Answering 1–2 Mark Questions

The opening questions in every section of your AQA GCSE Geography exam are worth just 1 or 2 marks each. They may seem simple, but they are where many students either waste time by writing too much or lose easy marks through carelessness. This lesson shows you exactly how to approach these questions efficiently and accurately.

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Where Do Short-Answer Questions Appear?

Short-answer questions appear at the start of each question block across all three papers:

Paper	Focus	Typical Short-Answer Topics
Paper 1 — Living with the Physical Environment	Natural hazards, ecosystems, physical landscapes	Definitions, naming landforms, reading maps/graphs
Paper 2 — Challenges in the Human Environment	Urban issues, economic development, resources	Definitions, identifying trends, reading data
Paper 3 — Geographical Applications	Issue evaluation, fieldwork, geographical skills	Reading figures, calculations, labelling diagrams

Exam Tip: Short-answer questions typically appear in the first 2–3 questions of each sub-section. They are designed to be answered quickly — spend no more than 1 minute per mark.

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Types of 1-Mark Questions

Type 1: Define a Key Term