Challenges of A Level Geography: Development

Following on from our A-Level Geography Tips and Tricks post, today we’re going to examine development. Development is an integral part of A-Level Geography and is common to all of the syllabi. Each A-Level syllabus has its own take on development; Edexcel’s is notable because they ask evaluative questions based on provided case study information. We’ll evaluate two responses below.

“The creation of Special Economic Zones produces winners and losers. Using Figure 7, evaluate the view that the government’s decision to extend the Special Economic Zone will be good for all the people of Manaus and Amazonas. (16 marks)”

Weaker A-Level Geography: Development response

The following is a sample extract of an A-Level Geography student’s answer to this question.

The Special Economic Zone (SEZ) could, however, have seriously bad consequences for some of the local people who live in the forest. Native tribespeople may find that their land is encroached on and they are unable to continue to live their traditional way of life. This would mean that not everyone is affected positively by the SEZ and nullify the statement. Many are getting sick in the growing slums and the rate of STDs is high. There is also a lot of racism. The habitat loss caused by increasing urbanisation, industrialisation and polluting waste will also endanger virgin rainforest that protects biodiversity in the Amazon.

Why is this response considered weak for A-Level Geography?

Where this response slips up:

While identifying some key arguments and using evaluative language, the response fails to use any specific details or case study knowledge to back up its point.
The paragraph lacks a substantive theme; it jumps between the local people and the environment without a clear, common thread.
The response lacks key terminology and fails to use the information in Figure 7.

Improved A-Level Geography: Development response

Now consider this alternative response (key terminology and figure 7’s use is bolded, while case study knowledge underlined):

There are, however, concerns about the impacts of the Special Economic Zone, particularly with regards to indigenous people and the environment. Firstly, indigenous people are moving to the rapidly urbanising area of Manaus, leaving their traditional ways of life and commodifying them for US$5/head, which could be considered exploitative. The living conditions for many of the poorer and indigenous communities in Manaus are also insufficient. In fact, only 17% of the homes in Manaus are connected to the sewage systems and the STD rates are rising rapidly, reaching an AIDS rate of 15.7/100,000 in 2004. This urbanisation is also encroaching on the rainforest, the largest in the world, as 98% of Amazonas was originally virgin rainforest. Across Brazil, this is now being lost at a rate of 11,000sqkm/year as of 2019/20. This is unsustainable and will impact the long term economic growth of Amazonas as well. Overall, these concerns around the stakeholders of the indigenous people, urban poor and the wider environment negatively impacted by the SEZs growth, suggest that the extension of the SEZ was not for the good of all the people of Amazonas and Manaus.

Why is this Development response stronger?

How this response succeeds:

Aside from being longer, this answer synthesizes the Figure with case study knowledge, key terminology, and evaluative language.
There is a clear argument through the paragraph, established in the point and restated in the link back to the question at the end.
This paragraph decided to focus on just indigenous people and the environment, skirting racism. This is not because it isn’t a valid point or to suggest it couldn’t be discussed elsewhere, but answers should remain focused and consider how best to break up paragraphs and arguments.

Overall, A-Level Geography development questions are not easy, and they require a deft balancing and synthesis of all the elements you’ve studied across the course. Still, by carefully reading and analysing the figure and cross-referencing with your case-study knowledge, you can develop your answer and complete these questions to a high level. The key is to use the figure explicitly in your answer. If you don’t do that, you’re greatly limiting the number of marks you can pick up. So in your next exam question, use these tips and see what a difference it makes!

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