Paper 2: UK Geographical Issues Tips

Paper 2 tests your knowledge of UK geography across three sections: The UK's Evolving Physical Landscape, The UK's Evolving Human Landscape, and Geographical Investigations (Fieldwork). Like Paper 1, it is worth 37.5% of your grade (94 marks in 1 hour 30 minutes). This lesson covers the key content, case studies and exam priorities for each section.

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Section A: The UK's Evolving Physical Landscape

Core Topic: UK Physical Landscapes

Concept	What You Need to Know
UK relief and geology	Upland and lowland areas; influence of geology on landscape; igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks
Weathering	Physical (freeze-thaw), chemical (carbonation), biological; how they break down rock
Erosion	Hydraulic action, abrasion, attrition, solution; applying to rivers and coasts
Mass movement	Slides, slumps, rockfalls; causes (saturation, undercutting, gravity)

Option Topics (You Study TWO)

You will have studied two from these three options:

Option	Key Content
Coastal Landscapes	Wave types; erosion processes; landforms (cliffs, wave-cut platforms, caves, arches, stacks, spits, bars); longshore drift; coastal management (hard and soft engineering); case study of a managed coastline
River Landscapes	Long profile; cross profile; erosion, transport and deposition; landforms (V-shaped valleys, waterfalls, meanders, oxbow lakes, floodplains, levees, estuaries); the Bradshaw model; flood management; case study of a river
Glaciated Landscapes	Ice formation and movement; erosion (plucking, abrasion); landforms (corries, arêtes, pyramidal peaks, U-shaped valleys, ribbon lakes, moraines, drumlins); land use in glaciated areas

Coastal Landscapes: Key Revision

Landform	Process	Key Diagram to Know
Wave-cut platform	Hydraulic action + abrasion undercut cliff → notch → collapse → platform exposed	Cross-section showing cliff retreat
Cave → arch → stack	Erosion exploits a weakness (fault/joint) → widens → roof collapses	Sequence diagram
Spit	Longshore drift deposits material across a river mouth	Plan view map showing spit formation
Bar	Spit extends to close off a bay	Plan view map

River Landscapes: Key Revision

Landform	Course	Process
V-shaped valley	Upper	Vertical erosion + weathering of valley sides
Waterfall + plunge pool	Upper	Erosion of soft rock below hard cap rock → undercutting → collapse → retreat
Meander	Middle–Lower	Erosion on outer bend (fast flow) + deposition on inner bend (slow flow)
Oxbow lake	Lower	Neck of meander eroded through → river takes shortcut → meander cut off
Floodplain + levees	Lower	Deposition during floods builds up flat land + raised banks

Exam Tip: For physical landscape questions, draw labelled diagrams where possible. Even if the question does not ask for a diagram, a well-drawn sketch of a waterfall or meander with labels can earn additional credit and shows the examiner you understand the process.

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Section B: The UK's Evolving Human Landscape

Core Topic: UK Human Landscapes

Concept	What You Need to Know
Population distribution	Where people live in the UK and why; density and sparsity; urban–rural contrast
Economic change	Shift from primary/secondary to tertiary/quaternary; deindustrialisation; growth of service sector
Social change	Ageing population; migration (immigration and emigration); multiculturalism; north-south divide
UK in a global context	Trade links; EU (and post-Brexit changes); TNC headquarters; global cities (London)

Option Topics (You Study ONE)

Option	Key Content
Dynamic UK Cities	How cities have grown and changed; urban challenges (housing, transport, deprivation); regeneration; sustainability; case study of a major UK city
Rural UK	Population change in rural areas; agricultural change; diversification; conflicts in rural areas; management of the countryside; case study of a rural area

Dynamic UK Cities: Key Revision

Theme	What to Revise
Causes of urban change	Migration, natural increase, suburbanisation, counter-urbanisation, re-urbanisation
Urban challenges	Housing shortage, traffic congestion, deprivation, urban sprawl, environmental issues
Regeneration	Case study with specific projects, costs, outcomes, stakeholders
Sustainable urban living	Green transport, energy efficiency, waste reduction, green spaces

Case Study Checklist — UK City

Factor	Details to Know
Location	Region, population, key features
Historical development	How the city grew; industrial heritage
Current challenges	Deprivation, housing, transport, employment
Regeneration projects	Named projects with costs, dates, outcomes
Stakeholder views	Who benefits? Who loses? Conflicts?
Sustainability measures	Green initiatives, transport improvements

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Section C: Geographical Investigations (Fieldwork)

This section asks about your own fieldwork experience. You must be prepared to write about both your physical and human investigations.

What You Must Be Able to Write About

flowchart TD
    A["FIELDWORK<br/>Revision Checklist"] --> B["Physical Investigation<br/>(River or Coast)"]
    A --> C["Human Investigation<br/>(Urban or Rural)"]
    B --> D["Enquiry question<br/>Hypothesis<br/>Location"]
    B --> E["Methods + equipment<br/>Sampling strategy"]
    B --> F["Data presentation<br/>Analysis techniques"]
    B --> G["Conclusions<br/>Evaluation<br/>Improvements"]
    C --> D
    C --> E
    C --> F
    C --> G

For Each Investigation, Know:

Element	Details
Enquiry question	Your specific, focused question
Hypothesis	Your testable prediction with geographical theory link
Location	Name of river/beach/town; why this location was chosen
Sampling method	Random, systematic or stratified; justification
Data collection	Equipment used; step-by-step method; how many measurements
Data presentation	Graph types used; why each was chosen
Analysis	Patterns identified; Spearman's rank result if applicable
Conclusions	What you found; links to theory; confidence in findings
Evaluation	Strengths, weaknesses, improvements, further research
Risk assessment	Hazards identified; control measures

Exam Tip: The fieldwork section is where specific detail scores highest. Instead of writing "we measured river width," write "we measured river width at 10 sites, spaced every 500m along a 5km stretch of the River Exe, using a tape measure stretched between two ranging poles at right angles to the flow." This level of detail demonstrates genuine fieldwork experience.

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Revision Priorities for Paper 2

High-Priority Topics

Section	Must-Know Topics
Physical	Erosion processes; specific landform formation; coastal/river management case study
Human	UK economic change; regeneration case study; urban challenges
Fieldwork	Your own enquiry question, methods, results and evaluation — in detail

How to Prepare for Fieldwork Questions

1. Write out your enquiry question and hypothesis from memory
2. List every piece of equipment you used
3. Describe your sampling method and justify it
4. Draw the key graphs you produced and describe the patterns
5. State your Spearman's rank result (if applicable) and what it means
6. Write out 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses of your methods
7. Prepare 3 specific improvements with justifications

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Paper 2 Timing Strategy

Section	Topic	Marks	Recommended Time
A	UK Physical Landscape	~30	27 minutes
B	UK Human Landscape	~30	27 minutes
C	Fieldwork	~30	27 minutes
—	Review	—	9 minutes
Total		~94	90 minutes

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Common Mistakes on Paper 2