中文（繁體）
中文（简体）
English
S6 Geography Paper: Industrial Location, Urbanisation, Farm Land Use, Carbon Emissions and Population Structure (100 marks)
S6 Geography Practice Paper
S6 Geography: 6 questions, 24 parts, 100 marks, 60 minutes on industrial location costs, urbanisation, carbon emissions, dependency ratios and factory relocation.
Download Question paper PDF | Answer key PDF
Paper details S6 geography practice paper with 6 questions and 24 parts on industrial location, urbanisation and population.
Section A: Industrial Location and Transport Cost (16 marks)
An electronics parts factory uses 12 tonnes of raw material each day, brought in from a supplier 60 km away at 2.5 dollars per tonne-km. It ships 3 tonnes of finished product each day to a port 200 km away at 4.0 dollars per tonne-km. The products are small, high in value and must be delivered on a tight schedule.
| # | Question | Answer and marking notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calculate the daily transport cost of the raw material. | Answer: raw material cost = 12 x 60 x 2.5 = 1,800 dollars. (Marking: 3 marks for the working, 1 mark for the value with unit.) |
| 2 | Calculate the daily transport cost of the finished product. | Answer: finished product cost = 3 x 200 x 4.0 = 2,400 dollars. (Marking: 3 marks for the working, 1 mark for the value with unit.) |
| 3 | Calculate the total daily transport cost and the percentage contributed by the raw material. | Answer: total = 1,800 + 2,400 = 4,200 dollars; raw material share = 1,800 divided by 4,200, times 100 = 42.9 per cent. (Marking: 2 marks for the total, 1 mark for the percentage method, 1 mark for the value.) |
| 4 | Explain why such a factory still locates near an airport or port rather than beside its raw material source. | Answer: the products are small and of high value, so transport is a small share of cost and the industry is footloose; siting near an airport or port shortens delivery time, supports air export and order taking, and gives access to skilled labour, so raw material freight is not the main consideration. (Marking: 1 mark for the low freight share, 1 for delivery time, 1 for labour or skills, 1 for the conclusion.) |
Section B: Urbanisation and Urban Population (16 marks)
A country had a total population of 5,400,000 in 2015, of which 3,240,000 lived in towns. By 2025 the total population had risen to 6,000,000, of which 4,320,000 lived in towns. Rural dwellers kept moving into the cities during the period.
| # | Question | Answer and marking notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Calculate the level of urbanisation in 2015. | Answer: urbanisation = 3,240,000 divided by 5,400,000, times 100 = 60.0 per cent. (Marking: 3 marks for the working, 1 mark for the value with the percentage sign.) |
| 6 | Calculate the level of urbanisation in 2025. | Answer: urbanisation = 4,320,000 divided by 6,000,000, times 100 = 72.0 per cent. (Marking: 3 marks for the working, 1 mark for the value with the percentage sign.) |
| 7 | Calculate the rise in the level of urbanisation over the ten years, in percentage points. | Answer: rise = 72.0 per cent minus 60.0 per cent = 12.0 percentage points. (Marking: 3 marks for the subtraction, 1 mark for the unit.) |
| 8 | Calculate the growth of the urban population and explain why it differs from the rise in the level of urbanisation. | Answer: urban growth = (4,320,000 – 3,240,000) divided by 3,240,000, times 100 = 33.3 per cent. The level of urbanisation is the urban share of the total population, and the total population also grew by 600,000, so the share rose only 12.0 percentage points. (Marking: 2 marks for the growth, 1 mark for identifying the total population as the denominator, 1 mark for noting total population growth.) |
Section C: Farm Land Use and Farm Income (16 marks)
A farm has 200 hectares of farmland and produces 4.5 tonnes of rice per hectare each year. Eighty-five per cent of the harvest is sold and the rest is kept as seed and for home use. Rice sells at 3,200 dollars per tonne. The farm has recently moved from extensive to intensive farming.
| # | Question | Answer and marking notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Calculate the total annual rice output of the farm. | Answer: total output = 200 x 4.5 = 900 tonnes. (Marking: 3 marks for the working, 1 mark for the value with unit.) |
| 10 | Calculate the quantity of rice sold each year. | Answer: quantity sold = 900 x 85 per cent = 765 tonnes. (Marking: 3 marks for the working, 1 mark for the value with unit.) |
| 11 | Calculate the annual income from rice sales. | Answer: income = 765 x 3,200 = 2,448,000 dollars. (Marking: 3 marks for the working, 1 mark for the value with unit.) |
| 12 | Explain how the shift from extensive to intensive farming raises output per hectare, and state one environmental cost. | Answer: intensive farming puts more labour, fertiliser, pesticide, irrigation and improved seed onto the same area and raises the cropping index, so output per hectare rises. Environmental costs include fertiliser and pesticide pollution of water, soil salinisation, over-abstraction of groundwater or loss of biodiversity (any one). (Marking: 2 marks for more inputs, 1 mark for multiple cropping or improved seed, 1 mark for the environmental cost.) |
Section D: Carbon Emissions and Tree Uptake (16 marks)
A city uses 2.5 x 10^9 kWh of electricity each year, with average emissions of 0.7 kg of carbon dioxide per kWh. The government plans to cut citywide electricity use by 12 per cent. Local woodland absorbs 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare each year.
| # | Question | Answer and marking notes |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Calculate the annual carbon dioxide emissions of the city in tonnes. | Answer: emissions = 2.5 x 10^9 x 0.7 = 1.75 x 10^9 kg = 1,750,000 tonnes. (Marking: 2 marks for the working, 1 mark for converting kg to tonnes, 1 mark for the value with unit.) |
| 14 | Calculate the emissions saved after cutting electricity use by 12 per cent. | Answer: saving = 1,750,000 x 12 per cent = 210,000 tonnes. (Marking: 3 marks for the working, 1 mark for the value with unit.) |
| 15 | How many hectares of woodland would be needed to absorb all of the saved emissions? | Answer: area needed = 210,000 divided by 12 = 17,500 hectares. (Marking: 2 marks for the working, 1 mark for dividing by the uptake per hectare, 1 mark for the value with unit.) |
| 16 | Explain why planting trees alone cannot fully offset a city carbon emissions. | Answer: urban land is limited, so tens of thousands of hectares of woodland cannot be found; trees take years to grow, uptake falls with age and fires or pests release the carbon back; city emissions continue every year, so planting can absorb only a fraction and must be combined with cutting emissions and switching to low-carbon energy. (Marking: 1 mark for land limits, 1 for time and tree age, 1 for fire or pests, 1 for continuing emissions.) |
Section E: Population Structure and Dependency Ratios (18 marks)
A city has a population of 6,000,000, of whom 780,000 are aged 0 to 14, 4,680,000 are aged 15 to 64 and 540,000 are aged 65 or above. In twenty years the working-age group is projected to fall to 4,200,000 while those aged 65 or above rise to 1,080,000.
| # | Question | Answer and marking notes |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Calculate the present total dependency ratio. | Answer: total dependency ratio = (780,000 + 540,000) divided by 4,680,000, times 100 = 28.2 per cent. (Marking: 2 marks for the numerator, 1 mark for the working, 1 mark for the value.) |
| 18 | Calculate the present old-age dependency ratio. | Answer: old-age dependency ratio = 540,000 divided by 4,680,000, times 100 = 11.5 per cent. (Marking: 3 marks for the working, 1 mark for the value.) |
| 19 | Calculate the old-age dependency ratio in twenty years and the difference from the present value in percentage points. | Answer: in twenty years = 1,080,000 divided by 4,200,000, times 100 = 25.7 per cent; difference = 25.7 per cent minus 11.5 per cent = 14.2 percentage points. (Marking: 2 marks for the new ratio, 2 marks for the subtraction, 1 mark for the unit.) |
| 20 | State two effects of a rising old-age dependency ratio on the city. | Answer: first, a smaller working population supports more retirees, so tax revenue falls relative to rising health and elderly care spending and public finances come under pressure; second, employers find it harder to recruit young staff, pushing up wages and production costs and changing savings and consumption patterns. (Marking: 2 marks for labour or fiscal pressure, 2 marks for the other effect, 1 mark for specific explanation.) |
Section F: Manufacturing Relocation and Changing Location (18 marks)
A garment factory has a total cost of 15.0 dollars per item locally, of which 8.0 dollars is wages. If production moves to the Pearl River Delta, wages fall to 2.5 dollars per item but freight back to the local port rises by 1.2 dollars per item. Annual output is 1,200,000 items.
| # | Question | Answer and marking notes |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Calculate the new total cost per item after relocation. | Answer: new cost = 15.0 – 8.0 + 2.5 + 1.2 = 10.7 dollars. (Marking: 2 marks for removing the old wage, 1 mark for adding the new wage and freight, 1 mark for the value.) |
| 22 | Calculate the percentage reduction in cost per item. | Answer: reduction = (15.0 – 10.7) divided by 15.0, times 100 = 28.7 per cent. (Marking: 3 marks for the working, 1 mark for the value with the percentage sign.) |
| 23 | Calculate the total annual cost saving after relocation. | Answer: saving per item = 15.0 – 10.7 = 4.3 dollars; annual saving = 4.3 x 1,200,000 = 5,160,000 dollars. (Marking: 2 marks for the per-item saving, 2 marks for multiplying by output, 1 mark for the value with unit.) |
| 24 | Explain why, even though wages remain lower elsewhere, some manufacturers move production back home or to nearby regions. | Answer: automation and robotics have cut the wage share of cost, weakening the cheap-labour advantage; moving back shortens lead times, allows quick response to fashion change, reduces stock and transport risk, tightens quality control and avoids tariffs, trade restrictions and exchange-rate swings. When brands demand fast replenishment and small batches, proximity to the market matters more. (Marking: 1 mark for automation, 1 for lead time or stock, 1 for quality control, 1 for tariffs or exchange rates, 1 for the conclusion.) |
Find a tutor — freeTutor Registration →
A TutorZone practice paper; original questions and passages, not publisher material.