How to prepare HKDSE GEOGRAPHY examination?

1. How to prepare HKDSE GEOGRAPHY examination?

2. I. HKDSE examination 40MC 5MC: map reading 4 -> 1 4 -> 1 4 -> 2 Questions from 2 different elective topics!!! 3 -> 1

3. II. Focus of each topic

4. 7 Compulsory Topics(Paper I: 4DBQ, 2 essays) 1. Opportunities & Risks 2. River & Coastal Management 3. Industry 3. Global Warming 5. Disappearing Green Canopy 6. Farming 7. City

5. Opportunities & Risks 1. Landform features: ridge, trench, fold mountains (characteristics & formation: annotated diagrams) 2. Hazards: volcanic eruption (2005), earthquakes (2005, 2009), tsunami (2007) • why & how? (Annotated diagram: labels only) • Variation in damages between MDCs & LDCs • Variation in solutions between MDCs & LDCs • Reasons for staying in hazard prone areas 3. Intraplate vulcanicity / earthquakes - Hawaii

6. River & Coastal Management • 1. Map Reading Skills (Case: Tung Chung River) • a) types of drainage pattern basin (radial, dendritic) • b) draw watershed (along ridge & spur) • c) stream order (1st order, 2nd order…..) • d) draw the river profile (2007) • e) delimit the 3 courses from the river profile • f) draw cross section of river courses • - upper course: deep narrow V shaped valley, middle course: wider V shaped valley; lower course: wide U shaped valley)

7. g) identify characteristics of upper and lower course from map

8. h) identify fluvial landforms on map • Meanders: winding course (S-shaped) • Waterfall: overlap contour lines • Gorge: narrow valley • Flood plain: lowland adjacent to river in lower course • Levees: river banks in lower course • Interlocking spur: surrounded by alternate spurs

9. i) Vertical exaggeration: (time) • vertical scale / horizontal scale • j) Relation between area & scale: • Enlarged scale x times -> area enlarges x2 times • (Scale enlarged 2 times from 1:200,000 -> 1:100,000 => area enlarges 4 times) • Reduced scale x times -> area reduces 1/ x2 times 1cm to 2000m 1cm to 1000m

10. 1. Map Reading Skills (coast) • a) Name coastal erosional (sea cliff (map symbol)/ geo / wave cut platform and depositional features (beach / tombolo / spit / bar ) • b) Reasons for coastal erosional and depositional features (exposed headland Vs sheltered bay; fetch, depth of sea – check submarine contour lines) • c) human modification along the coast • e.g. reclamation – white reclaimed land • E.g. breakwater / typhoon shelter / pier

11. River & coastal management • 1. River • - What are the fluvial characteristics at each river course (especially gradient and mean velocity)? • - How do human development (e.g. reservoirs / dams) affect the fluvial processes (erosion / transportation / deposition)? • - Why do lots of development (residential / agricultural / commercial) focus along lower course of river? • - How to interpret flooding from hydrograph? • - How does urbanization speed up hydrograph?

12. 2. Hard and soft approach to manage river and coast • How does each approach work? • Which one is more effective / ineffective? • What’s the impact of such approach? • What’s the sustainable river and coastal management?

13. Industry • 1. Iron & steel industry in China (2005, 2007) • a) How does technology & government (institutional factors) affect the location of Iron & steel industry at different stages? • b) Why does more iron and steel industry relocate to suburbs of urban areas lately? • 2. IT industry (2006, 2007, 2009) • a)What are the locational characteristics of IT industry in Silicon Valley and Hong Kong? • b) Why does IT industry set up headquarters in MDCs & TNCs in LDCs? (relocation of industry in HK to S. China) • c)What are the impacts of multi-point production to MDCs / LDCs? • d)Compare and contrast the characteristics of IT industry and iron and steel industry

14. Global Warming • 1. Source (2005, 2007) • Combustion from factories, vehicles, power stations • 2. Fact? Fiction? (NEW!!!) • 3. Impact (2005, 2007) • Impact to farming (2008) • Case: heat waves in Europe / Tuvalu (2009) • 4. Solution: • Individual Vs Governmental Vs International • 4. Difficulties • Presentation: Why did USA refuse to join Kyoto Protocol? • Dilemma: $ (short term) Vs environmental conservation (long term)

15. Disappearing Green Canopy • 1. How does TRF function as an ecosystem? • 2. How does the vegetation in TRF adapt to the climatic conditions in TRF? (roots / leaves / layers) • 3. How do human activities lead to the disappearance of TRF? • 4) Why do TRF governments support such act? • 5) How does deforestation affect the energy flow & nutrient cycling of TRF ecosystem? • 6) How to have a sustainable forest management

16. Farming • 1. Cases (California & Sahel) • a) How does climate create constraints & opportunities to farmers? (2008) • b) Why can’t LDCs change farming constraints into opportunities? • c) Adv & disadv of different farming technology (2005-2007) • d) Why can’t sustainable farming be applied in LDCs? • e) Why does famine happen in 3rd world countries but NOT in MDCs? • f) Is famine man-made / natural? (2006) • g) How to help starving people? • Poverty reduction / self help scheme / intellectual aid / food aid (2005)

17. City • 1. Why land use conflict? • A. Rural land use conflict • - Population growth -> urbanization -> limited land in urban areas -> urban encroachment in rural areas -> land use changes (more residential, less agricultural land, more transport, more commercial) • Evidence: aerial photo, photo, map • B. Urban land use conflict • Urban decay -> urban renewal • Limited developable land -> reclamation / new project • 2. Solution • Urban renewal (2005, 2007) • New town (2007) • Sustainable development

18. Draw SKETCH MAP to show major land use: (2006) 1. fold the map or highlight the related grid squares 2. Check the scale: same scale? new scale? • Same scale = original / same size • Reduction of scale: reduce the scale by half -> area will be reduced by ¼ times 3. Draw the frame 4. Add grid squares, dominant feature (e.g. coastline, Kai Tak runway) 5. Draw dominant land use only (e.g. transport, built-up areas) 6. Ignore minor features (e.g. park, post office) 7. Add a key 8. Add title, scale

19. Elective Topics Climate (factors affecting temperature: compulsory topic) 2. Dynamic Earth

20. Climate • 1. Why do places have different rainfall? (2007) • a) air movement • 0o (equator / TRF) -> rising air = convection rain • 60o -> rising air -> frontal rain • 30o (desert) & 90o = sinking air = stable weather • b) windward Vs leeward • Windward (relief rain) Vs leeward (rain shadow region) • c) Wind • Onshore: (wet) Vs offshore (dry) • D) Distance from the sea (Urumqi Vs HK) • Continental climate (drier) Vs Maritime climate (wetter)

21. 2. Why do places have different temperature? = elective topics (MC) (07,08) (annual mean ToC, annual / diurnal ToC range) • A) Distance from the sea (East-West Variation) • Continental climate (large annual Temperature range) Vs Maritime climate (small annual temp. range) • b) altitude (e.g. Qing Zang Gaoyuan) • Highland (cold: Environmental lapse rate -> lower annual mean temperature)Vs lowland (warmer)

22. c) latitude (2006) (North-South Variation) • High latitude (polar climate -> lower annual mean temperature) Vs low latitude (Equatorial climate: large angle of solar incidence) • d) urban & rural difference • Urban: warmer = heat island effect), smaller diurnal range of temperature • Rural: cooler, larger dirunal range of temperature • e) clear sky Vs cloudy sky • Clear sky (desert) -> larger diurnal temperature range • cloudy sky (TRF) -> smaller diurnal temperature range

23. 3. Does climate vary over a place? • A) shifting of wind belt (2009) • Wind belt shifts northward in summer & shifts southward in winter -> places receive onshore wind may receive offshore wind (vice versa) • B) Human activities (2005) • - improper farming activities: over-stocking in Sahel -> less condensation nuclei -> drier • - industrialization & urbanization -> power station / cars / factories -> more greenhouse gases in urban areas -> hotter (heat island effect & global warming)

24. 4. Relationship between climate & man • a) climate affect human activities? (2005) • Favourable climate -> settlement / economic development • Unfavourable -> less economic development • Unless with technology to overcome the constraints into opportunities (California • b) human activities affect climate • global warming • Heat island effect

25. 5. Climate of HK (sub-tropical monsoon climate) • a) Summer: • i) SW onshore monsoon (hot & wet) • ii) Typhoon (weather changes at vortex & eye) • iii) Trough (LP -> rain) • Result: flooding, rainstorm • B) Winter: • i)NE / NW winter offshore monsoon (cold & dry) • ii) Front (frontal rain, cold surge) • iii) Anticyclone (cold surge, sunny) • iv) Ridge (HP = sunny)

26. 6. Climate of China • A) Annual mean temperature • - decreases with increasing latitude = North-South Variation (Factor: latitude) • - decreases towards inland = East-West Variation (Qing Zang Gaoyuan) • B) Annual temperature range • - increases towards inland (Continental Vs Maritime) • C) July (summer mean temperature): NW > E • inland absorbs heat faster = continental climate • D) Jan (winter mean temperature): W < E • - inland loses heat faster = continental climate

27. 7. Climate of China • A) Annual Precipitation: (maritime Vs continental) • Rainfall decreases from SE (humid regions) to NW (arid regions) • B) Rainfall distribution (hot summer dry winter) • i) summer: E > W (Coast: SW / SE onshore wind + maritime climate) • ii) winter: E > W (inland = HP = outblowing offshore wind + continental climate)

28. 8. Climatic Hazards • A. Drought (demand of water >>> supply of water) • Drought (Human >>>> Physical)

29. 8. Climatic Hazards • B. Sandstorm (Physical?? Human??)

30. DYNAMIC EARTH • 1. Formation and characteristics of rocks (especially granite & tuff) • 2. compare and contrast igneous / sedimentary / metamorphic rocks • 3. How rock cycle works?

31. 4. Role of water / runoff & vegetation in slope stability (refer to HKAL essay) • Water is essential in weathering -> thick regolith • Water erosion = runoff • Water = lubricant, lower soil cohesion -> landslide • Steep slope -> gentle slope • 5. Role of vegetation in affecting slope stability. (refer to HKAL essay) • Vegetation = stress: widen cracks (biological weathering -> denudation • Vegetation = strength (roots hold the soil)

32. 6. Role of granite (geology) in shaping the landscape of HK • Granite: well jointed rock -> less resistant • Cracks allow penetration of water -> denudation • Physical weathering: block disintegration (Shek O) • Chemical weathering: honeycomb weathering, spheroidal weathering, tors, weathered profile • Water erosion: gullies (Castle Peak) • Mass wasting: on granite slopes

33. 7. Role of man in shaping the landscape of HK • A) Rapid population growth -> demand of land for residential, transport, residential …… land use • Coast: Reclamation • slope: cutting / deforestation • B) Tame river: River training work

34. III. Examination Techniques

35. 1. Select suitable question • a) 1st round: Look through all questions write down the focus for each question. (Q2:city, Q3:energy). Don’t look at the details yet. (1minute) • b) 2nd round: look through the questions you have studied / have confidence. • c) Ignore the question you are NOT familiar

36. d) Make remarks for each sub-question (e.g. tick, cross). Add up the total marks that you know for the question. • e) Finalize the questions (attempt the question if you know more than 80%) • f) Suggestion: Select all questions at the beginning. Don’t change your mind after decision has been made • g) Think carefully before you answer. Don’t cross out the answer after you have completed most of it

37. 2. Spend the time wisely • A) Read & find the focus of each question (3 mins) • B) Study the question (3 mins) • C) Answer the questions (25 mins / Q)

38. 3. Sequence of questions • Suggestion 1 • Answer the questions which you are unfamiliar first as your minds are clearer • Answer your best question at the end • Suggestion 2 • Answer the familiar question to gain confidence

39. How to have better structure?

40. Introduction • Be precise (< 5 lines) • show standpoint (if any) • NO definition is needed 2. Write Heading • Marks will NOT be deducted if you write heading • Heading helps the marker to know which part you are answering & give marks accordingly

41. 3. Clear structure • never in lengthy paragraphs • 1 major argument / factor per paragraph • Small paragraphs per page • Write clear topic sentence (pattern) at the beginning 4. Use keywords (You are NOT writing a composition, must have geographical keywords / concepts!!)

42. Revision before HKDSE

43. 1. Do the un-attempted questions in MOCK • 2. Revision all tests / examination • 3. Glance through the HKAL presentation (Get the focus of each question) • 4. Study the format of structured questions in each topic. • 5. Study topic summary / chapter keywords • 6. Study the focus of each topic (this handout) • 7. Choose topics to study (NOT encouraged until the last moment) • 8. Highlight data / examples when you do revision (in notes or use a separate sheet to record them)

44. 1-2 days before the examination • 1. Revise map reading • 2. Revise area of interest • 3. Revise test / examination • 4. Study topic summary • 5. Study structured question format

45. Examination day • 1. Sleep well the night before • 2. Look at topic summary / keywords / format • 3. Look at your record of examples / data • 4. Have a good breakfast • 4. Bring a clock / watch for better time management • 5. Bring stationery for map reading • - a long ruler, calculator, a thread, colour pencils, protractor • 6. Break: relax, revise map reading skills