Using Resources in the Exam

Every Edexcel B Geography exam paper contains a resource booklet with maps, photographs, graphs, data tables, diagrams and other materials that you must use to answer questions. Many students lose marks not because they lack geographical knowledge, but because they fail to use the resources effectively. This lesson teaches you how to extract, interpret and apply information from every type of resource you are likely to encounter.

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Why Resources Matter

Resources are not decoration — they are essential to answering the questions. Examiners include resources because they want to test whether you can:

• Extract relevant information from maps, graphs and data
• Interpret what the data means in geographical terms
• Apply the information to answer specific questions
• Evaluate the reliability and limitations of different data sources
• Cross-reference multiple resources to build a complete picture

Exam Tip: If a question says "Using Figure 3..." or "With reference to the resource booklet..." you must use the specified resource. Answers that ignore the resource will be capped, even if your geographical knowledge is excellent. Always quote specific data, values or features from the resource.

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Interpreting Photographs

Ground-Level Photographs

Use a systematic approach when interpreting ground-level photographs:

Zone	What to Look For
Foreground (closest to camera)	Surface features, vegetation, land use, people, infrastructure
Middle ground	Buildings, roads, rivers, field patterns, urban/rural character
Background	Hills, mountains, sky, distant features, horizon
Evidence of processes	Erosion, deposition, flooding, pollution, human modification
Scale indicators	People, vehicles, buildings that help judge size

How to Describe a Photograph Effectively

Weak description: "The photo shows a river and some buildings."

Strong description: "The photograph shows a wide, slow-flowing river in the middle ground, with extensive mudflats exposed on the left bank suggesting it is low tide. In the foreground, there is a concrete flood wall approximately 2 metres high protecting residential properties. The buildings in the background are modern apartment blocks of 5–6 storeys, suggesting recent urban development. There is evidence of coastal management in the form of rock armour (rip-rap) placed along the riverbank."

Aerial and Satellite Photographs

Feature	What It Suggests
Regular grid pattern of streets	Planned urban development
Irregular, densely packed buildings	Informal settlement / slum
Large rectangular buildings with car parks	Industrial or retail areas
Green areas with tree cover	Parks, gardens or natural woodland
Brown/yellow areas	Agricultural land (harvested), bare soil or desert
Blue areas	Water bodies (rivers, lakes, sea)
White areas	Snow, ice or clouds
Dark grey/black areas	Tarmac roads, industrial sites

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Reading Graphs and Charts

Bar Charts

What to Identify	How to Report It
Highest bar	"The highest value was [X] at [location/time]"
Lowest bar	"The lowest value was [X] at [location/time]"
Overall pattern	"Values generally increase/decrease from left to right"
Anomalies	"Site C is an anomaly, showing a lower value than expected"
Range	"Values range from [lowest] to [highest]"

Line Graphs

What to Identify	How to Report It
Overall trend	"Temperature increases steadily from January to July"
Rate of change	"The steepest increase occurs between March and May"
Maximum/minimum	"The peak value of 24°C occurs in July"
Fluctuations	"There is a sharp dip in October before values recover in November"
Comparison (if multiple lines)	"Line A is consistently higher than Line B, with the greatest difference in summer"

Scatter Graphs

What to Identify	How to Report It
Type of correlation	"There is a strong positive/negative correlation"
Strength	"Points are closely clustered around the line of best fit"
Anomalies	"Point X at (3, 45) is an outlier that does not fit the trend"
Line of best fit	"The line of best fit shows that as X increases, Y decreases"

Pie Charts

What to Identify	How to Report It
Largest segment	"Retail is the dominant land use, accounting for 45% of buildings"
Smallest segment	"Vacant properties make up only 5%"
Comparison	"There are more service businesses (30%) than food outlets (15%)"

Exam Tip: When reading any graph, always include specific numbers with units in your answer. Saying "it goes up" is not enough. Say "river velocity increases from 0.2 m/s at Site 1 to 0.9 m/s at Site 6." The numbers prove you have used the resource.

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Extracting Data from Tables

Data tables provide precise numerical information. When working with tables:

1. Read the column headings to understand what each column represents
2. Note the units — are values in %, mm, m/s, thousands, millions?
3. Identify the highest and lowest values — these are the most important data points
4. Calculate differences if the question asks you to compare
5. Look for patterns — do values increase/decrease? Are there anomalies?

Performing Calculations from Tables

You may be asked to calculate values from table data:

Calculation	Method	Example
Mean	Add values, divide by count	(12 + 15 + 18 + 21) / 4 = 16.5
Range	Highest - lowest	21 - 12 = 9
Percentage	(Part / total) × 100	(25 / 200) × 100 = 12.5%
Percentage change	((New - old) / old) × 100	((180 - 150) / 150) × 100 = 20% increase
Discharge	Area × velocity	3.2 m² × 0.6 m/s = 1.92 m³/s

Always show your working and include units in your final answer.

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Using Maps

Ordnance Survey Maps

OS maps may be used to:

Task	How to Approach
Identify features	Use the key to identify symbols (churches, roads, railways, etc.)
Give grid references	Use 4-figure or 6-figure references as requested
Measure distances	Use the scale bar with a ruler or piece of paper
Describe relief	Read contour lines to describe height, gradient and landforms
Describe land use	Use symbols, shading and names to identify how land is used
Explain locations	Use map evidence to explain why features are where they are

Thematic Maps (Choropleth, etc.)

Step	Action
1	Read the key to understand what colours/shading represent
2	Identify the spatial pattern — where are highest/lowest values?
3	Use compass directions to describe the pattern
4	Name specific places where possible
5	Note any anomalies — areas that do not fit the general pattern

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Cross-Referencing Resources

The most demanding questions ask you to use two or more resources together. This tests your ability to synthesise information from different sources.

Strategy for Cross-Referencing

flowchart TD
    A["Read the question carefully<br/>Which resources does it reference?"] --> B["Extract key data from Resource 1"]
    B --> C["Extract key data from Resource 2"]
    C --> D["Identify connections between<br/>the two datasets"]
    D --> E["Use both resources in your answer<br/>with specific data from each"]

Example

Question: "Using Figure 2 (a map showing flood risk zones) and Table 1 (population data by ward), explain which ward is most at risk from flooding." (4 marks)

Approach:

1. From Figure 2: Identify which wards are in the high flood risk zone
2. From Table 1: Find the population of those wards
3. Combine: The ward with the highest population within the high flood risk zone is most at risk
4. Explain: More people at risk = greater potential impact; consider vulnerable groups

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Evaluating Resources

You may be asked to evaluate the usefulness or reliability of a resource. Consider:

Factor	Questions to Ask
Date	Is the data recent enough to be relevant? Old data may not reflect current conditions
Source	Is it from a reliable source (government, academic, environmental agency)?
Scale	Is the data at the right scale for the question? National data may hide local variation
Completeness	Does the resource cover all relevant areas/time periods?
Bias	Could the source have a particular viewpoint or agenda?
Type	Is it quantitative (precise but may miss context) or qualitative (rich but subjective)?