residents are rehoused before demolition. 3 to 5 marks per part.

“The impact of transnational corporations building factories in developing countries is mainly negative.” Discuss this statement, supporting your answer with examples you have studied.

Answer: Argue both sides with examples. Negative: factories can discharge effluent and cause industrial accidents, and where local rules are lax firms adopt lower treatment standards, creating pollution havens; some operations involve long hours, low pay and weak union and safety protection; profits are repatriated so the host country captures only low-value assembly. Positive: factories create employment and local supply chains, transfer technology and skills, and pay wages above traditional farming; tax revenue and export earnings let governments invest in education and infrastructure, and corporate environmental and social audits can raise local standards. Conclude that the outcome depends on enforcement of regulations, union strength and supply chain auditing, so the statement is too sweeping. 8 marks for argument, 4 for examples and organisation.