AQA A-Level Geography 2027 Predicted Practice Paper — Physical Geography

Answer ALL questions. Write your answers in the spaces provided. You must write down all the stages in your working.

Section A

Water and carbon cycles - answer all questions. Answer all questions in Section A.

• 1

  Question SECTION-A1 (4 marks)

  Study the following data for the fictional Aldwyn drainage basin over a 24-hour storm event. Total precipitation = 62 mm; measured surface runoff reaching the river = 28 mm; evapotranspiration during the event = 4 mm; the remainder infiltrated into the soil and did not reach the channel during the event. (a) Calculate the amount of precipitation (in mm) that infiltrated and did not reach the channel. Show your working. (2 marks) (b) Explain how antecedent soil moisture conditions could change the surface runoff figure in a second, identical storm occurring the next day. (2 marks)

  (Total for Question SECTION-A1 is 4 marks)
• 2

  Question SECTION-A2 (6 marks)

  Explain how two physical factors affect the rate at which water moves through the vegetation store (interception) within a drainage basin.

  (Total for Question SECTION-A2 is 6 marks)
• 3

  Question SECTION-A3 (12 marks)

  Assess the extent to which changes to the carbon cycle are more significant than changes to the water cycle in driving climate change at a global scale.

  (Total for Question SECTION-A3 is 12 marks)
• 4

  Question SECTION-A4 (14 marks)

  'Human activity in tropical rainforest catchments has a greater impact on the water and carbon cycles than natural variability.' With reference to a tropical rainforest you have studied or an appropriate example, assess this statement.

  (Total for Question SECTION-A4 is 14 marks)

Section B

Optional physical landscapes route - Coastal systems and landscapes model. Answer all questions in Section A.

• 1

  Question SECTION-B1 (4 marks)

  Study the following longshore drift scenario on a fictional stretch of coast. The dominant wind approaches the shoreline from the south-west, so waves break at an angle to a coast that trends broadly west-to-east. A groyne field has been installed along the western half of the beach only. (a) Outline how the angle of wave approach produces net longshore (littoral) drift of sediment along this coast. (2 marks) (b) Explain one likely consequence for the beach immediately down-drift (to the east) of the groyne field. (2 marks)

  (Total for Question SECTION-B1 is 4 marks)
• 2

  Question SECTION-B2 (6 marks)

  Explain how sub-aerial (weathering and mass movement) processes contribute to the development of coastal landforms.

  (Total for Question SECTION-B2 is 6 marks)
• 3

  Question SECTION-B3 (12 marks)

  Assess the extent to which hard-engineering strategies are more effective than soft-engineering strategies in managing coastal erosion along a stretch of coastline you have studied or an appropriate example.

  (Total for Question SECTION-B3 is 12 marks)
• 4

  Question SECTION-B4 (14 marks)

  'Rising sea levels pose a greater threat to low-lying coastlines than changes in storm frequency and magnitude.' With reference to a named coastal area, assess this statement.

  (Total for Question SECTION-B4 is 14 marks)

Section C

Optional physical systems route - Hazards model. Answer all questions in Section A.

• 1

  Question SECTION-C1 (4 marks)

  Study this simplified data for a fictional shield volcano, Mount Serena. Over a 30-day monitoring period, the summit inflated by 12 cm and the number of daily volcano-tectonic earthquakes rose from 3 per day to 27 per day. (a) Calculate the mean rate of summit inflation in cm per day over the 30-day period. Show your working. (2 marks) (b) Explain why rising summit inflation and increasing earthquake frequency together provide stronger evidence of an impending eruption than either indicator alone. (2 marks)

  (Total for Question SECTION-C1 is 4 marks)
• 2

  Question SECTION-C2 (6 marks)

  Explain how the characteristics of a volcanic hazard can influence the scale of its impact on people.

  (Total for Question SECTION-C2 is 6 marks)
• 3

  Question SECTION-C3 (20 marks)

  Assess the extent to which the level of economic development of a place is the most important factor in determining the impact of a tectonic hazard.

  (Total for Question SECTION-C3 is 20 marks)
• 4

  Question SECTION-C4 (18 marks)

  'For communities living in hazardous environments, effective long-term planning and preparedness reduce risk more than short-term emergency response.' With reference to one or more hazards you have studied, assess this statement.

  (Total for Question SECTION-C4 is 18 marks)