LC Geography common mistakes
LC Geography · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Writing the Geographical Investigation report as a narrative of what the class did ('we went to the river, we measured the width') instead of stating the aim, hypotheses, methodology, results, analysis and conclusion as separate labelled sections, so the examiner cannot award the report-structure marks.
Candidates treat the investigation as a school trip diary because that is how the fieldwork felt, and they have often only practised the data collection, never the write-up format. Marks for aim, hypotheses and conclusion are lost before any geography is assessed.
What to do instead
Before writing, draft a skeleton with the required headings (Title, Aim, Hypotheses, Location and justification, Methodology including sampling strategy and equipment, Results with graphs/maps, Analysis, Conclusion, Evaluation). Check each heading has at least a paragraph. Practise one full timed write-up under exam conditions using your own data so the structure becomes automatic.
Presenting fieldwork results as raw tables of numbers with no processing, so the analysis section contains no statistical or graphical technique and the conclusion is unsupported assertion.
Candidates fear statistics and default to describing numbers in prose, forgetting that the marking scheme rewards appropriate data presentation and analysis techniques (e.g. a scatter graph, cross-section, transect, Spearman rank correlation, mean and range).
What to do instead
For each hypothesis, name the technique you will use and why it suits the data (e.g. scatter graph for two variables, cross-section for channel shape, Spearman rank for a relationship). Learn to calculate one or two statistics by hand, show the working, and state what the result means for the hypothesis rather than just quoting the number.
Describing a landform or process without naming and explaining the mechanism, e.g. 'the river erodes the outside of the bend so a cliff forms' with no reference to hydraulic action, abrasion, helicoidal flow, or the resulting undercutting and collapse.
Candidates memorise landform names and labels but skip the process vocabulary because it feels like extra detail; they also confuse processes that operate at different scales (weathering vs erosion, deposition vs transportation).
What to do instead
Build a one-page process glossary per topic and practise 'explain' answers that chain process to form: process name, how it works, where it operates, resulting feature, and evidence you would see in the field. For every landform you learn, write a five-step causal chain from process to shape.
Using regional geography as a list of facts about a region ('Brazil has a large population and rainforest') without linking physical, economic and social characteristics to each other or to the concept of regional identity and change over time.
Regional questions invite description, and candidates answer with disconnected facts because they have learned regions as inventories rather than as interacting systems. They also ignore the sub-questions asking about change, contrast or the region's role in a wider area.
What to do instead
For each studied region, prepare a concept map linking physical environment, population, settlement, economic activity and one named change (e.g. migration, industrial development, tourism). Practise answers that use the phrase 'this leads to' between facts, and always address the 'change' or 'contrast' wording in the question.
Answering an economic activity question about a named region or country without naming any actual place, industry, or case study, instead writing generic statements like 'industries locate near transport and labour'.
Candidates learn location factors abstractly and hope generic factors will satisfy the question; they run out of time to recall specific examples or have not prepared case studies for the elective.
What to do instead
Prepare two contrasting named case studies (e.g. one footloose high-technology or service industry and one heavy industry or agri-business) with location, inputs, processes, outputs, employment structure and one recent change. Learn five specific facts per case study (a place name, a figure, a date, a policy) and use them in every practice answer.
Describing population or settlement patterns without using the correct measures or models, e.g. confusing natural increase with growth rate, or describing a settlement hierarchy without referring to threshold population, range and sphere of influence.
The terminology is similar-sounding and candidates revise definitions passively rather than applying them to data; they also sketch models from memory without explaining what the model shows or its limitations.
What to do instead
Make a definitions table for each measure (birth rate, death rate, natural increase, migration rate, dependency ratio, threshold, range) with a worked example calculation. For each model (population pyramid types, settlement hierarchy, land-use zones) write two sentences: what it shows and one limitation. Practise interpreting a pyramid or hierarchy diagram rather than drawing one.
Treating Global Interdependence questions as pure opinion, writing 'globalisation is good because we get cheap goods' with no reference to trade flows, multinational companies, aid, debt, or the differing impacts on developed and developing countries.
The topic feels current-affairs-like and candidates rely on general knowledge; they also merge related but distinct concepts (aid, trade, debt, investment) and fail to give balanced impacts.
What to do instead
Learn a small set of precise concepts with examples: terms of trade, tariff and quota, FDI, remittances, tied aid, HIPC debt relief, fair trade. For each, write one named example with a country and a figure. Structure answers as 'benefits for X / costs for X / benefits for Y / costs for Y' before any judgement.
Ignoring the command word and mark allocation, e.g. writing two sentences for an 'explain in detail' question worth 12 marks, or writing an essay where the question asked to 'identify' or 'state'.
Under time pressure candidates write what they know rather than what is asked, and they do not translate the mark tariff into the expected number of developed points (roughly one developed point per mark in structured questions).
What to do instead
Before writing, underline the command word and write the mark total beside it. Plan the number of points: for a 12-mark question aim for at least six developed points with named examples. Practise timing: 2-3 minutes of planning per long question, then a point per mark.
Drawing sketch maps and diagrams that are unlabelled or unscaled, so they earn no marks: a sketch of a meander with no direction of flow, no labels of erosion and deposition, or a map with no title, key, north arrow or scale.
Candidates see diagrams as decoration and copy shapes from textbooks without the conventions that make them creditworthy; they also run out of time and leave diagrams unlabelled.
What to do instead
Use a fixed checklist for every diagram: title, labels with brief explanatory notes, direction of flow or north arrow, and scale or stated vertical exaggeration where relevant. Practise redrawing each key diagram (meander, waterfall, soil profile, population pyramid, urban land-use model) from memory with all conventions in under five minutes.
Answering the Geographical Investigation evaluation section with 'the weather was bad and we ran out of time' rather than evaluating the reliability and validity of the data and methods.
Candidates equate evaluation with complaint and have not been taught to critique sampling, sample size, equipment error, bias, or the limits of generalising from one site or one day.
What to do instead
Prepare a bank of evaluation points tied to your own investigation: sample size and representativeness, systematic vs random sampling, instrument precision, human error in measurement, timing and seasonal effects, and one improvement for each. Write each as 'limitation - effect on data - improvement', giving three or four such chains for the evaluation section.