Investigating Changing Rural Areas (Edexcel GCSE Geography B)

You have carried out you own fieldwork investigating environmental quality in a rural area.

Name your rural area:

i)

Explain one weakness in the method that you used in 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 rural 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
somewhat agree
somewhat disagree
or strongly disagree with these three statements.

The results are shown below on Figure 11, presented as divided (compound) bar graphs. 

Figure 11

The students concluded that rural Area A has a better environment than rural Area B.

Assess the evidence for this conclusion.

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

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

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 11

Calculate the ‘Total score’ for Winterbourne Abbott.

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 Lower Withering and Winterbourne Abbott had more differences than similarities.

You have conducted your own fieldwork into the reasons why deprivation varies within rural areas.

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

Named rural area: ...........................................................................

You have carried out your own fieldwork investigating environmental quality in a rural environment.

Name your rural environment:

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, divided into three groups, carried out a questionnaire in three different villages located 15km (Village A) , 25km (Village B) and 35km (Village C) from the city.

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

(a) if they were residents in that village and

(b) if they would be prepared to take part in a survey.

The students interviewed 30 residents in total, 13 in Village A, 10 in Village B and 7 in Village C.

The interviewees were asked to identify the three most important factors to them when they chose their current residence. The results are shown below in Figure 11.

Figure 11

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

Assess the evidence for this conclusion.