DSE Geography | Industrial Location and Manufacturing Change — Teacher Prep Guide | Material index, transport cost and three-step siting

2026-11-04

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Secondary Geography

Students can recite raw-material oriented and market oriented, then freeze when handed numbers. This lesson turns why the factory sits there into arithmetic.

Objectives — Students will be able to: (1) use the material index to classify an industry as material or market oriented; (2) compare two sites with a transport cost table and justify the choice; (3) use labour and land costs to explain relocation out of the core.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Percentages	The gap between 30 per cent and 12 per cent	18 percentage points
Transport basics	How freight relates to distance and weight	Heavier and farther costs more
Industry types	One example each of light and heavy industry	Garments and steel

02 Lesson flow (60 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-8 min	Siting opener	Two sites, one factory: where does it go	Vote and justify
8-20 min	Material index	4 tonnes of ore to 1 tonne of metal gives 4	Compute the index
20-32 min	Transport cost	At the mine 165, at the market 600	Cost both sites
32-44 min	Other factors	Labour, land, policy, agglomeration	Rank by importance
44-56 min	Relocation	Labour at 30 per cent against 12 per cent	List three pushes
56-60 min	Exit check	Collect and mark three questions	Work alone

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: The material index decides the direction

Material index equals raw material weight divided by product weight. 4 tonnes of ore to 1 tonne of metal gives 4: above one means the process loses weight, so the plant belongs near the ore or the waste rock travels.
Below one, as with 0.33 for bottling or assembly, the product is heavier than its inputs, so the plant belongs near the market. Compute the index before naming the orientation.

Ask students: name three industries with an index above one and give a reason for each.

Scene 2: Cost both legs, not just the input

At the mine: ore travels 10 km and product travels 290 km, 4 times 10 times 0.5 plus 1 times 290 times 0.5 equals 165. At the market: ore travels the full 300 km, 4 times 300 times 0.5 equals 600.
Over the same distance, moving four tonnes of ore always costs more than moving one tonne of product. That is the arithmetic behind material orientation.

Ask students: place the two totals side by side and say in one sentence where the gap comes from.

Scene 3: Relocation is a cost structure, not greed

In a mature industry labour can be 30 per cent of cost, falling to 12 per cent in a lower-wage region: 18 percentage points, roughly halving that item. Land rent, environmental rules and incentives push too, which is why whole production lines move rather than single plants.
Students must give both pushes and pulls: expensive rent and wages at home, subsidies, ports and supplier clusters at the destination.

Ask students: if wages are cheap but transport and suppliers are poor, does the factory move? Why.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Material index	Input and output weights	Raw divided by product	Above one sits near the ore
Site cost comparison	Transport cost at two sites	Itemise, then total	Both workings shown
Factor ranking	Rank five location factors	Rank with evidence	One reason per factor
Change essay	Explain relocation and upgrading	Push, pull, outcome	Name time and region

Sanity check (teach this): Sanity checks: an index of 4 means four tonnes of ore per tonne of product and a material orientation; 0.33 means the product is heavier, so market orientation; 165 against 600 is a gap of 435, not a few dozen; labour falling from 30 to 12 per cent is 18 percentage points, not 18 per cent.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Three indices	Aluminium, bottling, baking	Classify each orientation
Cost table	Recompute with 300 km	Does the product leg change
Factor ranking	Steel and garments, five factors each	The two rankings differ
Relocation paragraph	120 words, three pushes and two pulls	Specific figures included

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Index upside down	Product divided by raw material	The index asks how much weight moves, so raw material goes on top.
Only the input leg	Product transport ignored	Does the product leave? How far? Cost both legs.
Points read as per cent	Labour cost fell by 18 per cent	From 30 to 12 is 18 points, or a fall of 60 per cent.
Factors without evidence	Hong Kong land is expensive	How expensive, compared with where? Give a number or a comparison.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Secondary Geography chapter index — Every chapter in the subject
All prep guides — Parallel chapters
Redo this chapter — Recost both sites and list three pushes for relocation

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
What an index of 4 means	Material oriented, plant near the ore	Market oriented means restart
Costs at mine and market	165 against 600	About the same means redo act two
Three pushes for relocation	Wages, rent, environmental or policy costs	Owner wants more profit means redo act three

09 Tutor FAQ

Must Weber theory be memorised?

The idea is enough: the lowest-cost point is the chosen site. Exams test application and comparison.

Must the material index always be computed?

Whenever numbers appear, yes: two lines of working beat a paragraph and earn method marks.

Has Hong Kong manufacturing vanished?

It relocated and upgraded: production moved north while headquarters, design and finance stayed.

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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.