past paper questions

Question 1

Suggest reasons for the variations in access to electricity

Answer 1

• comment on access in urban and rural areas
• factors affecting demand and supply of energy at the national scale
• levels of development, resource endowment, climate, income, technology, energy policy

Question 2

For one degraded environment, examine the causes of its degradation and assess the severity of the problems faced (20)

Answer 2

• rural environments – overpopulation, poor agricultural practices or deforestation
• urban environments – urbanisation, industrial development or inadequate waste management

Question 3

Explain why the amount of electricity produced by HEP schemes may vary seasonally

Answer 3

• River regimes vary seasonally
• Low flow at times of summer drought or winter freezing leads to lower generation of electricity
• High flow during rainy seasons or following snow melt leads to higher generation of electricity
• Demand may vary seasonally

Question 4

Explain three ways countries attempt to achieve energy security

Answer 4

• long-term energy security deals with timely investments to supply energy in line with economic developments and environmental needs
• short-term energy security focuses on the ability of the energy system to react promptly to sudden changes in the supply-demand balance
• diversifying the energy mix to make sure that the country is not dependent on one source
• increasing renewables
• importing from neighbouring countries which may involve some level of international cooperation/geopolitics
• by reducing demand or improving efficiencies in industry

Question 5

Describe how the pipeline may impact the local environment

Answer 5

• melting beneath the supports
• animal tracks
• clearance of vegetation – sparsely spaced (birch) trees for the path of
  the pipeline
• vehicle tracks evident on track beside pipeline and in the background
• snow and frozen ground/water indicative of a cold environment
• barrier across the landscape
  Impacts might include vegetation clearance and loss of habitat; slow recovery in a cold environment; increased chance of snow accumulation; interference with energy budget/localised melting of snow cover and possible thinning of permafrost; soil erosion and further impacts

Question 6

Outline the factors which might have influenced an HIC’s decision to exploit its oil resources

Answer 6

• the balance between different sources, sustainability, levels of development, resource endowment, climate, income, technology, pollution, energy policy and energy security
• reference to HIC context
• development of points

Question 7

With reference to one country, assess the extent to which recent change(s) in the management of energy supply led to locational changes in power production.

Answer 7

Change(s) in management could be linked to meeting increased demand; ensuring supply at peak times; energy security; moves towards environmental sustainability etc., whilst locational changes could be opening/expansion or closing production units; geographical changes for existing types of power production or any other valid locational change.

Question 8

‘Population pressure is the main cause of environmental degradation.’

Answer 8

References to population pressure might arise from the syllabus which lists factors such as: overpopulation, poor agricultural practices or deforestation for rural environments; and: urbanisation, industrial development or inadequate waste management for urban environments – but any other factors or causes may be brought into the response. The assessment
should consider how far population pressure is the main cause for the examples selected.

Question 9

Explain why dependence on tourism for economic development has disadvantages for a country

Answer 9

• dependence and reliance on a single sector of the economy and/or consider factors which lead to fluctuations and particularly to falls in tourist numbers
• covid 19: 72% drop in tourist arrivals in 2020
• economic leakages: Fiji: 60% revenue lost
• extrapolated to consider social and/or environmental disadvantages

Question 10

Assess the extent to which global patterns of trade are influenced by historical factors.

Answer 10

• changing role of historical factors but emphasis should be on current patterns
• resource endowment, locational advantage, trade
  agreements such as the WTO or trade blocs, changes in the global market

Question 11

Suggest why off-grid energy sources are useful for overcoming energy supply issues in LICs/MICs

Answer 11

• Environmental sustainability e.g. solar/HEP in Fig. 4.1; low carbon, climate resilient
• Demand factors from domestic, public services, economic activity, with rising demand due to population growth and increased affluence
• Cost competitiveness (as costs of the hardware have reduced and efficiency increased), affordability in the LIC/MIC context
• Empowerment of local communities
• Supply to rural, isolated communities and enterprises; cost limitations of extending grid supplies to remote regions
• Other

Question 12

With reference to one or more examples, assess the extent to which climate is an important factor influencing the type of energy used to generate electricity.

Answer 12

• type of energy used to generate electricity is influenced by the range of energy resources available
• Other factors may include: sustainability, level of development, resource endowment, income, technology, pollution, energy policy and energy security