Using the Resource Booklet

This lesson provides a detailed guide to working effectively with the Resource Booklet in Paper 3 of the Edexcel A-Level Geography exam (9GE0). The Resource Booklet is the distinctive feature of Paper 3 — it provides a collection of sources that students must analyse, interpret and integrate into their answers. How well you use the Resource Booklet directly determines how well you perform in Paper 3.

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What Is the Resource Booklet?

The Resource Booklet is a separate document that accompanies Paper 3. It contains a range of geographical resources focused on a specific theme, issue or place. The resources are designed to be analysed using knowledge from across the entire specification.

Typical Resource Types

Resource Type	What It Might Show	How to Use It
OS map extracts	Topography, settlement patterns, land use, transport networks	Analyse spatial patterns; identify physical and human features; discuss relationships between environment and land use
Choropleth/thematic maps	Spatial distribution of a variable (e.g. deprivation, rainfall, population density)	Identify patterns, hotspots, anomalies; compare areas; explain spatial variation
Photographs (aerial and ground-level)	Landscapes, urban environments, environmental change, land use	Describe features; identify processes; provide evidence for arguments
Line graphs/bar charts	Trends over time, comparisons between categories	Describe trends; identify turning points; calculate rates of change; suggest causes
Scatter plots	Relationships between two variables	Identify correlation; discuss causation vs correlation; note outliers
Data tables	Quantitative information (statistics, rankings, indices)	Extract key figures; make comparisons; identify patterns; use data as evidence
Text extracts	Stakeholder viewpoints, news reports, policy documents, academic summaries	Identify perspectives; assess bias; extract evidence; contrast viewpoints
Diagrams/infographics	Processes, flows, systems, cause-and-effect relationships	Understand systems; identify inputs, outputs, stores and flows; explain processes
Pie charts/proportional symbols	Composition, relative size	Describe composition; compare; calculate proportions

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How to Read and Annotate the Resource Booklet

Step 1: First Read — Get the Big Picture (5-8 minutes)

On your first reading, do NOT try to absorb every detail. Instead, aim to understand:

• What is the overall theme or issue? (e.g. flood management, energy development, urbanisation, coastal change)
• What place(s) does it focus on? (specific locations, countries, regions)
• What time period does it cover? (historical, contemporary, future projections)
• What types of resources are included? (maps, data, photographs, text)
• What specification topics are relevant? (identify which Paper 1 and Paper 2 topics connect to the theme)

Step 2: Detailed Analysis — Extract Key Information (10-15 minutes spread across the exam)

For each resource, systematically extract:

Element	Questions to Ask
Key data points	What are the highest/lowest values? What are the totals? What are the rates of change?
Trends	Is there an increase, decrease, fluctuation or stability? When did the trend change?
Patterns	Are there spatial patterns? Are certain areas/groups more affected than others?
Anomalies	Are there outliers or exceptions to the general pattern? Why might these exist?
Relationships	Do two variables appear to be correlated? Is this a causal relationship or coincidental?
Perspectives	In text extracts, whose perspective is being presented? What bias might exist?
Scale	At what scale is the data presented? What might be hidden by aggregation?
Gaps	What information is NOT provided? What additional data would you need?

Step 3: Annotation Strategy

Develop a consistent annotation system for the Resource Booklet:

• Circle key data points you will quote in your answers.
• Underline key phrases in text extracts.
• Draw arrows between resources that are connected.
• Write brief notes in the margins linking resources to specification topics.
• Star the most important or surprising findings.
• Mark stakeholder perspectives with labels (G = government, B = business, C = community, N = NGO).

Exam Tip: Treat the Resource Booklet as a data mine. Every answer in Paper 3 should reference at least one resource — and the extended responses should reference multiple resources. The examiner is looking for evidence that you have engaged with the resources, not just written a generic essay. Answers that ignore the Resource Booklet will be capped at lower mark bands regardless of how good the geography is.

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Extracting Key Data: Techniques

Reading Graphs Accurately

When extracting data from graphs, be precise:

• Use the axis scales — check the units and intervals.
• Read values carefully — use a ruler or the edge of your paper to read horizontally from the y-axis.
• Note the scale — is the y-axis starting at zero? A truncated axis can exaggerate apparent changes.
• Identify the time period — when does the data start and end?

Reading Maps Effectively

When interpreting maps:

• Check the key/legend — what do the colours, symbols or patterns represent?
• Identify the scale — is this a local, regional, national or global map?
• Look for spatial patterns — clustering, dispersal, linear patterns, core-periphery.
• Compare with other resources — does the map pattern correlate with data in a table or graph?
• Consider what is NOT shown — what might the map be hiding by its choice of boundaries or categories?

Analysing Photographs

Photographs can be rich sources of geographical evidence:

Feature to Look For	What It Tells You
Landscape features	Physical geography — relief, drainage, vegetation, geology
Human modifications	Land use, building types, infrastructure, agriculture
Evidence of change	Construction, demolition, erosion, deposition, weathering
Scale indicators	People, vehicles, buildings — help estimate size
Environmental conditions	Weather, season, time of day
Social/economic indicators	Housing quality, commercial activity, infrastructure quality

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Cross-Referencing Sources