← A given environment: geographic concepts and skills
Changes, and which matters most (every paper)
Identify specifically, then judge against a named criterion.| Criterion for significance | The argument it supports |
|---|---|
| Number of people affected | A housing change affecting thousands outweighs a local one |
| Area involved | A change across the whole environment outweighs one site |
| Permanence / reversibility | Reclaimed land or a dam cannot be undone |
| Knock-on effects | The change that CAUSED the other changes is most significant |
| Rate of change | A rapid change leaves no time to adapt |
Any of these can win the argument. What cannot win is "most significant because it is the biggest" with no criterion behind it.
Worked example Justifying which of three identified changes is most significant Three changes are identified in an urban area: a new stadium, a rise in housing prices, and the loss of a wetland. Justify which is most significant. CRITERION CHOSEN: permanence/irreversibility — a destroyed wetland cannot be recreated, while a stadium could theoretically be repurposed and housing prices can fall again. APPLY IT: the wetland provided habitat and flood protection that no longer exists anywhere nearby, unlike the other two changes which are reversible in principle. COMMIT: the wetland loss is therefore the most significant change, because its environmental function cannot be restored, whereas the economic and infrastructure changes could still shift in the other direction. ✓ One named criterion, applied specifically to the evidence, ending in a clear, defended commitment — not a restatement of all three changes with no decision made.A fast check before writing a significance judgement
- Have I named ONE criterion explicitly, not just asserted which change matters most?
- Have I applied the criterion to the specific evidence, not just restated the changes?
Practice for this standard covers the whole topic — flashcards and quiz.