IGCSE-10-Syllabus-Geography

                        IGCSE 10 SYLLABUS Geography

The syllabus is divided into three themes which have been designed to develop an understanding of both the natural and the human environment:

1 .Population and settlement

2 .The natural environment

3. Economic development.

1.1 Population dynamics

 Candidates should be able to:

 Describe and give reasons for the rapid increase in the world’s population Show an understanding of over-population and under-population Understand the main causes of a change in population size Give reasons for contrasting rates of natural population change Describe and evaluate population policies Further guidance

 Causes and consequences of over-population and under-population How birth rate, death rate and migration contribute to the population of a country increasing or declining Impacts of social, economic and other factors (including government policies, HIV/AIDS) on birth and death rates

Case Studies required for 1.1

• A country which is over-populated

• A country which is under-populated

 • A country with a high rate of natural population growth

• A country with a low rate of population growth (or population decline)

 1.2 Migration

Candidates should be able to:

Explain and give reasons for population migration Demonstrate an understanding of the impacts of migration

Further guidance

Internal movements such as rural-urban migration, as well as international migrations, both voluntary and involuntary Positive and negative impacts should be considered, on the destination and origin of the migrants, and the migrants themselves Case Study required for

1.2 • An international migration

 1.3 Population structure

 Candidates should be able to:

 Identify and give reasons for and implications of different types of population structure

Further guidance

 Age/sex pyramids of countries at different levels of economic development

Case Study required for 1.3

• A country with a high dependent population

.1.4 Population density and distribution

Candidates should be able to:

Describe the factors influencing the density and distribution of population Further guidance Physical, economic, social and political factors

Case Studies required for 1.4

• A densely populated country or area (at any scale from local to regional)

 • A sparsely populated country or area (at any scale from local to regional)

 1.5 Settlements and service provision

Candidates should be able to:

Explain the patterns of settlement Describe and explain the factors which may influence the sites, growth and functions of settlements Give reasons for the hierarchy of settlements and services

 Further guidance

Dispersed, linear, and nucleated settlement patterns Influence of physical factors (including relief, soil, water supply) and other factors (including accessibility, resources) High-, middle- and low-order settlements and services. Sphere of influence and threshold population

 Case Study required for 1.5 •

 Settlement and service provision in an area

1.6 Urban settlements

Candidates should be able to:

 Describe and give reasons for the characteristics of, and changes in, land use in urban areas Explain the problems of urban areas, their causes and possible solutions

 Further guidance

 Land use zones including the Central Business District (CBD), residential areas, industrial areas and the rural-urban fringe of urban areas in countries at different levels of economic development The effect of change in land use and rapid urban growth in an urban area including the effects of urban sprawl Different types of pollution (air, noise, water, visual), inequality, housing issues, traffic congestion and conflicts over land use change Case Study required for 1.6

• An urban area or areas

 1.7 Urbanisation

Candidates should be able to:

 Identify and suggest reasons for rapid urban growth Describe the impacts of urban growth on both rural and urban areas, along with possible solutions to reduce the negative impacts

Further guidance

Reference should be made to physical, economic and social factors which result in rural depopulation and the movement of people to major cities The effects of urbanisation on the people and natural environment. The characteristics of squatter settlements Strategies to reduce the negative impacts of urbanization

 Case Study required for 1.7

1.7 Urbanisation

Candidates should be able to:

 Identify and suggest reasons for rapid urban growth Describe the impacts of urban growth on both rural and urban areas, along with possible solutions to reduce the negative impacts

Further guidance

Reference should be made to physical, economic and social factors which result in rural depopulation and the movement of people to major cities The effects of urbanisation on the people and natural environment. The characteristics of squatter settlements Strategies to reduce the negative impacts of urbanization

 Case Study required for 1.7

• A rapidly growing urban area in a developing country and migration to it

Theme 2: The natural environment

Please see guidance on case studies for the options when planning case studies and note whether the word ‘including’ is used in the further guidance column. 2.1 Earthquakes and volcanoes

Candidates should be able to:

 Describe the main types and features of volcanoes and earthquakes Describe and explain the distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes Describe the causes of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and their effects on people and the environment Demonstrate an understanding that volcanoes present hazards and offer opportunities for people Explain what can be done to reduce the impacts of earthquakes and volcanoes

 Further guidance

 Types of volcanoes (including strato-volcanoes [composite cone] and shield volcano) Features of volcanoes (including crater, vent, magma chamber) Features of earthquakes (including epicentre, focus, intensity) The global pattern of plates, their structure, and an awareness of plate movements and their effects – constructive/divergent, destructive/convergent and conservative plate boundaries

 Case Studies required for 2.1

• An earthquake

• A volcano

2.2 Rivers

Candidates should be able to:

 Explain the main hydrological characteristics and processes which operate within rivers and drainage basins Demonstrate an understanding of the work of a river in eroding, transporting and depositing Describe and explain the formation of the landforms associated with these processes Demonstrate an understanding that rivers present hazards and offer opportunities for people Explain what can be done to manage the impacts of river flooding

Further guidance

 Characteristics of rivers (including width, depth, speed of flow) and drainage basins (including watershed, tributary, confluence) Processes which operate in a drainage basin (including interception, infiltration, throughflow, groundwater flow, evaporation, overland flow) Forms of river valleys – long profile and shape in cross section, waterfalls, potholes, meanders, oxbow lakes, deltas, levées and flood plains Causes of hazards including flooding and river erosion Opportunities of living on a flood plain, a delta or near a river

Case Study required for 2.2

• The opportunities presented by a river or rivers, the associated hazards and their management

2.3 Coasts

Candidates should be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of the work of the sea and wind in eroding, transporting and depositing Describe and explain the formation of the landforms associated with these processes Describe coral reefs and mangrove swamps and the conditions required for their development Demonstrate an understanding that coasts present hazards and offer opportunities for people Explain what can be done to manage the impacts of coastal erosion

 Further guidance

 Cliffs, wave-cut platforms, caves, arches, stacks, bay and headland coastlines, beaches, spits, and coastal sand dunes Hazards including coastal erosion and tropical storms

Case Study required for 2.3

• The opportunities presented by an area or areas of coastline, the associated hazards and their management

Candidates should be able to:

 Describe how weather data is collected Make calculations using information from weather instruments Use and interpret graphs and other diagrams showing weather and climate data

 Further guidance

 Describe and explain the characteristics, siting and use made of a Stevenson screen Rain gauge, maximum-minimum thermometer, wet-and-dry bulb thermometer (hygrometer), sunshine recorder, barometer, anemometer and wind vane, along with simple digital instruments which can be used for weather observations; observations of types and amounts of cloud

 2.5 Climate and natural vegetation

Candidates should be able to:

 Describe and explain the characteristics of two climates:

• equatorial

 • hot desert Describe and explain the characteristics of tropical rainforest and hot desert ecosystems Describe the causes and effects of deforestation of tropical rainforest

Further guidance

 Climate characteristics (including temperature [mean temperature of the hottest month, mean temperature of the coolest month, annual range]; and precipitation [the amount and seasonal distribution]) Factors influencing the characteristics of these climates (including latitude, pressure systems, winds, distance from the sea, altitude and ocean currents) Climatic graphs showing the main characteristics of temperature and rainfall of the two climates The relationship in each ecosystem of natural vegetation, soil, wildlife and climate Effects on the natural environment (both locally and globally) along with effects on people Case Studies required for

2.5 • An area of tropical rainforest

• An area of hot desert

Theme 3: Economic development

 Please see guidance on case studies for the options when planning case studies and note whether the word ‘including’ is used in the further guidance column.

 3.1 Development

Candidates should be able to:

Use a variety of indicators to assess the level of development of a country Identify and explain inequalities between and within countries Classify production into different sectors and give illustrations of each Describe and explain how the proportions employed in each sector vary according to the level of development Describe and explain the process of globalisation, and consider its impacts

Further guidance

Indicators of development (including GNP per capita, literacy, life expectancy and composite indices, e.g. Human Development Index (HDI) Primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary sectors Use of indicators of development and employment structure to compare countries at different levels of economic development and over time The role of technology and transnational corporations in globalisation along with economic factors which give rise to globalisation Impacts at a local, national and global scale

Case Study required for 3.1

 • A transnational corporation and its global links

 3.2 Food production

Candidates should be able to:

Describe and explain the main features of an agricultural system: inputs, processes and outputs Recognise the causes and effects of food shortages and describe possible solutions to this problem Further guidance Farming types: commercial and subsistence; arable, pastoral and mixed; intensive and extensive The influence of natural and human inputs on agricultural land use. Inputs including natural inputs (relief, climate and soil) and human inputs (economic and social). Their combined influences on the scale of production, methods of organisation and the products of agricultural systems Natural problems which cause food shortages (including drought, floods, tropical storms, pests) along with economic and political factors (including low capital investment, poor distribution/transport difficulties, wars) The negative effects of food shortages, but also the effects of food shortages in encouraging food aid and measures to increase output Case Studies required for

3.2 • A farm or agricultural system

• A country or region suffering from food shortages

Candidates should be able to:

 Demonstrate an understanding of an industrial system: inputs, processes and outputs (products and waste) Describe and explain the factors influencing the distribution and location of factories and industrial zones

Further guidance

Industry types:

manufacturing, processing, assembly and high technology industry The influence of factors including land, labour, raw materials and fuel and power, transport, markets and political factors Their combined influences on the location, scale of production, methods of organisation and the products of the system Industrial zones and/or factories with respect to locational and siting factors

 Case Study required for 3.3 •

 An industrial zone or factory

3.4 Tourism

Candidates should be able to:

 Describe and explain the growth of tourism in relation to the main attractions of the physical and human landscape Evaluate the benefits and disadvantages of tourism to receiving areas Demonstrate an understanding that careful management of tourism is required in order for it to be sustainable

Case Study required for 3.4

• An area where tourism is important

3.5 Energy

Candidates should be able to:

Describe the importance of non-renewable fossil fuels, renewable energy supplies, nuclear power and fuelwood; globally and in different countries at different levels of development Evaluate the benefits and disadvantages of nuclear power and renewable energy sources

Further guidance

 Non-renewable fossil fuels including coal, oil and natural gas. Renewable energy supplies including geothermal, wind, HEP, wave and tidal power, solar power and biofuels

 Case Study required for 3.5

 • Energy supply in a country or area

3.6 Water

Candidates should be able to:

 Describe methods of water supply and the proportions of water used for agriculture, domestic and industrial purposes in countries at different levels of economic development Explain why there are water shortages in some areas and demonstrate that careful management is required to ensure future supplies

Further guidance

 Methods of water supply (including reservoirs/ dams, wells and bore holes, desalination) The impact of lack of access to clean water on local people and the potential for economic development

Case Study required for 3.6

 • Water supply in a country or area

3.7 Environmental risks of economic development

 Candidates should be able to:

 Describe how economic activities may pose threats to the natural environment, locally and globally Demonstrate the need for sustainable development and management Understand the importance of resource conservation

 Further guidance

 Threats to the natural environment including soil erosion, desertification, enhanced global warming and pollution (water, air, noise, visual)

Case Study required for 3.7

• An area where economic development is taking place causing the environment to be at risk.