Investigating Dynamic Urban Areas (Edexcel GCSE Geography B)

You have carried out your own fieldwork investigating environmental quality in an urban area.

Name your urban area:

i)

Explain one weakness in the method that you used to collect quantitative data.

(2)

ii)

Explain how case studies or theories helped you to analyse your results.

(4)

Draw an annotated sketch map or annotated diagram to show how you presented some of your fieldwork data.

A group of 20 students carried out questionnaires in two contrasting inner city areas on a Thursday afternoon.

They asked 40 randomly selected residents about the area they lived in (Area A or Area B). They gave them three statements about their area.

Statement 1 (S1) – ‘Crime is a major problem in your area.’

Statement 2 (S2) – ‘Noise is a major problem in your area.’

Statement 3 (S3) – ‘Litter and graffiti are major problems in your area.’

The residents were asked to either:
strongly agree
agree
disagree or strongly disagree with these three statements.

The results are shown below on Figure 10, presented as divided (compound) bar graphs.

Figure 10

The students concluded that urban Area A had a better environment than urban Area B. Assess the evidence for this conclusion.

A group of 20 students carried out fieldwork investigating environmental quality in two contrasting urban areas.

They conducted an environmental quality survey in 10 streets in each area.

They assessed the levels of graffiti, traffic noise, litter and pavement quality on a scale of +2 to −2 for each factor, with +2 indicating a very positive view and −2 indicating a very negative view.

Their results are shown below.

Figure 10

Calculate the ‘Total score’ for Lower Walton.

You must show your working.

Total score = ..............................................................

Explain one method that the students might have used to select the streets that they surveyed.

Suggest one way in which secondary data might have been used in this investigation.

Suggest two reasons why the students concluded that Westgate and Lower Walton had more differences than similarities.

You have conducted your own fieldwork into the reasons why the quality of life varies within an urban area.

Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the methods that you used to collect your primary data.

Named urban area: .........................................................................

You have carried out your own fieldwork investigating environmental quality in an urban area.

Name your urban area:

Explain one way in which you used quantitative data to measure differences in the environmental quality of your chosen area.

Using an annotated diagram that shows one way in which you presented the results of your data collection, explain your results.

Explain how you would improve your data collection methods to increase their accuracy.

In 2017 a group of students carried out a questionnaire in three different urban areas, one in the city centre, one in the suburbs and one in a rural settlement just inside the city boundary.

The interviews were conducted between 13:00 and 15:00 on a Thursday afternoon by asking people in the three different areas;

(a) if they were residents in that location and
(b) if they would be prepared to take part in a survey.

The students interviewed 30 residents in total, 13 in the city centre, 10 in the suburb and 7 in the rural settlement just inside the city boundary.

The residents were asked to identify the three most important factors for them when they chose their current residence. The results are shown below in Figure 10.

Figure 10

The students concluded that housing cost and closeness to family and friends were the most important factors overall.

Assess the evidence for this conclusion.