MOCK QUESTIONS for the January 2013 SDME exam

Section A – The Background

Question 1

Use Resource 1 to describe how the global proportion of the population living in urban areas is changing. [4 marks]

Question 2

Use Resource 2 to describe and explain the differences between the population structures found in urban and rural areas in England in 2009. [6 marks]

Section B – The Options

Question 3

Use Resource 3 to explain why there is a housing crisis in Britain. [6marks]

Question 4

Use Resources 4 & 5 to explain why some people think building new settlements is the most sustainable way to provide new homes, whilst other people think we should use existing settlements. [8 marks]

Section C – The Decision

Question 5

Use Resources 6, 7, 8 & 9, plus the OS map, other resources and your own knowledge to answer this question.

Leicestershire County Council has a target to build 4,000 new homes each year. It has 3 planning options around the city of Leicester to help meet its target.

Option 1 Build a large new eco-town including 15,000 new homes on the greenfield site shown on the OS map and in Resources 7 & 8. Option 2 Build several smaller housing developments around Leicestershire, including 2,000 homes on the site of Leicester airport shown on the OS map & in Resource 8. Option 3 Provide 4,000 new homes a year by developing derelict brownfield sites in the county’s urban centres and returning as many empty houses to the housing stock as possible. You work for Leicestershire County Council planning office and have been asked to write a report for the council suggesting which option is the most sustainable for Leicestershire. In your report you must:

State your chosen option

Explain why your chosen option is more sustainable than the other two options

Explain any disadvantages your chosen option may have

Suggest a group of people who would disagree with your choice and explain which option they would prefer and why

[16 marks]