Resources in the UK: food - AQA GCSE Geography (Paper 2) Exam Questions

Practise 30 exam-style questions on Resources in the UK: food 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.

30 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 is the best example of agribusiness?

A An allotment where a family grows vegetables
B A stall at a farmers' market run by a local farmer
C A large greenhouse complex run by a company, using computer-controlled heating and hydroponics to supply supermarkets
D A small hill farm keeping a few sheep

Give the letter of your answer.

Model answer

Explanation

Agribusiness is large-scale, intensive, commercial farming run like a business, using high levels of investment and technology, often with contracts to supply supermarkets or food processors. Thanet Earth in Kent is a good example. The other options are small-scale or local food production.

Mark scheme

1 mark
C (a large greenhouse complex run by a company, using technology to supply supermarkets)
Accept the letter or the option written out; do not accept more than one answer.

Question 2

2 marks

Give two ways in which people in the UK can buy or obtain locally sourced food.

Model answer

People can buy food at farmers' markets, where local farmers sell their own produce directly. They can also grow their own fruit and vegetables on an allotment.

Explanation

Local sourcing means buying food produced close to where it is eaten. Any distinct method scores, including supermarkets' local produce ranges. It is part of the move towards reducing food miles and supporting local farmers.

Mark scheme

1 mark
Farmers' markets
max 2; 1 mark per valid way
1 mark
Farm shops / buying at the farm gate
1 mark
Box schemes delivering local fruit and vegetables (e.g. Riverford in Devon)
1 mark
Pick-your-own farms
1 mark
Growing your own food in gardens or allotments
1 mark
Community-supported agriculture schemes / buying local produce in supermarkets or local shops
Accept either.

Question 3

4 marks

Explain why the demand for food in the UK is changing.

Model answer

The UK has become a multicultural society, so there is growing demand for foods from around the world, such as spices, yams and mangoes. People have also become used to buying seasonal foods such as strawberries and asparagus all year round, because supermarkets import them from countries such as Spain and Kenya when they are out of season in the UK.

At the same time, more people are concerned about their health and the environment. This has increased demand for organic food grown without artificial pesticides and fertilisers, and for local food with fewer food miles. More people are also choosing vegetarian or plant-based diets.

Explanation

A Level 2 answer explains why each change is happening, for example multicultural population → demand for foods from around the world. Simply listing changes ('people eat more organic food') is Level 1. Population growth, culture, lifestyle, health and environmental concerns are the main drivers.

Mark scheme

4 marks
Levels of response (4 marks).
Level 2 (3-4 marks): clear explanation, with linked (developed) points, of two or more reasons why the UK's demand for food is changing.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): basic explanation; simple statements of change with little or no explanation of why.
0 marks: nothing worthy of credit.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): population growth (about 69 million people) increases total demand; a multicultural society increases demand for foods from around the world (e.g. spices, yams, mangoes); consumers expect seasonal foods all year, supplied by supermarkets' global supply chains; rising incomes over time let people buy high-value and exotic foods; growing demand for organic produce because of concerns about health, pesticides, the environment and animal welfare; growth of vegetarian, vegan and plant-based diets; demand for convenience foods and ready meals with busy lifestyles; concern about food miles and climate change increases demand for local and seasonal food; cost-of-living pressures (food prices rose by about 19% in the year to March 2023) push some people towards cheaper food and discount supermarkets; TV chefs, travel and social media spread new tastes.

Question 4

6 marks

Explain the environmental impacts of the trend towards agribusiness in the UK.

Model answer

The trend towards agribusiness has had many negative environmental impacts. To create larger fields for big machinery, many farmers removed hedgerows, which destroyed habitats for birds, insects and small mammals and left soil exposed to erosion by wind and rain. Growing a single crop over large areas also reduces biodiversity.

Agribusiness relies on large amounts of artificial fertilisers and pesticides. When fertilisers wash into rivers they cause eutrophication: algae grow rapidly, use up oxygen and kill fish. Pesticides can harm bees and other pollinators. Intensive livestock farming produces huge amounts of manure; for example, pollution in the River Wye has been linked to the large number of intensive poultry units in its catchment. Heavy machinery compacts the soil, and agribusiness uses a lot of energy - for example, the Thanet Earth greenhouses are heated using natural gas, a fossil fuel - which adds to greenhouse gas emissions.

However, there can be some environmental benefits. Higher yields mean less land is needed to grow the same amount of food, and modern agribusinesses can be efficient: Thanet Earth recycles carbon dioxide from its power plant into the greenhouses and collects rainwater, and growing salad in the UK all year reduces the need for imports.

Explanation

Explain how each practice causes an impact, e.g. fertiliser run-off → eutrophication → fish deaths. Specific examples such as the River Wye or Thanet Earth give the detail needed for Level 3. Recognising that agribusiness can also have positive effects (higher yields, efficient technology) shows balanced understanding.

Mark scheme

6 marks
Levels of response (6 marks).
Level 3 (5-6 marks): detailed, well-developed explanation of a range of environmental impacts of agribusiness, with clear links between farming practices and their effects; uses specific examples; may recognise positive as well as negative impacts.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): clear explanation of some environmental impacts, with some linked points; some use of examples.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): basic explanation; simple, unlinked statements; generic.
0 marks: nothing worthy of credit.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): negative - hedgerows removed to create larger fields for machinery, destroying habitats for birds, insects and small mammals and increasing soil erosion by wind and water; monoculture reduces biodiversity; heavy use of artificial fertilisers - run-off into rivers causes eutrophication (algal blooms, oxygen loss, fish deaths); pesticides harm pollinators such as bees and other wildlife; intensive livestock units produce large amounts of manure that can pollute rivers (e.g. phosphate pollution in the River Wye linked to intensive poultry farming); soil compaction and loss of organic matter from heavy machinery; drainage of wetlands; high energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (machinery, fertiliser production, heated greenhouses such as Thanet Earth using natural gas); greenhouses and large sheds change the landscape and cause light pollution; building on greenfield farmland. Positive - higher yields mean less land is needed to produce the same food; efficient technology (precision farming, CHP, rainwater harvesting, recycling CO₂ at Thanet Earth) can reduce waste; year-round UK production reduces imports and food miles; biological pest control in greenhouses.

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