Glaciated uplands: land use and tourism - AQA GCSE Geography (Paper 1) Exam Questions

Practise 28 exam-style questions on Glaciated uplands: land use and tourism for AQA GCSE Geography (Paper 1). 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.

28 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

Which one of the following strategies is used mainly to reduce footpath erosion in glaciated upland national parks?

A A 10 mph speed limit for boats on a lake
B Park-and-ride bus services
C Stone pitching (laying stone slabs to make a hard path surface)
D A one-way traffic system in a town

Give the letter of your answer.

Model answer

Explanation

Stone pitching gives walkers a hard, durable surface, so vegetation either side is not trampled and rainwater is channelled off the path. It is widely used by the Fix the Fells partnership in the Lake District. The other options manage boats and traffic, not footpaths.

Mark scheme

1 mark
C (stone pitching)
accept the letter or the option written out; do not accept more than one answer

Question 2

2 marks

Figure 1 shows employment in a glaciated upland national park.

Using Figure 1, suggest two problems for local people of the employment structure shown.

Model answer

Tourism provides 40% of jobs, but most tourists visit in summer, so many people are out of work or on reduced hours in winter. Because the area depends so much on tourism, a fall in visitors, such as during the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak, would cause many job losses.

Explanation

The figure shows dependence on one sector (tourism, 40%). Strong answers explain why that is a problem: seasonality, low pay, and vulnerability to anything that stops visitors coming. Quoting the 40% figure shows use of the resource.

Mark scheme

1 mark
40% of jobs are in tourism, which is seasonal, so many people have little work or income in winter
max 2; 1 mark for each different problem; at least one should be linked to the figure (e.g. the large share in tourism)
1 mark
Tourism and retail jobs (55% together) are often low-paid / part-time, so incomes are low compared with high local house prices
1 mark
The economy depends heavily on tourism, so it is vulnerable if visitor numbers fall (e.g. bad weather, recession, an outbreak such as foot and mouth disease in 2001, a pandemic)
1 mark
There are few well-paid, skilled jobs, so young people may leave the area to find work
1 mark
Only 10% work in farming and forestry, so traditional jobs and skills are declining
credit other valid problems linked to the employment structure

Question 3

4 marks

Describe two attractions for tourists in a glaciated upland area you have studied.

Model answer

One attraction of the Lake District is its spectacular glacial scenery, which is ideal for walking and climbing. For example, many walkers climb Helvellyn by the narrow arête of Striding Edge, and Scafell Pike, at 978 m, is the highest mountain in England.

A second attraction is the lakes. Windermere is England's largest natural lake, and visitors can take boat cruises between Bowness, Ambleside and Lakeside or hire boats and kayaks.

Explanation

Each attraction scores 1 mark, and a second mark comes from describing it with detail from your case study. Generic answers ('mountains', 'lakes') can only score 2 marks; named places and features make the answer place-specific.

Mark scheme

1 mark
First attraction identified, e.g. dramatic glacial scenery / mountains for walking and climbing / lakes for water sports and boat trips / cultural or historic attractions / attractive towns and villages
max 4: for each of two different attractions, 1 mark for the attraction and 1 for development or place-specific detail
1 mark
Development of the first attraction, e.g. Scafell Pike (978 m) is England's highest mountain; Helvellyn's Striding Edge is an arête popular with walkers; Windermere is England's largest natural lake with steamer cruises; Snowdon (1085 m) can be reached by the Snowdon Mountain Railway from Llanberis
development of the previous point
1 mark
Second, different attraction identified
1 mark
Development of the second attraction, e.g. Wordsworth's home Dove Cottage in Grasmere and Beatrix Potter's Hill Top attract literary tourists; Ullswater and Derwentwater have boat services; honeypot towns such as Keswick, Ambleside and Bowness have shops and cafés; Zip World at Penrhyn Quarry in Snowdonia
credit any appropriate named glaciated upland area; accurate place-specific details earn the development marks

Question 4

6 marks

Explain why proposals for new tourist developments in glaciated upland areas often cause conflict between development and conservation. Use examples in your answer.

Model answer

Glaciated uplands such as the Lake District and the Cairngorms are national parks, which have two purposes: to conserve the landscape and wildlife, and to help people enjoy it. New tourist developments create conflict because these purposes can clash.

Developers and many local businesses support new attractions because they bring jobs and income, attract new types of visitor such as younger, adventure-seeking tourists, and can extend the tourist season into the winter. Conservationists argue that developments spoil the natural beauty and peace that make these areas special. Buildings, cables and car parks are visually intrusive, construction damages habitats, and the extra visitors increase traffic and footpath erosion.

For example, in 2017 a company proposed zip wires across Thirlmere in the Lake District. Supporters said it would create jobs, but conservation groups such as Friends of the Lake District argued that it would ruin a quiet valley in a World Heritage Site, and the plan was withdrawn. Similarly, the Cairngorm funicular railway, opened in 2001, was opposed because of fears that visitors would damage the fragile arctic-alpine plateau; to reduce this, summer passengers were not allowed out at the top station.

When the two aims cannot be balanced, national park authorities usually give conservation priority, which is why many proposals are refused or changed.

Explanation

Level 3 answers explain both viewpoints (economic benefits for developers, landscape and wildlife protection for conservationists) and why they cannot easily be reconciled, using real examples. Simply listing the good and bad points of a development, without explaining the conflict, stays in Level 1 or 2.

Mark scheme

6 marks
Levels of response (6 marks).
Level 3 (5-6 marks): detailed explanation of the views of both developers and conservationists, with well-developed points showing why their aims clash; uses specific examples of developments in glaciated upland areas accurately.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): clear explanation of why conflict occurs, with some development; may focus mainly on one side; examples are general or not well used.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): basic statements about the advantages or disadvantages of development; little explanation of the conflict; no examples or vague ones.
0 marks: nothing worthy of credit.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): developers and many businesses want new attractions, hotels and facilities to bring jobs, income and new or year-round visitors, and to compete with other destinations; conservationists want to protect the natural beauty, tranquillity and wildlife that make the area special; national parks have two purposes, conserving the landscape and helping people enjoy it, and when these clash conservation is given priority (the Sandford principle); new developments may cause visual intrusion, noise, habitat damage and more traffic, attract even more visitors and increase erosion, and set a precedent for further building; World Heritage status (Lake District, 2017) adds pressure to protect the landscape; examples - a 2017 proposal for zip wires across Thirlmere in the Lake District was strongly opposed by groups such as Friends of the Lake District and was withdrawn; the Cairngorm funicular railway (opened 2001) was controversial, and in summer passengers were not allowed out onto the fragile mountain plateau; Zip World at the working Penrhyn slate quarry in Snowdonia reused an already industrial site; new holiday parks, hotels and car parks often face planning objections. Credit any appropriate named example.

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