Pearson Edexcel GCSE Geography A (1GA0) · Spec 7 and 7A
Fieldwork: investigating river landscapes
Read the notes, then try the questions. Each one is marked the moment you press Check, and shows the right answer and why.
Key ideas
- A river enquiry tests how a river changes downstream, using the Bradshaw model as the theory to compare with.
- Discharge is found from channel width, depth and velocity. It is measured in cubic metres per second (cumecs).
- Repeating a reading and taking a mean reduces the effect of a one-off odd reading. It tests how consistent the results are.
- A conclusion states the pattern and then explains it, using values from your data.
- Evaluate how well your sites and methods suited the enquiry, and what you would change.
Key terms
- Primary data
- Data you collect yourself.
- Secondary data
- Data collected by someone else.
- Reliability
- How consistent the results are when repeated.
- Cumecs
- Cubic metres per second, the unit of discharge.
- Anomaly
- A result that does not fit the general pattern.
Common mistakes
- Describing discharge as sediment sampling. It comes from width, depth and velocity.
- Writing 'we repeated readings to make them more accurate'. Say that it reduces the effect of an odd reading.
- Saying your data definitely proves the Bradshaw model. Judge how closely each variable matched, with values.
Exam tip
Paper 3 is always fieldwork in a UK context. The 8-marker is worth 4 marks for AO3 and 4 for AO4. Use your own detail: named sites, number and spacing of sites, and the equipment you used.
Free practice questions
6 questions, 10 marks. Answer, then press Check. The marking guide explains how the marks are worked out. Nothing is saved.
- Question 1 · Multiple choice[1 mark]
Which unit is used to measure river discharge?
- Question 2 · Choose more than one[2 marks]
ILLUSTRATIVE DATA (invented for teaching, not measured). A class surveyed a river at five sites downstream. Site 1: width 1.2 m, depth 0.10 m, velocity 0.30 m/s Site 2: width 2.5 m, depth 0.18 m, velocity 0.42 m/s Site 3: width 4.1 m, depth 0.25 m, velocity 0.55 m/s Site 4: width 6.0 m, depth 0.34 m, velocity 0.61 m/s Site 5: width 8.4 m, depth 0.41 m, velocity 0.72 m/s Which TWO statements are supported by the data?
Choose 2.
- Question 3 · Multiple choice[1 mark]
A group wants to find the discharge of a river at one site. Which measurements do they need?
- Question 4 · Multiple choice[1 mark]
A pupil repeats a float velocity reading three times at each site. Which statement is correct?
- Question 5 · Fill the gaps[2 marks]
The ___ is the highest value minus the lowest; the ___ is the middle value when ranked.
Word bank: mean · median · range
- Question 6 · True or false[3 marks]
Decide whether each statement about fieldwork data and sampling is true or false.
1. Census data collected by others is secondary data.
2. A tape measure used in a river is a presentation technique.
3. Stratified sampling takes sub-groups in proportion to their size.