How to prepare HKDSE GEOGRAPHY
examination?
I. HKDSE examination
40MC
5MC: map reading
4 -> 1
4 -> 1
4 -> 2
3 -> 1
Questions from 2
different elective topics!!!
II. Focus of each topic
7 Compulsory Topics
(Paper I: 4DBQ, 2 essays)
1. Opportunities & Risks
2. River & Coastal Management
3. Industry
3. Global Warming
5. Disappearing Green Canopy
6. Farming
7. City
Opportunities & Risks
1. Landform features: ridge, trench, fold mountains
(characteristics & formation: annotated diagrams)
2. Hazards: volcanic eruption (2005), earthquakes (2005,
2009), tsunami (2007)
• why & how? (Annotated diagram: labels only)
• Variation in damages between MDCs & LDCs
• Variation in solutions between MDCs & LDCs
• Reasons for staying in hazard prone areas
3. Intraplate vulcanicity / earthquakes - Hawaii
River & Coastal Management
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1. Map Reading Skills (Case: Tung Chung River)
a) types of drainage pattern basin (radial, dendritic)
b) draw watershed (along ridge & spur)
c) stream order (1st order, 2nd order…..)
d) draw the river profile (2007)
e) delimit the 3 courses from the river profile
• f) draw cross section of river courses
• - upper course: deep narrow V shaped valley,
middle course: wider V shaped valley; lower
course: wide U shaped valley)
• g) identify characteristics of upper and lower
course from map
1. gradient
-> spacing of contour
lines
2. Width of river
(measure the width of
river on map x scale)
Upper
course
steep
Closely
spaced
narrow
Lower
course
gentle
Widely
spaced
wide
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h) identify fluvial landforms on map
Meanders: winding course (S-shaped)
Waterfall: overlap contour lines
Gorge: narrow valley
Flood plain: lowland adjacent to river in
lower course
• Levees: river banks in lower course
• Interlocking spur: surrounded by alternate
spurs
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i) Vertical exaggeration: (time)
vertical scale / horizontal scale
j) Relation between area & scale:
Enlarged scale x times -> area enlarges x2 times
(Scale enlarged 2 times from 1:200,000 ->
1:100,000 => area enlarges 4 times)
1cm to 2000m
• Reduced scale x times
-> area reduces 1/ x2 times
1cm to 1000m
• 1. Map Reading Skills (coast)
• a) Name coastal erosional (sea cliff (map symbol)/
geo / wave cut platform and depositional features
(beach / tombolo / spit / bar )
• b) Reasons for coastal erosional and depositional
features (exposed headland Vs sheltered bay; fetch,
depth of sea – check submarine contour lines)
• c) human modification along the coast
• e.g. reclamation – white reclaimed land
• E.g. breakwater / typhoon shelter / pier
River & coastal management
• 1. River
• - What are the fluvial characteristics at each river
course (especially gradient and mean velocity)?
• - How do human development (e.g. reservoirs /
dams) affect the fluvial processes (erosion /
transportation / deposition)?
• - Why do lots of development (residential /
agricultural / commercial) focus along lower course
of river?
• - How to interpret flooding from hydrograph?
• - How does urbanization speed up hydrograph?
• 2. Hard and soft approach to manage river and coast
• How does each approach work?
• Which one is more effective / ineffective?
• What’s the impact of such approach?
• What’s the sustainable river and coastal
management?
Industry
• 1. Iron & steel industry in China (2005, 2007)
• a) How does technology & government (institutional factors)
affect the location of Iron & steel industry at different
stages?
• b) Why does more iron and steel industry relocate to
suburbs of urban areas lately?
• 2. IT industry (2006, 2007, 2009)
• a)What are the locational characteristics of IT industry in
Silicon Valley and Hong Kong?
• b) Why does IT industry set up headquarters in MDCs &
TNCs in LDCs? (relocation of industry in HK to S. China)
• c)What are the impacts of multi-point production to MDCs /
LDCs?
• d)Compare and contrast the characteristics of IT industry
and iron and steel industry
Global Warming
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1. Source (2005, 2007)
Combustion from factories, vehicles, power stations
2. Fact? Fiction? (NEW!!!)
3. Impact (2005, 2007)
Impact to farming (2008)
Case: heat waves in Europe / Tuvalu (2009)
4. Solution:
Individual Vs Governmental Vs International
4. Difficulties
Presentation: Why did USA refuse to join Kyoto Protocol?
Dilemma: $ (short term) Vs environmental conservation
(long term)
Disappearing Green Canopy
• 1. How does TRF function as an ecosystem?
• 2. How does the vegetation in TRF adapt to the
climatic conditions in TRF? (roots / leaves / layers)
• 3. How do human activities lead to the
disappearance of TRF?
• 4) Why do TRF governments support such act?
• 5) How does deforestation affect the energy flow &
nutrient cycling of TRF ecosystem?
• 6) How to have a sustainable forest management
Farming
• 1. Cases (California & Sahel)
• a) How does climate create constraints & opportunities to
farmers? (2008)
• b) Why can’t LDCs change farming constraints into
opportunities?
• c) Adv & disadv of different farming technology (20052007)
• d) Why can’t sustainable farming be applied in LDCs?
• e) Why does famine happen in 3rd world countries but NOT
in MDCs?
• f) Is famine man-made / natural? (2006)
• g) How to help starving people?
• Poverty reduction / self help scheme / intellectual aid / food
aid (2005)
• 1. Why land use conflict?
City
• A. Rural land use conflict
• - Population growth -> urbanization -> limited land in urban
areas -> urban encroachment in rural areas -> land use
changes (more residential, less agricultural land, more
transport, more commercial)
• Evidence: aerial photo, photo, map
• B. Urban land use conflict
• Urban decay -> urban renewal
• Limited developable land -> reclamation / new project
• 2. Solution
• Urban renewal (2005, 2007)
• New town (2007)
• Sustainable development
Draw SKETCH MAP to show major land use: (2006)
1. fold the map or highlight the related grid squares
2. Check the scale: same scale? new scale?
• Same scale = original / same size
• Reduction of scale: reduce the scale by half -> area will
be reduced by ¼ times
3. Draw the frame
4. Add grid squares, dominant feature (e.g. coastline, Kai
Tak runway)
5. Draw dominant land use only (e.g. transport, built-up areas)
6. Ignore minor features (e.g. park, post office)
7. Add a key
8. Add title, scale
Elective Topics
1. Climate
(factors affecting temperature: compulsory topic)
2. Dynamic Earth
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Climate
1. Why do places have different rainfall? (2007)
a) air movement
0o (equator / TRF) -> rising air = convection rain
60o -> rising air -> frontal rain
30o (desert) & 90o = sinking air = stable weather
b) windward Vs leeward
Windward (relief rain) Vs leeward (rain shadow region)
c) Wind
Onshore: (wet) Vs offshore (dry)
D) Distance from the sea (Urumqi Vs HK)
Continental climate (drier) Vs Maritime climate (wetter)
• 2. Why do places have different temperature?
= elective topics (MC) (07,08)
(annual mean ToC, annual / diurnal ToC range)
• A) Distance from the sea (East-West Variation)
• Continental climate (large annual Temperature range)
Vs Maritime climate (small annual temp. range)
• b) altitude (e.g. Qing Zang Gaoyuan)
• Highland (cold: Environmental lapse rate -> lower
annual mean temperature)Vs lowland (warmer)
• c) latitude (2006) (North-South Variation)
• High latitude (polar climate -> lower annual
mean temperature) Vs low latitude (Equatorial
climate: large angle of solar incidence)
• d) urban & rural difference
• Urban: warmer = heat island effect), smaller
diurnal range of temperature
• Rural: cooler, larger dirunal range of temperature
• e) clear sky Vs cloudy sky
• Clear sky (desert) -> larger diurnal temperature
range
• cloudy sky (TRF) -> smaller diurnal temperature
• 3. Does climate vary over a place?
• A) shifting of wind belt (2009)
• Wind belt shifts northward in summer & shifts
southward in winter -> places receive onshore
wind may receive offshore wind (vice versa)
• B) Human activities (2005)
• - improper farming activities: over-stocking in
Sahel -> less condensation nuclei -> drier
• - industrialization & urbanization -> power
station / cars / factories -> more greenhouse
gases in urban areas -> hotter (heat island
effect & global warming)
• 4. Relationship between climate & man
• a) climate affect human activities? (2005)
• Favourable climate -> settlement / economic
development
• Unfavourable -> less economic development
• Unless with technology to overcome the
constraints into opportunities (California
• b) human activities affect climate
• global warming
• Heat island effect
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5. Climate of HK (sub-tropical monsoon climate)
a) Summer:
i) SW onshore monsoon (hot & wet)
ii) Typhoon (weather changes at vortex & eye)
iii) Trough (LP -> rain)
Result: flooding, rainstorm
B) Winter:
i)NE / NW winter offshore monsoon (cold & dry)
ii) Front (frontal rain, cold surge)
iii) Anticyclone (cold surge, sunny)
iv) Ridge (HP = sunny)
• 6. Climate of China
• A) Annual mean temperature
• - decreases with increasing latitude = North-South
Variation (Factor: latitude)
• - decreases towards inland = East-West Variation
(Qing Zang Gaoyuan)
• B) Annual temperature range
• - increases towards inland (Continental Vs Maritime)
• C) July (summer mean temperature): NW > E
• inland absorbs heat faster = continental climate
• D) Jan (winter mean temperature): W < E
• - inland loses heat faster = continental climate
• 7. Climate of China
• A) Annual Precipitation: (maritime Vs continental)
• Rainfall decreases from SE (humid regions) to
NW (arid regions)
• B) Rainfall distribution (hot summer dry winter)
• i) summer: E > W (Coast: SW / SE onshore wind
+ maritime climate)
• ii) winter: E > W (inland = HP = outblowing
offshore wind + continental climate)
8. Climatic Hazards
• A. Drought (demand of water >>> supply of water)
LARGE demand of water SMALL supply of water
Physical High evaporation in desert
1. Less & unreliable rain
Delay summer monsoon
Early winter monsoon
human
1. Deforestation -> less
evapotranspiration
2. Polluted water -> fresh water
scarcity
- Rapid industrialization &
urbanization
- Irrigation
• Drought (Human >>>> Physical)
8. Climatic Hazards
• B. Sandstorm (Physical?? Human??)
PHYSICAL
Outblowing strong offshore
wind from Northern China
Lots of dust & sand supply
from desert (Gobi Desert)
HUMAN
Overcultivation, overgrazing
=> Deforestation = no
vegetation to hold the soil
Bare soil -> soil, water &
wind erosion =
desertification
DYNAMIC EARTH
• 1. Formation and characteristics of rocks
(especially granite & tuff)
• 2. compare and contrast igneous / sedimentary
/ metamorphic rocks
• 3. How rock cycle works?
• 4. Role of water / runoff & vegetation in slope
stability (refer to HKAL essay)
• Water is essential in weathering -> thick regolith
• Water erosion = runoff
• Water = lubricant, lower soil cohesion -> landslide
• Steep slope -> gentle slope
• 5. Role of vegetation in affecting slope stability.
(refer to HKAL essay)
• Vegetation = stress: widen cracks (biological
weathering -> denudation
• Vegetation = strength (roots hold the soil)
6. Role of granite (geology) in shaping the landscape
of HK
• Granite: well jointed rock -> less resistant
• Cracks allow penetration of water -> denudation
• Physical weathering: block disintegration (Shek O)
• Chemical weathering: honeycomb weathering,
spheroidal weathering, tors, weathered profile
• Water erosion: gullies (Castle Peak)
• Mass wasting: on granite slopes
7. Role of man in shaping the landscape of HK
• A) Rapid population growth -> demand of land for
residential, transport, residential …… land use
• Coast: Reclamation
• slope: cutting / deforestation
• B) Tame river: River training work
III. Examination Techniques
• 1. Select suitable question
• a) 1st round: Look through all questions
write down the focus for each question.
(Q2:city, Q3:energy). Don’t look at the
details yet. (1minute)
• b) 2nd round: look through the questions you
have studied / have confidence.
• c) Ignore the question you are NOT familiar
• d) Make remarks for each sub-question (e.g.
tick, cross). Add up the total marks that you
know for the question.
• e) Finalize the questions (attempt the
question if you know more than 80%)
• f) Suggestion: Select all questions at the
beginning. Don’t change your mind after
decision has been made
• g) Think carefully before you answer.
Don’t cross out the answer after you have
completed most of it
• 2. Spend the time wisely
• A) Read & find the focus of each question
(3 mins)
• B) Study the question (3 mins)
• C) Answer the questions (25 mins / Q)
• 3. Sequence of questions
• Suggestion 1
• Answer the questions which you are
unfamiliar first as your minds are clearer
• Answer your best question at the end
• Suggestion 2
• Answer the familiar question to gain
confidence
How to have better structure?
1. Introduction
- Be precise (< 5 lines)
- show standpoint (if any)
- NO definition is needed
2. Write Heading
- Marks will NOT be deducted if you write heading
- Heading helps the marker to know which part you
are answering & give marks accordingly
3. Clear structure
- never in lengthy paragraphs
- 1 major argument / factor per paragraph
- Small paragraphs per page
- Write clear topic sentence (pattern) at the
beginning
4. Use keywords (You are NOT writing a
composition, must have geographical
keywords / concepts!!)
Revision before HKDSE
• 1. Do the un-attempted questions in MOCK
• 2. Revision all tests / examination
• 3. Glance through the HKAL presentation (Get the
focus of each question)
• 4. Study the format of structured questions in each
topic.
• 5. Study topic summary / chapter keywords
• 6. Study the focus of each topic (this handout)
• 7. Choose topics to study (NOT encouraged until the
last moment)
• 8. Highlight data / examples when you do revision
(in notes or use a separate sheet to record them)
1-2 days before the examination
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1. Revise map reading
2. Revise area of interest
3. Revise test / examination
4. Study topic summary
5. Study structured question format
Examination day
• 1. Sleep well the night before
• 2. Look at topic summary / keywords /
format
• 3. Look at your record of examples / data
• 4. Have a good breakfast
• 4. Bring a clock / watch for better time
management
• 5. Bring stationery for map reading
• - a long ruler, calculator, a thread, colour
pencils, protractor
• 6. Break: relax, revise map reading skills