S1 Geography Practice Paper | Map Reading And Scale, Contours, Weather And Climate, Farming, Population, Hong Kong And The Pearl River Delta (with Answers)

S1 Geography Practice Paper | Map Reading and Scale, Contours, Weather and Climate, Farming, Population, Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta (with answers)

2026-11-15

Geography · S1

S1 Geography practice paper: 6 questions, 24 parts, 100 marks, 60 minutes, covering map scales, contours, weather, farming, population and Hong Kong, with answers.

Paper details　S1 Geography Practice Paper | Map Reading and Scale, Contours, Weather and Climate, Farming, Population, Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta (with answers)

Map Reading and Scale

The following parts refer to a map with a scale of 1:20000.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
1	The straight-line distance between points A and B on the map is 4 cm. The scale is 1:20000. Find the actual distance in metres.	Answer: 800 m. (4 cm × 20000 = 80000 cm; 80000 cm = 800 m)
2	Two places are 2.5 km apart in reality. How far apart are they on the same map, in cm?	Answer: 12.5 cm. (2.5 km = 250000 cm; 250000 ÷ 20000 = 12.5 cm)
3	A school is at grid reference (3, 7). Moving two squares north, state the new grid reference and describe the change in the second number.	Answer: the new grid reference is (3, 9). North is towards the top of the map, so the second number rises from 7 to 9 while the first number stays the same.
4	Give two advantages of using a map during a field study.	Answer: first, it shows your position and the route to the site; second, it shows the relief, roads and land use in advance, which helps in planning the route and the time needed.

Contours and Relief

The following parts refer to a relief map with a contour interval of 20 m.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
5	A point lies between the 100 m and 120 m contour lines. State the possible range of its height.	Answer: the height is between 100 m and 120 m, that is above 100 m and below 120 m.
6	A hill top is 340 m high and the foot of the hill is 100 m high. Find the relative height.	Answer: 240 m. (340 − 100 = 240 m)
7	A slope has a horizontal distance of 800 m and a vertical rise of 240 m. Find the average gradient as a percentage.	Answer: 30%. (240 ÷ 800 × 100% = 30%)
8	Moving on a steep slope can be dangerous. State two safety precautions.	Answer: first, do not run or jump on a steep slope, since a slip is easy; second, after rain the soil is loose and landslides are possible, so steep slopes should be avoided.

Weather and Climate

The table shows the mean monthly temperature of a place in °C: 15.5, 16.0, 18.5, 22.0, 25.5, 27.5, 28.5, 28.0, 27.0, 24.5, 20.5 and 17.0.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
9	Find the annual range of temperature of the place.	Answer: 13.0 °C. (highest monthly mean 28.5 °C minus lowest monthly mean 15.5 °C)
10	Find the annual mean temperature, correct to one decimal place.	Answer: 22.5 °C. (the twelve monthly means add up to 270.5 °C; 270.5 ÷ 12 = 22.5 °C)
11	The annual rainfall of the place is 2400 mm and 480 mm fell in June. Find June rainfall as a percentage of the annual total.	Answer: 20%. (480 ÷ 2400 × 100% = 20%)
12	State two kinds of information that can be read directly from a climate graph.	Answer: first, the mean temperature of each month and how it changes through the year; second, the rainfall of each month and the annual total.

Land Use and Farming

The following parts are about farming systems and land use.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
13	State two inputs and two outputs of a farming system.	Answer: inputs such as sunlight, rainfall, seeds, fertiliser and labour; outputs such as crops, livestock and farm income.
14	A farm has 12 hectares of farmland and each hectare yields 4.5 tonnes of rice on average. Find the total rice output.	Answer: 54 tonnes. (12 × 4.5 = 54 tonnes)
15	Explain the main difference between intensive and extensive farming.	Answer: intensive farming puts much labour, capital and technology into a small area and gives a high yield per unit area; extensive farming uses fewer inputs, relies more on natural conditions and gives a lower yield per unit area.
16	State two features of urban land use in Hong Kong.	Answer: first, commercial areas cluster in accessible central districts with high-density buildings; second, residential, commercial and industrial land often lie close together and land-use zoning is clear.

Population Distribution

The following parts are about population data.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
17	A district has a population of 450000 and an area of 15 km². Find its population density.	Answer: 30000 people per km². (450000 ÷ 15 = 30000)
18	In a place the birth rate is 12 per thousand and the death rate is 5 per thousand. Find the natural increase rate as a percentage.	Answer: 0.7%. (12 − 5 = 7 per thousand; 7 ÷ 1000 × 100% = 0.7%)
19	The population pyramid of a place is wide at the base and narrow at the top. State two features of its population.	Answer: the birth rate is high, so children and teenagers form a large share; the elderly form a small share and the mean age is low.
20	State one effect of an ageing population on society.	Answer: the share of working-age people falls while spending on health care and welfare rises, which puts more strain on public finances.

Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta

The following parts are about the region of Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
21	State one advantage and one limitation of the location of Hong Kong.	Answer: an advantage is its position on the east side of the Pearl River estuary with a natural deep-water harbour for ocean-going ships; a limitation is its small land area and hilly relief, so flat land for development is scarce.
22	Explain two reasons why Hong Kong manufacturing moved to the Pearl River Delta from the 1980s.	Answer: first, wages and land costs in the delta were lower; second, labour there was plentiful and better transport let goods be shipped out through Hong Kong.
23	State two effects of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge on regional transport.	Answer: first, it shortens the road journey between Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao; second, it increases the flow of people and goods and strengthens regional economic links.
24	State two ways of practising sustainable development in urban growth.	Answer: first, protect country parks and natural coastlines so that areas of high ecological value are kept; second, promote public transport and renewable energy to cut pollutant emissions.

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