MATSEC IM Geography case studies
MATSEC IM Geography · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The MATSEC Intermediate Level Geography examination is a matriculation-level qualification awarded under the MATSEC Board of L-Università ta' Malta, intended for post-secondary candidates who need an intermediate subject alongside their advanced-level choices, whether for university entry or for personal academic breadth. This page is an independent study resource: it is not endorsed by, connected to, or produced by the University of Malta or the MATSEC Board, and it does not claim any official status. The MATSEC IM Geography case studies are 5 cases and about 4,294 words.
1Beach Narrowing at Il-Bajja s-Sewda: Choosing a Coastal Defence
A 1.8 km embayment on Malta's north-west coast has been surveyed annually since 2012. At the central beach profile, width fell from 22 m to 14 m while mean grain size coarsened from 0.6 mm to 1.1 mm.
833 words, about 4 min2Ħal Warda: Spending €800,000 in an Ageing Village
Ħal Warda is a hill-top village of 3,410 people. Between 2011 and 2023 the share of residents aged 65 and over rose from 17% to 26%, while births fell from 38 to 21 a year.
852 words, about 4 min3Water Demand, Nitrate and Reuse in a Coastal Irrigation District
A coastal district of 28,000 residents, 340 hotel beds and 210 hectares of irrigated vegetables relies on a limestone aquifer and a reverse-osmosis plant rated at 20,000 m³ a day. In August 2023 demand reached 26,500 m³ a day, and the shortfall was met by abstracting 4,100 m³ a day above the licensed aquifer yield.
860 words, about 4 min4Testing Distance-Decay with Spearman's Rank: What r_s = 0.52 Really Shows
Two students test whether the number of cafés and restaurants in 14 Maltese localities is related to distance from Valletta. Distances in kilometres were measured as straight lines from each locality centre to Valletta on a 1:50,000 map, and catering establishments were counted from a business directory published in 2019.
825 words, about 4 min5Map Extract and Fieldwork Plan for a Valley Village
On a 1:25,000 map extract (1 km grid squares) a village of 900 people lies on a valley floor at 452 786, where the ground is 60 m above sea level. The contour interval is 10 m and the 140 m contour closes around the catchment upstream.
924 words, about 5 min