A Level H2 Geography Practice Paper 5

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TuitionGoWhere Practice Paper - Geography H2 A-Level

TuitionGoWhere Practice Paper (AI) — Version 5

Subject: Geography H2
Level: A-Level (Pre-University)
Paper: Practice Paper (Resources Sustainability Focus)
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Marks: 60
Name: ________________________
Class: ________________________
Date: ________________________

Instructions:

• This practice paper contains 20 questions across three sections.
• Answer all questions.
• Use the provided resources, tables, and extracts to support your answers.
• Marks for each question are shown in brackets [ ].
• Section totals and question marks add up to 60.

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Section A: Resource Concepts and Classification (Questions 1–7) — Total 18 marks

1. Define the term ecosystem services and name the four categories as used in the 2026 H2 Geography syllabus. [4]

2. Distinguish between proven reserves and speculative reserves of a non-renewable resource. [2]

3. Using the table below, calculate the reserve-to-production (R/P) ratio for Country X's bauxite in years, and state what this indicates about future supply security.

Country X Bauxite	Quantity
Proven reserves	1,200 million tonnes
Annual production	40 million tonnes

[3]

4. Explain ONE limitation of Malthus' view on environmental limits to population growth. [2]

5. Explain ONE way in which Boserup's view differs from Malthus' regarding technology and resource supply. [2]

6. The bar chart in the resource shows renewable freshwater withdrawal as a percentage of total internal resources for five countries.

Image pending generation: chart for 6.

Describe the variation in renewable freshwater withdrawal intensity among the five countries shown. [3]

7. State ONE environmental trade-off of large-scale hydropower development in tropical river basins. [2]

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Section B: Source-Based Analysis on Sustainability Indicators (Questions 8–14) — Total 24 marks

The table below shows the 2025 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) progress scores (0–100, higher = better) for four Southeast Asian cities across three dimensions.

City	Economic (E)	Environmental (Env)	Social (S)	Overall
City P	74	58	81	71
City Q	69	83	64	72
City R	52	47	70	56
City S	88	61	77	75

8. Compare the overall SDG progress scores for the four Southeast Asian cities shown in the table. [5]

9. With reference to the table, identify the city with the largest gap between its highest and lowest dimension scores, and calculate that gap. [3]

10. Explain how quantitative targets and indicators such as those in the table help measure progress towards sustainable development. [4]

11. The line graph shows per capita municipal solid waste generation (kg/day) from 2010 to 2025 for City R.

Image pending generation: graph for 11.

Describe the trend in per capita municipal solid waste generation in City R between 2010 and 2025. [2]

12. Suggest TWO reasons for the trend identified in Question 11. [4]

13. Using the map below, identify the transboundary river basin shared by City Q and a neighbouring country, and state one potential conflict over water resources.

Image pending generation: map for 13.

[3]

14. Evaluate the usefulness of SDG quantitative indicators for assessing trade-offs between economic growth and environmental protection. [3]

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Section C: Structured Response and Synthesis (Questions 15–20) — Total 18 marks

15. Explain the processes by which chemical weathering contributes to the formation of karst landscapes in limestone regions. [7]

16. A solar farm proposal in a rural district estimates the following:

• Land area required: 500 ha
• Households powered: 60,000
• Construction cost: $120 million
• Annual CO₂ reduction: 45,000 tonnes

Calculate the CO₂ reduction per $1 million invested, and explain one social limitation of this renewable energy project. [5]

17. Using Resources below, assess the impacts of groundwater depletion on smallholder farmers in arid tropics, and suggest one sustainable management strategy.

Image pending generation: table for 17.

[4]

18. State TWO characteristics of extractive industries that make them capital- and technology-intensive. [2]

19. "The circular economy is essential for resource sustainability in rapidly industrialising countries." To what extent do you agree with this statement? Provide two supporting points and one counter-point. [4]

20. Using the extract below, explain how ecosystem provisioning services have varied over time due to demand and technology.

In the 19th century, guano (bird droppings) from Pacific islands was a key provisioning service as a natural fertiliser. Today, synthetic nitrogen fertilisers produced via the Haber-Bosch process have largely replaced guano, shifting the provisioning service base from ecological to industrial.

[2]

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TuitionGoWhere Practice Paper — Geography H2 A-Level (Version 5) Answer Key

Total Marks: 60 — Section A 18, Section B 24, Section C 18.

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Section A Answers (18 marks)

Q1 [4 marks]

• Ecosystem services = benefits that humans obtain from ecosystems (1 mark).
• Four categories (1 mark each): provisioning (food, water, timber), regulating (climate, flood control), cultural (recreation, spiritual), supporting (nutrient cycling, soil formation).
• Teaching note: From syllabus 1.1; students must name all four, not just define. Common mistake: listing examples but not category names.

Q2 [2 marks]

• Proven reserves: resources confirmed by exploration and economically extractable with current tech (1 mark).
• Speculative reserves: hypothesised resources in unexplored areas, uncertain existence and extractability (1 mark).
• Marking: 1 each for contrast in certainty and accessibility.

Q3 [3 marks]

• R/P = 1,200 / 40 = 30 years (2 marks for calculation, 1 mark for indication).
• Indicates: at current rate, supply lasts 30 years; moderate security but finite (1 mark).
• Working: $R/P = \frac{1200}{40} = 30$. Unit: years.

Q4 [2 marks]

• Limitation: Malthus ignored technological innovation that can raise resource limits (e.g., Boserup effect) (2 marks). Or: uneven access means scarcity is distributional not absolute.
• Accept any one clear limitation with explanation.

Q5 [2 marks]

• Boserup: population pressure stimulates technological change that expands resource base (1 mark); differs from Malthus who saw fixed limits (1 mark).

Q6 [3 marks]

• Variation: Country A lowest (8%), E highest (93%) (1); upward gradient A<B<C<D<E (1); E near full withdrawal signals stress (1).
• Must reference chart values from placeholder.

Q7 [2 marks]

• Trade-off: floodplain habitat loss / methane from reservoirs / displaced communities (1 mark + 1 for environmental/social link).

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Section B Answers (24 marks)

Q8 [5 marks]

• City S highest overall (75), City R lowest (56) (1).
• Q (72) and P (71) similar mid-high (1).
• P strong social (81) weak env (58); Q strong env (83) weak social (64) (1).
• R lags all dimensions (1).
• Pattern: no city leads all; trade-offs visible (1).
• Marking: comparative language required, not raw list.

Q9 [3 marks]

• City P: 81−58 = 23 (1 identify, 2 calc). Or Q: 83−64=19. Largest = P gap 23.
• Mark: 1 id, 2 arithmetic.

Q10 [4 marks]

• Targets quantify aims (1); indicators track change over time (1); allow comparison across space (1); reveal trade-offs (1).
• Teaching: links to SDG syllabus point on measurement challenges.

Q11 [2 marks]

• Steady rise from 0.8 to 1.9 kg/day (1); ~138% increase (1).

Q12 [4 marks]

• Reasons: urban consumption growth (2); inadequate recycling (2). Or: income rise, packaging use.
• 2 marks each, explained.

Q13 [3 marks]

• Mekong shared with State Y (1); conflict: upstream withdrawal reduces downstream flow (2).

Q14 [3 marks]

• Useful: reveals trade-offs numerically (1); but narrow indicators miss qualitative loss (1); needs context (1).
• Descriptor: balanced judgement.

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Section C Answers (18 marks)

Q15 [7 marks]

• Limestone soluble CaCO₃ (1)
• Rain + CO₂ → H₂CO₃ (1)
• Dissolves rock along joints (1)
• Infiltration/percolation (1)
• Cavity enlargement (1)
• Sinkholes from collapse (1)
• Long-term, climate-dependent (1)

Q16 [5 marks]

• CO₂ per $1m = 45,000 / 120 = 375 tonnes (3 marks: 2 calc, 1 unit).
• Social limit: land contest with farmers / visual impact (2 marks).

Q17 [4 marks]

• Depth 12→41m, yield 1.2→0.4 t/ha: depletion cuts yield (2).
• Strategy: rainwater harvesting / regulated pumping (2).

Q18 [2 marks]

• High capital cost (1); advanced tech for extraction (1).

Q19 [4 marks]

• Agree: reduces waste, resource efficiency (2).
• Counter: infra cost, behaviour change hard (2).

Q20 [2 marks]

• Guano as ecological provisioning (1); Haber-Bosch shifted to industrial base via tech/demand (1).