9696 · June 2024
Geography
This examination once again produced a wide range of responses in terms of knowledge and understanding. There were a number of excellent responses to some of the questions as well as some questions where responses were less satisfactory.
Source: Cambridge International
Cohort performance
Session statistics from official examination reports
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Key examiner messages
Top priorities from the principal examiner before you revise
A variety of data was provided in Section A, and this included a photograph, maps, and a diagram.
The diagram was straightforward and caused few problems, but candidates were less secure with the sketch map drawing required in Question 1(b).
Some candidates still confuse sketch maps and cross-sections, but in this particular example too many candidates chose the whole area of the photograph, rather than the specified location in area B.
Furthermore, the labelling of geographical features was often too generic and not sufficiently geographical e.g.
‘water’ rather than ‘meander’.
The two maps provided for Question 2 were not always used very effectively.
Candidates should carefully read all the parts of a question before they answer it.
Some responses included material in one part of the question that was relevant to a subsequent part, for example in Question 6 where some candidates included explanation required in 6(b) within their answer to 6(a).
Question difficulty map
How candidates performed on each question in this series
9696/11
Core Physical Geography
9696/12
Core Physical Geography
9696/13
Core Physical Geography
9696/21
Core Human Geography
9696/22
Core Human Geography
Assessment objectives
Skill and AO weighting from official examiner commentary
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Method marks watchlist
Where working, steps, or method marks were commonly lost
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Recurring mistakes across years
Themes examiners flag in multiple recent sessions for this subject
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Question choice intelligence
Mean scores and popularity for optional questions (HKDSE electives)
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Level exemplars
What candidate scripts at each grade level looked like
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Grade & admission context
How marks relate to grade thresholds and entry standards
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Deep insights
What top candidates did
Techniques and approaches examiners rewarded in this series
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Pr…
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Principal Examiner Report for Teachers © 2024 GEOGRAPHY Paper 9696/11 Core Physical Geography General comments This examination once again produced a wide range of responses in terms of knowledge and understanding. There were a number of excellent responses to some of the questions as well as some questions where responses were less satisfactory. Description and thorough analysis of the resources are essential requirements of the questions in Section A and there was some indication of increased attention to detail and analysis this series. Candidates are increasingly aware of the need for careful reference to the data provided. Part (b) questions in Section A all required some reference to the information provided on the resource whether that is specific data or general observations of what is portrayed in the resource. The other point to stress about the resource-based questions is that the part (c) questions, although partially related to the resource, do not usually need reference to the resource in the response. The information and ideas portrayed in the resource will usually be insufficient for answering the question. This has been stressed in previous reports but is worth repeating here. It must not be assumed that the part (c) questions are specifically related to the resource. Most candidates appear to be familiar with the relevant geographical issues and concepts, and most were able to apply their knowledge and understanding appropriately. In most questions there was an opportunity to produce relevant diagrams that could have been used to enhance the answers. However, diagrams continue to be imprecise and sometimes demonstrate inaccurate knowledge and understanding of the issues raised in the question. As stressed in previous reports, examples do much to support answers. When using specific examples, it is important that sufficient detail is provided, and that the examples are appropriate. It is also important that the information provided is accurate and not speculative. Also, simply referring to a country without the specific location mentioned is often inappropriate. Answers to Questions 4(c), 5(c) and 6(c) all benefited from relevant and accurate examples. Questions 4(c), 5 (c) and 6(c) all required some element of evaluation and a conclusion based on the evidence provided in the answer. Evaluation is difficult if the discussion is almost entirely generic. Evaluation does not have to appear just at the end of the answer but, in many cases, continuous evaluation throughout the answers might be more logical, especially if there are many threads to the argument. The final evaluation was too often unconvincing and not related to the evidence and discussion in the answer. There were very few rubric errors. Few candidates attempted all three questions in Section B and planning in terms of time allocation was generally effective.
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Pr…
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Principal Examiner Report for Teachers © 2024 Comments on specific questions Section A Hydrology and fluvial geomorphology Question 1 (a) Most candidates produced answers within the tolerance stated in the mark scheme. A few candidates omitted the units. It is worth stressing that the units are usually required in answering questions of this nature. (b) There were many points that could be mentioned in describing the relationship between annual peak discharge and recurrence interval. Most candidates were able to mention the generally positive relationship and the point that the rate of change of peak discharge was greater between lower recurrence intervals. The slight anomaly between recurrence intervals of 2 and 4 years was also noticed. Many candidates achieved the three marks allocated to this question. (c) It was clear that many candidates were unclear as to what recurrence interval was and what it was describing. Many thought that it indicated when the next discharge of a particular value was going to occur rather than it being a probability based on past events. This meant that it was difficult for them to suggest how recurrence intervals could be used to inform flood prediction and prevention. However, there were many useful suggestions about the possibility of engineering response to events of a particular discharge. It needs to be stressed that high discharges do not necessarily mean that flooding will always occur. Discharge has to be related to bankfull discharge and any engineering strategies that might be in place. A few candidates noted that recurrence interval could be used to implement a cost-benefit analysis to assess whether it was beneficial to instigate certain strategies. Atmosphere and weather Question 2 (a) (i) Although some candidates identified the resource as portraying the greenhouse effect, most were able to identify the urban heat island effect. (ii) Virtually all candidates calculated the temperature range correctly, although there were some answers where the unit was omitted. (b) Description of a pattern still causes confusion. It is a general synthesis that is required rather than simply repeating the data throughout the transect. However, good marks were achieved by many candidates although the slightly different pattern either side of the urban area was often not identified. (c) There were many good answers to this question. The low albedos of the surfaces in the urban areas with the effect on heat absorption and subsequent radiation of heat were mentioned by many candidates, although sometimes the albedo values were incorrect. Anthropogenic heat and the effect of heat dispersal by wind were often discussed. Greenhouse gas emission was mentioned quite frequently but this is not as significant as a pollution dome of particulate matter. Rocks and weathering Question 3 (a) The majority of candidates were able to correctly identify heave or creep as the mass movement shown in the photograph. (b) The question did not ask for a sketch of the photograph but for a labelled diagram of the mass movement identified. Thus, the diagram could be a representation of soil creep on a slope. If the diagram was a representation of the actual slope shown then this was very acceptable. However, many diagrams were unrepresentative of either a slope or soil creep.
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Pr…
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Principal Examiner Report for Teachers © 2024 (c) There were some excellent answers to this question with afforestation, netting and pinning being the favourite slope modifications discussed. However, answers needed more detail than just mentioning pinning or netting but some indication as to how they were applied and how they could reduce mass movement. Afforestation was frequently mentioned because it combined strengthening the soil by roots as well as reducing water content which reduced the possibility of lubrication and loss of cohesion in the slope material. Section B Hydrology and fluvial geomorphology Question 4 (a) (i) Answers to this question were generally sound and most candidates were able to define the essential characteristics of infiltration and interception even if not the precise definitions. (ii) Most candidates understood what a levee was but some, rather than describing what it was, produced lengthy explanations as to how they were formed. (b) Most candidates were able to provide some explanation for the formation of meanders and oxbow lakes but detail was often lacking. Uncertainty about the nature and operation of helicoidal flow is still prevalent. Diagrams still show helicoidal flow as a squiggle down the centre of the channel which is erroneous. Helicoidal flow is the cross-channel flow on the surface returning at depth in a downstream direction. Erosion of the outside bend was often mentioned but with no discussion of the nature of the processes that might cause such erosion. There was often a similar lack of clarity as to how the river cut through its banks to produce the oxbow lake. (c) There were many excellent, detailed answers to this question with many factors other than climate discussed. However, there was a variable interpretation of discharge. Many candidates equated it with flooding and most discussed factors in terms of storm hydrographs, peak discharge and lag times rather than discharge in total. Thus, circular drainage basins were equated with more rapid runoff although the total amount of discharge might have been similar to drainage basins with other shapes. It would have been perfectly valid to answer the question with respect to annual discharge. There was occasionally a lack of explanation as to how rainfall led to high discharge such as increased surface runoff. However, as mentioned, there were many excellent answers with a wide range of other factors and located examples. Atmosphere and weather Question 5 (a) (i) Most candidates were able to describe the albedo effect with realistic examples to substantiate their descriptions. (ii) Most candidates mentioned reflection by clouds but often omitted absorption and scattering by dust and aerosols. (b) There were very few good answers to this question. Even if the basic mechanisms of the respective ways that the air is forced to rise were discussed, the subsequent processes of temperature decrease, latent heat transfer and condensation, were often inaccurately described and little understood. (c) Many candidates found this a difficult question. The majority of candidates saw the question as an opportunity to answer with respect to how the processes of global warming, such as the greenhouse effect, varied with location rather than discuss the atmospheric impacts. Thus, urban areas were blamed for most of global warming and answered to the effect that urban areas were affected more than other locations. Few answers attempted to evaluate atmospheric impacts such as those outlined in the mark scheme. Rocks and weathering Question 6
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Pr…
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Principal Examiner Report for Teachers © 2024 (a) (i) Most candidates were able to define freeze-thaw weathering in a satisfactory way. Pressure release (dilatation) was less well understood and was often confused with exfoliation. (ii) This was answered well by most candidates. (b) There were many good answers to this question, with the role of rock type and rock structure in influencing physical weathering being well explained. However, the question addressed the rate of weathering and many candidates simply answered with respect to type of weathering and not rate of weathering. Those candidates that emphasised rate were awarded higher marks. (c) The response to this question was very good. It was clear that many of the recent theories of plate tectonics, and how plates move, are now part of mainstream teaching. Convection currents are still a major factor in plate movement but the role of slab pull and ridge push is now prominently discussed. Slab pull is related to subduction but many candidates noted that the plates have to be moving somehow before subduction can occur. The lack of subduction at some plate boundaries was noted. In contrast to such answers, many candidates explained tectonic landforms at great length, which was not really required.
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Pr…
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Principal Examiner Report for Teachers © 2024 3(c), for example, too often consisted of simple statements which were at best implicit in terms of comparison. Comments on specific questions Section A Hydrology and fluvial geomorphology Question 1 (a) Most candidates answered this question correctly, but a few regarded A as being a general rather than precise location and identified this as a water feature such as river, meander or oxbow lake. Some even suggested delta. (b) As identified earlier, many sketch maps included the whole area of the photograph, and not just the area specified as B. In some cases, this also invalidated the labelling of the main features. (c) There were some clear and detailed explanations of oxbow lake formation, although some answers drifted towards description at the expense of explanation. The erosion and deposition processes were not always discussed in sufficient detail. Atmosphere and weather Question 2 (a) Most candidates answered in terms of percentages rather than oktas but figures tended to be rather exaggerated. (b) As referenced to in general comments, some candidates obscured any general concept of pattern, by excessive information from the map provided. Furthermore, distribution details were not always very precise. However, many did try to use information from both Fig. 2.1 and Fig. 2.2. (c) There were many good answers to this question. Most used information from Fig. 2.1 and Fig. 2.2 to discuss the significance of orographic uplift, but many went beyond this to discuss convection and availability of moisture from oceans and the rivers in the north. Temperature differences between land and sea were also considered. Rocks and weathering Question 3 (a) (i) A large number considered ‘heave’ to be a mass movement in its own right. It is often an essential element of ‘soil creep’ but only in explanatory terms. (ii) Most candidates answered this correctly. (b) This was also well answered. Candidates used the information provided in Fig. 3.1 very effectively in terms of both rate of movement and water content. (c) This proved a difficult question. Many candidates were able to describe some of the differences between ‘slides’ and ‘flows’, but few could effectively explain these differences in terms of internal deformation, or the lack of it. It is a difficult topic, complicated by geology and gradients etc., particularly when discussing velocity of movement. As noted earlier, illustrative diagrams could have helped considerably. Section B Hydrology and fluvial geomorphology Question 4
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Pr…
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Principal Examiner Report for Teachers © 2024 (a) (i) Clearly and correctly answered by the majority of candidates. (ii) Shape of drainage basins was not always understood and consequently linkages to discharge were not easily described. Some confused description with explanation. (b) Explanations of recurrence intervals were often vague and too generic. There was often a reasonable attempt to relate prediction to long term planning, but some answers drifted into excessive detail on the impacts of flooding. (c) Many candidates displayed excellent knowledge of a relevant case study event. However, the focus was often directed at the post flood attempts to limit future flooding problems. This is not irrelevant but can divert attention from established procedures implemented to reduce the impact of the flood event in the first place. Atmosphere and weather Question 5 (a) (i) Once again, some very precise and valid definitions. (ii) Candidates found this difficult because the question linked land/sea distribution with seasonal temperature variations. This link was not fully understood by many candidates. (b) The concept of excesses and deficits of radiation was clearly understood but explanations were not always as convincing. Candidates too often used distance from the sun to explain temperature differences between high and low latitudes. The increased distance is minimal and insignificant. What is significant is the angle of the sun’s rays together with the loss of energy when passing through the atmosphere. An illustrative diagram would have enhanced clarity but was rarely used. (c) Case study material was often rather limited, although Vancouver was used effectively. Global warming and acid rain, although not irrelevant, figured too prominently in some answers. Some candidates were able to give detailed descriptions of urban weather characteristics such as temperature, precipitation and wind, but lacked the evaluative aspects which are necessary to access Levels 3 and 4. Rocks and weathering Question 6 (a) (i) Generally well answered in defining subduction. Some candidates did confuse conservative with constructive plate boundaries. (ii) Not particularly well answered. Most recognised the importance of convergence but not necessarily that the two plates were oceanic. (b) There were some excellent answers on afforestation. The concept and importance of interception was discussed in good detail. Understanding of grading was less convincing. Exemplar material was limited. (c) Candidates discussed effectively the influence of temperature on weathering. The need for temperature fluctuations was clearly understood. Rainfall tended not to be given the same emphasis with the result that discussions of chemical weathering were less effective. The role of vegetation was considered but there was less emphasis on factors such as rock structure/type or human activity. Nevertheless, there were some excellent answers to this question.
Command word playbook
How to match each command word to the expected response style
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Time traps
Sections where candidates spent disproportionate time relative to marks
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Syllabus traceability
Topics linked to questions and mark weighting in this session
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MCQ trap analytics
Commonly chosen wrong options from examiner commentary
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Topic heatmap across years
Mark concentration by topic and exam year for this subject
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Difficulty trend
How session difficulty has shifted across recent years
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Paper comparison
Marks and duration breakdown across papers in this session
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Marks you can still earn
Where valid approaches outside the mark scheme may still gain credit
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Practise what examiners flagged
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Self-diagnostic checklist
Key actions before you sit this paper — copy and tick off as you revise
- 1Message
A variety of data was provided in Section A, and this included a photograph, maps, and a diagram.
- 2Message
The diagram was straightforward and caused few problems, but candidates were less secure with the sketch map drawing required in Question 1(b).
- 3Message
Some candidates still confuse sketch maps and cross-sections, but in this particular example too many candidates chose the whole area of the photograph, rather than the specified location in area B.
- 4Message
Furthermore, the labelling of geographical features was often too generic and not sufficiently geographical e.g.
- 5Message
‘water’ rather than ‘meander’.
- 6Message
The two maps provided for Question 2 were not always used very effectively.
- 7Message
Candidates should carefully read all the parts of a question before they answer it.
- 8Message
Some responses included material in one part of the question that was relevant to a subsequent part, for example in Question 6 where some candidates included explanation required in 6(b) within their answer to 6(a).
- 9Strength
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Pr…: Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Principal Ex
- 10Strength
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Pr…: Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Principal Ex
- 11Strength
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Pr…: Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Principal Ex
Teacher briefing pack
One-page session summary for tutors and classroom review
June 2024 2024
Geography
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9696 Geography June 2024 Principal Examiner Report for Teachers © 2024 GEOGRAPHY Paper 9696/11 Core Physical Geography General comments This examination once again produced a wide range of responses in terms of knowle
A variety of data was provided in Section A, and this included a photograph, maps, and a diagram.
The diagram was straightforward and caused few problems, but candidates were less secure with the sketch map drawing required in Question 1(b).
Some candidates still confuse sketch maps and cross-sections, but in this particular example too many candidates chose the whole area of the photograph, rather than the specified location in area B.
Examiner insights
General comments
- •This examination once again produced a wide range of responses in terms of knowledge and understanding.
- •There were a number of excellent responses to some of the questions as well as some questions where responses were less satisfactory.
- •Description and thorough analysis of the resources are essential requirements of the questions in Section A and there was some indication of increased attention to detail and analysis this series.
- •Candidates are increasingly aware of the need for careful reference to the data provided.
- •Part (b) questions in Section A all required some reference to the information provided on the resource whether that is specific data or general observations of what is portrayed in the resource.