Elective Unit 5: Patterns and Processes in the Human Environment
Elective Unit 5 looks at where people live and how settlements grow and change: population distribution and density, demographic change and migration, urban land use and urban problems. Strong answers interpret models and data rather than describing them.
Rules that decide marks
- Distribution is the pattern of where people live; density is people per km². Physical, economic, social and political factors explain both.
- The Demographic Transition Model has five stages; link each stage to birth rate, death rate, natural increase and population structure.
- Population pyramids record cohort widths: a broad base means high birth rates (stages 2–3); a narrow base with a wide top means an ageing population (stage 5).
- Migration is explained with push and pull factors; distinguish voluntary from forced, and internal rural–urban from international.
- Urban land use follows bid-rent: CBD with high land values, inner-city decay, suburbs and commuter belts. Responses include planning, public transport and regeneration.
Worked example
A pyramid narrows sharply at the base while the 65+ cohorts are wide. Interpret it. Reasoning: low birth rates and long life expectancy place the country in late stage 5; the dependency ratio shifts from youth dependency to old-age dependency, raising spending on pensions and healthcare while school demand falls. Policy responses include raising the retirement age, immigration and childcare incentives to lift participation.
Traps that cost marks
- Confusing density with distribution.
- Describing a pyramid's shape without linking it to a DTM stage and consequences.
- Using "overpopulation" loosely instead of referring to resources and density.
- Naming urban problems without evaluating a response.