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Beyond OS map reading, the Edexcel B exam tests a range of geographical skills that you need to master. These include interpreting different types of photographs, reading climate graphs and population pyramids, working with GIS data, and using atlas skills. These skills can appear in any paper, so you need to be confident with all of them.
This lesson covers the key skills that are commonly tested and provides practical guidance on how to approach each type of question.
Photographs are one of the most commonly used resources in the exam. You may be given ground-level, aerial or satellite photographs and asked to describe, interpret or annotate them.
Ground-level photographs are taken from eye level (as if you were standing there). They show what a place looks like from a human perspective.
What to look for:
| Feature | Questions to Ask |
|---|---|
| Foreground | What is in the front of the image? Is it natural or built? |
| Middle ground | What features can you see at medium distance? |
| Background | What is in the far distance? Mountains, sky, buildings? |
| Land use | What is the land being used for? Farming, housing, industry? |
| Physical features | Any rivers, hills, vegetation, geological features? |
| Human features | Any buildings, roads, signs, people, infrastructure? |
| Evidence of processes | Erosion, deposition, pollution, development, decay? |
| Scale indicators | People, vehicles, buildings that help judge size |
Aerial photographs are taken from directly above (vertical/plan view) or at an angle from an aircraft (oblique view).
| Type | View | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Vertical | Directly above (bird's-eye view) | Mapping land use; measuring areas; comparing with maps |
| Oblique | At an angle | Showing relief and building heights; more intuitive to interpret |
What to look for in aerial photographs:
Satellite images are captured by orbiting satellites and can show very large areas. They are often used to show global or regional patterns.
Key features to identify:
| Colour | Usually Represents |
|---|---|
| Green | Vegetation (forests, cropland) |
| Brown/yellow | Bare ground, desert, harvested fields |
| Blue/dark blue | Water (oceans, lakes, rivers) |
| White | Snow, ice, clouds |
| Grey/brown | Urban areas (concrete, buildings) |
Exam Tip: When interpreting any photograph, use the structure: Describe what you can see + Identify specific features + Explain what they suggest about the geography of the place. Always use geographical terminology and compass directions where possible.
A climate graph (also called a climograph) shows the average monthly temperature and precipitation for a location over a year.
| Element | How It Is Shown | Axis |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Red line connecting monthly averages | Right y-axis (°C) |
| Precipitation | Blue bars showing monthly totals | Left y-axis (mm) |
| Months | January to December along the x-axis | x-axis |
When describing a climate graph, cover:
Example description:
"This location has warm summers (July average 22°C) and mild winters (January average 6°C), giving an annual temperature range of 16°C. Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed throughout the year, with a slight peak in autumn (October, 85mm) and a drier period in spring (April, 45mm). Total annual precipitation is approximately 750mm. This pattern is typical of a maritime temperate climate such as the UK."
| Climate Type | Temperature Pattern | Precipitation Pattern | Example Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equatorial | Hot all year (25–28°C), minimal range | Heavy rainfall all year (2000mm+) | Amazon Basin |
| Hot desert | Very hot summers (40°C+), warm winters; large daily range | Very low rainfall (<250mm/year) | Sahara |
| Mediterranean | Hot dry summers, mild wet winters | Winter rainfall peak; dry summers | Southern Spain |
| Maritime temperate | Mild winters, warm summers; small range | Rainfall spread through the year | UK, Western France |
| Continental | Cold winters, hot summers; large range | Summer rainfall peak; low winter precipitation | Moscow, Central Europe |
| Polar/tundra | Cold all year, very cold winters | Very low precipitation | Arctic regions |
Exam Tip: Climate graph questions often ask you to identify the climate type or compare two graphs. Always quote specific data (temperatures in °C, rainfall in mm) and refer to specific months. Saying "it is hot and wet" is not sufficient — say "July is the hottest month at 28°C with 210mm of rainfall."
A population pyramid shows the age and sex structure of a population. Males are shown on the left, females on the right, and age groups are stacked from youngest at the bottom to oldest at the top.
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