!! Geography HL 2015 - predictions, guesses and discussion ...

RoRo979 wrote: »

you dont need mezzogiorno and france, only one is needed, mezzogiorno is easiest and north ital is the core region. Continental/sub is very likely for a sketch map this year

That isn't true, Last year a question came up "Examine the importance of relief to the economic development of any TWO contrasting regions(not in Ireland) that you have studied.

You would be taken a massive gamble if you didn't no the Mezzogiorno and the Paris basin

Just incase it asks for positives and negatives... I've studied the Amazon Rainforest but can't think of any positives. Can anyone help me out with a few points, even if it's not specifically for the rainforest?

Why does my Teacher look for 10 srps at 3 marks each and I'm doing higher level?

spurious wrote: »

Possibly they have no experience correcting?
10x3 would give a higher mark than you would actually get in the real thing.

Perhaps they have some other reason - have you asked them?

I have but he just denies it, and he has claimed to be correcting in the summer, I don't know if he's around school cos we are finished. I'm very worried because of how he's marked them.

Seeing as migration is a big thing at the minute, do you think EU migration policy might make its first appearance on the Leaving Cert?

RoRo979 wrote: »

you dont need mezzogiorno and france, only one is needed, mezzogiorno is easiest and north ital is the core region. Continental/sub is very likely for a sketch map this year

Not true, you can be asked to compare and contrast two European regions
And
You can be asked questions on a peripheral European region

LeeLee97 wrote: »

Seeing as migration is a big thing at the minute, do you think EU migration policy might make its first appearance on the Leaving Cert?

EU migration policy imo is unbelieveably unlikely, The most they differed from : EU policy impact itreland" is "Eu policy imapcting regional development". Know CRP and CAP and your , this is for economic section

RoRo979 wrote: »

really..... i feel like im having DeJa Vu, please read my comment which i already posted regarding this

I didn't see it. Get over yourself blue you're not some big deal

Geography Higher Level

S.Q -
O.S Grid ref.
Interpret graph or chart

Geography Higher Level

Physical
O.S Map sketch
River Landforms
Rock Types
Limestone Formation
Human Activity with rock cycle
Isostatic processes
Earthquakes

Regional
Ireland Ireland and EU, Industry in Ireland, Primary activities
Subcontinental Culture, Sketch, Urban growth, Agriculture
European Industry, Agriculture, Tourism

Human
Overpopulation
Migration
Land Use and development
Historic Settlement O.S map

Elective - Geoecology
Characteristics of a named Biome


Just my own research of trends and past papers

EoinC301 wrote: »

Geography Higher Level

S.Q -
O.S Grid ref.
Interpret graph or chart

Geography Higher Level

Physical
O.S Map sketch
River Landforms
Rock Types
Limestone Formation
Human Activity with rock cycle
Isostatic processes
Earthquakes

Regional
Ireland Ireland and EU, Industry in Ireland, Primary activities
Subcontinental Culture, Sketch, Urban growth, Agriculture
European Industry, Agriculture, Tourism

Human
Overpopulation
Migration
Land Use and development
Historic Settlement O.S map

Elective - Geoecology
Characteristics of a named Biome


Just my own research of trends and past papers

I predict sub continental tertiary as it has not come up in six years.

nathan99 wrote: »

I predict sub continental tertiary as it has not come up in six years.

I don't know how I didn't spot that thank you! Do u think they would ask 1 like previous year or would they ask for 2?

jane_ohara wrote: »

Ok so I'm doing the hot desert biome with reference to the Thar Desert/Sahara Desert. I have answers for biome characteristics and influence of climate on vegetation and soils, but I really need an answer for human interaction in the biome. The only answers I can find are for the tropical rainforest.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE someone help me!!!

This is the essay i'm learning! I think my teacher teaches Geography a little differently to some other teachers. For each 30m and 80m she gives us each actual srp, and expects us to learn them off my heart like essays. Whether I have notice other teachers tend to give students the relevant info and then you mould your own answer based on this!

I think she tends to give us surplus information sometime because it leaves us some leeway to forget things!

This is our geoecology essay for hot desert biome anyway... Hope this helps!

NOTE: Where i have 'INTRO', 'ASPECT 1' etc. You're not meant to put them in its just to give you a sense of the structure! Also, the line breaks between each SRP I would leave out in the actual exam and write it in essay format.. I just find it easier to learn this way.

INTRO: A biome is a major world region that is characterized by similarities in climate, soils, flora and fauna. All of these aspects of a biome are interrelated. The biome I have studied is the desert biome, with particular reference to the North American Deserts.
The N. American Desert consist of four distinct regions; Chihuahuan Desert, Sonoran Desert, Mojave Desert, and the Great Basin Desert. The first 3 I have mentioned are hot deserts, while the Great Basin Desert is considered to be a 'cold' desert due to being at a higher latitude and altitude.

ASPECT 1: A key characteristic of a hot desert biome is climate, especially rainfall and temperature.
In hot desert regions rain fall is usually low and unpredictable. It tends to come in short bursts after long rainless periods. When rain falls, rapid run-off occurs.
Evaporation rates regularly exceed rainfall rates. Sometime when rain starts falling it evaporates before even reaching the ground. This low level of infiltration and high level of evaporation minimises vegetation growth.
Rainfall in desert regions is usually seasonal. The 3 hot deserts receive either Summer or Winter precipitation, with an annual rainfall varying from 150mm - 300mm.
The cold desert region gets approx. 300mm of precipitation a year with winter precipitation taking the form of snow.
Temperatures are very extreme, the annual range being 30 - 40 degree Celcius. The diurnal range is often greater, leading to the description that ''night time is the winter of the desert''.
Daytime temperatures are high, often reaching 45 degrees C. This is due to low latitude (15 - 30 degrees N). The sun's rays as a result shine from almost directly overhead, and have less ground to cover. This means they are more concentrated and so give more heat.
Due to the lack of clouds and the absence of vegetation, very little heat is lost and most is absorbed by the bare rock or stony surface.
In contrast, night-time temperatures are much lower, often falling below freezing point in Winter. The heat which has built up during the day is quickly last at night as there is no cloud cover to retain it.

ASPECT 2: Soil structure and formation; The dominant soil types in hot deserts are aridisols, and they are greatly influenced by climate conditions.
Aridisols can range from sandy and fine textured to coarse. These soils are weathered and eroded, and washing down from mountain areas during occasional downpours over thousands of years.
Coarse textured soils are found on the lower slopes of mountains and due to their coarse texture are well drained.
Fine soils have been washed into lowland areas giving a very deep soil cover. If winds are very strong, the fine particles get blown elsewhere leaving coarser particle behind.
Aridisols tend to be poorly developed as the lo levels of rainfall mean there is little chemical weathering.
Although they have a high mineral content, they have little organic matter due to spare vegetation cover.
This in turn limits the soil building properties of micro organisms that convert organice matter into humus. As a result aridisols have very poorly developed horizons, and may not have an identifiable 'A' horizon. These soils tend to be light grey in colour.
Aridisols often have abundant nutrients, and need only water to become productive. This is evident in the rapid growth of some plant after a short, intense spell of rainfall.
However as the soils have so little organic matter, they are unable to return all the moisture that falls on them due to evaporation.

ASPECT 3: Flora; Deserts are characterized by having sparse vegetation. The vegetation has had to adapt to extreme of both heat and drought. It has done this in a number of ways.
Soil moisture often supports plant growth for just a short period. Fast growing plants (ephemerals) complete their lifecycle in just 3 weeks.
These plants have seeds that can germinate, develop to maturity, flower and produce a new crop of seeds all within a few weeks.
The old plants die, while the new seeds lie dormant. The seeds have a waxy coating to protect them until the next rains come, often several years later. These plants inclue the desert dandelion and the creosote bush.
Some plants are succulent, meaning they are able to absorb and store water during periods of rainfall. They store water in different parts, including roots, spines and stems.
The plant swells up upon absorption of water, and shrink once water has been lost via transpiration. These plants include the cactus, and the best known member of the Yucca family, the Joshua Tree, which can grow up to 15m tall.
Many plants have large radial root systems that spread outwards from the plant. This allows the plant to plant to absorb as much water as possible following rainfall. Many members of the Cacti family have such root systems.
Other plants have tap roots, which grow deep underground. An example of such a plant is the Mesquite, who's roots can extend up to 30m deep.
Some plants also have a defensive system that prevents them from attack by animals. The Creosote bush relies on it's unpleasant smell and taste for protection.

kelly8249 wrote: »

This the 30m i'm learning, if you want a reference point!

-Most earthquakes occur at destructive plate boundaries where two plates collide. They are especially common at subduction zones where convection currents in the mantle cause heavy oceanic plates to slide under the lighter continental plates.
-This subduction is not smooth. As an oceanic plate sinks it may become jammed against the continental plate. But convection currents will continue to try and force the oceanic plate downwards.
-This will cause the jammed rocks to bend under stress. This will result in a build up of stored energy in the bent rocks.
-Eventually the stress becomes so great that the jammed plates will jolt forward suddenly and the bent rock will snap along a fault line.
-Where this happens the stored energy is released suddenly and seismic waves radiate outwards in all directions.
-When the seismic wave reach the crust surface, they cause it to tremble violently in what we call an earthquake.
-In March 2011 Japan suffered its worst ever earthquake. The quake measured 8.9 on the Richter scale and its epicentre was 130 kilometres off Japan's East coast.
-Japan is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire near a subduction zone where the Pacific Plate sinks underneath the Eurasian plate.
-As the Pacific plate is pushed downwards the edge of the Eurasian plate was also dragged down due to friction.
-This caused tension to build up slowly until the Earth's crust snapped and when it snapped the edge of the Eurasion plate jerked upwards.
-When the edge of the Eurasian plate jolted upwards on the seabed, it displaced a huge amount of water that caused a tsunami to radiate outwards towards the Japanese coast, at very fast speed, rising to height of 10m.
-Earthquake also occur at conservative plate boundaries where plates slide past one another. Again, the moving plate becomes jammed and stored energy is build up.
-Upon release of this energy, the jammed rock snap along a fault, such as along the San Andreas Fault.
-Earthquakes can occur at constructive plate boundaries where separation causes rocks to slip along fault line and fissures, causing tremours.
-Such tremours are common beneath the Mid-Atlantic where the American Plate separates from the Eurasian and African plate.


What's everyon's opinion on this 30m? What marks would you give it?

15 points there, + diagram + sometime 2srps = 13 points needed.

i personally believe some of your points you have seperated but really can be wrote as one.e.g
-Earthquake also occur at conservative plate boundaries where plates slide past one another. Again, the moving plate becomes jammed and stored energy is build up.
-Upon release of this energy, the jammed rock snap along a fault, such as along the San Andreas Fault.

-Earthquakes also occur at conservative plat boundaries where plates slide past each other. The plates become jammed and eventually the plates slip along a fault line e.g San andreas Fault.

I believe in this talking about energy again will not yield an extra srp as already discussed, Talking about P and S waves ( shear and compression i believe) may get an extra 2 srps but also going slighly off topic so wouldnt hang around them too much. I amnt much help as i amnt going near plate tectonics, too much to know for 1 essay so id wait till a better user replies

papaoutai wrote: »

Anyone that has opted for human interdependence as your 80 marker, would you have any pointers on what to prepare please?

I have covered;
-Aid/ Fair trade (positive and negative impacts on developing economies)
-Interdependence>impact of economic activities (impact=global warming, pollution)
-Sustainability (positives and negatives, renewable energy)

Any help would be much appreciated, thanks ðŸ˜႒

I also did views of development but i doubt it will come up again, oh well.

KA97 wrote: »

I'm kinda stuck here, help would be appreciated. Should i just learn off each chapter in geography or should i be writing out essays for specific questions so that i'm ready for the question?

Well the way I'm doing it is I have 30m/80m essays for each possible question, and i learn the key points in each srp. And some of the information can be transferred to different essays etc.

But it's a personal preference, because I'm right down to the last minute in the exam. So for me it would take up too much time to form an essay around information I have in my head, rather than have the essay for each question pre-prepared!

With the tertiary activities , lets say on paris basin, and they ask for one activity can you discuss tourism under the headings of attractions and its accessibility or can you not talk about accessibility because transport is also a tertiary activity? My teacher said you can still talk about accessibility but i just want to be sure!

iago1 wrote: »

Does anyone have any good geography notes? Do ye know any good sites? Our teacher has been gone on maternity for since Christmas and we've been left with this student teacher😭 it's great that she's getting work but she's useless!! Please anything will do!!

if you have eircom broadband you can get their studyhub video lessons free. Good geography teacher.
If you havent got eircom you can pay for the same videos on examsupport.ie

Just wondering how many marks you would give this essay on HARP? Did it under timed conditions but not sure if my points would be considered SRPS :rolleyes: Feel free to use it if it's any use!


HARP- AN EXAMPLE OF CO-OPERATION..:

The HARP (Historic Area Regeneration Programme) project was implemented in Dublin in 1996 in order to facilitate greater community involvement in government redevelopment plans, whilst preserving heritage.

110 hectares of Dublin were involved in the scheme which stretched from O’Connell Street to Collin’s Barracks.

These areas suffered vast unemployment, social problems and lack of opportunities. This was due to the migration it experienced from 1940-1985 as businesses relocated to the suburbs.

The population fell from 40,000 to a mere 6,000 people. Many problems ensued including lack of facilities such as proper schools and community services. The people living there were socially and economically disadvantaged.

200 hectares of the inner city were completely derelict, unsightly and hazardous.

25 zones were given special tax designation status, in order to attract companies to set up there, thus flourishing the economy.

Dublin City Council recognised the importance of historical sites and so community representatives along with An Taisce, who work for the environment and FáS, who develop adult education services, worked alongside the local government.

As part of the programme, Dublin underwent urban renewal and redevelopment. Smithfield market was redeveloped into a residential area of 400 apartments aswell as business areas.

The old Jameson Distillery has been redeveloped into Smithfield Village, an important cultural, residential and economic quarter.

The Luas connects Collins Barracks, an old military barracks, to the city centre. It has been redeveloped into a museum as part of the National Museum of Ireland and is important in attracting tourists to the area.

A 4 million euro community resource centre was built to encourage social development of the elderly. Local clubs meet there and there is also a creche for young kids.

In order to avoid social stratification, a mixture of housing has been built in Dublin City Centre. Social stratification is the idea that certain socio-economic groups live together and avoid others. Both full time and rented housing have been made available.

The project has been a success as there is a revitalised community spirit. 4 local parks have also been built providing a recreational function. Everyone has had their say. This is an example of co-operation between residents and local government.

The government now realises the vital role heritage plays in shaping communities and thus has decided to allocate 200 million euro to the preservation of heritage as part of its current National Development Plan which will run until 2016.

Anybody have a sample question on 'how biomes have been altered by human activities.'????