A given environment: geographic concepts and skills

Practice

Recall it first, then use it — testing yourself builds the memory, where rereading the notes above only feels easier.

Recall and application shuffled together — you have to work out what each item wants before you can answer it, which is the part the exam actually tests. Both kinds feed the same spacing schedule, so anything you miss comes back sooner.

Say the answer out loud before flipping — that attempt is where the learning happens, even when you get it wrong.

Exam-style only. Instant feedback, shuffled each attempt, best score saved on this device.

What actually comes up

A real, never-seen-before resource booklet on a real current-events case study, different every year — so the specific facts below cannot be pre-learned. What CAN be learned is the shape: three parts, each graded on its own A/M/E ladder, and the exact task inside parts (b) and (c) shifts year to year, so read the actual wording rather than assuming it matches last year's. (NZQA's marking schedules for this standard summarise the grade ladder but do not reproduce the resource booklet's own figures, so no invented numbers appear below — only the real question wording and the real grade criteria.)

Across 4 years

The pattern — what to prepare

The 2022 paper ↗ Marking schedule ↗

Part (a) — Location, size and extent

Resource booklet: lithium extraction from the Salar de Uyuni salt flat in Bolivia.

• a Describe the geography (location, size, and extent) of the Salar de Uyuni. Use specific geographic information from the resources, with precision, to support your answer. Achieved

Part (b) — Why the environment suits lithium extraction

The natural and/or cultural characteristics of the salt flat make it suitable for lithium extraction.

• b How and why is the natural and/or cultural environment of this area suitable for lithium extraction? Merit

Part (c) — Future sustainability

Lithium demand is predicted to grow as green technologies expand — by 2030, electric vehicles are expected to account for 75% of total lithium demand.

• c Considering the growth in lithium demand and the resource material, how sustainable is lithium mining in Bolivia likely to be in future? Excellence

The 2025 paper ↗ Marking schedule ↗

Part (a) — Location and environment

Resource booklet: the relocation of Indonesia's capital city, from Jakarta to a new site on the island of Borneo.

• a Describe the location and geographic environment of the island of Borneo. Achieved

Part (b) — Natural and cultural challenges

Jakarta faces challenges that have driven the decision to relocate the capital.

• b What are ONE natural and ONE cultural challenge facing Jakarta that have resulted in the need to relocate to a new capital city? Merit

Part (c) — Evaluate the impacts

The relocation affects Indonesia across multiple dimensions.

• c Evaluate the geographic impacts (environmental, social, economic, and cultural) of the relocation of Indonesia's capital city. Excellence

The 2024 paper ↗ Marking schedule ↗

Part (a) — A spatial or temporal pattern

Resource booklet: wildfires in Canada.

• a Using evidence from the resources, describe the pattern (spatial or temporal) of Canadian wildfires. Achieved

Part (b) — Two perspectives (not a cause pair, this year)

Different groups view the wildfires differently.

• b What are two different perspectives related to the wildfires, and why do people hold these perspectives? Merit

Part (c) — Evaluate the consequences

Wildfires are framed in the resources as an environmental disaster with significant environmental, economic, and social costs.

• c Evaluate the consequences of wildfires for people and the environment. Excellence

The 2023 paper ↗ Marking schedule ↗

Part (a) — Why it matters

Resource booklet: flooding in Southeast Asia.

• a Why is flooding an important issue for many Southeast Asian countries? Achieved

Part (b) — Natural and cultural causes

The case narrows to Bangladesh specifically.

• b Explain ONE natural and ONE cultural cause of flooding in Bangladesh. Merit

Part (c) — The single most significant impact

Not a four-dimension evaluation this year — a single judgement instead.

• c What is the most significant impact of flooding for Bangladesh? Justify your response. Excellence

Grades above are read from each year's own evidence ladder (A/M/E), condensed to the actual task — the schedules for this standard do not reproduce the resource booklet's figures, so revise the SKILL of using unfamiliar resources under time pressure, not case-specific facts that will not reappear.

Past exams & resources

⏱ Timed opens the paper and starts a countdown matching the exam length. Official NZQA PDFs. If a link 404s, that year’s paper may sit under a slightly different code: browse the NZQA subject page.