Level:
Correct: 0
Incorrect: 0
Marks: 0/0
Exam Practice
Subject:
Topics:
AQA GCSE Geography (Paper 1) Smart practice A mixed round aimed at your weak spots
Unit 1
The challenge of natural hazards
Natural hazards
Natural hazards and hazard risk
0%
Tectonic hazards
Plate tectonics and plate margins
0%
Effects of and responses to tectonic hazards
0%
Reducing the risk from tectonic hazards
0%
Weather hazards
Global atmospheric circulation
0%
Tropical storms: distribution, formation and structure
0%
Effects of and responses to tropical storms
0%
Weather hazards in the UK
0%
Climate change
Climate change: evidence, causes and effects
0%
Managing climate change
0%
Unit 2
The living world
Ecosystems
Ecosystems
0%
Tropical rainforests
Tropical rainforest ecosystems
0%
Deforestation
0%
Sustainable management of tropical rainforests
0%
Hot deserts (option)
Hot desert ecosystems
0%
Developing hot deserts: opportunities and challenges
0%
Desertification
0%
Cold environments (option)
Cold environment ecosystems
0%
Developing cold environments: opportunities and challenges
0%
Protecting cold environments
0%
Unit 3
Physical landscapes in the UK
The UK's physical landscapes
The UK's physical landscapes
0%
Coastal landscapes (option)
Coastal processes
0%
Coastal landforms
0%
Coastal management
0%
River landscapes (option)
River valleys and fluvial processes
0%
River landforms
0%
Flooding, hydrographs and flood management
0%
Glacial landscapes (option)
Glacial processes
0%
Glacial landforms
0%
Glaciated uplands: land use and tourism
0%
Unit 4
Geographical skills: OS maps
Ordnance Survey maps
OS maps: grid references, scale, distance and direction
0%
OS maps: relief, contours, gradient and landscape features
0%
Avg
score:
–
Topics
done:
0/32

OS maps: grid references, scale, distance and direction

Practise 30 exam-style questions on OS maps: grid references, scale, distance and direction 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.

  • 30 questions
  • 1–6 marks each
  • Instant marking
  • No sign-up needed
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

Study Figure 1, part of a 1:25 000 OS map.

What is found at grid reference 473321?

Figure 1: part of a 1:25 000 OS map. Ordnance Survey map extract at a scale of 1:25 000. Blue grid lines divide it into 4 by 3 squares, each 1 km across; the eastings 46, 47, 48, 49, 50 are printed along the top and bottom (increasing to the east) and the northings 31, 32, 33, 34 up both sides (increasing to the north). Brown contour lines show the height of the land every 5 m, with every 50 m line drawn thicker; heights printed on contour lines: 40 m, 50 m, 55 m, 60 m, 70 m. Spot heights (a dot with the height in metres): 92 in the north-east of the map. Water (blue): a river runs between the west edge and the east edge. Roads and paths: the B4362 (B road) runs between the west edge and the east edge; a minor road runs between the centre of the map and the north edge; a minor road runs between the centre of the map and the south edge; a railway runs between the west edge and the east edge; 2 footpaths (green dashed lines). Land use: a built-up area (shaded orange) in the centre of the map; 6 separate buildings (small black squares); mixed woodland (green with tree symbols) in the north-west of the map; coniferous woodland (green with tree symbols) in the east of the map. Symbols: place of worship with tower in the centre of the map; "PO" (post office) in the centre of the map; "PH" (public house) in the centre of the map; "Sch" (school) in the centre of the map; railway station in the north of the map; golf course in the north-east of the map; picnic site in the south of the map; parking in the south-east of the map. Names printed: "Kelby" in the centre of the map; "River Kell" in the south-west of the map; "Mill Fm" in the west of the map; "Grange Fm" in the north of the map; "Ashtree Fm" in the south-east of the map; "Kelby Wood" in the north-west of the map; "Kelby Hill" in the north-east of the map. Letters in circles mark places: A in the west of the map; B in the east of the map; C in the north of the map (a dot marks the exact place); D in the south of the map (a dot marks the exact place). A key beside the map explains: B road, minor road, railway, footpath, river or stream, built-up area, building, coniferous wood, mixed wood, contour (5 m interval), spot height in metres, place of worship with tower, parking, picnic site, golf course, railway station, PH = public house, PO = post office, Sch = school. Below the map: a scale bar marked 0, 1 and 2 km (1 km is the width of one grid square) and a north arrow pointing to the top of the map.

Model answer

A post office in the village of Kelby.

Explanation

Split the reference into 473 (easting 47, three tenths east) and 321 (northing 32, one tenth north). That point is the PO symbol in Kelby. Students who swap the eastings and northings, or who misjudge the tenths, often pick the public house instead.

Mark scheme
  1. 1 mark

    A post office (PO), in Kelby

    accept 'PO'; do not accept the public house (477321), the church or the school

Question 2

2 marks

Study Figure 1, part of a 1:50 000 OS map.

Estimate the area covered by the built-up area of Haverley. Show your method.

Figure 1: part of a 1:50 000 OS map. Ordnance Survey map extract at a scale of 1:50 000. Blue grid lines divide it into 5 by 4 squares, each 1 km across; the eastings 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57 are printed along the top and bottom (increasing to the east) and the northings 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 up both sides (increasing to the north). Brown contour lines show the height of the land every 10 m, with every 50 m line drawn thicker; heights printed on contour lines: 40 m, 50 m, 60 m, 80 m, 100 m. Water (blue): a river runs between the west edge and the east edge. Roads and paths: the M18 (motorway) runs between the north edge and the south edge; the A614 (A road) runs between the north edge and the south edge; the A631 (A road) runs between the west edge and the east edge; a minor road runs between the centre of the map and the north edge; a minor road runs between the south of the map and the east edge; a railway runs between the west edge and the east edge; a footpath (red dashed lines). Land use: a built-up area (shaded orange) in the centre of the map; a built-up area (shaded orange) in the south-east of the map; a built-up area (shaded orange) in the north-west of the map; 11 separate buildings (small black squares); coniferous woodland (green with tree symbols) in the north-west of the map; non-coniferous woodland (green with tree symbols) in the north-east of the map. Symbols: railway station in the centre of the map; bus or coach station in the centre of the map; "PO" (post office) in the centre of the map; place of worship with spire in the centre of the map; "Sch" (school) in the centre of the map; "PH" (public house) in the centre of the map; parking in the centre of the map; place of worship with tower in the south-east of the map; golf course in the south-east of the map; viewpoint in the north-west of the map; picnic site in the north-west of the map; place of worship in the north-west of the map. Names printed: "Haverley" in the north of the map; "Wickby" in the south-east of the map; "Thorpe Ings" in the north of the map; "River Aske" in the west of the map; "Hart Moor" in the north-west of the map; "Quarry" in the north-west of the map; "Works" in the east of the map; "Moor Fm" in the north-west of the map. Letters in circles mark places: A in the north-west of the map; B in the south-east of the map. A key below the map explains: motorway, A road, minor road, railway, footpath, river or stream, built-up area, building, coniferous wood, non-coniferous wood, contour (10 m interval), place of worship with tower, place of worship with spire, place of worship, parking, picnic site, viewpoint, golf course, bus or coach station, railway station, PH = public house, PO = post office, Sch = school. Below the map: a scale bar marked 0, 1 and 2 km (1 km is the width of one grid square) and a north arrow pointing to the top of the map.

Model answer

Each grid square is 1 km². Haverley covers parts of six squares (5319, 5320, 5419, 5420, 5519 and 5520); adding the parts together gives about 2.3 km².

Explanation

Every grid square on an OS map is 1 km by 1 km, so it covers 1 km² at any scale. Count the squares that are completely covered, then estimate and add the fractions of the partly covered squares. Answers without km² as the unit, or that simply count every square touched (6 km²), overestimate the area.

Mark scheme
  1. 1 mark

    Method: counting the whole grid squares and adding the parts of squares covered by the built-up area, where each grid square is 1 km²

    credit a clear description of the method or working such as 'about 1 whole square plus parts of 5 others'

  2. 1 mark

    About 2.3 km²

    accept 2-3 km²; units (km²) required

Question 3

3 marks

Study Figure 1, part of a 1:25 000 OS map of an upland area.

Give the six-figure grid reference of the youth hostel, the straight-line distance in kilometres from C to B, and the direction of B from C using an eight-point compass.

Figure 1: part of a 1:25 000 OS map of an upland area. Ordnance Survey map extract at a scale of 1:25 000. Blue grid lines divide it into 4 by 4 squares, each 1 km across; the eastings 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 are printed along the top and bottom (increasing to the east) and the northings 05, 06, 07, 08, 09 up both sides (increasing to the north). Brown contour lines show the height of the land every 10 m, with every 50 m line drawn thicker; heights printed on contour lines: 200 m, 210 m, 250 m, 300 m, 350 m, 450 m. Water (blue): a river runs between the west edge and the east edge; a stream runs between the centre of the map and the south-east of the map. Roads and paths: a minor road runs between the west edge and the east of the map; a minor road runs between the south of the map and the east edge; 2 footpaths (green dashed lines). Land use: a built-up area (shaded orange) in the south of the map; 3 separate buildings (small black squares); coniferous woodland (green with tree symbols) in the north-east of the map; non-coniferous woodland (green with tree symbols) in the west of the map. Symbols: youth hostel in the south-west of the map; parking in the east of the map; camp site in the south-west of the map; information centre in the south of the map; "PH" (public house) in the south-east of the map; "T" (public telephone) in the south of the map. Names printed: "High Crag" in the north-west of the map; "Burnside" in the south of the map; "Black Burn" in the south of the map; "Crag Gill" in the east of the map; "Gill Fm" in the south-east of the map; "Black Wood" in the west of the map. Letters in circles mark places: A in the east of the map; B in the north of the map; C in the south-west of the map. A key beside the map explains: minor road, footpath, river or stream, built-up area, building, coniferous wood, non-coniferous wood, contour (10 m interval), parking, camp site, information centre, youth hostel, PH = public house, T = public telephone. Below the map: a scale bar marked 0, 1 and 2 km (1 km is the width of one grid square) and a north arrow pointing to the top of the map.

Model answer

The youth hostel is at 221063. The straight-line distance from C to B is 2.0 km, and B is north of C.

Explanation

Each part tests a different skill: a six-figure reference (eastings first, then northings, each with tenths), a straight-line measurement against the scale bar (4 cm = 1 km at 1:25 000), and a direction measured from the starting point C towards B.

Mark scheme
  1. 1 mark

    Youth hostel: 221063

    accept 220-222 for the first three figures and 062-064 for the last three

  2. 1 mark

    Distance from C to B: 2.0 km (2022 m)

    accept 1.9-2.1 km

  3. 1 mark

    Direction of B from C: north (N)

    B is on a bearing of about 009° from C; do not accept south (the reverse direction)

Question 4

4 marks

Study Figure 1, part of a 1:25 000 OS map of an upland area.

Using map evidence, suggest two reasons why the youth hostel was built where it is.

Figure 1: part of a 1:25 000 OS map of an upland area. Ordnance Survey map extract at a scale of 1:25 000. Blue grid lines divide it into 4 by 4 squares, each 1 km across; the eastings 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 are printed along the top and bottom (increasing to the east) and the northings 05, 06, 07, 08, 09 up both sides (increasing to the north). Brown contour lines show the height of the land every 10 m, with every 50 m line drawn thicker; heights printed on contour lines: 200 m, 210 m, 250 m, 300 m, 350 m, 450 m. Water (blue): a river runs between the west edge and the east edge; a stream runs between the centre of the map and the south-east of the map. Roads and paths: a minor road runs between the west edge and the east of the map; a minor road runs between the south of the map and the east edge; 2 footpaths (green dashed lines). Land use: a built-up area (shaded orange) in the south of the map; 3 separate buildings (small black squares); coniferous woodland (green with tree symbols) in the north-east of the map; non-coniferous woodland (green with tree symbols) in the west of the map. Symbols: youth hostel in the south-west of the map; parking in the east of the map; camp site in the south-west of the map; information centre in the south of the map; "PH" (public house) in the south-east of the map; "T" (public telephone) in the south of the map. Names printed: "High Crag" in the north-west of the map; "Burnside" in the south of the map; "Black Burn" in the south of the map; "Crag Gill" in the east of the map; "Gill Fm" in the south-east of the map; "Black Wood" in the west of the map. Letters in circles mark places: A in the east of the map; B in the north of the map; C in the south-west of the map. A key beside the map explains: minor road, footpath, river or stream, built-up area, building, coniferous wood, non-coniferous wood, contour (10 m interval), parking, camp site, information centre, youth hostel, PH = public house, T = public telephone. Below the map: a scale bar marked 0, 1 and 2 km (1 km is the width of one grid square) and a north arrow pointing to the top of the map.

Model answer

The youth hostel at 221063 is right next to the start of the footpath up High Crag at C. This makes it an ideal base for walkers who want to climb to the summit at about 503 m, only 2 km to the north.

It is also beside the minor road along the Black Burn valley, so visitors can reach it easily by car, bike or bus, and it is only about 1.5 km from Burnside, which has a public house and an information centre for visitors.

Explanation

Youth hostels are built where walkers want to go and where they can be reached. Each reason earns a second mark when it is linked to specific map evidence, such as the footpath, the road, the summit height or the services in Burnside.

Mark scheme
  1. 1 mark

    First reason, e.g. it is next to the start of the footpath up High Crag at C / it is beside the minor road along the valley / it is in the valley near the village of Burnside / it is on fairly gentle land in the sheltered valley

    max 4: for each of two different reasons, 1 mark for the reason and 1 for developing it or supporting it with map evidence

  2. 1 mark

    Development of the first reason, e.g. so it is an ideal base for walkers climbing High Crag (503 m), about 2 km to the north; so visitors can arrive easily by car, bike or bus and supplies can be delivered

    development of the previous point

  3. 1 mark

    Second, different reason

  4. 1 mark

    Development of the second reason, e.g. Burnside (about 1.5 km to the east) has a public house, an information centre and a telephone for visitors; the land at about 230 m is gentle enough to build on and sheltered compared with the summit; the camp site (215056), Black Wood and Black Burn nearby offer other activities

    credit other reasonable suggestions supported by map evidence

Ready to try the rest? Every answer you write is marked against the mark scheme, so you can see exactly where the marks are.

AI Tutor Hints first, answers after you try

Hi! Stuck? Ask me for a hint and I’ll help you work it out. Once you’ve checked your answer I can explain exactly where the marks are.