Topic 2

In general, the questions in the new exams will be very similar to those in the previous exams. There will be a range of question types including:

Paper 1 contains two sections, A and B:

Paper 2 contains four to six structured questions (worth 80 marks). Candidates answer all questions. There is no essay in Paper 2.

The mathematical requirements section of the syllabus specifies the mathematical skills that students /should know. Some of these skills require them to recall a formula or technique. These include:

Students should be able to define and calculate the dependency ratio using given data. They should be able to recall and use the formula.

The formulae for the Lincoln index and Simpson’s index of diversity will be given in the question paper. Students will not need to recall the formulae but they will need to be able to use the formulae in a problem.

The School Support Hub contains a set of specimen papers and mark schemes. Following the exam series in June and November 2022, there will be papers published along with their mark schemes and grade thresholds.

No. Soils are now included in Topic 4.1 Ecosystems. Students are expected to know the soil types of the major terrestrial biomes and how soils change during succession.

We have removed Erosion from the syllabus.

Students are only required to know that acid deposition enhances chemical weathering. This is included in Topic 7.1 Acid deposition.

No. However, an exam might include a question which gives an image of a mine and asks candidates to suggest the impacts of the mine using the information in the question.

Yes. The impact of reservoir projects is included in Topic 4.3 Impacts of human activities on ecosystems and also in Topic 6.1 Global water distribution. You may also give students information about a reservoir, an image of a reservoir, and ask them to suggest the impacts using the information in the question.

The management of natural disasters is not required but the impacts of natural disasters on energy and water security are included in Topic 5.2 and 6.1. You may give students information about a natural disaster and ask them to suggest what the impacts may be using the information in the question.

You can use news articles as a source for case studies to engage students with current environmental management issues from around the world. Teachers/schools should look for situations or contexts which reinforce the content of the syllabus. Teachers should look for a range of examples, with a mix of local, national and international issues, so students are aware that environmental management is of global importance and has relevance across the world.