S3 Geography Paper: Map Scale, Population Structure, Climate And Rainfall, Urban Land Use, Industrial Location And Municipal Waste (100 Marks)

S3 Geography Paper: Map Scale, Population Structure, Climate and Rainfall, Urban Land Use, Industrial Location and Municipal Waste (100 marks)

2026-11-13

S3 Geography – map skills, population and climate

S3 Geography paper: 6 questions and 24 parts on map scale, contours, gradient, population density, dependency ratio, rainfall, land use and waste. Values computed in python.

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Paper details　S3 Geography practice paper with 6 questions and 24 parts on map scale, contour lines, population structure, rainfall analysis, urban land use, industrial location and waste.

Section A: Map Reading and Scale (16 marks)

Answer the following questions and show your working.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
1	Map A has a scale of 1:20 000. Two points are 7.5 cm apart on the map. Find the actual distance in km.	Answer: 7.5 x 20 000 = 150 000 cm = 1 500 m = 1.5 km. (Marking: scale 2, unit conversion 2)
2	A real distance of 4.2 km is shown on Map B, which has a scale of 1:50 000. Find the map distance in cm.	Answer: 4.2 km = 420 000 cm, and 420 000 / 50 000 = 8.4 cm. (Marking: convert to cm 2, divide by scale 2)
3	Point A is 120 m above sea level and point B lies three contour lines above A. If the contour interval is 20 m, find the height of B.	Answer: 120 + 3 x 20 = 180 m. (Marking: height difference 60 m 2, answer 2)
4	Two points are 600 m apart horizontally with a height difference of 60 m. Find the gradient as a percentage.	Answer: 60 / 600 x 100% = 10%, a gentle slope. (Marking: formula 2, answer 2)

Section B: Population Structure and Dependency (16 marks)

A city has 2 310 000 people over 1 050 km2; annual births 28 000 and deaths 17 500; 320 000 aged 0 to 14, 400 000 aged 65 or above, and 1 590 000 aged 15 to 64.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
5	Find the population density of the city in persons per km2, to the nearest whole number.	Answer: 2 310 000 / 1 050 = 2200 persons per km2. (Marking: formula 2, answer 2)
6	Find the natural increase in population and the natural growth rate in percent, to 2 decimal places.	Answer: 28 000 – 17 500 = 10500; 10500 / 2 310 000 x 100% = 0.45%. (Marking: number 2, rate 2)
7	Find the percentage of the population aged 0 to 14, to 1 decimal place.	Answer: 320 000 / 2 310 000 x 100% = 13.9%. (Marking: correct values 2, answer 2)
8	Find the dependency ratio in percent to 1 decimal place and state one effect on government spending.	Answer: (320 000 + 400 000) / 1 590 000 x 100% = 45.3%. A high dependency ratio raises pressure on schools and elderly health care. (Marking: calculation 3, effect 1)

Section C: Climate and Rainfall Analysis (17 marks)

Monthly rainfall in mm from January is: 25, 38, 62, 140, 290, 480, 420, 380, 300, 150, 55, 30.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
9	Find the annual total rainfall of the station.	Answer: adding the twelve months gives 2370 mm. (Marking: correct sum 3, unit 1)
10	Find the mean monthly rainfall to 1 decimal place.	Answer: 2370 / 12 = 197.5 mm. (Marking: divide by 12 for 2, answer 2)
11	Find the difference between the wettest and the driest month.	Answer: 480 – 25 = 455 mm, with the wet season from May to September. (Marking: difference 3, wet season 1)
12	From the rainfall distribution, identify the climate type of the station and give one reason (5 marks).	Answer: very wet summers and a dry winter indicate a monsoon climate. June records 480 mm while January records only 25 mm, so the wet and dry seasons are distinct. (Marking: type 2, data evidence 2, explanation 1)

Section D: Urban Land Use (17 marks)

A city covers 40 km2: commercial 3.2 km2, residential 14.8 km2, industrial 4.0 km2, transport 5.0 km2, green space and others 13.0 km2. Its population is 480 000.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
13	Find the commercial land as a percentage of the whole city area.	Answer: 3.2 / 40 x 100% = 8%. (Marking: formula 2, answer 2)
14	Find the residential land as a percentage of the whole city area.	Answer: 14.8 / 40 x 100% = 37%, the largest single use. (Marking: formula 2, answer 2)
15	Find the population density on residential land in persons per km2, to the nearest whole number.	Answer: 480 000 / 14.8 = 32432 persons per km2, a high residential density. (Marking: calculation 3, comment 1)
16	Give two reasons why the central business district is usually located at the city centre (5 marks).	Answer: (1) the centre has the highest accessibility, where rail and bus routes converge, so customers and workers can reach it easily; (2) although land value is high, commercial activities can afford the rent and enjoy agglomeration economies. (Marking: 2 per reason, 1 for expression)

Section E: Industrial Location and Material Index (17 marks)

A factory uses 4.8 tonnes of raw material to make 1.2 tonnes of product. Freight costs 0.9 dollars per tonne-km, and both raw material and product travel 150 km.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
17	Find the material index of the factory to 1 decimal place.	Answer: 4.8 / 1.2 = 4.0, so the material index exceeds 1 and the industry is raw-material oriented. (Marking: calculation 2, judgement 2)
18	Find the total freight cost for the raw material.	Answer: 4.8 x 150 x 0.9 = 648 dollars. (Marking: correct product 3, answer 1)
19	Find the total freight cost for the finished product.	Answer: 1.2 x 150 x 0.9 = 162 dollars. (Marking: correct product 3, answer 1)
20	Should the factory locate near the raw material or the market? Explain with the difference in freight cost (5 marks).	Answer: near the raw material. Raw material freight is 648 dollars but product freight is only 162 dollars, a gap of 486 dollars, which is largely saved by locating at the raw material. (Marking: conclusion 1, two costs 2, difference and reasoning 2)

Section F: Municipal Waste and Sustainability (17 marks)

A city produces 11 000 tonnes of municipal solid waste a day, has 7 500 000 people and recycles 3 300 tonnes a day.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
21	Find the waste generated per person per day in kg, to 1 decimal place.	Answer: 11 000 x 1 000 / 7 500 000 = 1.5 kg. (Marking: convert tonnes 2, answer 2)
22	Find the current recycling rate in percent.	Answer: 3 300 / 11 000 x 100% = 30%. (Marking: formula 2, answer 2)
23	To raise the recycling rate to 40 percent, how many tonnes must be recycled each day, to 1 decimal place?	Answer: 11 000 x 40% = 4400.0 tonnes, which is 1 100 tonnes more than now. (Marking: calculation 3, extra amount 1)
24	Suggest two ways to reduce waste at source and explain how each works (5 marks).	Answer: (1) charge by waste volume so households bring their own bags and containers to cut disposable items; (2) producer responsibility schemes require suppliers to take back packaging, pushing simpler packaging and less waste. (Marking: 2 per method with explanation, 1 for expression)

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