A city in an LIC or NEE: challenges and urban planning - AQA GCSE Geography (Paper 2) Exam Questions

Practise 36 exam-style questions on A city in an LIC or NEE: challenges and urban planning for AQA GCSE Geography (Paper 2). Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.

36 questions
1–12 marks each
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20 questions, marked as you go

Sample questions with model answers

Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.

Question 1

1 mark

Figure 1 shows how household waste is disposed of in a city in an LIC.

Calculate the percentage of the city's household waste that is either dumped illegally or burned.

Model answer

25% + 20% = 45%

Explanation

Add the two sectors: 25% is dumped illegally and 20% is burned, so 45% of the waste is disposed of in ways that cause pollution or block drains. Only 40% is taken to landfill and 15% is recycled by informal waste pickers.

Mark scheme

1 mark
45% (25 + 20)
Accept 45 without the % sign.

Question 2

2 marks

Figure 1 shows the employment status of the workforce in a whole city in an NEE and in one squatter settlement in that city.

Calculate how many times greater the unemployment rate is in the squatter settlement than in the whole city.

Employment status of the workforce in a city in an NEE. Stacked bar chart with 2 horizontal bars. The value axis (x-axis) is "Workforce in %", from 0 to 100 marked every 10; the bars are labelled along the y-axis, "Area", from top to bottom. Each bar is split into 3 parts, shown in the key: Formal job (left, blue), Informal work (middle, orange) and Unemployed (right, green). Values: Whole city: formal job 60%, informal work 32%, unemployed 8%; Squatter settlement: formal job 35%, informal work 45%, unemployed 20%. The value of each part is printed on it.

Model answer

Unemployment in the squatter settlement = 20%; in the whole city = 8%.
20 ÷ 8 = 2.5, so unemployment is 2.5 times greater in the squatter settlement.

Explanation

'How many times greater' means divide the larger value by the smaller one. Subtracting gives the difference (12 percentage points), which answers a different question. High unemployment in squatter settlements is linked to low levels of education, discrimination and distance from jobs.

Mark scheme

1 mark
Correct method: 20 ÷ 8
Correct answer with no working scores both marks.
1 mark
2.5 times
Do not accept 12 (the difference in percentage points) or 0.4 (8 ÷ 20).

Question 3

4 marks

Using a named example, describe the problems caused by waste disposal in a city in an LIC or NEE.

Model answer

In Rio de Janeiro, many favelas are built on steep hillsides where rubbish lorries cannot reach, so waste is not collected and is dumped on the slopes and in streams. This blocks the drains, so heavy rain causes flooding, and rotting waste attracts rats and spreads disease. Waste and untreated sewage also flow into Guanabara Bay, which is heavily polluted. For many years much of the city's waste went to the Jardim Gramacho landfill, one of the largest in Latin America, where thousands of waste pickers worked in unhealthy conditions and polluted liquid leaked into the bay until the site closed in 2012.

Explanation

Level 2 needs at least two problems described in detail with specific evidence from a real city, such as named landfills, bays or events. Generic points about smells and disease without a named place stay in Level 1. Note that 'describe' does not require solutions.

Mark scheme

4 marks
Levels of response (4 marks).
Level 2 (3-4 marks): clear, detailed description of two or more problems caused by waste disposal, with developed points and accurate place-specific detail about a named city.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): basic description; simple statements that could apply anywhere, e.g. 'rubbish causes pollution'; little or no place-specific detail.
0 marks: nothing worthy of credit.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): Rio de Janeiro: many favelas on steep hillsides have no regular rubbish collection, so waste is dumped on slopes and in streams; dumped waste blocks drains, causing flooding, and can make slopes unstable (the Morro do Bumba favela in nearby Niteroi, built on an old rubbish dump, was destroyed by a landslide in 2010); waste and untreated sewage pollute Guanabara Bay; the Jardim Gramacho landfill, one of the largest in Latin America, polluted the bay and its mangroves before it closed in 2012; waste pickers worked in dangerous, unhealthy conditions. Lagos: much waste is not collected and is dumped in the lagoon (e.g. around Makoko) and in drains, causing flooding; a large fire broke out at the Olusosun landfill in 2017. Mumbai: fires at the Deonar dumping ground (2016) caused severe air pollution. Credit any appropriate named example.

Question 4

6 marks

For a city you have studied in an LIC or NEE, explain the challenges of providing clean water and sanitation.

Model answer

In Lagos, providing clean water and sanitation is one of the biggest challenges caused by rapid urban growth.

The city's population has grown so fast that the water network has not kept up. Only a small proportion of homes are connected to piped water, so many people rely on wells and boreholes, or buy water from vendors, often paying far more per litre than wealthier households with a piped supply. Well water can be contaminated, especially where there are no sewers.

Sanitation is an even greater problem. Building sewers and treatment works is extremely expensive, and many squatter settlements are unplanned and illegal, so the authorities have been slow to provide services. In Makoko, a settlement built on stilts over the lagoon, there is no sewerage, so human waste and rubbish go straight into the water below the homes. This water is also used for washing and fishing, so diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea spread easily, especially among young children.

The physical conditions in squatter settlements make the challenge worse. Homes are packed closely together along narrow paths or over water, so there is no space to lay pipes, and some areas flood regularly, spreading sewage. Because residents do not own the land, the government may be reluctant to invest in an area it might later clear. As a result, rapid growth continues to outpace the provision of clean water and sanitation.

Explanation

Level 3 explains why both water and sanitation are hard to provide (cost, speed of growth, illegal and unplanned settlements, difficult sites) and the consequences for health, using specific detail from a real city. Answers that only describe the lack of services without explaining the challenge stay in Level 2 or below.

Mark scheme

6 marks
Levels of response (6 marks).
Level 3 (5-6 marks): detailed, well-developed explanation of why it is difficult to provide both clean water and sanitation, and the consequences for residents; detailed, accurate place-specific knowledge of a named city; accurate terminology.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): clear explanation with some development; some place-specific detail; may focus on water or sanitation only.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): basic explanation; simple statements; generic, with little or no place-specific detail.
0 marks: nothing worthy of credit.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): rapid growth means demand for water and sewerage grows faster than infrastructure can be built; treatment plants and pipe networks are very expensive; squatter settlements are illegal and unplanned, so authorities may not provide services; steep slopes and dense, narrow alleys make laying pipes and sewers difficult; illegal connections and leaking pipes waste water and can contaminate supplies; people without piped water rely on standpipes or water vendors, paying more for less; without sewerage, human waste enters streams and the sea, spreading diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea. Rio de Janeiro: some favelas lack a reliable piped supply and many are not connected to sewers; untreated sewage flows into Guanabara Bay; the Favela Bairro project and new water treatment works and pipes have improved supplies in some areas. Lagos: few homes are connected to piped water, so many rely on boreholes, wells and water vendors; waste from Makoko goes straight into the lagoon. Mumbai: many people in Dharavi share a small number of public toilets. Credit any appropriate named example.

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