Part (b): a natural + cultural cause, OR two perspectives
Most years: one of each, then show them compounding. Some years (2024): two different perspectives, and why each group holds theirs — read the actual question before assuming which task you have. Exam-style Flooding in a large delta country Explain ONE natural and ONE cultural cause. NATURAL: intense monsoon rainfall combined with Himalayan snowmelt arriving at the same time, over a delta of very low relief where the water cannot drain quickly. CULTURAL: deforestation in the upper catchment reduces interception and infiltration, so a larger proportion of rainfall reaches the channel and reaches it faster. COMPOUNDING: the cultural cause amplifies the natural one — the same rainfall now produces a higher, faster peak than it would have before clearance. PLUS: embankments and urban expansion onto the floodplain concentrate flow and put more people in the path of it. ✓ One natural, one cultural, then the interaction between them. The compounding sentence is what separates Merit from Achieved here.
Reading which task you actually have
If the question says "ONE natural and ONE cultural cause/challenge" — you need exactly one of each, named and explained, ideally shown compounding.
If the question says "two different perspectives" — switch to the "Perspectives" section's approach instead; do not force a natural/cultural split onto a perspectives question.
Either way, the resources will name the specific factors — do not invent a generic cause the resources do not support with evidence.
Cause type
What to look for in the resources
Natural
Climate, weather event, relief, drainage, geology — something the resource frames as physical
Cultural
Land use, deforestation, urban expansion, engineering, policy — something people did or chose
A fast check before moving on
Have I named one cause from each category, not two of the same type?
Have I stated how the two causes compound, not just listed them side by side?