Pre-release materials 2025: Introduction UK Energy Challenge (AQA GCSE Geography) : Revision Note

Pre-release materials 2025: Introduction

• The AQA pre-release materials are now available with schools

• AQA copyright and exam regulations mean that the resources themselves cannot be shared online – you will receive or may already have received the booklet from your teacher at school

• These notes can be used alongside the pre-release booklet to support in you in preparing for paper 3

• The issue evaluation is synoptic, which means that it covers more than one topic from the specification

• The topics covered in the 2025 issue evaluation are:

• The materials below will provide all the background information on the issue and key exam tips needed to tackle the questions in the 2025 Geography Paper 3 successfully

• The materials will support you to:

  • set the issue in context, including where it is and the key facts about the location

  • examine conflicting stakeholder viewpoints regarding the issue

  • make an appraisal of the advantages and disadvantages

  • evaluate any alternatives

• In the exam, you will need to answer various questions about the proposal for a tidal barrage across Morecambe Bay and Duddon Estuary in North West England

• You will have about 35-40 minutes for this section of the exam

  • There will be a series of short skills questions (2-3 marks), followed by 6-mark extended questions and then a final 9-mark question which asks you to decide on the issue

  • You will be asked whether you agree or disagree with a statement and then you will be expected to explain your answer.

    • It does not matter whether you agree or disagree; what matters is how you justify your answer using evidence from the materials in the resource booklet and your knowledge

• The issue evaluation skills guide is also here to help you

• It provides support on interpreting and using the sources that you have available in the booklet

UK energy use

• Energy sources are categorised into:

  • Primary energy – fossil fuels, waste, wind, solar, tidal, HEP, etc.

  • Secondary energy – petroleum products, fuels, electricity, heat and gases

• These energy sources are essential for most daily activities, from boiling a kettle and playing on a game console to driving a car

• Energy supports the population's well-being, transport, industry and domestic use

• Overall energy consumption per person in the UK has fallen by 35% since 1990

Source: Our World in Data

• As well as the overall downward trend of energy consumption, there may be specific events which impact energy consumption

  • In 2020, the amount of energy consumed in the UK fell by 13% due to the lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic

Energy use by sector

• The amount of energy used by each sector varies:

  • Industry and domestic use of energy have both decreased since 1990

  • Whereas energy use by services has remained steady

  • Energy use for transport has fluctuated, experiencing a significant decrease in 2020 due to the Covid-19 lockdown

• The reduction in energy use in industry and for domestic use is the result of:

  • decreasing manufacturing industry

  • reduced domestic consumption due to more energy-efficient appliances and energy-saving strategies such as double-glazing and insulation

UK energy mix

• Since the 1990s there has been a change in the UK energy mix

• The UK's reliance on fossil fuels has reduced and the use of renewable energy sources has increased

• However, in total energy consumption, the UK remains reliant on fossil fuels, as shown in Figures 3 and 4

  • Approximately 80% of all UK energy is from fossil fuels

Electricity generation

• Only 55% of power in the UK is produced using fossil fuels, despite the fact that they account for 80% of all energy

• It is estimated that the demand for electricity will increase by 50% by 2030

UK energy security

Energy security

• The UK is increasingly dependent on energy imports

• This has a significant impact on the country's energy security

• Energy security refers to the ability of a country to ensure an accessible, available, affordable and acceptable supply of energy

  • Accessibility is the presence of energy sources so that all people, even in remote rural areas, can access energy supplies

  • Availability of energy means there is a sufficient, reliable and uninterrupted supply

  • Acceptability considers whether the energy supply is environmentally sustainable and safe

  • Affordability means that energy can be afforded by businesses and individuals and that people are not in 'energy poverty'

Factors affecting energy security

• Physical factors 

  • Some countries have plentiful energy supplies due to their location

  • Their geology means that they have coal, oil and/or gas supplies,for example Qatar has surplus energy due to the supplies of gas

  • Location can also impact the availability of geothermal or hydroelectricity

• Cost of exploitation

  • The economic viability of an energy source is whether the cost of exploiting the energy source is less than the money it will make

  • This can fluctuate depending on energy prices and demand

  • Some forms of energy are more expensive than others: coal is relatively cheap, whereas nuclear is expensive

  • The cost of renewables is decreasing as technologies develop

• Technology

  • New technological developments mean that additional reserves of energy can be exploited

  • Technology has helped to improve the efficiency and cost of renewable energy; there are also developments in energy storage

• Political factors

  • Conflict can be caused between countries regarding energy reserves and who has the right to exploit them

  • Flows of energy from one country to others can be interrupted due to conflict

    • Supplies of oil from Libya have been affected since 2011 by the civil war

    • The invasion by Russia into the Ukraine has affected supplies of gas

UK energy imports and exports

• In 2021, the UK imported 62% of its gas supply and 18% of its oil

  • It is estimated that this will increase in the future

  • Most of the gas is imported from Norway

• The UK is currently a net importer of energy, leading to energy insecurity

• Consequences of energy insecurity can include:

  • Increasing energy prices

  • Exploration of environmentally sensitive areas for energy

  • Reduced industrial output

  • Reduced food production

  • Possibility of power outages

Types of energy sources

• All energy sources have both economic and environmental impacts

Fossil fuels

Nuclear fuels

Renewable energy

Renewable energy in the UK

• The UK's energy strategy aims to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels for three main reasons:

  • Oil, gas and coal reserves are running out

  • Fossil fuels emit greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to global warming

  • The last coal-fired power station closed in 2024

• Renewable energy sources are increasingly important because:

  • They do not emit greenhouse gases when generating electricity (although some greenhouse gases are emitted in the manufacture and construction of renewable energy sources)

  • The cost of renewable energies is decreasing

  • They will not run out

  • They are less likely to be affected by international conflicts

  • Energy prices are more stable

  • Maintenance costs are lower

• Renewable energy sources include:

  • hydroelectric

  • marine – includes wave and tidal

  • wind

  • solar

  • geothermal

  • bioenergy/biomass